Auction website development.
Real-time bidding, where being a second late actually matters.
Auctions are a real-time problem with money attached. Bids must be recorded in strict order, every watcher must see the current price immediately, and the closing moment has to be unambiguous — because a bid that arrives a second before the end and is processed a second after will generate a dispute you cannot win.
What’s included
- Real-time bidding with live price updates over WebSockets
- Proxy bidding up to a maximum
- Anti-sniping automatic time extensions
- Reserve prices and starting bids
- Buyer premiums, commission and fee calculation
- Outbid notifications by email and push
- Post-auction invoicing, payment and settlement
Ordering and timing must be exact
Two bids arriving in the same instant need a deterministic winner. The auction close needs a single authoritative clock, not the bidder's device. These sound like details until the first disputed lot, at which point they are the whole product.
Anti-sniping changes bidding behaviour
Without extensions, experienced bidders wait until the final second, which suppresses prices and frustrates everyone else. Automatically extending the close when a late bid arrives produces higher final prices and a fairer auction — a commercial decision as much as a technical one.
Common questions
Can it handle many simultaneous bidders?
Yes, with a WebSocket layer built for it. I will size it against your expected concurrency.
Can we run timed and live auctions?
Yes. Timed auctions run to a deadline; live auctions follow an auctioneer. They are different builds, so worth deciding early.
How is payment handled after the auction?
Automatic invoicing with premiums and fees calculated, then card payment or bank transfer depending on lot value.
Have a project in mind?
Tell me what you're building and roughly when you need it. I reply to every genuine enquiry within one working day.