The AuctionFlex Cataloging App lets you catalog auction inventory right from your phone. Snap photos, scan barcodes, and let AI write titles and descriptions for you — everything you capture saves to your device and syncs to your AuctionFlex 360 account whenever you're online.
Downloading the App
The AuctionFlex Cataloging App is available for iOS and Android:
iOS: Coming soon to the App Store
Android: Download AuctionFlex Cataloging from Google Play
What You Need
An active AuctionFlex 360 account (use the same email and password you already use to log in to AuctionFlex 360)
An iOS or Android device with a camera
An internet connection to sign in (the app keeps working offline after that)
An auction created in the new inventory workspace — classic auctions are not available in the app
Which platforms work with this app?
AuctionFlex Cataloging is the new mobile cataloging app, and it works differently depending on your primary platform:
AuctionFlex 360 — the full experience. Your captures sync two ways with your Inventory Workspace.
AuctionFlex v10 (desktop) — capture inventory in the app and upload manifests into v10. This is a one-way upload: once your manifest is in v10, make all further edits in v10 — changes there do not sync back to the app. v10 users sign in with their my.hibid.com credentials.
AuctionFlex Mobile (AFM) remains fully supported for your live-auction desktop workflows. The AuctionFlex Cataloging app is an optional addition, not a replacement.
Signing In
Open the app and enter your email address and password — the same credentials you use for AuctionFlex 360.
Tap Sign in.
Allow notifications and camera access when prompted. Notifications let you know when your items finish uploading, and camera access is required for cataloging.
If your credentials aren't working, confirm you're using your AuctionFlex 360 login. Use Forgot password? on the sign-in screen to reset it, or contact your organization's administrator if you don't have a login yet.
Tip: Check Remember me to stay signed in between sessions.
If your account has access to more than one organization, you'll choose an organization after you sign in. You can switch organizations later — see "Switching Organizations" below.
The Home Screen
After signing in, you'll land on the Home screen, your home base for cataloging:
Quick Capture — jump straight into cataloging with your current session settings. Tap Capture to photograph items or Scan to catalog by barcode.
Start New Session — set up a cataloging session with new settings (auction, lot numbers, defaults).
Today's Progress — a running count of items cataloged, photos captured, and lots cataloged today.
A status banner shows whether the app is online and when it last synced. Use the bottom navigation bar to jump between Home, the capture button, and Items at any time.
Home also shows a Needs Attention list when items need a fix — a missing title, location, or photos, or a sync failure. Tap Finish on any item to complete it. You can choose which issues appear here in Settings.
Once you've started a session, the Quick Capture card becomes Continue Session, showing your auction and the next lot number so you can pick up where you left off.
Setting Up a Cataloging Session
Before you start capturing, tell the app where your items should go. Tap Start New Session on the Home screen to open Cataloging Setup:
Choose whether to catalog to an Auction or to Inventory. Cataloging to Inventory lets you capture items now and assign them to an auction later.
If you chose Auction, pick it under Select Auction.
Choose how lot numbers are assigned:
Next available (recommended) — the app picks up where you left off and assigns the next available lot number automatically.
Choose a starting number — enter a Starting Lot Number; lots are created using the next available number following your selected number.
Under Session defaults, select an Item Type, a Source (the consignor the items belong to — use House Seller if your auction house owns the items directly), and optionally a Location (see Item Locations in Auction Flex 360).
Choose Photo session or Scan session. This just sets where you start — you can switch between camera and barcode anytime.
Under Title for new lots, choose AI title & description to have AI generate a title and description from your photos after sync, or Auto title to name lots automatically.
Turn on Remember this setup if you want the app to use these choices until you change or reset them.
Tap Start cataloging.
Note: Lot numbers are whole numbers only. If you need sublots (like 7A or 7B), edit the lot number on the item after capturing.
Cataloging with the Camera
Point your device at the item and tap the shutter button to take a photo. Take as many photos as you need — a Photo saved locally confirmation appears after each shot.
Tap Next to save the item and move to the next lot.
The session card at the bottom of the screen shows your auction, lot number, and location. Tap its controls icon to adjust your session settings.
Tap the thumbnail next to the shutter button to review or edit the most recently captured item.
When you're finished, tap Done to end the session. You'll see a summary of your session — lots cataloged, photos added, barcodes scanned, and time spent.
Tip: Tap the grid icon in the toolbar to turn on a framing overlay, and use the flash icon to toggle your camera flash.
AI Titles and Descriptions
Choose AI title & description in Cataloging Setup and the app writes an auction-ready title and description for each item from your photos — no typing required.
AI runs after your item syncs, so it needs an internet connection. If you're offline, your photos and details still save; AI fills in titles and descriptions once you're back online.
Review the results anytime by opening the item: suggested text appears alongside your item's fields, and you can accept, regenerate, or dismiss the suggestion for the title and description independently.
You can turn AI suggestions on or off anytime under AI Assist in Settings, and pick an AI Tone from the writing tones your organization has set up.
Scanning Barcodes
Barcode scanning looks up product information for you automatically.
Tap Scan on the Home screen, or switch to BARCODE at the bottom of the camera screen.
Position the barcode within the on-screen frame — the app scans it automatically.
If a catalog match is found, the app fills in the item's details for you.
If no match is found, the item is still created with the photos you've taken — you'll see No catalog match was found for this barcode, and you can enter the details yourself.
Note: Barcode lookups require an internet connection, since the app searches an online product database. Scanning itself works offline, but results won't come back until you're online.
You can also combine a barcode scan with your own photos: scan the barcode, then switch to PHOTO and take additional pictures before tapping Next.
Editing Items and Managing Photos
While cataloging, tap the thumbnail on the camera screen to open the item you just captured. Each item has three tabs:
Overview — title, description, quantity, unit, location, source, and item type. Choosing an item type may reveal extra detail fields your organization has set up.
Assets — your item's photos. Tap + to add more, drag a photo's handle to reorder, and look for the star on the cover image (the first photo becomes the cover). A cloud icon on each photo shows its upload status.
Activity — item history and sync status.
Tap Save after making changes.
You can also browse everything from the Items tab in the bottom navigation, which splits into Items and Lots with search and filters.
On the Lots tab, pick an auction to see its lots. If any lots are still waiting to upload, a pending banner appears with a Sync button.
Opening a synced item shows its full history on the Activity tab — when it was created and every change made since.
Note: Photos stay in the app — they are not copied to your phone's photo library.
Syncing and Working Offline
Everything you catalog is saved to your device first, then uploaded to AuctionFlex 360 automatically in the background. The status banner on the Home screen shows your connection and last sync time. You don't need to sync manually, but you can: tap Sync now under Sync in Settings, or use the Sync button on the Lots list when lots are still pending on your device.
In Settings you can also choose how often the app checks in the background (Background sync) and whether to Allow sync over cellular data.
The app is built to work without an internet connection:
Works offline: taking photos, creating and editing items you've captured, scanning barcodes (lookup results require a connection), and navigating the app.
Requires a connection: signing in, loading your auctions, sources, and item types for the first time, uploading items and photos, barcode lookups, and AI titles and descriptions.
If you lose your connection while cataloging, keep going — your items are saved locally and will upload automatically once you're back online.
While you're offline, the lot number on new items shows Assigned when online — it fills in automatically after you reconnect.
Note: Items already synced to your workspace are available in the app while you're online, but they are not downloaded for offline editing. Go back online to see them, or view them on desktop.
App Settings
Tap the Settings (gear) icon on the Home screen to adjust how the app works:
AI Assist — turn AI title and description suggestions on or off, and pick an AI Tone from the writing tones your organization has set up.
Reference Data — refresh the item types, consignors, locations, and auctions the app uses while cataloging, together (Refresh All) or individually. If something you just created on desktop isn't showing in the app, refresh its list here.
Sync — see your connection and last sync time, set how often the app checks in the background, allow sync over cellular data, or tap Sync now.
Needs Attention — choose which issues (sync failures, missing photos, titles, descriptions, or locations) appear in the Needs Attention list on Home.
Clear Local Data — clear offline drafts, saved photos, activity, and upload-queue data from this device.
Account — switch organization, reset your password, or log out.
Troubleshooting
Is my team able to catalog at the same time?
Yes. Everyone can catalog on the mobile app at once when each person has their own invite and login.
Items aren't showing up in AuctionFlex 360
Check your internet connection and confirm you're logged into the correct organization. Look at the Needs Attention list on Home for sync failures, and open the Lots tab to see if anything is still pending upload — tap Sync to retry.
I can't find my auction in the app
If the auction was created as a classic auction, it won't appear in the app — create it in the new inventory workspace instead. If it's a new auction you just added on desktop, go to Settings > Reference Data and refresh Auctions (check the auction range setting there too).
A new consignor, item type, or location isn't showing in the app
Lists are cached on your device. Go to Settings > Reference Data and tap Refresh on the list that's out of date, or Refresh All.
The app signed me out
Signing in on desktop with the same user account signs you out of the mobile app. Sign in on your phone again to keep cataloging.
Lot number conflicts
If a lot number you assigned is already in use, the item is still created, but you may need to update its lot number in AuctionFlex 360.
Camera isn't working
Make sure camera permissions are turned on in your device settings, then try closing and reopening the app.
App feels slow
If you have a large batch of items waiting to upload, give the app a moment to finish. Restarting the app can also help.
Still stuck?
Go to Settings > Clear Local Data to clear cached data on the app — this won't affect items you've already synced to AuctionFlex 360.
Switching Organizations
If you work with more than one organization in AuctionFlex 360, you can switch between them:
Tap the Settings (gear) icon on the Home screen.
Under Account, tap Switch Organization.
Choose the organization you want to work in.
Items always stay tied to the organization you were logged into when you captured them, so switching organizations won't move or delete anything.
Tips for Best Results
Use natural light when possible, and avoid harsh shadows.
Take 2-3 photos per item (front, back, and any notable details) — the first photo becomes the cover image in AuctionFlex 360.
Turn on Remember this setup when cataloging a batch of items for the same auction, so you can skip setup next time.
Let AI title & description name your items as you go — it's much easier than writing everything later.
Sign in while you still have a connection, then catalog freely — your items will sync once you're back online.