BidKing Starter – PHP Auction Script | Penny, Reverse, Sealed & Unique Bid Auctions, Live Bidding

Run your own auction site.

BidKing Starter is a self-hosted PHP auction script. Run penny, reverse, sealed bid, English and unique bid auctions, with live bidding and Buy It Now.

Bidders top up a wallet through your payment gateway and bid from it. You can charge a fee on every bid. Storefront, admin panel and mobile web app are all included.

At a glance

• 6 auction types: English, reverse, sealed bid, penny, lowest unique bid and highest unique bid
• Live bidding: new bids, prices and leaders reach every open page within a second
• Buy It Now at a fixed price you set
• 10 payment gateways included
• 2 storefront themes: Classic and Editorial
• 21 languages, with right-to-left layouts for Arabic and Urdu
• Free updates, installed in one click from the admin panel

Starter is for one seller: you. It has no multiple sellers, no shop and no shipping fees. BidKing Plus adds them. See “Choose your tier” below.

Live demo | Admin demo | Documentation

Easy to run, even if you don’t code

• Install from your browser. Upload the files and open your site: a setup wizard checks your server and installs everything.
• Update in one click. Free updates show up in your admin panel and install in one click, each checked against a digital signature before it installs.
• Your store, translated for you. The storefront and admin panel come in 21 languages, with right-to-left layouts for Arabic and Urdu. Turn on automatic translation and what you write yourself (items, categories, pages, banners, menus, emails and SEO text) is translated into the languages you choose. Every licensed store gets a free monthly allowance, and you can add more.
• Make it yours without touching code. From the admin panel, switch themes and set your store’s colour, arrange the homepage sections, edit the menus, pages and email templates, upload your logo, and turn each feature on or off.

Who it’s for

A collectibles dealer. List your own stock in weekly English and sealed bid auctions. Suggested look: Editorial

A deals site. Run penny and reverse auctions on gadgets, with a fee on every bid. Suggested look: Classic

A first auction business. Start with your own items and test demand before you add sellers. Suggested look: Classic

Features

Auctions

6 auction types, each with a one-line explanation for bidders:

• English: highest bid wins. Each bid beats the last by at least the bid step.
• Reverse: lowest bid wins. Each bid undercuts the last.
• Sealed bid: bidders can’t see each other’s bids; the highest wins when it ends.
• Penny: every bid costs a fee, raises the price a little and adds time. Whoever bid last when the clock runs out wins.
• Lowest unique bid: the lowest amount that only one person bid wins.
• Highest unique bid: the highest amount that only one person bid wins.

• Fee per bid: switch it on for an auction and it’s taken from the bidder’s wallet with every bid.
• Live bidding: connect a free, self-hosted Soketi server, Pusher Channels or any Pusher-compatible service. New bids reach every open page within a second, and the bidder who loses the lead gets a private alert. No server? Pages keep checking for new bids by themselves.
• Buy It Now: set a fixed price on any auction. Buyers skip the bidding and check out through the cart.
• Winners are notified automatically and claim their item through the normal order flow.
• Auctions admin: all auctions, categories, bids and winners in one section.

Some countries regulate penny and unique bid auctions. Check your local rules before you offer them.

Run it

• One admin panel with a dashboard, orders, customers and settings. Turn each feature on or off without touching code.
• Support tickets, your own pages and policies, homepage banners and an SEO screen.
• Edit every automatic email from the admin panel.
• Browser push notifications.
• Download everything your store holds about a customer as one ZIP.

Grow

• Referrals: each customer gets a referral link. They earn a wallet bonus when a friend signs up, and again when that friend buys coins, up to a daily cap you set.
• Email campaigns: schedule emails to groups of customers you define, and see how each one did.
• Newsletter: collect subscribers and send them campaigns.

Payments

• Wallet: customers top up and bid from their wallet. You set the price of one coin in your store’s currency.
• 10 payment gateways included: Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, PayU, Authorize.Net, Checkout.com, Mollie, GoCardless, Cashfree and Instamojo.
• Over 20 more gateways are available as paid add-ons.

What’s in the box

2 storefront themes: Classic and Editorial. Switch themes from the admin panel at any time. More themes are available from the built-in Add-ons store.

Also included: a mobile web app (PWA) that installs on phones, and a REST API for apps. A native Android and iPhone app of your store is available as an add-on.

Requirements

• PHP 8.2 or later
• MySQL 8.0.13+ or MariaDB 10.2.7+
• A browser-based setup wizard checks your server and installs everything.

Make it look like your brand

A paid theme dresses your store for one kind of business, on desktop and phone. Each is US$9, bought and switched on from the Add-ons store in your admin, and you can try any of them in the live demo first.

For pet shops: Pet & Aviary

Your store becomes a friendly neighbourhood pet shop. Your live auctions stand on the front shelf on display cards with kraft price tags, and you choose the animals the shop keeps (dogs and cats, birds, fish or small pets), so the drawings across the site match what you sell. Kraft and cream by day, warm shelf lamps after dark.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Pet & Aviary in the live demo

For electronics and tech shops: Gadget Lab

Your store becomes an engineer’s lab. Your live auctions are laid out as numbered lots on a blueprint sheet that a pen plotter draws in as the page opens, and every price is set in a technical monospace, like a spec sheet. Blueprint blue and drafting white by day, the lab at night after dark.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Gadget Lab in the live demo

For watch and jewellery shops: Haute Horlogerie

Your store becomes a fine watchmaker’s salon. Your live auctions rest on midnight velvet in a lit glass vitrine, in front of a great ivory dial whose seconds hand keeps the real time, and countdowns read as chronograph registers. Ivory, enamel blue and a restrained rose gold by day; the salon after hours by night.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Haute Horlogerie in the live demo

For home, design and fashion stores: Japandi

A quiet, premium look for a store that would rather whisper than shout. Your auctions stand on pale ceramic plates along an oak gallery shelf while window light moves slowly across the wall. Oat, sand, oak and charcoal by day, lamplit walnut after dark, with plenty of empty space on purpose.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Japandi in the live demo

For streetwear and sneaker drops: Limited Drop

The feel of a streetwear release. Your live auctions are boxed as numbered lots on a warehouse shelf, and the tape rips off box after box as the page opens. A split-flap board counts down to your next drop, which you set in the admin, then shows Live now for 24 hours. Concrete grey and black with safety orange.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Limited Drop in the live demo

For toy, kids’ and hobby shops: Toy Box

A well-loved wooden toy shop. Your auctions sit in the cubbies of a beech shelf on painted blocks while alphabet blocks tumble down and stack themselves on top, and prices are painted on number blocks you can read at a glance. Cream and honey beech with red, yellow, blue and green; a ceiling of painted stars after dark.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Toy Box in the live demo

For travel shops: Boarding Pass

Your store becomes a departure hall. Each of your live auctions is a flight on a split-flap departures board, its status flipping over to Boarding, with a boarding pass beside the board. White, passport navy and amber by day; the night terminal, with the runway lights beyond the glass, after dark.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Boarding Pass in the live demo

For collectibles and blind-box shops: Unbox Studio

Your store becomes an unboxing studio. Your auctions stand on a tabletop under a soft ring light with their price tags tied on, and the front box’s flaps pop open as the page loads, its tissue lifting out of the crinkle shred. After hours the studio goes dark and the ring light is the main light.

Paid theme, US$9. Preview Unbox Studio in the live demo

Festivals, seasons and sale days

There are paid themes for festivals around the world, for the big moments of the year and for sale days, each US$9. Switch one on for the season and back to your everyday look afterwards, from the admin panel.

More everyday looks

Preview in the live demo: Neon City, Game Night, Trading Floor.

Festivals in South Asia and the Middle East

Preview in the live demo: Diwali, Holi, Navratri, Onam, Pongal, Raksha Bandhan, Pohela Boishakh, Ramadan & Eid, Nowruz, Kite Festival.

Festivals in East and Southeast Asia

Preview in the live demo: Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn, Dragon Boat, Cherry Blossom, Tanabata, Songkran, Loy Krathong.

Festivals in Europe and the Americas

Preview in the live demo: Advent Market, Easter, Halloween, Carnival, Festa Junina, Mărțișor, Harvest Table, Marigold Night.

Holidays and moments through the year

Preview in the live demo: New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s, Mother’s & Father’s Day, Hanukkah, Graduation, Wedding Season, Grand Opening, Store Birthday.

Sale days and big events

Preview in the live demo: Mega Sale, Summer Sale, Winter Sale, Spring Sale, Monsoon Sale, Singles’ Day, Back to School, Big Match.

Choose your tier

BidKing Starter is the auction engine for a single seller. It doesn’t include:

• Multiple sellers, a shop and flash sales: in Plus and Pro.
• Shipping fees on auctions and Notify Me alerts: in Plus and Pro.
• Coupons, gift cards and multi-level referrals: in Plus and Pro.
• Google, Facebook and Apple sign-in, a blog and live chat: in Plus and Pro.
• Tax rules, exchange rates and your own manual payment methods: in Plus and Pro.
• Auto-bidder (proxy bidding), anti-snipe and buyer’s premium: in Pro.
• Abandoned cart reminders, staff roles, log in as a customer, insights, fraud prevention and wallet withdrawals: in Pro.
• The Lock-Up theme: in Plus. The Bazaar and Salesroom themes: in Pro.

Unlock fees and membership plans are not part of any BidKing tier.

BidKing Plus and BidKing Pro are separate items on CodeCanyon.

Updates and support

• Free updates: new versions for as long as your licence is valid, not only while support lasts.
• One-click, signed updates: each update is checked against a digital signature before it installs.

Recent releases are listed in the changelog. Support is included with your purchase as set out in Envato’s item support policy.

FAQ

Can other people sell on a Starter site?

No. Starter is for one seller. BidKing Plus and Pro let customers apply to become sellers.

Does Starter include a shop?

No. Starter sells through auctions and Buy It Now. The shop comes with Plus and Pro.

Which payment gateways are included?

Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, PayU, Authorize.Net, Checkout.com, Mollie, GoCardless, Cashfree and Instamojo. Over 20 more are available as paid add-ons.

Do I need a WebSocket server for live bidding?

No. Without one, pages keep checking for new bids by themselves. With a free Soketi server or Pusher Channels, bids arrive within a second.

Can I move up to Plus or Pro later?

Plus and Pro are separate items with their own licence. Not sure which tier fits? Ask in the comments before you buy and we’ll help.

Which licence do I need?

Both CodeCanyon licences are on sale: Regular and Extended. Envato’s licence terms decide which one your use needs; the “Regular” / “Extended” choice next to the price links to them. Not sure? Ask in the comments before you buy and we’ll help.

Is there a native Android or iPhone app?

BidKing installs on phones as a mobile web app (PWA), included. A native Android and iPhone app of your store is available as an add-on.

Are updates free?

Yes, for as long as your licence is valid.

Live demo | Admin demo

Changelog

Version 7.5 (Released on 26th October 2026)

• Added – A new install wizard: it checks your server, takes your purchase code, sets up the database and your admin account, then installs the plugins and themes your licence covers, one at a time.
• Added – One-click software updates from the admin panel. Each update’s signature and every file are checked, only changed files are swapped in with a backup, and the store rolls itself back if it stops loading. Plugin and theme packages can be signed too.
• Added – Appearance › Homepage: arrange the homepage sections, switch each on or off, rename them and choose how many items each shows.
• Added – Homepage sections for upcoming auctions with a countdown, and for hand-picked auctions in the order you choose.
• Enhanced – Menus editor rebuilt as an outline with on/off switches, drag to reorder and a live preview as a visitor or a signed-in customer.
• Enhanced – Automatic translation rebuilt: settings are checked before saving, only your chosen languages and content are sent, and failures are retried on their own.
• Added – A media library behind the admin’s main picture fields: upload several files at once, pick from a gallery with search and ALT text, and see where each file is used.
• Added – An item’s extra pictures can be a video or a YouTube or Vimeo link, played in the auction page’s gallery.
• Added – A live bid desk under each auction: the latest bids, bid and bidder counts and who is leading, refreshing on its own.
• Added – Auction setting to end an auction as soon as a bid reaches the highest bid allowed.
• Added – Categories screens for auctions: live and total auctions, the last 30 days’ bids and sales, and a warning for hidden categories that still have live auctions.
• Added – A wallet setting to make referral bonuses spend-only.
• Added – Amount format: choose how money is written in every language, such as 1,234.56, 12,34,567.89 or 1.234,56, and whether the symbol goes before or after.

Version 7.4 (Released on 30th September 2026)

• Fixed – A failed Add Auction no longer leaves a stray item behind.
• Fixed – Instamojo records the right transaction ID for each payment and builds its return address correctly on every server.

Version 7.3 (Released on 30th August 2026)

• Added – Update checks for the core, plugins and themes from the admin panel, with an update’s files scanned before they are installed.
• Added – Security Logs: admin, scheduled-job, upload and customer activity logs, and an Activity tab on each customer’s page.
• Enhanced – Every automatic payment gateway is now its own plugin, with its own settings and its callback and webhook addresses shown on the settings page.
• Added – Page caching with an admin dashboard, and an optional Redis backend for stores on more than one server.
• Added – Buyers can review a won or closed auction, shown on the auction page.

Version 7.2 (Released on 25th July 2026)

• Added – A legal-compliance suite: an age gate, consent management, CAN-SPAM-compliant email opt-outs and a DMCA takedown workflow.
• Enhanced – Revamped the admin activation screen and added a page for choosing which site an activation applies to.
• Enhanced – Fonts are now self-hosted instead of loaded from a third-party CDN, for better privacy and reliability.

Version 7.1 (Released on 21st June 2026)

• Enhanced Auction Cards so that users can place a bid without opening the auction.
• Added Order Status Reasons for admin: a reason for an order’s status change is shown to the user.

Version 7.0 (Released on 29th March 2026)

• Email Campaigns: launch targeted email campaigns to registered users from the admin panel.
• Dark Mode: switch between light and dark themes.
• Multi-Language Support: more languages, in the admin and the storefront.
• Theme Customization: set global theme colours from the admin panel.

Version 6.9 (Released on 28th February 2026)

• Enhanced Support Tickets with a better design and more features for users.

Version 6.8 (Released on 29th January 2026)

• Added User Details for admin: user insights in one place.
• Fixed a bug in French where some windows didn’t load.
• Enhanced Admin Settings with a better design and more features.

Version 6.7 (Released on 1st January 2026)

• Added Export Transactions for admin.
• Added a language selector in the header for users.
• Enhanced RTL (right to left) for Arabic and Urdu.
• Enhanced Auction Cards with live current-bid updates.
• Enhanced the Auction page with Buy Now, reserve price display, a new design and sound effects.
• Enhanced the Admin Panel with a better design and more features.

Version 6.5 (Released on 29th November 2025)

• Introduced a Progressive Web App (PWA) for an app-like experience on phones.
• Introduced multi-language support, including Arabic, German, French and Spanish.

Version 6.4 (Released on 27th October 2025)

• Introduced Search across the platform.
• Added a Preloader for smoother loading.
• Enhanced website security with more protection layers.
• Improved Bottom Navigation on phones.
• Admin can use HTML in auction and item descriptions.
• Improved payment gateway reliability and performance.
• Fixed an issue in Sealed Auctions.

Version 6.3 (Released on 22nd September 2025)

• Fixed mobile number login.
• Enhanced Penny Auctions with live countdown timers.

Version 6.2 (Released on 28th August 2025)

• Added an Info Button on auction cards.
• Improved Manual Payment: admin can enlarge payment proof images, and admin and users get email updates on its status.
• Admins can reopen closed support tickets.
• Fixed a signup issue where users could get stuck.
• Fixed mobile layout issues in the admin panel.

Version 6.1 (Released on 15th July 2025)

• Fixed bidding in Reverse Auctions.

Version 6.0 (Released on 29th June 2025)

• Major redesign of the admin and user panels.
• More payment gateways supported.
• Faster pages and better performance on phones.
• Added RTL support and a Translation Manager.
• Security and performance improvements, and fixes for bugs reported in 5.3.

Version 5.7 – 5.9

• Internal development builds leading up to Version 6.0.

Version 5.6 (Released on 27th May 2025)

• Minor bug fixes and stability improvements.

Version 5.5 (Released on 25th April 2025)

• More payment gateways supported.

Version 5.4 (Released on 29th March 2025)

• Revamped design for easier use.
• Better caching and faster loading.
• Admin reports for auctions.
• More payment gateways supported.

Version 5.3 (Released on 8th February 2025)

• Introduced the Referral Program with user rewards.
• Better account protection and security.

Version 5.2 (Released on 11th December 2024)

• Enhanced homepage design and layout.
• Added Categories to organise content.
• Better mobile layout and performance.
• Fixed dashboard design issues.

Version 5.1 (Released on 13th October 2024)

• Fixed minor bugs and design inconsistencies.

Version 5.0 (Released on 21st August 2024)

• More admin controls.
• Multilingual support with more languages.
• More payment gateways supported.

Version 4.9 (Released on 17th June 2024)

• Added Manual Payment options.
• More languages supported.

Version 4.8 (Released on 25th May 2024)

• New admin controls.
• Better website design and stability.
• Multiple language support for users.
• Minor bug fixes.

Version 4.7 (Released on 26th April 2024)

• Major improvements to the Auction module.
• Added Send Notifications.
• More admin controls.
• Featured Items in banners.
• A Download button in the admin panel for exporting data.
• In-app Search.
• More payment options.

Version 4.6 (Released on 23rd February 2024)

• General improvements and performance optimisations.

Version 4.5 (Released on 26th January 2024)

• Multiple Winners and Multiple Prizes per auction.
• Multiple Images per item.
• A Bids History page for users.
• A new User Profile page.
• A Timezone setting in the admin panel.
• Fixed a user signup issue.
• Redesigned the Winners and Penny Auction pages.
• More fields on the Address page.

Version 4.4 (Released on 24th December 2023)

• Added Urdu.
• Introduced the Upcoming page.
• Better user interface and layout.

Version 4.3 (Released on 26th November 2023)

• Introduced the Web Version of the platform.

Version 4.2 (Released on 22nd October 2023)

• Introduced Night Mode.
• Added View All buttons for easier browsing.

Version 4.1 (Released on 27th September 2023)

• More payment gateways supported.
• Quantity Management for items.

Version 4.0 (Released on 28th August 2023)

• A more reliable Wallet.

Version 3.9 (Released on 25th July 2023)

• Bug fixes and better stability.

Version 3.7 (Released on 26th May 2023)

• Users can browse without signing up.
• Admins can update payment gateway keys from the admin panel.

Version 3.6 (Released on 30th April 2023)

• Admins can organise items by category.

Version 3.5 (Released on 31st March 2023)

• More payment gateways supported.
• More admin controls.

Version 3.4 (Released on 24th February 2023)

• Minor bug and design fixes.

Version 3.3 (Released on 25th January 2023)

• A new Landing Page.
• Country Selection at signup and login.

Version 3.2 (Released on 31st December 2022)

• Order Management.
• Sliding Banners.

Version 3.0 (Released on 19th October 2022)

• A fresh, modern design.

Version 2.9 (Released on 25th September 2022)

• Added the Referral System.

Version 2.8 (Released on 29th August 2022)

• Added Notifications.

Version 2.7 (Released on 30th July 2022)

• Introduced the User Profile page.
• Winners can Claim Winnings directly.

Version 2.6 (Released on 23rd June 2022)

• Added the Winners Page.
• Introduced Banner Management for admin.

Versions 1.0 – 2.5 (June 2021 to May 2022)

• The first releases of the platform. Detailed notes for these versions weren’t kept.

Every release, with each add-on’s notes, is on the full changelog.