Can we purchase an online auction solution to meet our needs or do we need a programmer?

July 9, 2007 1:03 PM

Are there any good online auction solutions out there or should we hire a programmer?

I am helping my brother research for a project he's working on. He needs to set up an online auction site with strict requirements, but I found our options lacking. After exploring phpauction among others, I wonder if our requirements would be better implemented by a freelance programmer.

The requirements:
-Needs a clean, simple interface for both admin and user.
-The payment must be submitted within 15 days after purchase to an escrow site, so no online payment.
-The admin needs to be able to restrict users based on eligibility.
-The auction must be posted for 15 days before anyone can bid on it.
-If the auction ends with no bids, the user must wait 120 before they can post again.
-Auctions must feature reserve prices.
-Each auction must include certain disclaimers.
-There should be as little hands-on work done as possible by the admin, outside of checking registrations for eligibility.
-Must be secure.

Does something like this exist? Does something exist that we could customize to meet our needs? Would we be better off hiring a programmer? How much would something like this cost if we hired a programmer?

We appreciate any help you can give us! Thanks!

posted by bristolcat to computers & internet (3 comments total)

There are a number of firms that integrate or write Web based auction software. There are dozens, if not hundreds of systems that could accomplish what you've laid out. Many systems you can purchase can be had with a package of technical assistance for initial installation and configuration.

"Wants" such as "-If the auction ends with no bids, the user must wait 120 [days?] before they can post again." are not specific enough to rule out many packages or to include others. You probably need to refine your requirements. Do you mean that a user listing an item for sale which does not receive any bid cannot list any items for sale for 120 days, or just cannot re-list that particular item for sale for that period? Can a user run more than one auction at a time? Can bidders bid Dutch? Etc.
posted by paulsc at 4:43 PM on July 9, 2007

Often, when people buy existing software they are willing to, at least initially, adjust their needs to what the off-the-shelf package does and how it works.

Eventually, if you find you'd like it to do something more or work differently you may find yourself wishing you'd had someone competent take you through the process of identifying needs, user scenarios, and user experience and then building something that is what you truly want in a way that can be easily change and grow with your needs.
posted by drinkspiller at 5:14 PM on July 9, 2007

php auction is one of them. But if you need customizations you need to hire a php programmer.
posted by chrisranjana.com at 4:25 AM on July 10, 2007