Since we have so many years of experience making WordPress sites, readers often ask us if they can build a specific kind of website using the software.
One common question is from users who want to know if it’s possible to make an eBay-like auction website using WordPress. The answer is, of course, yes!
In this guide, we’ll show you how to build an auction site like eBay using WordPress. You’ll be able to create your auction website without knowing any coding. The plugins and tools we’ll show you make the process easy and stress-free.
What Do You Need to Build an Auction Site Using WordPress?
Using WordPress, you will need a few essential tools to build a fully functional auction site, such as eBay. Based on our experience with setting up many WordPress sites, here’s what you’ll need:
- Domain name: the unique address for your website that people will type in to find your site, like wpbeginner.com.
- Web hosting account: where your website’s files will be stored. We’ve found that reliable hosting is key to keeping everything running smoothly.
- SSL certificate: You need this to accept online payments securely. We always recommend this for any site handling financial transactions.
- eCommerce addon: this will transform your WordPress website into a full eCommerce platform. We’ve worked with several of these tools, and they’re easy to integrate.
- Auction addon: this adds auction-specific features to your site, allowing users to place bids.
- Your undivided attention: for 40 minutes. Yes, with the right steps, you can set this up quickly!
Yes, with the right tools and guidance, you can start your own auction site in just 40 minutes. We’ll guide you step-by-step through the entire process.
In this tutorial, we will cover the following:
Ready? Let’s get started.
Step 1: Set Up an eCommerce Store
To get started, it’s important to choose the right website platform. Having worked with various website setups, we know the common pitfalls, and since you’re following our guide, you’re already ahead of the curve.
It’s easy to get confused between the two types of WordPress software. We’ve seen it happen to many beginners.
There’s WordPress.com, which is a hosted platform, and then there’s WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress.
We always recommend self-hosted WordPress.org because it gives you complete control and access to all WordPress features. If you’re unsure of the difference, you can check out our comparison guide here: WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.
To set up your auction site, you’ll need a domain name and a web hosting account. But not just any hosting will do.
We’ve found that you need a hosting provider specializing in WooCommerce hosting, as this is the software you’ll be using to run your eCommerce store.
Normally, a domain name costs $14.99/year, web hosting $7.99/month, and an SSL certificate $69.99/year. These are essential for a secure and functional site.
However, we’ve negotiated a great deal for our readers. Bluehost, an officially recommended WordPress and WooCommerce hosting provider, offers a free domain, free SSL, and a discount on WordPress hosting.
This means you can get started for as little as $1.99 per month, one of the best deals we’ve found.
Once you’ve secured hosting, follow our detailed guide on how to start an online store for a full setup tutorial.
Note: Bluehost’s shared hosting is great for starting out, but as your auction site grows, you’ll likely need more resources. In that case, you can upgrade to a managed WordPress hosting provider like SiteGround, which we’ve used for scaling larger sites.
By now, you should have your WordPress site ready with WooCommerce installed. But by default, WooCommerce doesn’t support auction features.
Next, we’ll walk you through adding an auction addon to WooCommerce.
Step 2: Turn Your Ecommerce Store into an Auction Site
After testing several auction plugins, we found that YITH WooCommerce Auctions stood out for its simplicity and flexibility. Whether you’re new to WordPress or have experience running eCommerce sites, this plugin offers a user-friendly solution for adding auction functionality to your store.
Why We Recommend YITH WooCommerce Auctions
- Easy Setup: In our experience, setting up auctions with YITH WooCommerce Auctions is seamless. The plugin integrates perfectly with WooCommerce, allowing us to quickly create auctions without additional configuration.
- Customizable Auction Features: We appreciate how easy it is to customize auction settings. You can set start and end times, reserve prices, and automatic bidding options.
- User-Friendly Interface: We liked how simple the interface is for both sellers and buyers.
- Mobile-Responsive: In our tests, the plugin worked seamlessly across all devices. This is important because many users will likely place bids using their smartphones.
First, you need to install and activate the YITH WooCommerce Auctions plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Note: It is a paid plugin, and a single-site license costs $149.99. This gives you access to the plugin download, documentation, and one year of support and updates.
Upon activation, you need to visit the YITH » License Activation page to enter your license key. You can find this information in your account on the plugin’s website.
Next, you need to head over to the YITH » Auctions page.
Here, you can configure the plugin settings.
The default settings will work for most websites, but you can still review and adjust them as needed.
Step 3: Setting Up Auction Payments
Next, you need to set up how you would like the auction winners to pay.
Go to the YITH » Auctions page and switch to the General » Auctions Payments tab.
The first option here is to require a credit card on file for users who want to participate in the auction.
To use this option, you will need the YITH WooCommerce Stripe plugin. It is a premium addon, which will cost you an additional $79.99 per year.
However, the rest of the plugin functionality will work just fine without this plugin, and you can use your WooCommerce payment method as the default option.
Next, scroll down to the Commission section.
From here, you can set a default commission for your auctions. You have the option to choose a fixed amount or set a percentage of the bid to the commission.
Optionally, you can choose to show the commission on the Product page as well as the cart and checkout pages or just on the cart and checkout pages.
Don’t forget to click ‘Save Options’ to store your settings.
Step 4: Adding an Auction Item
YITH WooCommerce Auctions makes it super easy to add an item for auction using the built-in WooCommerce products.
Simply add your auction item as a new WooCommerce product by visiting the Products » Add New page.
On this page, you need to enter your auction item details just like you would add a product. After that, fill out the title, add details, and upload pictures.
Below the editor, you need to select ‘Auction’ from the Product Data dropdown, and you will see settings for the auction item.
From here, you can set an auction starting price, bid up, minimum increment amount, reserve price, and buy-now price.
After that, you need to select the auction dates and times. You can also add an overtime for the auction to offer a grace period after the auction ends.
Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the ‘Publish’ button to save your changes.
Your auction will now appear on your WooCommerce shop page. Auction items on the shop page will be highlighted with an icon.
You can use the auction plugin to add auction items along with other fixed-price WooCommerce products.
You can also create a separate page to list only the products available for auction. Simply create a new WordPress page and look for the auction blocks in the [+] block panel.
It comes with four blocks to show Auction Products, Auction Active Products, Auction Ended Products, and a separate block to show the Auction bidding list.
Don’t forget to publish the page to make it live on your website.
Step 5: Managing Your Auctions
You can add auction items anytime, and they will start appearing on your WordPress website immediately. However, the auction will not begin until the start time set for it.
This allows you to publish items before the auction begins and use this time to promote items. Once the auction starts, any registered users can start bidding.
The plugin will show an auction timer next to the item. Users can see the current highest bid and add their own bids.
Previous bids will be displayed below with usernames partially encrypted.
You have the option to remove a bid at any time.
Simply edit the auction product and scroll down to the ‘Product Data’ section. From here, switch to the ‘Status’ tab under the ‘Auctions’ panel, and you will see all the bids.
Click on the ‘Delete’ button to remove a bid.
The auction will end depending on each item’s individual auction settings.
If the auction time ends, then the highest bidder’s price will be accepted. If a user decides to offer the buy-now price, then the auction will end, and they will be able to add the product to their cart.
All users who participated in the auction will receive an email notification for each new bid, auction grace time, auction end, and more.
The final email will be sent to the auction winner, informing them that they can now make their payment.
Expert Tip: Emails sent using the default WordPress function often don’t make it into users’ inboxes. To improve deliverability, we recommend using an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP. For more information, see our guide on how to fix the issue of WordPress not sending emails.
Step 6: Allowing Other Users to Add Auction Items
You can also allow other users to add their own products for auction. However, the YITH WooCommerce Auctions plugin doesn’t allow users to add their own auction items.
By default, WooCommerce assumes that you are the only seller on your website who can add new products. To change this, you need to make your WooCommerce platform a multi-vendor marketplace.
For detailed step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to create an online marketplace using WordPress.
Once you set up your website as an online marketplace, other users can apply and become sellers on your website.
After you approve their application, they can add new products for auction. You can then approve their auctions, which will become live on your site.
Once the auction is over and the winning bidder has paid, you will receive your commission from the winning bid.
Step 7: Mastering WordPress to Promote Your Auction Site
WordPress is the best website builder in the world. It is very easy to learn, and you can customize any feature.
Here are some useful WordPress resources to help you take your auction site to the next level:
- Best WooCommerce themes
- Best WooCommerce plugins
- Must-have WordPress plugins for business websites
- Ultimate guide to improving WordPress speed and performance
We hope this article helped you build an eBay-like auction site using WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate step-by-step WordPress SEO guide for beginners to get more traffic to your auction site or our expert pick of the best auction plugins for WordPress.
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Dennis Muthomi
From my experience, scalable hosting is crucial.
Recently had to migrate a client’s auction site from shared to managed hosting due to increased traffic and bid activities, which was quite challenging mid-operation.
Would strongly recommend new auction site owners to consider managed WordPress hosting from the start if their budget allows – it saves tremendous headaches later and ensures smooth operation during peak bidding times.
Mrteesurez
Welldone, I have read one of your post on creating a marketplace using WordPress but you basically talked on ecommerce type.
But in this post you mentioned ‘auction’.
What is the real difference between ‘auction’ and ‘ecommerce’ sites. I see them the same.
WPBeginner Support
An auction would allow users to bid for an item and only the highest bidder would receive and pay for the item while an ecommerce site would normally sell products at a fixed price
Admin
Henry Paul
Great article! Your comprehensive guide on building an auction site like eBay using WordPress is truly impressive. From choosing the right WordPress theme to setting up WooCommerce and integrating auction plugins, you’ve covered all the necessary steps. The inclusion of practical tips and best practices ensures a smooth development process. Your clear explanations and well-structured approach make it accessible for readers with varying levels of technical expertise. Thanks for sharing this valuable resource, it’s a game-changer for anyone looking to create their own auction site. Keep up the excellent work!
WPBeginner Support
Thank you for your kind words and glad you found our guide helpful!
Admin
cinda
Hello, are there personal liabilities in starting and having an online auction site, if others are allowed to list there own items on your site. I’m concerned with the legalities of having an online auction site, being sued etc. Thank you for your time.
WPBeginner Support
For legal advice, we recommend reaching out to a legal professional in your area for the specific legal implications for where you live.
Admin
KAri
Thanks for the great article! I was looking for ideas about how much it would cost to set up my online auction site, and still need more cost information, mostly about the add-ons and WooCommerce license fees. These things add up, as you know, so it would be helpful if you had a bigger selection of numbers that I can be dismayed at. Thank you again.
Nate
Woocommerce is a free plugin. You will only pay transaction fees to whichever payment provider you decide on. The costs are the domain name, hosting, and the auction plugin, which the article said was €81