To start your silent auction, simply sign-up and add as many or as few items as you like. You can source your own auction items, use GalaBid's sale-or-return items, or both! Once your items in, connect your campaign to Stripe for payment processing and you’re ready to go!
Our interactive silent auction platform makes bidding fun and easy for your supporters. Accessible via any device, GalaBid's silent auction app will help raise more for your cause.
You can also add these fundraising options
to your online silent auction:
GalaBid sale-or-return items are a tried and tested way to boost your fundraising total. Earn all proceeds above the cost of the item and as a donation is built into the starting bid, you are guaranteed a minimum of 10% profit.
View and click to add your chosen items from your auction dashboard. No payment or credit card required!
When a GalaBid item sells in your auction all proceeds above the cost price are automatically directed to your Stripe account. Any that don’t sell are simply returned to the catalog, without any cost to you. Easy! And, your winners are in very good hands. Our dedicated bookings team takes care of the entire booking process. Any questions? Contact us.
MORE ABOUT OUR CATALOGA silent auction is where people bid for items using their mobile or desktop device. Previously paper bid sheets were used. A silent auction is different to a live auction where the bidding takes place in person and people raise their hands or ‘paddle’ to make a bid.
Silent auction participants place bids for items during the allotted bidding period (the bidding period can be fixed to suit your timeframes, but an auction usually runs for a few days to a couple of weeks).
Bidders can be outbid during the bidding period. At the end of the auction the highest bidder for each item wins!
An online silent auction campaign can be run exclusively online or online before and during a fundraising event. With GalaBid you can set-up and run your online auction website in a matter of minutes.
All you need to do is source some amazing items (we can help with that), then everything is organized via your mobile or desktop device. This means you can run the entire silent auction campaign from home if you like!
Your fundraiser will look professional and on brand. GalaBid's silent auction online software includes easy to use custom design features, enabling you to create a dedicated free online auction site, exclusively for your cause. Each silent auction website will have its own link and QR code making it easy to share with supporters by email, social media and in person.
If you have a mobile or desktop device, you can run a successful online silent auction. You don’t need to be a professional fundraiser or have any previous fundraising experience.
And you don’t need lots of spare time to run a successful silent auction fundraising campaign. GalaBid has been helping large and small fundraisers since 2011. This means we know the online silent auction features and support you need. Our online auction platform is easy to use and quick to set-up.
Whether you represent a nonprofit organization or you are an individual looking to fundraise for any cause, GalaBid’s silent auction solution has everything you need to help you reach your fundraising targets.
An online silent auction campaign means everyone can participate in your fundraiser. Supporters can bid from any mobile or desktop device, from home, at a fundraising event, or from anywhere in the world. Online access extends the reach of your silent auction fundraising campaign and the time supporters have to bid, a winning combination to help you raise more.
Customize your auction catalog with your own items and, or, add from a range of items from the GalaBid No Risk Auction Items Collection. See your online silent auction come to life with the live preview panel.
Real-time mobile alerts make sure silent auction bidders stay in the loop. Automated notifications tell bidders when they’ve been outbid, or when the auction is about to start or end.
Participants can easily pay from their own device. The funds go through a payment gateway called Stripe which integrates seamlessly with the GalaBid platform. Please see Payments for more details.
Create a customized, scrolling silent auction leaderboard showcasing each prize item, bidding activity and New Bid Pop Up Notifications. Fire-up the excitement some more with a countdown timer and donation visualizer to track progress towards your fundraising target.
Mobile invoices are generated the moment the auction closes. Sent via text or email, winning bidders receive immediate confirmation of their silent auction success, plus a payment link.
Our secure payment gateway, powered by Stripe, offers confidence and peace of mind. It's easy to set-up and easier to give. Supporters make payments with a credit or debit card or via Apple or Google Pay.
Design flexibility means you can customise the online silent auction, including home pages, info pages, videos, images and logos to showcase your prizes, your cause and your sponsors.
Read more reviews at trustpilot.com
"If you are looking for a bidding site, stop here. This was my first time and it is easy to navigate. The reports they offer are phenomenal. The best part is their customer service. At any moment I had a question and posted in the chat, they were there to help me! Even during our busy EVENING event, 5 minutes before the auction was ending, I wanted to know quickly, where to find a report to view winners, top bid, etc. - they were there even then! FanTAStic company to work with!!"
“GalaBid was very easy to use and quadrupled our silent auction proceeds compared to the previous year (which was all in-person bidding)”
“Galabid was really easy to set up and amend as needed. The online chat system was invaluable, and the help menu was really useful for helping to navigate the site. Would definitely recommend to anyone setting up a silent auction whether they have done it before or not..”
“Really amazing platform with quite literally all of the features you might need for an auction - even more amazing support team who very promptly answered every question I had and were generally incredibly useful. Will definitely be using again 10/10”
Silent auctions hosted on GalaBid are private and require a specific campaign link for participation. Typically, the link is provided in an invitation which may be sent by email, flier, or posted on a website or social media. If you know someone who is hosting an auction on GalaBid, contact them to request the auction link. Alternatively contact our help desk and we will ask the host to invite you.
Our free fundraising software means more funds go directly to your cause. There are no minimum amounts to be raised. Training and support are provided via help videos and articles and by our knowledgeable online chat support team. Auctions on GalaBid are very easy to set-up and run.
How does it work?
Winning bidders and people who donate/buy raffle tickets are prompted to tip GalaBid during checkout. If a winner opts out of the suggested tip there are no financial penalties for the fundraiser. The tips allow us to cover our costs and continue to support amazing causes, just like yours.
To keep the fundraising platform loading as quickly as possible we recommend a max of 200 items with up to 10 images each, or 500 with no images.
Yes, you can combine raffle, silent auction and donation item types within one campaign. You can also sell event tickets on GalaBid.
A live auction requires an auctioneer and is run in-person in a venue. Bidders raise their hand or paddle when they agree to the bid amount. A silent auction is run on paper or online where bidders enter their bid amount and do so each time they are outbid.
Card pre-authorization is enabled on all campaigns. Once the auction is closed the admin can charge each winner's pre-authorized payment method.
You can easily drag and drop your items once they are added at any stage of your campaign set-up including once you are live and are taking bids.
You can edit your items in the Item section at any stage during the set-up and also once your campaign is live and there are bids on the item.
Yes, you can have up to 10 items per item, this means that the 10 highest bidders will each win one item.
This is not a feature yet, however, you are able to lock items individually to stop bidding on them at anytime. The highest bidder on locked items will win when the auction closes.
Yes, in the advanced options section when editing the item you can enable a reserve and enter the amount you wish, once a bid is placed on that item it will say 'Below Reserve' until the reserve amount is met. You can edit the reserve amount at any time.
Not yet. We are adding this feature in the future, however, our clients tend to raise more without it.
Yes, you can set the overtime to any time you wish, if you set it to 3 minutes then the whole campaign will stay open an additional 3 minutes. If another bid is placed during the 3 minute overtime the auction will remain open for a further 3 minutes until no further bid is placed. Then the auction will close and winners will be notified.
Yes, you are able to schedule your auction to open and close. Setting a close time will activate a countdown timer on the campaign for your participants to view also.
This feature is optional but enabled by default on all campaigns. Participants will be asked to connect a payment method once they place their first bid, however, they will not be automatically charged at the end of the auction. They will be sent a payment link from the platform which they can select their registered card to pay. Alternatively, admins have the ability to charge participants' registered cards via the campaign's dashboard if they wish.
The duration is at the discretion of the auction administrator. GalaBid recommends 10 - 14 days for the best auction results.
Yes, each time the highest current bidder is outbid they are sent an outbid notification with a link back to the item so that they can bid again. The notification will be sent by email or text message depending on the campaign's registration settings.
This is the responsibility of the campaign organiser/administrator.
Not yet, this feature will be added to the GalaBid platform in the future. We recommend charging your participants outside of the platform for shipping until then.
In the GalaBid dashboard we have a Checkout Console section where you can mark of items as dispatched on each participant's invoice. Simply select the truck symbol to mark some or all items as dispatched.
Yes, once your campaign is created you can view and add from our catalog in our No Risk Items Shop. If these items do not sell you do not pay for them,. If they do all proceeds above the cost price are directed to the Stripe account linked to the auction campaign.
With over a decade’s experience, we know fundraising. Our fundraising platform has helped tens of thousands of events and fundraisers around the world raise more. GalaBid's online fundraising technology is specifically designed for fundraisers and is packed with features that maximize results online and at events.
As an alternative to our paid pricing options, GalaBid software can be used free of charge. That's right! On free campaigns a suggested tip to GalaBid is added to participants' invoices. If participants opt out, you still receive the software free of charge.
GET STARTED FOR FREEThe GalaBid platform is free to use. We do not charge a service fee for our digital fundraising platform. To cover our costs, we ask your campaign participants to make an opt-out contribution at checkout. This contribution is entirely voluntary.
To use the GalaBid platform, you pay a fixed percentage of the funds raised from your fundraising campaign. We do not ask your supporters to contribute towards our costs. Users who opt for the fixed fee service also get access to a range of additional features and benefits.
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