# The Get Started Page (What Bidders See)

When a guest taps a link you sent — an invitation, a login link, or a ticket confirmation —
they land on the **Get Started** page for your event. It walks them through three quick steps
before they start bidding.

The part that surprises most auction managers: **the Get Started page does not always show the
same three steps.** It shows one of three versions, and the version is decided by *the link the
guest tapped*, not by anything the guest does on the page. Two people opening the same event can
legitimately see two different first steps.

This article explains which version is which, which link produces each one, and what to do when
a guest sees the wrong one.

## The three versions

| Version | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Check-in** (the default) | Create Account | Add a card | Download the app |
| **Guest invitation** | Create Account | Add a card | Download the app |
| **Buy tickets** | Select Tickets | Create Account | Payment |

**Check-in** and **Guest invitation** run the *same* three steps:

![The check-in version of the Get Started page: step 1 Create account, step 2 Add a card, step 3 Download the App](https://ucarecdn.com/a850a3bf-6748-47ef-aabd-1053d3e9854f/)

The only difference between those two is the greeting at the top of the page:

- **Check-in** says *"Welcome to [your event]"*.
- **Guest invitation** says *"You've been invited to [your event]"*, and adds
  *"by [the ticket purchaser's name]"* underneath when Handbid can identify the sponsor who
  bought the ticket.

![The guest invitation greeting: "You've been invited to Spring Gala 2026" above the event dates](https://ucarecdn.com/a742e222-7c22-4442-a5bd-225e712fa91c/)

**Buy tickets** is the different one. It changes the page title to **Buy Tickets** and starts the
guest on ticket selection, then account creation, then payment. It also hides the "Not into apps?
Use the web version" section until the purchase is finished.

![The buy tickets version: step 1 Select Tickets, step 2 Create account, step 3 Payment](https://ucarecdn.com/9ac9e747-b88c-4562-b95b-204207bbe633/)

After the last step, everyone sees a **Success** screen. A guest who just bought tickets also gets
a **Manage your guest list** button there, which takes them to their tickets so they can
[assign their guests](/how-to-manage-my-guests-as-a-ticket-purchaser/).

## Which link produces which version

| The guest tapped… | They see… |
| --- | --- |
| A link with no special instructions — most links, including a resent registration link | **Check-in** |
| An invitation for a ticket **someone else already purchased for them**, sent from the purchaser's ticket confirmation or from the guest list | **Guest invitation** |
| A standard event invitation from your [invite list](/invite-list-overview/), by email or text | **Buy tickets** |
| A login link sent from the guest list when the event's sponsor record isn't linked to a Handbid user account | **Buy tickets** |

That last pair of rows is the one worth remembering. Standard event invitations assume the invitee
still needs to buy a ticket, so they open the **Buy tickets** version. That is right for an open
invitation — and wrong if you have already been paid for that person's seat.

:::tip[Sending a link to someone whose ticket is already paid for]
Send it from the guest list or from the purchaser's ticket confirmation rather than from the
invite list, and make sure the ticket purchaser (the sponsor) is linked to a Handbid account. See
[how to link and unlink a guest account](/how-to-link-and-unlink-a-guest-account/) and
[how to purchase a ticket on behalf of a bidder](/how-to-purchase-a-ticket-on-behalf-of-a-bidder/).
:::

Guests are never trapped in the wrong version. The **Buy tickets** page has a link near the top
reading **"Bidding remotely or already bought tickets? Click here"**, which drops them into the
normal check-in steps.

## Why a guest might see something you didn't expect

**They opened the link, then came back much later.**
The instructions carried by your link are remembered for **one hour** after the guest first opens
it. If they wander off mid-signup and come back the next day, the page reverts to the standard
**Check-in** version. Tapping the original link again restores the right version — so when in
doubt, [resend the link](/how-to-send-a-bidder-login-link/).

**Someone else was already logged in on that device.**
If the person logged into Handbid on that phone is not the person the link was addressed to,
Handbid discards the link's instructions on purpose, so one guest's invitation can't drive another
guest's signup. Have them tap **"Not you? Log into different account"** at the top of the page and
open the link again.

**They already have an account and a card on file.**
Returning bidders skip the wizard. They land straight on the last step — *"Want the best
experience? Connect your device"* — because there is nothing left for them to fill in.

**The event can't sell them a ticket right now.**
The **Buy tickets** version quietly falls back to the standard **Check-in** steps if the event has
ticket sales turned off, has [credit card processing](/enabling-credit-card-processing-through-handbid/)
turned off, or offers only [pay-later tickets](/how-to-set-up-paylater-tickets-for-your-sponsors/).
There is nothing for the guest to purchase, so the page doesn't ask them to.

**Step 2 disappeared.**
If your event has credit card processing turned off, the "Add a card" step is skipped entirely.
Guests can also tap **"Skip for now"** on that step — and if they change their mind, the step stays
clickable until they have actually saved a card. See
[the pros and cons of requiring a credit card](/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-requiring-a-credit-card/).

**Step 3 says "Start Bidding" instead of "Download the app".**
Some branded (white-label) events run without a dedicated mobile app. On those events the last step
sends guests to the web auction instead of the app store, and the bottom button reads
**"Go to the Auction"**.

## Turning the Get Started page off

You can skip the Get Started page entirely for an event with the **Hide Get Started Page** option
in your [auction settings](/how-to-create-an-auction-update-auction-settings/). Guests who tap a
link then go straight to the event page.

The page is also skipped automatically for fundraiser and non-auction events, and on a few branded
sites that don't use it at all.

:::note[Related articles]
- [How to send a bidder login link](/how-to-send-a-bidder-login-link/)
- [Invite list overview](/invite-list-overview/)
- [How to manage my guests as a ticket purchaser](/how-to-manage-my-guests-as-a-ticket-purchaser/)
- [How tickets create guest list slots](/how-tickets-create-guest-list-slots/)
- [Adding a credit card to a bidder account](/adding-a-credit-card-to-bidder-account/)
:::