How it works
Everything you can do on Spotdelight Auctions House.
A single platform for hosting timed and live auctions — from the first draft to the final gavel.
Host in four steps
Set the scene
Create an auction, choose a category, add a cover image, and schedule start and end times. Draft as long as you need — nothing goes live until you publish.
Add lots
Each lot has a title, description, condition, starting bid, bid increment, optional reserve, buy-now price, and low/high estimates. Add as many lots as you need.
Publish and go live
Hit publish. Auctions move to Scheduled or Live automatically based on your times. Buyers can watch, bid in real time, and get outbid notifications.
Close and settle
Soft-close protects against last-second sniping by extending the timer on late bids. When the lot closes, the top bid wins if the reserve was met.
Auction formats
Pick the format that fits your inventory. More formats roll out on the Pro plan.
Timed auctions
AvailableClassic online format. Set a start and end time, let bids stack up, and soft-close keeps the ending fair.
Live auctions
SoonHost a real-time room with a virtual gavel. Bidders join, bid live, and the room synchronizes state for everyone.
Video auctions
SoonBroadcast lots on camera while buyers bid alongside the stream. Great for high-touch categories.
Buy now
AvailableOptional flat price on any lot. Buyers can end the wait — buy now and skip straight to checkout.
For hosts
Host dashboard
Track auctions, lots, and bids in one place. Draft, scheduled, live, and ended — all filterable.
Unlimited lots
Add as many lots as your auction needs. Reorder, edit, and remove any time before going live.
Rich lot pages
Cover image, description, condition, location, estimates, reserve, and buy-now — all supported.
Bidder insights
See bid history and top bidders per lot. Understand which lots pull the room.
Buyer notifications
Automatic outbid and won-lot notifications keep buyers coming back.
Coming soon
AI-generated lot descriptions, PDF catalog import, and Stripe payouts for hosts on the Pro plan.
For buyers
Outbid alerts
Real-time notifications the moment you're outbid.
Watchlist
Save lots and jump straight back in when the timer heats up.
Soft-close protection
Late bids extend the timer so wins are decided on price, not latency.
Verified hosts
Every host is verified before they can list. Bid with confidence.
Bidding logic
- Minimum bid
- Current bid + increment, or the starting bid if no one has bid yet.
- Reserve price
- Optional and private. If bidding doesn't hit reserve, the lot passes.
- Soft-close
- A bid inside the last 120 seconds extends the timer by 120 seconds. Configurable per auction.
- Self-bidding
- Hosts can't bid on their own auctions. Top bidders can't bid against themselves.
- Real-time updates
- Lot pages update instantly for everyone watching — no refresh needed.
- Outbid notifications
- Previous top bidders get an in-app notification the moment they're outbid.
Categories we support
Pricing
Free to host
No setup fees. No monthly fees. We only make money when you do — a volume-based commission from 4.5% down to 1.0% as your annual hammer sales grow. Buyers bid free.
Common questions
What does hosting cost?
Hosting is completely free — no setup or monthly fees. We only make money when you do, via a volume-based commission (4.5% → 1.0% as your annual hammer sales grow). Buyers pay nothing to bid.
How do bid increments work?
You set the minimum increment per lot. Any bid must be at least the current bid plus the increment, or the starting bid if there are no bids yet.
What is soft-close?
If a bid lands inside the soft-close window (default 120 seconds), the timer extends by another 120 seconds. This keeps the ending fair and repeats until bidding truly stops.
What happens if the reserve isn't met?
The lot is marked passed and no sale occurs. The reserve price is never shown to bidders.
How are winners notified?
Winners get an in-app notification the moment a lot closes. Hosts see wins on the auction page and can coordinate settlement.
Ready to host your first auction?
Draft in minutes. Go live when you're ready. Only publish when it's perfect.