Plans: V1.0: Essentials, Pro, ENT | V2.0: Starter, Growth, ENT | V3.0: Basic, Scale, ENT
Platforms: All platforms
Sales channel: TikTok Shop (US, UK)
Overview
LIVE Auction is a TikTok Shop livestream selling format where shoppers bid on a product during a countdown. The highest bidder wins the order. AfterShip Feed supports syncing orders from LIVE Auctions.
How an auction order syncs depends on the Auction product type:
1. Convert an existing product into an auction product
Toggle on Auction product for a product already in your shop
Orders sync automatically to your store
2. Temporary listing
Creates a brand-new, one-off listing just for the livestream
Orders don't sync automatically. You must manually link the SKU in the Feed before the orders can sync
Temporary listings are a TikTok Shop platform limitation. They are published as new products and don't have a connection to your existing store products. As a result, Feed can't automatically match them to your store.
Note:
No additional setup is required for auction products converted from existing products.
Temporary listings require manual SKU linking.
1. What is Supported?
If you turn an existing product in your shop into an auction product using the Auction product toggle:
Orders from the auction product sync to your store automatically, just like regular TikTok Shop orders.
No manual SKU linking is required. The auction product remains linked to the original catalog product, allowing Feed to match the SKU and sync the order automatically.
2. Set up an auction product from an existing product
Follow the steps mentioned further to make sure your auction orders sync correctly:
Step 1: Turn on the Auction product option
To update a single product:
Go to Products > Manage Products in TikTok Shop Seller Center.
Find the product you want to use for the auction.
Under Sales Information, turn on the Auction product toggle.
Set the starting bid price. The minimum starting bid is $1.
Submit the product for review.
To update products in bulk:
Go to Products > Manage Products.
Select Bulk actions.
Select Upload in bulk.
Step 2: Add the product to your LIVE
After the product is approved:
In LIVE Manager, go to LIVE Console > Auction > Add from auction list.
Select the approved auction product.
If needed, edit the auction duration and starting bid before going live.
Step 3: Run your LIVE Auction
Run your LIVE Auction as usual.
When a shopper wins the bid, the resulting order syncs to your store automatically.
Important considerations
An auction product is intended for LIVE sessions while the Auction product option is turned on. During this time, the product won't appear in search on your regular TikTok Shop storefront.
If you also sell the product outside of livestreams, we recommend turning off the Auction product after the auction so the product can return to your storefront.
Turning the option on or off doesn't affect the product data or its link to your store.
The following product types can't be converted to auction products:
Pre-Order
Made-to-Order
Back Order
For detailed instructions on running LIVE Auctions, see LIVE Auction (TikTok Shop Academy).
Sync orders from temporary listings
TikTok Shop also lets you create auction products using temporary listings. These listings work differently from auction products created from existing products.
Orders from temporary listings can't be matched and synced automatically. You must manually link the SKU in AfterShip Feed before the orders can sync.
Why do I need to link the SKU manually?
A temporary listing is published by TikTok Shop as a brand-new product. It isn't connected to your existing DTC product, and TikTok Shop's API provides limited product information for these listings.
This is a limitation on TikTok Shop's side that affects integrations.
TikTok Shop's documentation states that Temporary listings are separate from standard product inventory and don't sync directly with inventory systems such as ERP or WMS.
Because Feed can't identify the corresponding product automatically, you need to create the connection by manually linking the SKU.
How to link the SKU?
If an auction order hasn't synced because its product isn't linked:
Open the affected order in Feed.
Link the SKU to the corresponding product.
Once the SKU is linked, any pending orders for that product can sync to your store.
You only need to manually link the SKU for each temporary listing.
Note: We're actively exploring better solutions for temporary listings and will update this article when there is progress.
Key takeaways
Existing products converted to auction products: Orders sync automatically to your store. No manual SKU linking is required.
Temporary listings: Orders don't sync automatically. You must manually link the SKU in the Feed before the orders can sync.
Auction products can't be created from Pre-Order, Made-to-Order, or Back Order products.
While the Auction product is enabled, the product won't appear in search on your regular TikTok Shop storefront.
If you also sell the product outside of LIVE sessions, turn off the Auction product after the auction to return it to your storefront.