An auction website enables users to bid on products to buy them. It’s a great way to maximize profits, sell more niche items, and build a community. However, you might not know how to create an auction website. Fortunately, WordPress provides the ideal platform to create an auction website. First, you’ll need to install a quality auction plugin. Then, you can list your items, manage auctions, and let other users list products. 🛍️🛍️ 📚 In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of creating an auction site. Then, we’ll show you how to create an auction website with WordPress. Let’s get started!
Why build an auction website
An auction website (like eBay) is a type of site that lets users bid on products they want to buy and the item goes to the highest bidder. Additionally, other users can list products on auction websites and you (as the site owner) will usually take a portion of the sale. Most obviously, an auction site is a great way to maximize revenue since bids can drastically raise the price of an item. Additionally, creating your own auction site enables you to sell products online without using third-party or “middlemen” sites like Etsy and eBay that charge fees for certain actions like listing products. However, auction sites are also attractive to your visitors since they give them an opportunity to buy and sell useful items. And although you can sell general goods, you can also make your website cater to a specific niche. This way, you can make it easier for sellers to reach their target audience. Plus, it’s a great way to bring together like-minded people and start a more engaging community environment.
What you’ll need to create an auction website
Before we show you how to create an auction website, there are a few things to prepare. First off, when you’re building any WordPress website, you’ll need a domain name so that visitors know how to find your site. You should also set up a web hosting account with a quality web host that will store your website files. Meanwhile, you’ll need an SSL certificate to accept online payments. The good news is that you can find web hosts that provide free domain names and free SSL with their hosting plans. Plus, some of these packages include useful extras like security or performance features. And finally, you’ll need an auction plugin to list items and enable other users to do the same. We’ll take a closer look at these plugins in the next section.
How to create an auction website with WordPress
Now that you’ve got the essentials for basic website creation, let’s take a look at how to create an auction website with WordPress in four steps.
1. Install an auction plugin in WordPress
🖱️ The first stage to create an auction website with WordPress is to add an auction plugin to your site. There are plenty of auction plugins available like the YITH WooCommerce Auctions add-on. However, this is a premium plugin that might be too expensive for some users. Instead, you can install a quality free auction plugin like Ultimate WordPress Auction Plugin, which also offers a Pro version. Or, if you run an ecommerce site, you can install Ultimate Auction for WooCommerce. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on setting up your auction site with the core Ultimate WordPress Auction plugin. To get started, install the plugin through your WordPress dashboard by going to Plugins → Add New. Then, click on Install Now → Activate. At this point, you should see an Ultimate Auction tab appear at the bottom of the sidebar. Click on this tab to configure some important settings for your auction website: For instance, you can define the currency and enable multiple payment options.
2. List your auction items
🧾 Now that you’ve installed the auction plugin successfully, you’re ready to list your auction items. To get started, click on the Ultimate Auction tab and switch over to the Add Auction section: Here, you’re able to provide a product title, enter a product description, and add multiple images and videos to show off your item. You can also include a short description which will display on the auction listings page. Next, you’re able to define an opening price and determine a reserve price. A reserve price is the lowest amount you’re willing to accept for the item: Additionally, you can set an incremental value for the subsequent bids, enter a Buy Now price, and determine an end date. Finally, you can select the payment methods that you’re willing to accept. However, you’ll only see the payment options that you’ve enabled in the plugin’s settings. Once you’ve entered all the details for your item, click on Save Changes at the bottom of the screen. Then, repeat the process to list more auction items.
3. Manage your auctions
⚙️ Once you’ve added multiple products to your auction website, you may need to manage your auctions. In this case, navigate to the Manage Auctions tab. Here, you can view all live auctions or click on Expired auctions to view previous ones. For each item, you can see the product title, featured photo, current price, end date, and bids: If you want to change any of the information for your auction items, simply select the Edit link in the Actions column. This will take you back to the page where you first created the auction. You can also delete items easily, or end an auction early using the relevant button.
4. Enable other users to list auction items
🧑💻 One of the ways to make your auction website stand out is to allow other users to list products. However, this is usually a feature that’s only available with premium tools. As such, if you want to add this functionality to your site, you’ll need to upgrade to the Ultimate Auction Pro plugin from $79 per year: Since the Pro plugin integrates with the WCFM Marketplace (WooCommerce based Multi-Vendor Plugin), users can easily become vendors on your site. Plus, they can even set up their own stores where they can add and manage auction products from a dedicated dashboard. However, you’ll also need to install WooCommerce for this to work.
Conclusion 🧐
An auction website is a great way to maximize sales and build a community on your website. This way, you can list items that customers can bid on, offer Buy Now options, and let users list their own products (although this is usually a premium feature). 👉 To recap, here are four steps to create an auction website with WordPress:
Do you have any questions about how to create an auction website? Let us know in the comments below!
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