Proxibid gave a lot of auction houses their first taste of online bidding, and for many it’s still the default. But the commission on internet bids is real money, the buyer relationship belongs to the platform, and the audience it brings may not match what you sell.
Here are seven alternatives, grouped by what they’re actually good for, plus the option that removes the commission altogether.
TL;DR: the short list
- HiBid: the biggest general network of independent North American auctioneers
- AuctionZip: estate and antiques, with a loyal audience
- LiveAuctioneers: the strongest audience for art and antiques
- Invaluable: art and antiques with more European reach
- the-saleroom: UK and European bidders
- BidSpotter: industrial plant and business closures
- EquipmentFacts: heavy equipment and farm machinery
Or skip the commission entirely: run bidding on your own branded site with a one-time license from $899.
Proxibid alternatives compared
| Platform | Best for | Region | Who owns the bidder |
|---|---|---|---|
| HiBid | Estate, farm, equipment, liquidation | US and Canada | Platform |
| AuctionZip | Estates and antiques | US, strongest in the East | Platform |
| LiveAuctioneers | Art, antiques, jewellery | Global, US-heavy | Platform |
| Invaluable | Fine and decorative art | Global, stronger in Europe | Platform |
| the-saleroom | Antiques and collectables | UK and Europe | Platform |
| BidSpotter | Industrial plant, machinery | US, UK, Europe | Platform |
| EquipmentFacts | Construction and farm equipment | North America | Platform |
| Your own platform | Any house with repeat bidders | Anywhere | You |
General aggregators
1. HiBid
The largest network of independent North American auctioneers, strong for estate, farm, equipment, liquidation and general consignment, which is basically anything a regional house handles. Internet commission is competitive and the audience is genuinely broad.
What you get is traffic. What you don’t get is control over how your sale is presented, or any real ownership of the bidder relationship. Our HiBid alternatives covers the same question from the other side.
2. AuctionZip
A long-established listing and bidding platform with deep roots in the estate and antiques community. It’s less polished than newer options, but the audience is loyal and specific.
Art, antiques and collectibles
3. LiveAuctioneers
The strongest audience for art, antiques, jewellery and decorative arts, with live streaming from the saleroom. Buyer’s premiums stack (the house premium plus an online surcharge), which can push total buyer cost above 28%. That changes how people bid, so set your estimates with it in mind. More options in LiveAuctioneers alternatives.
4. Invaluable
A heavily overlapping catalogue with a stronger European saleroom presence. Houses selling material with international appeal often list on both and accept paying twice for the reach. See also Invaluable alternatives.
5. the-saleroom
The UK and European equivalent, connecting bidders with hundreds of salerooms. It’s the obvious choice if your consignments would sell better to a European audience.
Industrial and specialist
6. BidSpotter
Industrial plant, machine tools, printing equipment and factory closures. The bidders are completely different from the antiques platforms: engineers and plant managers rather than collectors. If you handle business liquidations, this is where those buyers look.
7. EquipmentFacts
Heavy equipment and agricultural machinery. Many independent auctioneers use it to put their equipment sales online, and its bidders already know the machines. See the best heavy equipment auction sites for the wider picture.
The structural problem with all of them
Every platform above takes a percentage of internet sales and, more importantly, owns the buyer. A bidder who registers on HiBid to bid in your sale becomes a HiBid user who once bid with you. Next month the platform emails them about someone else’s auction.
That’s a reasonable trade when you’re starting out with no online audience. It gets worse every year as your buyer list grows inside someone else’s database. Worth knowing too: Proxibid, LiveAuctioneers, BidSpotter and the-saleroom all sit within the same parent company, Auction Technology Group. Moving between them changes the storefront more than the landlord.
The white-label alternative
The pattern now standard among established houses is a hybrid. Run your own branded bidding platform as the main channel, and simulcast to one or two aggregators for the lots that need the reach.
On your own platform you keep the internet commission, own the bidder data and control the terms, including your own premium. The aggregator becomes a marketing channel you use on purpose instead of a landlord you pay by default. On $2 million of online hammer at a 3% internet commission, that’s $60,000 a year back in your pocket.
What you need isn’t exotic: catalogue management, timed and live simulcast bidding, clerking, absentee and phone bids, invoicing with premium and tax, and consignor settlement. That’s the scope of our auctioneer software, with the back office in auction management. It’s a one-time license ($899, $1,999 or $2,999) installed on your own server, with no commission and no per-bidder fees. How much an auction website costs has the full budget picture.
Keep your internet commission
Try the live demo, compare license options, or send us your commission spend and we’ll run the numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Proxibid?
For general consignment, HiBid. For art and antiques, LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. For industrial sales, BidSpotter. For houses with loyal repeat bidders, your own branded bidding site, with an aggregator kept for reach.
Which platform has the lowest internet commission?
Rates vary by contract and volume, so published figures aren’t reliable. Negotiate: established houses with steady sale volume have more leverage than the rate card suggests. The lowest is zero, on your own platform.
Can I list on more than one aggregator at once?
Yes, and many houses do. Check your terms for exclusivity clauses, and be aware that simulcasting a live sale to several platforms at once adds real clerking work.
Is it worth running my own platform as well?
If more than a modest share of your hammer total comes through internet bidding, almost certainly. Talk to our team and we’ll compare it against your commission spend.
Who owns Proxibid?
Proxibid is part of Auction Technology Group, which also owns LiveAuctioneers, BidSpotter and the-saleroom.
