WP Auction Engine

Overview

A WooCommerce auction plugin that adds real-time bidding, anti-sniping protection, and proxy bidding to any WooCommerce store. I built this for a client who needed auction functionality without relying on a SaaS platform or paying recurring fees for half-baked solutions.

The full case study — including architecture decisions and production deployment — is documented in the WooCommerce Auction project.

How It Works

The plugin adds a new "Auction" product type to WooCommerce. Each auction product goes through a 9-state lifecycle: Pending → Scheduled → Active → Extended → Closing → Won → Payment Pending → Completed → Archived.

Real-time bidding uses AJAX-powered live updates so bidders see new bids without refreshing the page. Proxy bidding works like eBay — a bidder sets their maximum and the system automatically increments bids on their behalf.

Anti-sniping protection detects last-second bids and extends the auction by a configurable window, preventing the common tactic of sniping auctions in the final moments.

Installation

1. Download the plugin ZIP from the sidebar
2. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
3. Upload the ZIP file and click Install Now
4. Activate the plugin
5. Navigate to WooCommerce → Auction Settings to configure

Configuration

Key settings available in the admin panel:

• Bid increment — minimum amount each new bid must exceed the current highest
• Anti-snipe window — how many minutes before closing to trigger extension
• Extension duration — how long each anti-snipe extension adds
• Proxy bidding — enable/disable automatic bidding on behalf of users
• Payment deadline — how long winners have to complete payment before the auction reopens
• Email templates — customize all 8 notification emails (outbid, won, ended, payment reminder, etc.)

Requirements

• WordPress 6.0 or higher
• WooCommerce 8.0 or higher (HPOS compatible)
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Action Scheduler (bundled with WooCommerce)

Known Limitations

• Designed for single-vendor stores. Multi-vendor marketplace support (like Dokan) is not included.
• WebSocket real-time updates are not implemented — uses AJAX polling instead, which is reliable but slightly less instant.
• No built-in auction analytics dashboard — use WooCommerce reports for sales data.

Support

• Contact me for custom development, enterprise features, or integration work

License

Licensed under GPL-2.0+. Free to use, modify, and distribute.