Timed Auction Software for Auction Houses

Staggered closing, automatic bid extensions, maximum bids and absentee bidding, on your own website.
Circuit Auction's timed auction software runs the sale, then invoices the buyers and settles the consignors from the same system.

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Why Auction Houses Run Timed Auctions

A timed auction runs itself. There is no auctioneer, no clerk, no room to hire and no fixed evening when every bidder has to be at a screen. Lots open for bidding for a week or two, close one after another on a schedule, and the platform handles increments, extensions and invoicing. For an auction house, that means more sales per year with the same staff, and a home for the lots that do not justify a place in the live catalog.

More Sales, Same Team

A timed sale needs cataloging and photography, then it runs on its own. Auction houses on Circuit add monthly or fortnightly timed sales between their live events without adding staff.

Bidders in Every Time Zone

A two-week bidding window suits collectors overseas, at work or on holiday. Maximum bids let them compete without being online when the lot closes.

A Place for Every Lot

Lower-estimate lots, bulk lots, accumulations and remainders sell well in timed format, where the cost per lot is low and there is no pressure on the live sale's running time.

Higher Prices on Contested Lots

Automatic bid extensions stop last-second sniping. When two bidders want a lot, the closing time keeps moving until one of them stops, which is where the hammer price should be.

Timed Auction Software Features

Everything a timed online auction needs, from opening bid to settled consignor

Staggered Lot Closing

Set the closing time of the first lot and the interval between lots. Circuit schedules the rest of the sale, so bidders can follow the closing sequence lot by lot instead of watching a thousand lots end at once.

Automatic Bid Extensions

A bid in the final minutes extends that lot's closing time by a set interval. Only the contested lot is extended, so the rest of the sale keeps to its schedule.

Maximum Bids & Absentee Bids

Bidders enter the most they will pay and Circuit bids for them, one increment at a time, up to that limit. Bids received by mail, email or phone are imported and executed the same way.

Registration, Approval & Limits

Bidders register on your site and are approved with a bidding limit per client or per sale. New bidders get a cautious limit, established clients get more room, and every registration goes straight into the auction house CRM.

Outbid Alerts & Watchlists

Bidders are notified when they are outbid, when a watched lot is about to close and when a sale opens. Alerts bring bidders back in the final hours, when most timed auction bidding happens.

Invoicing & Settlement Built In

When the last lot closes, buyer invoices with premium, tax and shipping are generated automatically, card payments are collected, and consignor statements are ready for payout. No export to a separate system.

How a Timed Auction Runs on Circuit

1. Catalog the Sale

Lots are catalogued with AI-assisted descriptions, estimates and images, and given a lot order. You set the opening date, the closing time of lot 1, the closing interval and the extension rule for the whole sale.

2. Open for Bidding

The catalog goes live on your website. Registered bidders place bids and maximum bids, add lots to watchlists and receive outbid alerts. Category alerts from the CRM tell collectors that lots in their field are on offer.

3. Closing Day

Lots close in sequence. A late bid extends only that lot. Circuit executes maximum bids against each other and against live bids, enforcing the increment table, until each lot has a winner or passes unsold.

4. Invoice and Settle

Invoices are issued the moment the sale ends, payments are taken and tracked, shipping labels are produced, and consignors receive statements with commission and deductions applied. Results and underbidders are recorded for the next sale.

Timed, Live or Both

Circuit is not a timed-only tool. The same platform runs live auctions with a clerk console and online, room and phone bidders in sync. Auction houses typically use both formats, and bidders use one account for everything.

One Bidder Account

A bidder registered for your timed sale is registered for your live sale. One login, one paddle, one bidding history across every format.

One Catalog Workflow

Lots are catalogued the same way whichever format they sell in. Move a lot from the timed sale to the live sale, or the other way, without re-entering it.

One Back Office

Invoicing, payments, shipping and consignor settlement work identically for timed and live results. Your accountant sees one set of books.

Your Website, Your Data

Timed sales run under your brand on your domain through the WordPress auction plugin. Bidders belong to your auction house, not to a marketplace.

Timed Auction Software FAQ

What is timed auction software?

Timed auction software runs sales that open for bidding on a set date and close lot by lot at scheduled times, with no auctioneer calling the sale. Bidders place bids or maximum bids online, the platform enforces increments and closing rules, and the back office issues invoices and consignor statements when the last lot closes.

How does staggered closing work?

Instead of closing every lot at the same moment, lots close a set interval apart, for example one lot every 30 seconds. Bidders can follow the sale from lot to lot, and the server load and last-second bidding are spread across the whole closing period instead of landing on one minute.

What is an automatic bid extension or soft close?

If a bid arrives in the final minutes of a lot, the closing time for that lot is pushed back by a set interval so other bidders can respond. The lot only closes when a full interval passes with no new bid. It prevents sniping and usually produces a higher hammer price on contested lots.

Can bidders leave a maximum bid?

Yes. A bidder enters the most they are willing to pay and Circuit bids on their behalf, one increment above the competition, up to that amount. Maximum bids placed before the sale opens are treated as absentee bids and executed the same way.

Can I run timed and live auctions on the same platform?

Yes. Circuit runs timed sales, live sales with a clerk console, and absentee bidding from one system, with one bidder account for all of them. Many auction houses run a timed sale for lower-value lots alongside a live sale for the main catalog.

Does the timed auction run on my own website?

Yes. Circuit installs as a WordPress plugin, or connects to a custom-built site, so bidders register and bid on your domain under your brand. Bidder accounts and data stay with your auction house.

Ready to Run Timed Auctions on Your Own Website?

Book a demo and we will set up a sample timed sale with staggered closing and bid extensions, then show the invoices and consignor statements it produces.

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