How It Works
For Bidders
Create a Free Account
Register as a bidder in seconds. No fees, no deposits — just sign up and you're ready to go. Install the app on your phone for the best experience.
Discover Auctioneers
Browse auctions, explore auctioneer profiles, and follow your favourites to stay updated on their latest sales.
Watchlist & Bid
Save lots to your watchlist and bid directly from there. Choose your auction format — bid in English or Live auctions, buy in Dutch auctions, or place secret bids in sealed auctions. Get outbid alerts, one-tap rebid, and urgency timers to help you win.
Win & Collect
Won lots are clearly marked. Some lots may be subject to confirmation by the auctioneer — you'll be notified once confirmed. Receive an email summary, then arrange payment and collection directly with the auctioneer.
Auction Formats
English (Traditional)
The classic format most people know. Price starts low and bidders compete to push it higher.
- ✓ Real-time bidding with live updates
- ✓ Proxy bidding — set your max, system bids for you
- ✓ Soft close — last-second bids extend the timer
- ✓ Reserve prices and buyer's premium
- ✓ Maximum 12-hour duration
Dutch (Descending Price)
Price starts high and drops automatically. First buyer to act wins at the current price. Fast and exciting.
- ✓ Automatic price drops on a timer
- ✓ Four drop strategies for different tension curves
- ✓ Lots run sequentially with configurable gaps
- ✓ Multi-quantity lots supported
- ✓ Auctioneer sets duration, floor price, and strategy
Sealed (Silent Bid / Tender)
All bids are secret. No one can see what others have bid — not even the auctioneer. Winner revealed only after close.
- ✓ Highest or lowest bid wins (auctioneer chooses)
- ✓ Tender document (PDF) per lot for lowest-bid mode
- ✓ Update your bid any time before closing
- ✓ Minimum 2 bidders required per lot
- ✓ Reserve prices supported
- ✓ All lots open and close together
Live (Auctioneer-Paced)
The real auction-room experience online. Lots run one after another, the auctioneer calls "going once, going twice", and bidders rush in before the hammer falls.
- ✓ Presenting → "Who'll open?" → bidding → going once → going twice → sold
- ✓ Lots with no opening bid in 30s close immediately as no-interest
- ✓ Bidding stays open as long as bids land within 8 seconds of each other
- ✓ Airport-style chime announces when bidding opens
- ✓ Phase countdown with colour-coded urgency
- ✓ "You have the highest bid" banner so you never re-bid unnecessarily
- ✓ Subject-to-confirmation sales — auctioneer confirms or rejects
- ✓ Minimum 2 bidders per lot (single-bidder-over-reserve still wins)
Community Auctions
A peer-to-peer auction format built for local WhatsApp groups. Any community member can list items at a flat R20 starting bid — no reserves. The community shows up on auction night, the winner collects directly from the seller, and the platform takes 5% commission on sold lots.
If you want to sell
- ✓ Sign up free as a bidder (one account does both)
- ✓ Join your local community region
- ✓ List items with photo + description — no listing fees
- ✓ Confirm or decline the winning bid within 24 hours
- ✓ Coordinate collection & payment offline (cash, EFT)
- ✓ Settle the 5% via PayFast on a monthly invoice
If you want to bid
- ✓ Browse upcoming community auctions in your area
- ✓ Bid live on auction night — same UX as a Live auction
- ✓ At least 2 distinct bidders required for a valid sale
- ✓ Pay the seller directly when you collect (cash or EFT)
- ✓ Persistent non-payment leads to an auto-block
- ✓ No platform fees — sellers pay the 5%, not buyers
Community Agents
Each community is fronted by a local Agent — someone with a 50+ member WhatsApp buy/sell group who runs the marketing for that region. Agents earn a share of the platform commission on every sale: 50/50 on the first R1,000 of monthly commission, 70% to the agent on everything above. Become an Agent →
For Auctioneers
Register & Go
Register as an auctioneer and your account is activated instantly. No activation fee, no waiting.
Purchase Credits
Top up your credit balance (minimum R100). Credits are only deducted when your auction goes live — not when you create lots.
Create & List Lots
Choose your auction format (English, Dutch, Sealed, or Live), upload lots with photos, set starting prices and reserves. Schedule your start and end times.
Go Live & Earn
Publish your auction — it auto-posts to Facebook and you can share to WhatsApp groups with the Broadcast Builder. Confirm or reject subject-to-confirmation lots, track collections, send WhatsApp reminders, and relist unsold lots with one click.
Pricing
Two simple fees. No monthly charges, no hidden costs, no payout delays.
Lot Listing Fee
Charged from your credit balance when your auction goes live. Based on images per lot:
1% Commission on Sold Lots
When a lot sells, a 1% commission on the sale value (including buyer's premium if applicable) is deducted from your credit balance. Unsold lots incur no commission.
No-bid lots relist free. If a lot receives zero bids, you can relist it at no additional cost.
Platform Features
Real-Time Bidding
Bids update live as they happen. Bidders see the current price instantly without refreshing the page.
Proxy Bidding
Set your maximum bid and the system automatically bids for you in increments, keeping your max private until needed. Available on English auctions.
Soft Close
A bid placed in the final minutes automatically extends the lot's closing time, giving all bidders a fair chance. English auctions only.
Dutch Drop Strategies
Four strategies for Dutch auctions — Constant, Fast Sell, Max Value, and High Drama — each creating a different pace and tension curve.
Sealed Bidding
Secret bids that no one can see until the auction ends. Choose highest or lowest bid wins. Update your bid any time before closing.
Live Auction Mode
Run a real-time auction like the room. Lots cycle through presenting, bidding, going once, and going twice with a chime and phase countdown. Confirm or reject the winning bid from your control room.
Tender Documents
For lowest-bid sealed auctions, auctioneers can attach a PDF tender document per lot. Bidders view and download the document before submitting their sealed bid — ideal for formal tenders and RFQs.
Smart Bidding UX
Urgency-aware timers that change colour as time runs out, "going once/twice" indicators, outbid alerts with one-tap rebid, reserve met celebrations, and a sticky mobile bid bar for quick bidding on your phone.
Auctioneer Profiles & Followers
Each auctioneer has a branded public profile with their auctions, bio, and contact details. Bidders can follow favourites to build lasting relationships.
Staff Management
Invite team members as staff with role-based permissions — lot managers, auction managers, or collections managers — each with tailored access.
WhatsApp Sharing & Broadcast
Share auctions and lots to WhatsApp with one tap. Use the Broadcast Builder to compose multi-lot messages and send them to your WhatsApp groups to drive traffic.
Facebook Auto-Posting
Auctions are automatically posted to the Bidall Facebook page when published and again when they go live, reaching a wider audience.
Subject to Confirmation
Auctioneers can mark lots as "subject to confirmation" — the winning bid is held pending approval. Confirm or reject from the report page, and the bidder is notified automatically.
Collections Tracking
Manage payments and collections in one place. Confirm payments, send WhatsApp reminders, and track outstanding balances per bidder.
Live Watchlist
Save lots to your watchlist and bid directly from there. Live countdown timers, real-time bid updates, and winning/outbid indicators keep you informed at a glance.
Install as an App (PWA)
Add Bidall to your home screen and use it like a native app — no app store download needed. Works on Android, iOS, and desktop.
Map-Based Discovery
Find auctioneers near you using the interactive map on the homepage, showing locations across South Africa.
Image Optimisation
Uploaded photos are automatically converted to WebP, resized, and rotated correctly — no editing required from the auctioneer.
In-App Notifications
Auctioneers can send notifications to their followers about upcoming auctions. Bidders see alerts via the notification bell — no app install needed.
Auctioneer Ratings
Bidders can rate auctioneers after participating in their auctions, helping the community identify trusted sellers.
Reserve Prices & Buyer's Premium
Auctioneers can set hidden reserve prices per lot and an optional buyer's premium percentage per auction.
Relist Unsold Lots
Unsold lots can be bulk-relisted into new draft auctions. Lots with no bids qualify for a free relist — no additional credit charge.
Winner Notifications
When an auction ends, winning bidders automatically receive an email summary of all lots they've won with totals.
Live Auction Reports
Real-time and post-auction reports showing bids, sales, unsold lots, and per-auction financials for auctioneers.
Already have a brand? Keep it.
Run Bidall under your own identity with White-Label Branding.
Established auctioneers with an existing brand can run their public auction page with their own logo, colours, and favicon — so your bidders see you, not us. You get the full Bidall auction engine, with your identity on top.
Your colours
Pick a primary and secondary brand colour — the entire auction page re-themes to match.
Your logo & favicon
Your logo replaces ours in the header, and your favicon shows in the browser tab.
Your welcome message
Add a custom hero message on your public auction page to greet your bidders.
Ready to Get Started?
Join Bidall today and discover South Africa's auction marketplace.
