RFC Auction Systems

RFC Auction Systems can be deployed in either a Standard or Enterprise configuration. Standard systems are packaged to include all of the features needed to run your auction business at a very competitive price. Enterprise systems are custom tailored for each auction house by selecting from a large number of options geared toward larger houses with many employees and multiple operational groups within the business. Enterprise systems can be upgraded at any stage after the initial installation. Standard systems must first be upgraded to Enterprise before additional features can be added.

Based on a presale consultation, RFC will select a system package to suit your auction house’s specific requirements drawn from the list of features listed below. Please ask about any features that do not appear and chances are we will have a solution for you. If not, we will undertake development of new features as needed.

Here is a list of the primary features of RFC Auction Systems.

Standard Auction Management System

Multi-user unlimited per-site license
Multi-level access log-on security
One, unified customer database for sellers, buyers, mailing list
User friendly Windows interface runs on Windows, Apple (emulation) or terminal services
Integration with popular office, desktop publishing, and email applications
Bar coding and magnetic-stripe client-card support
Receipting, managing, and cataloguing of inventory for auction
Import/export utilities for MS Word/Excel
Move/copy inventory functions between receipts and seller accounts
Set seller terms by customer and/or receipt level
Inventory categorization by department
Filter Inventory by receipt, seller, sale, category, keywords, and unsold status
Standard catalogue style templates with condition reports, footnotes
Spell check with custom dictionary
Multiple images per lot and image management, with “drag and drop” entry
Automatic lotting by department, title, value, owner, or custom sort
Re-lotting and moving sections of sales
Catalogue heading and reading material text processing
Photo charge organizer
Auction sale registration system
Absentee/Telephone/Internet bid processing
Automatic telephone bid organizer with reports for each clerk
Auctioneer and absentee bid clerking consoles
Auction sale price and bidder recording, split and gather lots, support for un-lotted sales
Auction sale slide show with auto-preview mode and optional currency conversion board
Fast, point-of-sale buyer invoicing and payment processing
Balance sale function ensures sale is balanced and finalized
Seller post-sale billing system with expense recoveries
Return unsold lots with billing of charges
Seller checks with, split payments, alternate payees, batch printing and manual checks
Identify sellers who have buyer balances outstanding for offsetting
Account adjustments including buyer/seller offsets, seller roll forward of charges from previous sales
Automatic holding of seller checks pending payment by buyer
Standard buyer and seller accounts management (allows deletes)

Enterprise Accounts Management

Comprehensive buyer and seller accounts management (forces adjustments)
Batch process account statements and dunning letters
Bank deposit processing and reconciliation
Management reporting and forecasting by specialist department
Full account distribution journaling and reporting
Optional custom third party financial system integration (additional cost)
Multi-currency features

Enterprise Inventory Management

Comprehensive inventory database query and management capabilities
Enhanced owned-inventory sales and control
Lot and sale level consignment terms
Inventory change auditing and history tracking - keep track of sales, re-offers, changes
Enhanced (customized) catalogue style templates with condition reports, footnotes
Customized catalogue output to desktop and professional publishing systems
Introductory commission (finder fees) management with report and check printing
Pre-sale checklist system for managing multiple receipts/terms per client, assigning receipts to account execs.
Sales Representative commission management and reporting
Sale catalogue index builder
Convert invoices to consignment receipts
Private sale invoicing directly from inventory
Support for multi-currency estimates and reserves, auctions in alternate currencies
2D Bar Coding Support

Inventory Control (with Enterprise Inventory Management)

Provides control over inventory movement on and off premises and between sites
Shipping and consignment processing and forms, trucking checklists - select inventory by any criteria and place on a consignment form for transport or other processing
Print Inventory Release forms for Buyers and Sellers, records inventory off premises

Customer Relations Management and Catalogue Subscriptions

Comprehensive client database query and management capabilities including buyer and seller sales profiling and demographics
Comprehensive Client Relationship Management (“CRM”) system
Client interest and type categorization, assign company representatives, cross reference relationships.
Client sales, registration, and bidding history can be viewed and joined in queries
Create mailing campaign tracking lists to cross reference with sales history
Multiple catalogue subscription and payment processing system, including regional pricing
Print batch subscription renewal letters, complimentary subscription reports
Output mailing labels, shipping labels and forms, email shots, export for bulk printing
2D Bar Coding Support

Contact Manager

Track and schedule phone calls and other client contact events
Record travel and entertainment expenses related to meetings
Join contact event history into CRM queries

Integrated Appraisals & Scheduling

Prepare formatted Appraisals (Valuations) with images that can be selectively converted to consignment inventory
Sort by Location, Room, and Category
Schedule appraisal visits for multiple representatives, with Microsoft Outlook calendar integration
Search appraisals by keyword to locate specific inventory

RFC Plug-In Website System

Dynamic online catalogues fully integrated and synchronized with your back office system
Auction schedule updates your site automatically when you add new auctions
Publish online catalogues and lot previews from your desktop at the push of a button
Changes to catalogues automatically pushed to your web site
Multiple images per lot, automatically resized and transferred to your web site
On-line user registration with optional category and mailing list opt-in/out
Absentee bidding with online confirmation and tracking synchronized to your auction book
Search upcoming and archived catalogues by keyword and category
Real-time prices realized with “See what I’ve bought” and “See what I’ve sold” feature
Fully integrated with Invaluable’s network of online marketing platforms

Invaluable Powered "Infinite BiddingTM" Live Online Bidding System

Your own branded live and absentee online bidding system, powered by Invaluable, for your own customers. (Invaluable’s standard online buyer transaction fees apply.)
Audio/Video Broadcast live from your saleroom
Comprehensive online bidder approval system, with optional bid limits and reviews by Invaluable network houses, including other houses using Infinite Bidding.
My Auctions – your users can review auctions they have registered for in the past and future
My Bids/Bid History – Users can track and manage future bids and past results
My Watched Lots – Users can track lots without bidding
My Messages – Communicate directly with your users.

Additional RFC Services

Custom reports and functionality programming available at hourly rates
Custom web page design and extended web site features available

RFC Standard Reports

Inventory listing reports
Lotting slips
Consignment receipt
Pre-sale notification
In-House print catalogue formats
Catalogue export
Amended lots (Saleroom notices)
Missing lots and pictures report
Absentee bid listings
Auctioneer’s book
Consignor’s results of sale
Prices realized
Auction summary report
Buyers sale journal
Consignors sale journal
Miscellaneous charges report
Held Lots Listing
Sale profile statistics
Post sale summaries
Sold lots report
Unsold lots report
Returned merchandise report
Saleroom labels
Auction Sale Listing
Top Lots & Customers
Sale registration report
Sale consignor listings and labels
Customer sale history
Buyer chase up report
Customer lists
Mailing labels
More…

RFC Accounts Reports

Buyer transactions report/export
Consignor transactions report/export
Buyers aging report
Consignors aging report
Check register
Buyer payments report
Consignor adjustments report
Buyer account statements
Consignor account statements
More…

Enterprise Accounts Reports

Dunning letters
Sale statistics and income by period
Deposit and banking report
Credit terms listing
Photo charges report
Journal control reports
Tax reports
More…

Catalogue Subscriptions and Customer Relations Reports

Catalogue renewal letters
Paid and complimentary subscription lists
Subscription sales report
Subscription payment journal
Outside mailer export formats
Shipping label formats
Customer profile and demographics
Customer sales levels
Customer type and interest lists
Customer geographic reports
Email shots
Form letters
Single catalogue request list
More…

Enterprise Inventory Reports

Commission statistics
Representative reports
Consignor sale history statements
Sale reserve and estimate statistics
Advanced catalogue output formats
Introductory commission statements and reports
Inventory location list
Inventory consignment list
Inventory receiving check list
Internet bidder reports
Online sale reports
Auction schedule report
In-house catalogue formats
Catalogue Index
More…