About bidia.ai

bidia.ai is the auction platform behind independent auction houses' own branded websites — and the marketplace that proves the software in public, every day.

What we build

Auction houses run their own sales on their own domain, under their own brand, on our software. Timed sales where lots close in sequence, live sales with real-time video and a clerk calling the pace, proxy bidding, soft-close, integrated payments, shipping and buyer notifications — all of it out of the box. A house that has been running sales on paper, or on somebody else's marketplace, can be live in about a week rather than commissioning a build.

See what launching your own site involves

Who runs on it

Two houses run their public storefronts on bidia.ai today, each on its own domain with its own branding, catalogue and buyers:

What comes with the platform

Timed and live auctions: Lots that close in sequence, or a broadcast sale with a clerk calling the pace.
Proxy bidding and soft-close: A published increment schedule, and an end time that extends when a late bid lands.
Payments and payouts: Integrated checkout, invoicing, refunds, and seller payouts on completed orders.
Shipping: Live carrier rates, insurance, label purchase, and tracking pushed back to the buyer.
Bidder notifications: Outbid, ending-soon, won and payment alerts by email, SMS and in-app.
Seller tools: Lot management, consignment client records, orders, sales analytics, and email and SMS campaigns.

And it's a marketplace too

bidia.ai is also a public auction marketplace in its own right, across 25 categories — antiques, art, jewelry and watches, collectibles, fashion, electronics and more. That is rather the point: the platform is not a demo. It runs real sales, with real bidders and real money, on the same code an auction house licenses. Browse what's live now.

How the bidding works

Bidding is proxy bidding. You set the most you are willing to pay, and the system bids for you in the smallest allowed increment, going only as high as it needs to — so you pay one increment above the runner-up, not your maximum for its own sake. Increments follow a published schedule that rises with the price, from $1 steps under $25 up to $5,000 steps above $500,000.

A bid placed in the closing minutes extends the lot's end time, so nobody wins by sniping the clock, and that soft-close can trigger more than once. Bidders are told by email, SMS and in-app the moment they are outbid. Placing bids is free; you pay only if you win. The FAQ goes through all of it in detail.

How sales are kept honest

Neither bidia.ai nor a seller — nor anyone acting on their behalf — bids on the seller's own lots. Where a lot carries a reserve, that reserve is confidential and is not moved during the sale to chase a bid. Every seller is verified before they can list: email, phone, business address, government-issued photo ID, and proof of business address. All bids are binding. The terms that govern a sale, including what happens to a lot that does not meet its reserve, are in the Terms of Service.

What it costs

Auction houses licensing the platform: Plans start at $249 a month plus commission. For Auction Houses lists what each tier includes.
Sellers on the marketplace: A 5% platform fee on the order subtotal, deducted from the payout when the buyer pays.
Bidders: A 3% payment processing fee on all orders, discounted when you pay by bank. It appears as its own line at checkout and on your receipt, alongside the winning bid, any buyer's premium, sales tax and shipping.

Talk to us

Running an auction house and weighing up a move? A demo will answer more than a brochure. Any other question — a bid, an order, a listing — goes through our contact page, and we reply within one business day.

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