What we are building, and what we are learning

Using two devices while hosting

The single biggest quality jump a busy show can make. Three arrangements that work.

Using a better camera for your shows

Usually not worth it. The four things that improve a show more, and what to do if you still want one.

Going live from a phone

The phone is the right tool. Six things to get right before you start.

The rules for hosts

Short list. Three of them get accounts suspended rather than warned.

Live show items vs always-on listings

They do different jobs. Most stores need both, and here is the split.

What to do after a show ends

Eight things, in the half hour afterwards. The first two decide most of it.

My stream keeps dropping

Six causes, in the order they actually happen. The auction survives all of them.

Keeping your chat civil

Three tools, and one the app describes that you do not actually have.

Handling questions while you sell

The awkward one is the useful one. How to answer without losing the room.

When should you go live?

Your own buyers tell you. Where the answer is, and why copying somebody else is the wrong move.

privacy

What the seller can see about you in a show

Less than you would guess while you watch, and exactly what they need once you buy.

Can I watch a show after it has ended?

No. Nothing is kept. What you can still see, and how not to miss the next one.

Watching a show without burning your data

Live video uses data like any video. Four things that genuinely reduce it.

buying

How to ask a seller about an item, live

Ask early, ask specifically, and ask for the thing to be moved rather than described.

Why was my chat message hidden?

Four different things stop a message, and each says something different. How to tell which.

What is not allowed in a show chat

Short list, firmly applied. Two of them get accounts suspended rather than messages removed.

How the chat in a show works

One public room, the host reading it, and a few limits. Including the badge that tells you who is who.

troubleshooting

I can see the show but cannot hear it

Almost always your own mute, and browsers do it on purpose. The order to check.

Can I watch without an account?

Yes, the whole show. What the line is, and why it is drawn there.

How to join a live show

Tap it and you are in. What you can do without an account, and what needs one.

Is the show chat public?

Yes. Everything you type in a show is visible to the room, including the seller.

What is a host?

Whoever is on camera running the show. Often the owner, sometimes someone on the team with a role of that name.

What happens if my connection drops mid-show?

The auction keeps running without you. What buyers see, and what to do in the first thirty seconds.