Auction: what kind of animal is it and how to make friends with it? Part 1


Do you dream and want to create a website, for example Ebay, using the WordPress system? These kinds of sites allow users to suggest products for their purchase at the best price. This allows you to maximize profits when selling unique products. In this article I will tell you in detail how to create an auction site, like Ebay, using the WordPress CMS.

Do you want to create a selling, fast auction site on WordPress or another content management system? Then contact our agency. We will advise you on technical issues and outline the most profitable option for you. Call: +7 or write to the email address Leave a request for a consultation in the form below:

Issue Sponsor:

If you need high-quality SEO optimization of your website, then use the services of a freelance exchange via a direct link.

What do you need to create an auction site on WordPress?

For development you will need the following things:

  • Domain name (the name of your future project, which can be directly accessed by typing the address in the browser).
  • Hosting account (All your project files and a separate database will be stored there)
  • SSL certificate (it is necessary if you accept online payments and generally serves as a guarantee of security).
  • E-commerce module or “addon” (this add-on will turn your regular website into a trading platform)
  • Auction module (a plugin that will add auction capabilities to your web resource).
  • Your undivided attention for 40 minutes. This is exactly the amount of time we will need.

Yes, we will go through this simple process step by step together. Ready to get started? Then let's go!

In this lesson specifically we will also look at:

  • How to get a domain name for free
  • How to choose the best hosting for your future website
  • Install WordPress and e-commerce module
  • Install and configure the auction plugin
  • Let's add a new auction and start managing it

WordPress auction – The best plugins for website development

Do you want to create a similar platform? You should start small - create your own website. For this, there are, for example, WooCommerce templates, which provide a complete solution for creating a website without writing code. Tempting, isn't it? Why WooCommerce when there are other solutions? Frankly, this is the simplest and most accessible of them, trusted by more than 41% of all existing stores in the world. Among them is such a well-known brand as New Balance.

After creating the site, you will need to provide it with the necessary functionality. In WordPress, features are added using plugins. Such as WooCommerce, which provides basic store features: catalog, wishlist, shopping cart, payment for goods and support for payment systems. But for a trading platform with auctions, this is not enough. You need WordPress auction plugins. So that you don’t have to search and choose the right ones, we have prepared the best of the best for you. And only with the best reviews.

  1. YITH Auctions for WooCommerce – a first-class auction plugin for the commercial marketplace

The main advantages of the Auctions plugin from YITH:

— the ability to set any starting price; — the ability to set a minimum selling price (allows you to avoid unprofitable transactions); — automatic rate increase when another buyer raises it (you can set the maximum amount you are willing to spend); — automatic notification by e-mail when the auction end date approaches or when your bid has been beaten; — display of all bets for those who made at least one; — counter until the end of the auction; — the possibility of extending the auction if the bid was made a couple of minutes before its end; — the ability to buy goods instantly (at a predetermined price); — display of goods sold through an auction in the general catalog of goods with a special mark and in the sidebar using a widget; — simple management of sold goods or those for which the auction has already ended or has not yet begun; — Russian language support thanks to compatibility with a special WPML plugin.

Together with the YITH WooCommerce Multi Vendor plugin, which we talked about in the previous review, you will not only be able to sell your products at auction. You will have a complete online auction portal where various sellers can organize auctions to sell their items. And you will earn a percentage of their sales. Choose this comprehensive solution and create your marketplace right now!

  1. WooCommerce Simple Auctions – a simple auction plugin for WordPress WooCommerce platform

With this useful plugin, you can add auction functionality to your existing WordPress store. You can also create an eBay analogue that will sell both regular goods and auction items. With quick installation and setup in less than 30 minutes, you can have a fully operational solution up and running.

Benefits of Simple Auctions for you:

— very simple integration with WooCommerce; — support for standard, reverse and blind auctions; — the seller can set the starting price, minimum price, auction step and “Buy Now” price; — the seller can set the duration of the auction; — widgets “Ending Soon”, “Future”, “Recent”, “Recently Viewed”, “Recommended”, “Random” and “My Auctions”; — icons for goods sold and sold at auction; — updating bids and auction history in real time thanks to AJAX support; — the buyer can sort the goods sold at auction by the amount of the last bid, the Buy Now price, activity, start date and end date of the auction; — automatic rate increase; — email notifications about actions related to the auction; — work with any payment system.

To select this plugin, simply click on the “View Details/Download” button under the plugin description. There you can also see the plugin in action on the developer’s demo site.

  1. WordPress WooCommerce Marketplace Auction – Great WordPress Auction Plugin

Another good plugin that only works in conjunction with the Multi Vendor Marketplace plugin. We also talked about it in the review of plugins for creating a marketplace. With it, you can add a very useful feature to your marketplace that your sellers and buyers will be delighted with.

Main features of the plugin:

— support for four types of auction (standard, incremental, automatic and reverse); — notification by email when the rate changes; — automatic bets; — the ability to display all bets and the users who made them; — the winner’s name is shown only to the administrator.

If you like this plugin, you can learn more about it and see how it works by clicking on the “View More/Download” button. With it you can create an excellent commercial platform.

At the very beginning of the article, we mentioned templates with which you can create any website in literally 60 minutes. And to do this, you don’t need to have programming knowledge, much less hire a web developer. But is it possible to create a website that would immediately support the WordPress auction function? So without unnecessary steps and purchasing a special plugin? We just found such a theme on ThemeForest (a template marketplace from Envato)!

Essential

This is a responsive eCommerce auction theme with a clean design and optimized loading speed. It supports and works on the basis of the Simple Auctions plugin, which was presented second in our selection, as well as Bulk Discounts for discounts on purchases. The finished site will have two sliders with a parallax effect, a mega menu and many other features. Read more about this topic by clicking the button below.

Who benefits from the auction?

The auction format itself is an interesting business model that will allow you to evaluate the product, review the pricing process, meet with the consumer and receive important feedback from him.
During the auction, the relevance and demand of the product is revealed directly during the sales process. This is useful for business, as it allows you to identify missed advantages of the product and find shortcomings. At auctions, the final price is set by the buyer himself, and if the product was initially undervalued, then the auction format allows this to be corrected. A flexible pricing system, which comes directly from the buyer, will help assess the demand for the product, including recording and assessing demand. An auction can be used in almost all areas of business, however, it is most effective in those areas where we are talking about a specific product, the result of intellectual property. These can be not only art galleries, but also creative spaces, factories where handmade goods and souvenirs are produced.

An auction is a good move if you need to dump the price of a certain product. Reducing prices stimulates the market and sales and can be a good solution for creating hype around unpopular products. A low starting price is set, a sales algorithm is launched, demand appears, and then you can increase the starting price for the lot from auction to auction.

An auction can also be useful as a marketing event for large companies. In this case, the bet is placed not so much on the sale of goods, but on creating an information feed around the event itself. Famous people who take part in the creation of the lot are invited to participate in the auction (for example, they leave their autograph on one of the products you produce), and the proceeds from the sale are transferred to charity. This auction marketing model is suitable for virtually any business: from a store that sells consumer goods to an enterprise that produces cars.

How can you earn money - ways?

1. Conducting speculation in goods that you bought at a foreign auction. Prices in the Russian Federation for various equipment are very different from the prices provided by Western auctions. You can easily buy such equipment much cheaper. In general, by buying goods on eBay, Yahoo and many other auctions, you can very profitably sell goods in Russia.

  1. We sell domestic goods in foreign markets. As for nesting dolls, beautiful vases and other items in the country of Russia, they are in great demand in the West. In the Russian Federation, you won’t be able to get a lot of money for such items, but foreigners are sometimes willing to pay a lot of money for them.
  2. Conducting consultations. If you have good knowledge about Internet business at auctions, are very experienced and have made a lot of money in such a business, then you can provide advice to beginning entrepreneurs. Such income may not be suitable for the main one, but in terms of part-time work it will be ideal.
  3. Intermediary at auctions. Such a business appeared due to the high risks of delivery abroad for Russia and the lack of desire of many foreigners to have common business with Russians. But there are many other nuances. For example, the RaiRel payment system, which has become very popular in Western countries, has minor restrictions for Russia. You can pay for goods with its help, but selling goods with its help is already prohibited. But a mediator will help you solve this problem. As for the business scheme, it is simple - the client needs to register on his website and search for the necessary goods. When choosing a product, the client sets the maximum price that he could pay for the product, and the automatic tracking program conducts the further process. The process involves placing a bid at the very end of the auction. If a purchase has taken place, the goods come first to the intermediary, and only then to the buyer.
Rating
( 2 ratings, average 4.5 out of 5 )
Did you like the article? Share with friends: