Overview
When a bidder submits a Make an Offer on a Maxanet item, the admin receives an email alert and can review, accept, or reject the offer from the Buy Now tab of the auction dashboard. After acceptance, the same tab lets you generate invoices for Buy Now and Make an Offer transactions, which then flow through the same invoicing workflow as regular auction items (fees, headers, charging, emailing).
The three Make an Offer email templates
Under Admin → Configurations → Email Templates, there are three templates related to Make an Offer:
BuyNow Offer Received — sent to the admin when a bidder submits a valid offer above the minimum. Use this email to know an offer is waiting for your review
Offer Rejected — sent to the bidder when the admin rejects their offer. Admins may want to CC themselves to keep a record
Offer Accepted — sent to the bidder acknowledging the offer was accepted
How to review pending offers on the BuyNow tab
When a valid offer comes in, go to Admin → Auction → Auction Dashboard and click the Buy Now tab. Important: you must click the dropdown menu at the top of the BuyNow tab and select Buy Now Offers to see pending offers — without this selection, offers will not be visible.
How to accept or reject an offer
On the BuyNow Offers view, each pending offer has an Actions menu. Click Actions and choose Approve or Decline. The Status column updates to reflect your choice, and Maxanet sends the bidder either the Offer Accepted or Offer Rejected email automatically.
How to generate an invoice for a Buy Now or Make an Offer item
Buy Now and accepted Make an Offer purchases require you to generate an invoice separately from regular auction invoices. On the BuyNow tab, use the dropdown and select BuyNow. Any pending Buy Now transactions show with a status of Invoice Pending. Use the Actions menu (or Group Actions for multiple at once) and select Generate Invoice.
How to configure and send the generated invoice
After generating, the invoice moves to the Auction Dashboard → Invoices tab. From here, the workflow is identical to regular auction invoices: apply Fees (premium, tax, custom fees), add Invoice Content header and footer, record a payment or charge the credit card (if MaxanetPay is enabled), and optionally email the invoice as a PDF to the winning bidder. See the Ending the Auction article for detailed invoice workflow.
Screenshots and additional illustrations
Common questions
Where do I see pending offers?
Auction Dashboard → BuyNow tab → select 'Buy Now Offers' from the dropdown at the top. Offers don't appear until you make that selection.
Will the bidder be notified when I accept or reject an offer?
Yes, automatically — via the Offer Accepted or Offer Rejected email template. Admins can customize these templates under Configurations → Email Templates.
Do I need to generate the invoice separately from regular auction invoices?
Yes. Buy Now and Make an Offer invoices are generated from the BuyNow tab using Actions → Generate Invoice. They then appear on the Invoices tab like regular invoices.
Can I apply the same fees to Buy Now invoices as regular invoices?
Yes. After an invoice is generated, it's on the Invoices tab where you can apply Global Fees, custom fees, headers, and footers just like any other invoice.
What does 'Only Buy Now' do differently for invoicing?
'Only Buy Now' hides the regular bid boxes on the public page. The invoicing workflow is the same — generate the invoice from the BuyNow tab after the bidder completes the purchase.
Related Maxanet help articles