5 Common Mistakes When Choosing an Auction Platform (And How to Avoid Them)

5 Common Mistakes When Choosing an Auction Platform (And How to Avoid Them)

Auction system
17 maj 2025

Choosing the right platform for your auction business is one of the most important decisions you'll make.
The wrong choice can cost you time, money, and customers—while the right one can unlock scalable growth.

Here are the five most common mistakes we see in the industry—and how to avoid them.

1. Choosing a Platform That Isn’t Built for Multitenancy

Many auction platforms are designed for a single business. But what happens when you want to expand or onboard new partners?

If you need to set up a completely new system for every new auction house, you risk:

  • Increasing your costs

  • Creating unnecessary admin work

  • Losing control and oversight

The solution:
Choose a platform with built-in multitenancy—where each auction house has its own branding and admin, but everything runs on a single, unified system.

2. Ignoring the Post-Auction Customer Experience

Most platforms focus on bidding, but forget about the journey afterward:

  • How do buyers view their winnings?

  • How do they receive invoices?

  • How do they complete payments?

If this isn’t seamless, you’ll create frustration and manual work for your team.

The solution:
Invest in a platform with a self-service portal where customers can view their wins, access invoices, and pay directly—no support tickets needed.

3. Underestimating Invoice and Payment Management

One of the most common pitfalls is not having tools to:

  • Combine multiple wins into a single invoice

  • Manage due dates and reminders

  • Follow up on unpaid invoices

This often leads to manual work and missed revenue.

The solution:
Choose a platform with automated invoice management and Stripe integration, saving you time while improving cash flow.

4. Failing to Offer Real-Time Bidding

Forcing your customers to refresh the page to check if they’ve been outbid feels like 2010-era technology.

Today’s buyers expect real-time updates, just like on major platforms like eBay or Tradera.

The solution:
Make sure your platform uses WebSocket technology to deliver real-time bidding, giving your customers a modern and engaging experience.

5. Choosing a Platform That Can’t Scale With You

It’s tempting to pick a "simple" platform that meets today’s needs. But what happens when you grow?
More customers, more auctions, more partnerships—all demand a system that can scale with your business.

The solution:
Invest in a scalable, future-proof platform that supports both your current operations and your long-term ambitions.

In Summary

A great auction platform should:

  • Support multiple auction houses in one system

  • Deliver a seamless post-auction customer experience

  • Automate invoicing and payments

  • Provide real-time bidding

  • Be built for scalable growth

That’s exactly why we built Everly Auctions.

Want to learn how we can help you avoid these pitfalls?
Get in touch today, and let’s talk about your auction business