hopebid
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Free for organizers

Host your fundraiser auction for free.

Photo listings, live bidding to the last second, QR codes for your event, and a results sheet with a runner-up for every item. No setup fees, no listing fees, and no cut of what you raise.

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Free to host · Bidders pay a one-time $1.50 entry fee, or you can cover it · Ready in minutes

Your dashboard while the auction is live

How it works

From sign-up to a live auction in an afternoon.

  1. Step 1: Create your auction

    Add items with photos, write your story, and set how winners pay and pick up. Free for organizers.

  2. Step 2: Share your QR code

    Print our poster and table cards, put the QR code on your own flyer, or share the link. Guests browse without an account and bid from any phone or computer.

  3. Step 3: Bid to the last second

    Overtime keeps the finish fair. When it closes, you get winners, runners-up and an export.

Everything a fundraiser auction needs

  • Overtime stops sniping

    A bid in an item's final 10 minutes resets its clock to 10:00, so nobody steals an item in the last second.

  • Simple, honest bidding

    No hidden reserve prices: your starting bid is your minimum, and every bidder can see it. Bids go up in $1 steps unless you choose bigger ones, and every time shows in the bidder's own time zone.

  • Max bids & Buy It Now

    Bidders can set a max and let Hopebid bid for them. Turn on Buy It Now per item; its price always stays above the current bid.

  • Alerts that keep bidding going

    Bidders see an alert the moment they're outbid or an item goes into overtime, so they come back and bid again.

  • Winners and runners-up

    See who won what, with contact details and a runner-up for every item in case a winner backs out. Track paid and picked up.

  • Keep the results, not the clutter

    Download results as CSV or PDF. Seven days after close, items, photos and bidder details are deleted. You keep a summary of every auction: amount committed, items sold and bidders.

EVENT NIGHT

Posters, table cards and QR codes, ready to print

Every auction gets its own QR code. Guests scan it and land right on your auction, or right on one item, and they can look around before making an account.

  • Ready-made poster. Letter size, with your title, dates and auction code. Hang it at the door.
  • Table cards. One for every item, four to a page. Each card's QR code opens that item.
  • Just the QR code. Download it as a PNG or SVG and put it on your own flyer, program or slides.
OVERTIME

No more last-second snipes

Every item keeps its own clock. When someone bids near the end, everyone else gets a fair chance to answer.

  1. STEP 1 7:50 PM Lot #12 has 10 minutes left before the 8:00 PM close.
  2. STEP 2 7:58 PM Someone bids with 2 minutes to go.
  3. STEP 3 · OVERTIME 10:00 The item's clock resets to 10 minutes. It's in overtime, and now ends at 8:08 PM.
  4. STEP 4 · SOLD 8:08 PM 10 quiet minutes with no new bids: the item closes and the high bidder wins.

Made for fundraisers, by a family who needed one

Hopebid started with our own fundraiser. Every auction site we found wanted money before we could list a single item. So we built one that doesn't charge you to host.

For bidders, it just works

  • Scan the QR code or open the link and browse every item. No app and no account needed.
  • When you want to bid, make a free account in seconds, or log in.
  • Pay a one-time $1.50 entry fee for that auction, unless the organizer covers it. Then bid, set a max bid, or use Buy It Now.
  • Get alerts under the bell when you are outbid or an item goes into overtime.
  • If you win, see exactly how to pay and pick up your items.

Simple pricing

Each bidder has a one-time $1.50 entry fee per auction. You choose who pays it. Hopebid never takes a cut of what you raise.

Option 1

Bidders pay the entry fee

YOU PAY $0 to host your auction
EACH BIDDER PAYS $1.50 once per auction, at their first bid

One fee covers every bid that person makes in your auction. Browsing is always free.

Option 2

You cover the entry fee

YOU PAY $1.50 per bidder, only for people who bid
EACH BIDDER PAYS $0 to take part in your auction
  • Once per bidder, not per bid
  • Cover everyone, or just your first few bidders (the rest pay their own)
  • We hold up to $30 at a time on your card and charge as bidders join

Either way, every auction includes

  • Every feature, from photo listings to overtime
  • Posters, table cards and QR codes
  • Up to 150 items with 5 photos each
  • A summary of every auction you run
  • No cut of what you raise
Start your free auction

Questions

Is Hopebid really free?

For organizers, yes: no setup, listing or percentage fees. Bidders pay a one-time $1.50 entry fee per auction when they first bid, and it covers all their bids there. Want bidding free for your guests? Cover the fee for everyone or just your first few bidders. We hold up to $30 at a time on your card and only charge for people who actually bid.

How does Hopebid make money?

From that small entry fee. Hopebid never handles your auction payments, so it never takes a cut of what you raise.

Do bidders need an account?

Not to look around. Anyone with your link or QR code can browse every item. Bidders make a free account the first time they bid, so you can reach the winners.

Is there a reserve price?

No. Your starting bid is the lowest price you will accept, and every bidder can see it. No guessing games.

Does Hopebid handle payments?

No. You tell winners how to pay and how to get their items (Venmo, cash, check, pickup at the event, shipping: whatever works for you). Hopebid shows your directions to every winner.

What is overtime?

If anyone bids in an item’s final 10 minutes, its clock resets to 10:00. The item closes only after 10 minutes with no new bids.

Do bidders need to download an app?

No. Hopebid is a website that works on any phone, tablet or computer.

What happens to our data after the auction?

Download your results as CSV or PDF before cleanup. Seven days after close, items, photos and bidder details are deleted to free up space, or sooner if you choose. You keep a summary of each auction (amount committed, items sold and bidders) in Past auctions.

Can I run more than one auction?

One auction at a time per account. Start your next one as soon as the current one closes.

Ready to raise money for your cause?

Free to host. Your auction can be live this afternoon.

Start your free auction