Do you want to use WordPress to create an auction site similar to eBay? Users can bid on products to purchase them on an auction website. This allows you to make the most money while selling one-of-a-kind items. We’ll show you how to create an auction site similar to eBay using WordPress without any technical knowledge in this article.

What Are the Requirements for Using WordPress to Create an Auction Site?

To create your own eBay-style auction site using WordPress, you’ll need the following items.

  • A domain name is the name of the website. (For example, yourblogmaster.com) This is the name of your website that people will type to find it.
  • A web hosting account (this is where the files for your website are kept)
  • Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate (You need this to recieve online payments)
  • An add-on for ecommerce (Your website will become an ecommerce platform as a result of this.)
  • Add-on for auctions (Auction features will be added to your website as a result of this.)
  • For 40 minutes, your undivided attention is required.

Yes, you could also launch your own online auction in under 40 minutes, and then we’ll walk you through each and every step of the process.

We’ll go over the following topics in this tutorial:

  • How to get a free domain name
  • How to Select the Most Appropriate Website Hosting
  • Set up your ecommerce addon after installing WordPress.
  • Install and configure the auctions addon.
  • Auctions can be added and managed.
  • Learn WordPress and grow your business with these resources.

So, let’s get this party started.

Step 1: Obtaining the Appropriate Setup

First and foremost, you must ensure that you are using the correct website platform; since you are reading this article, you will not make the same mistake as others.

Because there are two types of WordPress software, it’s easy for newcomers to become perplexed. WordPress.com is a hosting platform, and WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress, is another option.

We recommend self-hosted WordPress.org because it comes with all of WordPress’s features pre-installed. See the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org for a comparison.

You’ll need a domain name and a web hosting account to get started. However, you cannot simply sign up with any web hosting company. Because this is the software you’ll be using as your e-commerce platform, you’ll need a hosting provider that specializes in WooCommerce hosting.

A domain name costs $14.99 per year, web hosting costs $7.99 per month, and an SSL certificate costs $69.99 per year.

If you’re just starting out, this is a significant sum of money.

Thankfully, Bluehost, an official WordPress and WooCommerce hosting provider, has agreed to provide our users with a free domain, free SSL, and a discount on their cloud WordPress hosting.

Essentially, you can begin for $6.95 per month.

Following our step-by-step tutorial on how to start an online store for complete setup instructions once you’ve purchased hosting.

You now have a WooCommerce-enabled WordPress website. WooCommerce does not allow you to add auction products to your website by default.

Let’s change that by installing a WooCommerce auctions addon.

Step 2: Convert Your Ecommerce Store into an Auctions Platform

The YITH WooCommerce Auctions plugin must first be installed and activated. Check out our step-by-step guide to installing a WordPress plugin for further details.

YITH WooCommerce Auctions is a paid plugin that costs 81 Euros for a single site license. This includes plugin downloads, documentation, and one year of support and updates.

To enter your license key after activation, go to YITH Plugins » License Activation page. This information can be found on the plugin’s website under your account.

The next step is to configure plugin settings on the YITH Plugins » Auctions page.

The default settings should suffice for most websites, but you can always go back and tweak them if necessary.

Step 3: Adding a Bid Item to the Auction

Using the built-in WooCommerce products, YITH WooCommerce Auctions makes adding an item for auction a breeze.

Simply go to Products » Add New and add your auction item as a new WooCommerce product.

You must enter your auction item details on this page in the same way that you would a product. Fill in the title, add details, and upload photos after that.

Select ‘Auction’ next to the Product Data option below the editor, and you’ll see settings for the auction item.

You can set the auction start price, bid up, minimum increment amount, reserve price, and buy now price from this page.

Following that, you must choose the auction dates and times. You can also include an auction overtime period to provide a grace period after the auction has ended.

To save your changes, click the publish button once you’re happy with the settings.

Your auction has now been added to your WooCommerce store page. On the shop page, auction items will be highlighted with an icon.

You can use the auction plugin to combine auction items with other WooCommerce fixed-price products.

You can also create a separate page that only lists the auctioned items. Simply add the following shortcode to a new WordPress page.

[yith_auction_products]

Remember to publish the page so that it appears on your website.

Step 4: Organizing and Managing Your Auctions

You can add auction items at any time, and they will automatically appear on your website. The auction, however, will not begin until the scheduled start time.

This allows you to publish items well ahead of the auction’s start date and promote them during that time. Any registered user can bid on an item once the auction starts.

Next to the item, the plugin will display an auction timer. Users can view the current highest bid as well as place their own.

The usernames of previous bidders will be partially encrypted and displayed below.

At any time, you have the option of removing a bid. Simply edit the auction product, and all of the bids will appear at the bottom of the page.

The auction will end when the individual auction settings for each item have been met.

The highest bidder’s price will be accepted if the auction time runs out. The auction will end when a user offers the buy now price, and they will be able to add the product to their cart.

Each new bid, auction grace time, auction end, and other events will be notified to all users who participated in the auction via email. The auction winner will receive a final email informing them that they can now make their payment.

Step 5: Allowing Other Users to Add Auction Items

You can also allow other users to add their own products to the auction. The YITH WooCommerce Auctions plugin, on the other hand, does not allow users to create their own auction items.

WooCommerce assumes that you are the only seller on your website and that you are the only one who can add new products. To remedy this, turn your WooCommerce platform into a multi-vendor marketplace.

Other users will be able to apply to become sellers on your website once you’ve set it up as an online marketplace. They will be able to add new auction items after you approve their application. After that, you can approve their auctions, and they will go live on your site.

You will receive your commission from the winning bid once the auction is completed and the winning bidder has made their payment.

Step 6: Using WordPress to Promote Your Auction Site

The best website builder on the planet is WordPress. It’s simple to understand, and you can customize any feature you want.

Here are some helpful resources for taking your auction site to the next level.

We hope that this article has assisted you in creating your own WordPress-based auction site similar to eBay.

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