Bulk Processing with Quick Add: List Hundreds of Items per Hour
Learn how to use Estimint's Quick Add feature to rapidly photograph, process, and catalog large volumes of items.
The Problem with One-at-a-Time
If you're listing items individually — upload photos, type a description, research a value, save, repeat — you're probably processing 5 to 10 items per hour. For a 200-lot estate sale or weekly auction, that's days of work. With Quick Add, you can realistically process hundreds of items per hour.
Quick Add flips the workflow: photograph everything first, let AI handle the rest.
How Quick Add Works
Quick Add is a dedicated bulk processing mode. You'll find it in your dashboard sidebar under Quick Add (or the Zap icon).
1. Choose a Destination
Before adding items, select where they should go:
- Library — Items go directly to your item library
- Estimate — Items are attached to a specific consignor estimate
- Catalog — Items are added to an auction catalog
If you choose an estimate, the consignor is automatically assigned. If you choose a catalog, items get sequential lot numbers.
2. Capture Items
For each item:
- Take a photo (or upload from gallery)
- Optionally add a note ("signed," "missing lid," "circa 1920s")
- Click Add & Next
That's it. The item enters the processing queue and you immediately move to the next one. No waiting for AI to finish.
3. Watch the Queue
Below the capture form, you'll see a processing queue. Each item shows its status:
- Queued — Waiting to be processed
- Uploading — Images being saved
- Processing — AI analyzing the item
- Completed — Listing ready with title and values
- Error — Something went wrong (retry button available)
Items process in the background while you keep photographing. The system handles up to 2 items concurrently to balance speed with reliability.
Tips for Maximum Speed
Set Up Your Station
If you're processing a large consignment or estate:
- Set up a photography area with consistent lighting
- Open Quick Add on your phone or tablet
- Select the destination (estimate or catalog)
- Keep items flowing: photograph, note, next
Use Additional Details Strategically
You don't need to add notes for every item. The AI handles obvious items well on its own. Save your notes for:
- Items where provenance matters ("from the Johnson estate")
- Things the AI might miss ("set of 6, only 4 shown")
- Condition issues not visible in photos ("works, tested")
Batch by Consignor
If you're processing items from multiple consignors, create estimates first, then Quick Add into each estimate. This automatically assigns the correct consignor to every item.
After Processing
Once items are processed, you can:
- Review and edit any listing from the item detail page
- Move items between catalogs or estimates
- Export the entire catalog to your auction platform
- Print labels with QR codes for physical tracking
Generation Preferences Apply Automatically
Quick Add uses whatever generation preferences you've set in Settings. If you want professional auction descriptions, set that once and every Quick Add item inherits those settings. No need to configure per-item.
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