For auctioneersAuction Software Pricing: Fees Explained, With Worked Examples
Auction software pricing usually combines a monthly fee with some mix of per-lot fees, per-bid fees and a percentage of hammer, plus card processing. The only fair comparison is to run one real sale (its lots, unique bids and total hammer) through each price sheet and compare the totals, not the headline rates.
What are the common auction software pricing models?
Most price sheets are built from the same parts. Knowing which ones a vendor uses tells you how your bill will move as your sales grow.
- Monthly subscription: a flat fee for the software, whether you run no sales or ten.
- Per-lot fee: a charge for every lot listed, or every lot sold.
- Per-bid fee: a charge for bids, often counted once per bidder per lot, sometimes capped per sale.
- Percentage of hammer: a share of what sells, so a quiet month costs less.
- Add-ons: scanning, text alerts, label printing, extra staff logins or a branded site.
- Payments: card processing, usually a percentage plus a fixed amount per payment, charged by the processor.
How do you compare auction software prices fairly?
Pick one recent sale and write down three numbers: lots, unique bids and total hammer. Then price that exact sale on every option, including the add-ons you'd actually use.
Repeat it for your quietest month. A plan that is cheap at volume can be expensive when you only run one small sale.
- Count lots listed and lots sold.
- Count unique bids, where one bidder on one lot counts once.
- Total the hammer.
- Apply every fee on each price sheet to those numbers.
- Do the same for your biggest sale and your quietest month.
Worked example: what does a $20,000 month cost?
Auktia's plans are a flat monthly fee plus a percentage of hammer. No plan has a per-bid or per-lot fee.
Where the plans cross: Minor costs less than Rookie above about $4,900 of hammer a month, and Major costs less than Minor above about $10,200.
- Rookie, $49.99 a month plus 3%: $49.99 + $600 = $649.99.
- Minor, $99 a month plus 2%: $99 + $400 = $499.
- Major, $149.99 a month plus 1.5%: $149.99 + $300 = $449.99.
- A quiet $1,000 month on Rookie: $49.99 + $30 = $79.99.
What does a one-time sale cost?
If you run a single estate or farm sale, a monthly plan may not fit. Auktia's Pinch Hitter plan has no monthly fee: $100 a sale plus 10% of the first $2,500 sold, 7.5% of the next $2,500 and 5% above that, never more than $500 a sale.
- $2,000 sold: $100 + $200 = $300.
- $3,000 sold: $100 + $250 + $37.50 = $387.50.
- $4,500 or more sold: the $500 cap applies, so a $30,000 estate pays $500.
What hidden costs should you ask about?
The fee sheet is only part of the cost. Ask each vendor these questions before you sign, and get the answers in writing.
- Is there a per-bid or per-lot fee, and is it capped per sale?
- Who pays card processing, and is there a platform fee on top of it?
- Are there setup, training or onboarding fees?
- What do scanning, labels, text alerts and extra staff logins cost?
- How long is the contract, and can you export every sale if you leave?
Is cheaper auction software always better?
No. Software that saves two minutes a lot on a 300-lot sale saves 10 hours of staff time, which can matter more than a few dollars of fees. Weigh cataloging speed and settlement time alongside the bill.
Bidder experience counts too. Clear all-in prices and a fair soft close mean fewer disputes at pickup and fewer unpaid invoices, which never show up on a pricing page.
Questions people ask
What is a per-bid fee?
A charge to the auction house for bids placed in its sale, usually counted once per bidder per lot. It grows with competition, so a well-attended sale costs more to run even when many bids land on low-value lots.
Do buyers pay for the auction software?
Not directly. Houses usually cover software from the buyer's premium and consignor commissions, which is why premium and software cost are worth planning together.
Which Auktia plan should I choose?
Under about $4,900 of hammer a month, Rookie costs least; from about $4,900 to $10,200, Minor; above that, Major. For a single sale with no subscription, Pinch Hitter. Details are in the pricing section.
Does card processing count as a software fee?
Usually not. The payment processor charges it on each payment, often as a percentage plus a fixed amount, whichever platform you use. Ask whether the platform adds its own fee on top.
Are per-bid fees ever the cheaper option?
They can be on small sales with light bidding, since the fee stays low when few people bid. Run your own numbers for a quiet sale and a busy one; the answer often flips as bidding grows.
How does a percentage-of-hammer fee work?
The platform takes a set share of the hammer price of lots that sell, so unsold lots cost nothing. On Auktia, a flat monthly plan fee comes on top of that share.