How BidVault works

BidVault works the way most online auctions do, with a few adjustments that make the process easier to understand up front. Here's the short version.

For buyers

  1. Sign up and choose "Buyer" as your account type. No card details are required to browse or bid.
  2. Browse auctions using the category filter or the "ending soon" sort.
  3. Read the fee breakdown directly above the bid form. The total payable updates live as you type your bid amount.
  4. Place a bid. If you're outbid, you'll get an email notification. If you win, you'll get another email with the full payment and collection details.
  5. Pay the seller by the payment deadline shown in your dashboard (a reminder is sent 48 hours before it's due).
  6. Collect the item before the collection deadline. The collection address is revealed once payment is confirmed.

For sellers

  1. Sign up as a Seller account, and fill in your address under Profile so it can default onto your listings.
  2. Create a listing using the "+ New Auction" button. Pick a duration (1 to 14 days); the end, payment and collection deadlines are computed automatically.
  3. Upload photos. Your phone's camera is supported directly from the upload input.
  4. Publish. The auction goes live immediately and will appear in the browse grid.
  5. After it ends, you'll be introduced to the winning bidder through our built-in messaging system. Arrange payment and collection directly with them.

What happens when an auction ends

As soon as the auction end time is reached, the system marks the auction as ended, creates a payment record for the winning bidder and emails them the full fee breakdown. You can message the buyer from your seller dashboard, and the buyer can message you from their dashboard. Payment deadlines are measured in working days; collection deadlines are measured in calendar days. Both default to 3 and 5 respectively but can be changed by platform admins.

What happens if a buyer doesn't pay

A reminder email is automatically sent 48 hours before the payment deadline. If payment is still outstanding after the deadline, a small daily penalty is applied to the amount owed. If the buyer never pays, the auction is flagged in the admin dashboard and the seller can relist the item without penalty.