What you get
When you finish cataloging a sale, LotJitsu hands you a single ZIP file. Everything BidWrangler needs is inside it, named and arranged for the BidWrangler import.
The spreadsheet lists one lot per row, formatted for BidWrangler: lot number, title, description and the other fields BidWrangler reads on import. BidWrangler's import includes a column mapping step, and LotJitsu uses BidWrangler's own column names so it can match them for you. Open it in Excel or Numbers and it reads like a catalog you built by hand.
Your photos sit beside it, renamed to match their lots. You never have to line up IMG_4471.jpg with lot 12; the filename indicates which lot a photo belongs to and where it falls in that lot.
Nothing in the package is locked. It contains a spreadsheet and ordinary JPEG files, so you can review, adjust or reorder before uploading to BidWrangler.
How the photos are named
BidWrangler matches photos to lots by filename, so LotJitsu names every photo with two numbers: the lot number, a hyphen, then the photo's position within that lot.
1-1.jpg lot 1, photo 1 1-2.jpg lot 1, photo 2 1-3.jpg lot 1, photo 3 2-1.jpg lot 2, photo 1
The order you set in LotJitsu is the order BidWrangler shows. Drag a photo to the front of a lot and it becomes photo 1 in the export; the rest renumber behind it.
Lot numbers come straight from your catalog, so if you renumber lots, export again rather than renaming files by hand. One mismatched name is enough to put a photo on the wrong lot.
How the upload works
- CatalogPhotograph and describe your lots in LotJitsu.
- CheckRun the health check and fix what it flags.
- ExportDownload the BidWrangler package as one ZIP.
- UnzipOpen it to find the spreadsheet and photos.
- UploadImport the spreadsheet into BidWrangler, then upload the folder of photos in its image import, yourself.
LotJitsu never signs in to BidWrangler. We do not ask for your BidWrangler password, hold no connection to your account, and cannot publish, edit or close a sale. Step 5 is always yours.
Field limits
BidWrangler caps lot titles at 255 characters, far more room than a buyer will read. LotJitsu still checks every title against the limit before export, counting spaces and punctuation, and flags any that run over.
Room in a field is not a reason to fill it. Buyers scan. Keep the title to what a bidder scans for, the item and the one fact that sets it apart, and put the maker, model, condition and measurements in the description.
Photos per lot follow your LotJitsu plan. BidWrangler does not publish a per-lot limit, so the plan is the number that matters.
Image sizing needs no attention. BidWrangler publishes no per-image limits, so LotJitsu exports its standard photos and there is no refit, crop or compression step between the ZIP and the upload.
What the health check catches
Before you download, LotJitsu reads the whole package the way the BidWrangler import will and flags anything that would cause trouble.
- Titles over 255 charactersListed by lot number so you can trim them.
- Lots without photosCaught before a bidder sees an empty listing.
- Lots that look like duplicatesFound by comparing photos across the sale.
- Values that are not what the field expectsA price that is not a number is caught before BidWrangler rejects the row.
- Empty required columnsEvery row checked against the columns BidWrangler reads.
Final steps to go live
Once the catalog is complete, you upload the package directly to BidWrangler. Your BidWrangler account is where your terms, your buyer's premium and your bidders live. You complete this final step to push your auction live.
“LotJitsu prepares the package. You decide when it goes live.”
Our goal at LotJitsu is to help you organize and save time in the cataloging process: naming, checking, formatting the columns for BidWrangler and packaging the ZIP. We do not sign in, upload, schedule or change anything on BidWrangler. The step that takes a sale public always stays in your hands.
Q&A
Do I need to connect my BidWrangler account?
No. LotJitsu never asks for BidWrangler credentials. You download the package and upload it yourself.
Where do the photos go?
Into BidWrangler's image import, as the folder of photos from the unzipped package. BidWrangler no longer takes photos in a ZIP. The filenames do the matching from there.
Can I edit the spreadsheet first?
Yes. Keep the column headings and lot numbers as they are so the photos still match.
I renumbered some lots. What now?
Export again. Photo names follow lot numbers, and a fresh export renames everything in one pass.
How many photos can a lot have?
As many as your plan allows. BidWrangler does not publish a per-lot limit.
Do I need to resize photos?
No. BidWrangler publishes no per-image limits, and the exported photos go straight in.
What if a title runs over 255 characters?
The health check lists it by lot number. Shorten it in LotJitsu and export again.
Can I sell the same catalog elsewhere?
Yes. Export a separate package for HiBid, LiveAuctioneers, Proxibid, AuctionNinja or Wavebid; each follows that platform's rules.
