Silent Auction Software:
The Silent Treatment That Actually Pays

The clipboard-and-pen era is over. Run professional sealed-bid silent auctions — for charity events, fundraisers, corporate events, or estate sales — without the overhead, the spreadsheets, or the per-event pricing.

Silent Auctions

Silent auctions are a staple of charity fundraisers, school events, corporate galas, and professional estate sales. But the software designed to run them either costs a fortune per event, requires a massive annual subscription for what is occasional use, or is so clunky that volunteers end up falling back to paper bid sheets anyway.

Selling Lane's silent auction format is included in your flat monthly subscription — no extra per-event fee, no percentage of proceeds. Your bidders can participate from their phones (no app download), you can see real-time bid status from your dashboard, and the system handles invoicing and payment collection automatically when the event ends.

Whether you run one gala per year or a silent auction component every week alongside your live events, the platform handles it without changing your economics.

"The clipboard-and-pen era is dead. Run professional silent auctions without massive annual fees, percentage-based pricing, or post-event spreadsheet marathons."

Key Benefits

📱

Mobile Bidding for Guests

Guests bid from their smartphones — no app download, no printed sheets. They see live standings and bid from anywhere in the room (or remotely).

🎉

Perfect for Charity Events

Non-profits keep 100% of proceeds. No percentage taken by the platform. Run your gala, silent auction, and live fund-a-need from one account.

📊

Real-Time Bid Visibility

Event staff see current high bids per item in real time from a dashboard. No more running around the room collecting bid sheets.

Configurable Closing Times

Set different close times per item or close everything simultaneously. Stagger closings to keep bidding active throughout the event.

🧾

Automatic Checkout

When the silent auction ends, invoices auto-generate for winners. They pay on their phone before they leave the event.

💰

No Per-Event Fees

Unlike charity auction platforms that charge 5–10% of proceeds, Selling Lane charges one flat monthly subscription regardless of how much you raise.

How It Works

1

Catalog Your Items

Upload silent auction items — name, description, photos, starting bid, minimum increment. Bulk upload works for large events.

2

Guests Register and Browse

Guests scan a QR code or visit your auction URL, register quickly (or use their existing account), and browse active items on their phones.

3

Silent Bidding Runs Digitally

Bids are placed from phones. Guests see if they're winning or outbid. You see real-time standings from your dashboard.

4

Close and Collect

When the auction ends, winners are notified and invoiced automatically. They pay from their phone before leaving — no checkout line.

What's Included

  • Mobile-first bidding — guests bid from any smartphone without an app
  • Real-time bid standings visible to organizers and optionally to guests
  • Per-item or event-wide closing time configuration
  • Staggered closing times to extend engagement
  • Automatic winner notification and invoice generation
  • Online payment at close — card, Venmo, or PayPal
  • QR code access for quick guest onboarding at the venue
  • Works alongside live auction format in the same event
  • Charity-optimized reporting — total raised, per-item breakdown
  • Included in every plan — no per-event fees or percentage of proceeds

More Selling Lane Features

Ready to keep 100% of what you earn?

Join auctioneers across 50+ categories who run their entire operation on Selling Lane — and never pay a per-transaction fee.