What you get
When you finish cataloging a sale, LotJitsu hands you a single ZIP file. Everything LiveAuctioneers needs is inside it, named and arranged for the LiveAuctioneers import.
The spreadsheet lists one lot per row using the LiveAuctioneers import columns: lot number, title, description and the other fields LiveAuctioneers reads on import. 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 and already fitted to the LiveAuctioneers size limits. 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 LiveAuctioneers.
How the photos are named
LiveAuctioneers matches photos to lots by filename and expects an underscore rather than a hyphen, so LotJitsu names every photo with two numbers: the lot number, an underscore, 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 LiveAuctioneers 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 LiveAuctioneers package as one ZIP.
- UnzipOpen it to find the spreadsheet and photos.
- UploadImport the spreadsheet on the LiveAuctioneers import page and send the photos by FTP, yourself.
LotJitsu never signs in to LiveAuctioneers. We do not ask for your LiveAuctioneers password, hold no connection to your account, and cannot publish, edit or close a sale. Step 5 is always yours.
Field limits
LiveAuctioneers caps lot titles at 49 characters, one less than HiBid. That is shorter than many auctioneers write by habit. LotJitsu checks every title against the limit before export, counting spaces and punctuation, and flags any that run over.
Descriptions carry detail that a title can't. Store the maker, model, condition and measurements there, and reserve the title for what a bidder scans for: the item, and the one fact that sets it apart.
Photos per lot follow your LotJitsu plan, and LiveAuctioneers accepts up to 10 on a single lot. If a lot runs past 10, the health check says so before you export, not after LiveAuctioneers refuses it.
Image sizing is handled for you. LiveAuctioneers wants each photo under 1.5 MB and recommends a width of 1,100 pixels, so LotJitsu refits every photo to those limits when it builds the package.
LiveAuctioneers also expects the three prices to sit in order: the start price at or below the low estimate, and the low estimate below the high. The health check flags a lot whose prices are out of order.
What the health check catches
Before you download, LotJitsu reads the whole package the way the LiveAuctioneers import will and flags anything that would cause trouble.
- Titles over 49 charactersListed by lot number so you can trim them.
- Lots without photosCaught before a bidder sees an empty listing.
- More than 10 photos on a lotFlagged against the LiveAuctioneers per-lot limit.
- Prices out of orderA start price above the low estimate, or a low estimate above the high.
- Empty required columnsEvery row checked against the LiveAuctioneers columns.
Final steps to go live
Once the catalog is complete, you upload the package directly to LiveAuctioneers. Your LiveAuctioneers 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, laying out the LiveAuctioneers columns, fitting the photos and packaging the ZIP. We do not sign in, upload, schedule or change anything on LiveAuctioneers. The step that takes a sale public always stays in your hands.
Q&A
Do I need to connect my LiveAuctioneers account?
No. LotJitsu never asks for LiveAuctioneers credentials. You download the package and upload it yourself.
Why an underscore in the photo names?
LiveAuctioneers matches photos by filename and reads the underscore form, 1_1.jpg, so the package uses it. HiBid, Proxibid and AuctionNinja use a hyphen.
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, up to the LiveAuctioneers limit of 10 per lot.
Do I need to resize photos?
No. LotJitsu refits every photo to the LiveAuctioneers limits, under 1.5 MB and 1,100 pixels wide, before it builds the package.
What if a title runs over 49 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, Proxibid or AuctionNinja; each follows that platform's rules.
