Auktia featuresFree Trial Auction Software: One Sale With No Monthly Fee
Auktia gives a seller (auction house) that signs up on its own one trial auction with no monthly fee. Auktia keeps 10% of the winning bids (hammer), and nothing if nothing sells. It's a trial, not free forever: after that auction, the owner chooses a plan before the next auction goes up.
What is Auktia's trial auction?
It is one real online auction on Auktia, run without signing up for a monthly plan first. There is no monthly fee for the trial. When the auction closes, Auktia keeps 10% of the winning bids on the items (lots) that sold. If nothing sells, you owe nothing.
Your bidders see a normal Auktia auction: the all-in price on every item before they bid, a clock that ticks every second with extended bidding (soft close), max bids, and the bid steps you choose for the auction ($1, then $2.50, unless you set your own). Auktia charges your bidders nothing, so the trial doesn't add a cent to what they pay.
The word free needs care here. The trial auction has no monthly fee, but it is not free software forever. It's one auction to see how Auktia works for your business, your stock and your buyers before you commit to a plan.
How much does a trial auction cost? A worked example
Say your trial auction brings $4,000 in winning bids. Auktia keeps 10% of that, $400, and there is no monthly fee. If the auction brings $1,200, the fee is $120. If nothing sells, it is $0.
Run the same numbers on a plan, because the trial is built for trying Auktia, not for being the cheapest way to sell. The same $4,000 on the Rookie plan costs $49.99 for the month plus 3% of winning bids ($120), or $169.99. On Pinch Hitter, the one-time auction option, it is $100 plus 10% of the first $2,500 and 7.5% of the next $1,500, or $462.50. That's why an owner selling big can choose a plan first and skip the trial.
How do I get my first trial auction published?
Auktia checks a few things before a self-signup seller can publish, so allow a day for approval before you want bidding to open.
- Agree to the Terms.
- Add a card for Auktia's fees with the Billing card on My auctions.
- Confirm your seller information: legal name, address and tax ID. Pickup and business addresses can't be PO boxes.
- Wait for Auktia to approve your business, usually within a day.
- Choose how winners pay you: Card payments → Connect your Stripe account, or confirm the owner's phone with a text code to run cash-at-pickup auctions.
- List your items and set up the auction: when bidding opens, first close, the extended-bidding window, the buyer's fee (buyer's premium) and pickup details. Then publish.
How does Auktia collect its fee after the auction?
When an auction closes, Auktia holds its fee on your Billing card. About 4 days later, it charges whatever your winners' card payments didn't already cover, because Auktia takes its fee from each card payment made through Stripe.
In practice, the more your winners pay by card online, the less is left to charge to your card. If winners pay cash at pickup, the fee comes from the card. Either way, nothing sold means nothing charged.
Seller information is collected because the INFORM Consumers Act asks online marketplaces to collect it. The INFORM Consumers Act guide explains who it covers.
What happens after the trial auction?
Before your next auction goes up, choose a plan. The monthly plans are a flat fee plus a share of winning bids, and none charges per bid: Rookie $49.99 a month plus 3%, Minor $99 plus 2%, Major $149.99 plus 1.5%. Each monthly plan includes 50 scans a month, and Unlimited scanning is $125 a month.
If you sell only now and then, Pinch Hitter has no monthly fee: $100 an auction plus 10% of the first $2,500 sold, 7.5% of the next $2,500 and 5% above that, never more than $500 an auction. Compare the plans on your own numbers in the pricing section.
Questions people ask
Is Auktia's auction software free?
Not forever. A seller that signs up on its own gets one trial auction with no monthly fee, where Auktia keeps 10% of the winning bids. After that, you choose a plan. Bidders never pay Auktia anything.
What if nothing sells in my trial auction?
You pay Auktia nothing. The trial fee is only a share of what sells, so an empty result costs $0.
Do I need Stripe to run a trial auction?
No. You can connect Stripe to take cards online and ship, or confirm the owner's phone by text code to run cash-at-pickup auctions, which are pickup only.
How long does approval take?
Usually within a day. Agree to the Terms, add your Billing card and confirm your seller information first, so Auktia can review your business.
Can I skip the trial and choose a plan right away?
Yes. An owner selling big can choose a plan first and skip the trial, since every monthly plan's share of winning bids is lower than the trial's 10%.
Can my pickup address be a PO box?
No. Pickup and business addresses on Auktia can't be PO boxes.