How to create a classified website like eBay with Auction Software?
By: Akshay Erande
Tags: Auctions, Wordpress Auction Plugin, Online Auctions, WordPress

In the present scenario, online auctions have to hold utmost importance, with participants coming from across the world. For those who’re clueless about this idea, an online auction, unlike a traditional one, is launched on the online where anybody and everybody can put their bids.

Online Auctions

But if you’ve been a fan of traditional auctioning, you may find it difficult to gulp down the reasons and benefits that an auction software provides. Not just you can buy things without going broke but you can also buy anything from another corner of the world. And, as for sellers, the competition and the results are enough to fuel up their instincts to come up with an auction website. Not to forget — there are immense opportunities to generate satisfactory revenue.

As far as advantages are concerned, with an auction website — both the seller and the buyer — can trade any type of product, be it a small book or a massive chandelier. On top of that, some of the reasonable benefits one can get include:

The primary objective of a website is for people to sell and purchase and not just set up a business

Quick and seamless method of earning big in terms of followers and revenue

You get your hands around basic WordPress developmental skills and you wouldn’t have to spend a bomb on coding

You get to have customer trust and loyalty

Thanks to modern and advanced software as well as platforms, expanding an online auction website is always an easier job

Keeping all of these benefits and plus points in mind, your interest in having an eBay-like platform would be ignited by now, isn’t it? In this post, let’s navigate through the process of creating a classified platform with a simple WordPress auction plugin.

Why Online Auction sites have a business model similar to eBay?

An online auction website has a structure which must be followed. There are a few principles and a couple of business models, based on which the website is created:

Model- 1

The first model is an auction website where there is a fixed bid and the bidding price cannot be changed by the customers. The product will be sold at that fixed bidding price. Customers cannot really bid higher than the price of the product.

Model- 2

The next model is based on how far the bidding goes. This is very much similar to traditional offline bidding. Customers will start with a basic price but the product will be sold to the highest bidder. In this case, the bidder hides his identity and the bidding is done by a feature application called proxy bidding. The software gets all the information about the bidding product and the price, and bids on a person’s behalf.

You can choose any of the models while building your online auction website.

Pre-Requisites to Build an Auction Site:

Before you think of using an online auction software, there are a few pre-requisites that you would have to fulfil, such as:

Choosing the Right Platform:

To begin with, you would have to ensure that you have selected the appropriate website platform. Out of all, approximately 38% of all the websites are using WordPress, giving you more than enough reasons to choose this platform.

With WordPress, you get two different options that may instigate your confusion further. While the WordPress.com is a hosting platform; WordPress.org is a self-hosted one. If you think you’d not be able to handle this aspect properly and would need additional service from a third-party, you can go with WordPress.com. Otherwise, WordPress.org will help you get access to all of the platform’s features.

A Domain Name:

The next step is to choose a domain name. Of course, you’d want your website to stand out from the competition. Thus, ensure that the selected domain is as unique as possible. However, keep in mind that apart from being unique, the domain name is easy to remember as well.

Or your potential audience may drop down the idea of putting in efforts to discover your auction website time and again.

A Web Hosting Accounting:

If you are ready to go with WordPress.com, you’d have to take a third-party hosting. As far as this service is concerned, remember you cannot go with any other provider. You’d have to choose a company that specializes in WooCommerce hosting as you’ll use the same software for your auction site.

Also, ensure that the hosting provider is also giving SSL certificate as it is extremely important to transact payments.

A Secured Payment Gateway:

While creating an online auction site, you’d also have to choose a secure, safe payment gateway. Considering that there are more cases of data stolen and frauds taking place, you’d have to be extra cautious. Out there, you can easily find plenty of options. But make sure all of them offer what you need the most — security.

Steps to Create an Online Auction Website:

Now that you are familiar with the pre-requisites needed to develop an online auction website, it’s time to start with the development. Below-mentioned is a step-by-step process that will help you go through the easy way of having an auction platform.

Step 1: Install WordPress and WooCommerce

To begin with, you will have to install WordPress and set up the website with the domain and transfer the same to the hosting. Then, install a perfectly-chosen theme, adequate for the auction environment, which should match precisely with the outlook and colour combination of your site.

Next, install the WooCommerce plugin and activate the same. This will help you with converting a basic website into an auction one.

Step 2: Install Auction Plugin

Consider an auction platform needs specific factors, you would have to use a plugin that fulfils all the demand. Therefore, the second step is to install and activate a WordPress auction plugin.

Step 3: Configuring Settings

Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, you can find the menu on the left side of your WordPress dashboard. There, you can begin the configuration. Be it language, auction currency, fraud reporting, gallery settings or the uploaded files’ size, make sure you set up everything accordingly.

Apart from the general ones, ensure the setup of payment gateway, shipping, auction lengths, relisting options, auction type, bid increments, and more.

Step 4: Create Auction Pages

Now that you’ve configured the settings, you can continue by creating auction pages on your platform. Simply click on New Page and upload the content along with the images. If you want, you can also create different categories of products on the page. Also, creating a landing page or a homepage will leave a better impression on your visitors.

Additionally, you can also add listings to a sidebar or a widget area. Once you are satisfied, hit the Publish button and make your site go live.

In a Nutshell:

Auction website, be it national or international, definitely attract a lot of opportunities. Moreover, sites like eBay inspire entrepreneurs and youngsters with better ideas to create a revolution with similar platforms that cater to a wide range of audience. Since all you’d want is to get paid well, follow the steps mentioned above and start with the development of your auction website instantly.