Feature Auctions — Troubleshooting & FAQs
Common issues, edge cases, and answers to frequent questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can create a Feature Auction?
Any workspace member can create a Feature Auction — it's not restricted to admins.
Do buyers need a Lodestone account?
No. Buyers receive an email invitation with a unique link to the auction page. They can participate without creating a Lodestone account. This is by design — it removes friction and maximizes participation from stakeholders who aren't regular Lodestone users.
Can I give different buyers different wallet amounts?
Yes. Wallet amounts are set individually for each buyer during auction setup. Use this to weight certain stakeholders' input more heavily — for example, giving larger customers a proportionally bigger wallet, or giving an executive sponsor more budget than other participants.
Can buyers see what other buyers are spending?
No. Each buyer only sees their own wallet balance and their own purchases. Aggregate results and individual buyer activity are only visible to the auctioneer via the dashboard.
Can buyers leave comments or feedback when purchasing a Feature?
No. The auction is purchases only — there is no commentary or note field for buyers. If you want qualitative feedback alongside the auction, you'll need to gather it separately (e.g. via a follow-up survey or debrief conversation).
Can I add buyers or Features after the auction has been created?
No. Both the buyer list and the Feature list are locked once the auction is created. Make sure both are final before you create the auction.
Can I change a buyer's wallet amount after the auction has started?
No. Wallet amounts are set at creation and cannot be modified once the auction is live.
Can different buyers be given different wallet amounts?
Yes — wallet amounts are set individually per buyer during setup, so you have full control over how much budget each participant receives.
Are buyers reminded before the auction closes?
Yes. Buyers receive a reminder email before the auction ends, in addition to the initial invitation.
What happens if a buyer loses their invitation email?
The auctioneer can resend the invitation link from the Auctioneer Dashboard at any time during the auction.
Can I cancel an auction that's already running?
Yes. The auctioneer can cancel an in-progress auction from the dashboard. This is useful if you need to restart with different parameters — for example, if you realize a Feature was included by mistake or a key buyer wasn't added before the list locked.
Are results visible to buyers?
No. Results are only visible to the auctioneer. If you want to share results with buyers or other stakeholders, export the CSV from the dashboard and distribute it manually.
Are past auctions saved?
Yes. Completed auctions remain accessible after they end. You can return to any past auction to review results, re-export the CSV, or reference participation data.
Do auction results update anything in Lodestone automatically?
No. Auction results do not write back to Features, Roadmaps, or Strategies. Any changes to your plans based on auction results are made manually. This is intentional — the auction is an input to your judgment, not a replacement for it.
Common Issues
A buyer says they didn't receive their invitation
First, ask them to check their spam folder. If it's not there, resend the invitation from the Auctioneer Dashboard — there's a resend option available for each buyer.
A buyer wants to change their purchases but the auction has ended
Once the auction end time has passed, buyers can no longer make changes. If participation was low and you want to extend the window, you can adjust the end date from the dashboard while the auction is still active. Once it's ended, there's no way to reopen it for additional purchases.
I created the auction with the wrong Features or buyers
Because the Feature list and buyer list are locked at creation, the only option is to cancel the current auction and create a new one with the correct parameters. Use the cancel option in the Auctioneer Dashboard.
Results look skewed toward one or two buyers
This can happen when wallet amounts vary significantly across buyers — a buyer with a much larger wallet will naturally dominate total spend metrics. If this is a concern, check results using the quantity purchased view alongside total spend. Quantity purchased is less affected by wallet size and gives a better picture of how broadly a Feature was valued across all participants.
The Opportunity Canvas isn't showing up in the buyer's Feature modal
Opportunity Canvases only appear in the auction if they have been generated for that Feature in Lodestone before the auction was created. Check the Feature Detail page to confirm an Opportunity Canvas exists. If it doesn't, you can generate one and it should become available — though you may need to verify whether this updates an active auction in real time.
This is version 1 of the Feature Auctions documentation, based on the Lodestone knowledge base from early 2025, updated with confirmed platform behavior.