Search filters
Switch each filter on or off and drag them into the order bidders see on the search page.
1Location
2Category
3Nearby
4Ending soon
5Price range
What is it?
Your own auction marketplace
Turn a standard WordPress site into a full auction marketplace, with a complete bidding engine, seller accounts, payment gateways and listing management all built into the theme. No expensive plugins, no paid addons, no complicated setup.
Make money
Get paid on every sale
Sellers register, list lots and manage everything from the front end.
You set listing fees, a final-value commission, a buyer's premium, featured upgrades and membership plans from the admin, and get paid on every sale, with no marketplace taking a cut.
Live & Timed Bidding
An Ajax bidding system with what you'd expect from a top auction site like eBay. Bids and prices update every few seconds, with a live countdown on every lot.
- Live updates every few seconds
- Live countdown timers
- End time set per lot
Proxy & Automatic Bidding
Bidders set their maximum and the system bids for them, one increment at a time, right up to that limit, so nobody has to sit and watch the clock.
- Set a maximum bid
- Auto-bids up to the limit
- Optional anti-sniping extension
Reserve, Buy-Now & Increments
Set a hidden reserve, an optional buy-it-now price and per-lot bid increments from the admin area and the theme handles the rest.
- Hidden reserve prices
- Optional buy-it-now
- Per-lot bid increments
Elementor-Ready Auction Templates
Elementor-friendly: Easily customize and design your auction pages using the free Elementor plugin.
Auction pages are built from blocks such as live-bid panels, lot carousels and countdown strips. Pick the ones you need and drag them into place.
View Live Demo150+ Pre-Built Auction Blocks
Build your auction house from 150+ auction-specific blocks, from featured lots and ending-soon strips to seller CTAs. Pick, drag and drop.
Explore Our ThemesPenny Auctions
Set the site to penny auctions instead. Each bid uses one prepaid credit and adds 15 seconds to the clock. Bidders buy credit packs through your payment gateways.
- One credit per bid
- Each bid adds 15 seconds
- Credit packs from $4.99
House Commission & Seller Fees
Set an amount you earn from every sold lot. When a lot sells, the seller is emailed an invoice for your commission. Buyers pay through your own gateways, and you pay sellers yourself.
- Listing fees & final-value %
- Buyer's premium
- Commission invoice to the seller
Advanced Ajax Search & Filters
One of the most powerful search systems on the market, with Ajax search with advanced custom filters, category fields and zip/postal radius search.
- Keyword, category & price
- Custom fields per category
- Zip / postal radius search
Photo Galleries & Video
Give bidders more to go on. Each lot supports multiple images and uploaded video files, so high-value items sell with confidence.
- Multiple images per lot
- Uploaded video files
- Zoom & lightbox gallery
Seller Accounts & Member Dashboards
Every seller gets their own login to list lots, manage bidders, edit photos, track stats and pay invoices, all from the front end.
- Front-end lot management
- Bidder & message tools
- Bids & invoices in one place
Buyer & Seller Reviews & Ratings
Feedback is left by the buyer and seller after each completed sale, building a rating profile that helps the whole marketplace build trust.
- Post-sale feedback
- Star ratings & profiles
- Moderate from the admin
Frontend Lot Submission
A simple step-by-step form so members can list a lot with its title, prices, end time and photos, without ever touching the WordPress admin area.
- Step-by-step submit form
- Photo & gallery uploads
- No wp-admin access needed
Outbid & Won Emails
Bidders get an email when someone outbids them, and the winner gets an email with a link to pay. Lots can be saved to favourites to come back to later.
- Outbid emails
- Won email with a pay link
- Save lots to favourites
Responsive & Mobile-Friendly
Bidders follow auctions on the move, so lot pages, galleries, live countdowns and the bid form all work perfectly on phones and tablets.
- Works on any screen size
- Touch-friendly galleries
- Bid & list from mobile
48 ready-to-use designs
Browse all 48 designs One theme. Every kind of auction.
Choose a starting point for your auction business. Make it yours in minutes.
Art, antiques & rare books
Catalogue sales for paintings, furniture, clocks and first editions, from saleroom houses to private collections.
Collectibles & memorabilia
Sports shirts, comics and graded cards.
Watches & jewellery
Timepieces, rings and gemstones.
Wine & spirits
Cellar sales of fine wine and whisky.
Property & land
Bank-owned homes, commercial buildings and farmland, sold to the highest bidder.
Cars & boats
Classic cars, motorcycles, yachts and sport fishing boats.
Livestock & bloodstock
Cattle, sheep and horses, sold from the ring.
Machinery & equipment
Tractors, diggers and heavy plant.
Tech & surplus stock
Refurbished laptops, phones and pallets.
Instruments & records
Pianos, guitars, studio gear and vinyl, for collectors and players.
Charity auctions
Donated lots and a fundraising total for schools, clubs and good causes.
Every design includes live countdowns, reserve prices and outbid emails.
- Fully responsive designs
- No plugins required
- Easy to customise
Free guide
The Auction Site Playbook
How to plan, build and grow an auction website that people trust with their money. 40 pages, from choosing a niche to your first 90 days.
The admin area
One admin area runs your entire auction site.
Lot approval, search filters, bids and member checks are all set from one dashboard instead of a stack of auction plugins.
Open the admin demoLot details
Every lot has a starting bid, bid increment, reserve and buy-it-now price. Add your own fields on top.
Starting bidauction_starting_bid
Bid incrementauction_bid_increment
Reserve priceauction_reserve_price
Buy-it-now priceauction_buy_now_price
Auction lengthauction_length
One dashboard
New lots, members and bids over 7, 30 or 90 days, a to-do list of orders to process, and every other screen one click away.
Approval & expiry
Hold new free lots for review, and choose what happens to a lot when its time runs out.
Process pending orders327 orders need processing327
Yes, hold new FREE listings for review
Paid listings go live the moment payment is completed.Set to draft, unlisted
Verified members
Ask members to confirm their email or phone before they can bid or list, or upload a photo ID for a Verified badge.
Email verification
Members confirm their email address by clicking a link we send them.
SMS verification
Members confirm their phone number with a 6-digit code.
Photo ID verification
Approved members get a Verified badge.
Site generator
Connect your own AI account, describe your auction site, and the generator lays out the pages. Ask for changes in plain English or move the blocks yourself.
Works with your own AI account
AssistantAdd a row of lots ending in the next hour.
Automatic emails
Every email the site sends is ready to go. Edit the wording of any of them, or switch one off.
Manage emailsAll 60 on
Welcome / Account createdSent to a member when they create an account
Outbid noticeSent when another bidder takes the lead on a lot
Auction wonSent to the winning bidder when a lot closes
Reserve not metSent to the seller when a lot closes below its reserve
Social proof
Pop-ups and bars that show visitors what is happening on your auction site, such as new bids, new lots, sign-ups and how many people are browsing right now.
Recent activityPurchases, bids and new lots
Sign-upsNew members and subscribers
Live activityPeople browsing right now
Countdown timerA deadline offer or top bar
Announcement barA promotion pinned to the top
Inline social proofSale and rating chips on listings
New bid: Mid-Century Teak Coffee Table$180.00 · just now
SMS & payment gateways
Text members through Twilio, Vonage, MessageBird or Plivo, and take payments through PayPal, Stripe and 140 more gateway plugins.
Members choose email, SMS or both for their notifications.
TwilioVonageMessageBirdPlivo
Uses your own account with the providerSend test
+140 more
Everything, built in
No extra plugins to buy or configure
These are the plugins most auction sites end up installing. With the Auction theme they are already there, switched on from the admin area.
Elementor editing
By PremiumPress
Restyle lot pages, headers and landing pages in the free Elementor page builder.
Needs: Free Elementor pluginElementor-ready
150+ auction blocks
By PremiumPress
Countdown timers, lot grids, featured-auction carousels and bid widgets.
Find it: Block ExplorerBuilt in
11 languages
By PremiumPress
English plus 10 language packs. Every label can be translated.
Switch on: Settings › LanguageBuilt in
146 payment gateways
By PremiumPress
PayPal, Stripe and 144 more free gateway plugins for your own merchant account.
Switch on: Checkout › GatewaysFree add-ons
Email & SMS verification
By PremiumPress
Members confirm their email or phone before they can bid or list.
Switch on: Users › Verification & LoginBuilt in
Search & filters
By PremiumPress
Location, category, ending soon and price filters, in your order.
Switch on: Design › Search Page DesignBuilt in
Listing plans & memberships
By PremiumPress
Sell listing plans to sellers and member subscriptions.
Switch on: Auctions › Pricing PlansBuilt in
Bid history
By PremiumPress
Every bid across your lots, with the leading bid marked.
Find it: Auctions › BidsBuilt in
Buyer & seller feedback
By PremiumPress
Both sides of a completed sale rate each other.
Switch on: Auctions › Setup & ExpiryBuilt in
Auction Theme vs the alternatives
A one-time theme that does what an auction plugin plus a stack of add-ons, or a rented marketplace, charges you every month for.
| Auction Theme | Auction plugin | Marketplace SaaS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 one-time | $49–$149 / yr | $29–$199 / mo |
| Unlimited installs | Yes | 1 site | Hosted only |
| Bidding engine built in | Yes | Add-on | Yes |
| Buyer's premium & seller fees | Built in | Varies | They keep a cut |
| You own the data & payments | Yes | Yes | No |
| AI site builder | Yes | — | — |
| Monthly / renewal fees | None | Renewals | Every month |
Step-by-step guide
How to build an auction website with WordPress
Six simple steps to your own auction website. Sellers list their items, buyers bid, and you earn a fee on every sale. It all runs on WordPress, with no coding required.
- 1
Set up the Auction Theme
Add the Auction Theme to your WordPress site under Appearance → Themes and activate it. The bidding engine ships inside the theme, so no auction plugin is needed.
- 2
Activate updates & support
Activate with your licence key to receive updates and support. The same key works across all auction sites you own.
- 3
Import the demo auction house
One click imports the demo auction house with sample lots, categories and bidding pages. You can watch an auction run before adding real items.
- 4
Add your auction listings
Create auction listings with photos, descriptions, start prices and end times. Or let members list their own items.
- 5
Enable bidding and payments
Switch on live bidding, buy-now and PayPal payments, and set your listing fees and commissions.
- 6
Customise the design with Elementor
Brand your auction house with the 150+ Elementor auction blocks, from featured-lot carousels to countdown strips, then launch.
Questions
WordPress Auction Theme FAQ
The questions we hear most before people buy. Still unsure? Our support team is happy to help.
How do I build an auction website with WordPress?
Install the WordPress Auction Theme, import the demo lots and set your listing fees. Bidding and proxy bids work straight away. Buy-it-now, anti-sniping and commissions are off by default, and you switch them on in the settings. You can run a test auction the same day with no coding required.
Can I build a site like eBay?
Yes. The theme follows the eBay model, with timed auctions, proxy bidding, hidden reserves, optional buy-it-now prices, seller accounts and feedback after every sale. The difference is that you set the fees instead of paying them.
Does it support live and timed bidding?
Yes. Lots run on countdown timers, with bids and prices updating every few seconds. Proxy or auto bidding lets buyers set a maximum while the system bids for them. Each site runs one bidding type, chosen in the settings, and that can be timed, live or penny. Bidders get an email when they are outbid, and the winner gets an email with a link to pay.
Can I customise my auction website with Elementor?
Yes. Auction pages are editable in the free Elementor plugin, with 150+ auction blocks you drag into place. They include featured-lot carousels, countdown strips and bid panels.
Does the auction theme come with demo content?
Yes. The one-click import sets up sample lots, categories and auction pages matching the live demo, so you can watch a working auction run end to end before listing anything real.
Can I build an auction website without writing code?
Yes. Bidding rules, fees, seller approvals and design changes are all managed from the admin area or the free Elementor editor. Video tutorials cover the full auction setup.
Is the auction theme mobile responsive?
Yes. Bidders can save lots to favourites, place bids and get outbid emails on their phones. Auction pages, the members area and checkout all resize to fit any screen.
Can I use the WordPress Auction Theme on more than one site I own?
Yes. A User License allows unlimited installs on auction sites you own, so you can run niche auction houses side by side. The Developer License covers client and commercial builds.
Can I download the auction theme for free?
No. Free or nulled copies of the Auction Theme do circulate, but they're outdated and often carry malware. That's a serious risk on a site handling bids and payments. The genuine theme is a one-time purchase with 6 months of updates and support and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Can I get a refund if the auction theme isn't right for me?
Yes. Every purchase carries a 14-day money-back guarantee. Import the demo and run a test auction with proxy bids. If it's not the right fit, contact us within 14 days for a full refund.
Do I get free updates for the WordPress Auction Theme?
Yes. 6 months of updates and support are included, which keeps the bidding engine compatible with new WordPress releases. Extending after that is optional at $49 per 6 months. Your site keeps running either way.
Do I need any paid plugins to run an auction website?
No. Bidding, seller accounts, commissions and outbid/won emails are all in the theme, and the 100+ payment gateways are free plugins. The only other plugin you're likely to add is the free Elementor for design. The single optional cost is extended updates and support after the first 6 months, at $49 per 6 months.
What customers say about the WordPress Auction Theme
“I had a good experience working with Premiumpress, used the new auction theme and got some setup issues, support helped resolve my issues quickly and in a timely manner. Mark was very communicative and understanding of our needs. He also educated us on best practices and catered to all our wants.”
Hector Nelson
“Great service, very happy with my new auction website.”
RC
Randy Crowthwr
“I wanted to say thanks for helping me fix my website and get me setup. Iv really enjoyed using your themes.”
Barry Rodgers
“So far so gooooooooooood! I would HIGHLY recommend this team for successful Website designer strategies! A+”
Alda Phillips
“The auction theme is very good. I love it, Thanks guys.”
Darrell Dowell
“Very nice theme auction great support thank you :)”
Pavel Multan
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One-time $99 · unlimited installs · live bidding built in · AI builder · 14-day money-back guarantee.