FAQ
Frequently asked questions, grouped by topic.
General
How is this different from other WooCommerce auction plugins?
Three things:
- Dedicated indexed storage — bids, auctions, and the audit log live in their own indexed tables, not in WordPress's general meta storage. That keeps reads fast even at very large bid volume.
- Race-condition safe — every bid takes a row lock for the moment it's recorded, so two simultaneous bidders can never both win the same price.
- 70+ shipped subsystems — wallet, multi-vendor, fraud detection, KYC, gamification, integrations, all in one plugin.
Does it work with my theme?
Yes — the plugin uses standard WC product types and hooks. Any WooCommerce-compatible theme will work. For best UX, use a theme that supports WC blocks (most modern themes do).
Can I migrate from another auction plugin?
There's no automated migrator. You'll need to:
- Export your existing auctions / bids as CSV
- Use Tools → CSV Import to bring them in
- Map any non-standard CSV columns to plugin fields in the import field-mapper
Plan for ~1 day of work for a small store, more for complex setups.
Is the plugin GPL?
Yes — License: GPL-2.0-or-later. You can fork, modify, redistribute under the same license. Commercial license adds support and updates.
Auctions
How many auction types are there?
10:
| Type | When to use |
|---|---|
| Standard | Default; classic forward auction |
| Reverse | Procurement / contractor bidding |
| Sealed | High-stakes one-shot bids |
| Proxy | eBay-style auto-bidding |
| Silent | Charity galas with timed reveal |
| Charity | Tax-deductible donations |
| Penny | Pay-per-bid model |
| Dutch | Time-sensitive perishables |
| Seated | Live auctioneer events |
| Unique-bid | Lowest-unique-bid format |
Can I run different types simultaneously?
Yes — auction type is per-auction, not site-wide. You can have standard, proxy, and charity auctions all running at the same time.
How does anti-sniping work?
If a bid lands in the final N seconds (default 60), the auction extends by N seconds (default 120). Repeats until bidding stops outside the window. Optional max-extension cap to prevent runaway auctions.
Can I prevent shilling (seller bidding their own auctions)?
Yes — Fraud Detection auto-detects when a bidder is also the auction's seller. Configurable to log, flag or block.
Bidding
Why don't I see a "Place Bid" button?
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Not logged in | Sign in / register |
| Auction not active | Wait for start time |
| Auction ended | Past end date |
| User blocked | Contact support |
| KYC required | Complete identity verification |
| Below min increment | Bid higher |
Can users bid without an account?
No — bidding requires login. This protects the platform legally (you have records of who bid what), prevents fraud (one user can't have unlimited identities), and enables notifications (we know where to email).
What happens if my bid wins but I don't pay?
After the payment deadline (default 48 hours):
- The order is marked failed.
- The auction is marked unpaid.
- The plugin offers the auction to the next-highest bidder at their amount.
- If they decline, auto-relist triggers (if enabled).
- You're flagged in Fraud Detection; repeated non-payment leads to a block.
Can I retract a bid?
Only if retraction is enabled and you're within the retraction window (default 5 minutes). Excessive retractions trigger fraud rules.
Wallet
Where does the money in customer wallets actually live?
In your standard WooCommerce gateway account (Stripe, your bank, etc.). Customer wallet is a liability in your books — money you owe them, recorded in the ledger.
Do I need a license to run a wallet?
In some jurisdictions (EU, UK), holding customer money is a regulated activity (e-money licensing). Consult legal counsel — the plugin provides the technical infrastructure but compliance is your responsibility.
Can customers withdraw money?
Yes — via the Withdrawal endpoint. Admin reviews and manually executes the payout (via your own Stripe / bank / external method). The plugin doesn't auto-disburse.
Can I disable the wallet?
Yes — turn off the master switch in Settings → Payments → Wallet. The endpoints disappear from My Account and the gateway is removed from checkout.
Multi-vendor
Which multi-vendor plugins are supported?
WCFM, Dokan, WC Vendors, YITH Multi-Vendor. The plugin auto-detects which is active.
My multi-vendor plugin isn't in the list — can I still use this?
Yes, in single-vendor mode (admin owns all auctions). Or write a custom adapter:
Can I take a different commission per vendor?
Do vendors see auctions from other vendors?
Each vendor only sees their own auctions in their dashboard. Admins see all auctions.
Performance
How many concurrent bidders can the plugin handle?
On a 2-core / 4 GB server with a typical MySQL + Redis setup:
- 10 bids per second on one auction: comfortable
- 100 bids per second on one auction: fine, lock contention rises
- 100 bids per second spread across many auctions: comfortable
- 1000+ bids per second: enable the bid queue
For massive scale (Black Friday auction events), enable the bid queue and scale your database horizontally.
Does the plugin slow down my site?
Front-end pages: minimal impact (~5 KB CSS, ~30 KB JS). Polling adds 1 request per 30s on auction pages — negligible.
Admin dashboard: 1-3 seconds for the analytics page. Acceptable for admin-side.
Should I enable object cache?
Yes, especially for stores with more than 1,000 auctions. Use Redis or Memcached. The plugin uses standard WordPress transients, so any compatible cache plugin works.
Compliance
Can I run alcohol auctions?
In jurisdictions where it's legal (some US states, most of Europe), yes. Use Compliance → Age verification to gate by age + categorize alcohol products.
Does this support GDPR?
Yes — GDPR exporter / eraser hooks integrated. See Compliance → GDPR.
Are penny auctions legal?
Many jurisdictions classify penny auctions as gambling. Verify legality before enabling. The plugin enforces full disclosure (per-bid cost, total spent shown to bidders).
Can I issue tax receipts for charity auctions?
Yes — Compliance → Tax receipts. Configurable per charity (name, registration #, signature image).
Developers
Where can I find example code?
- Hooks & Filters — every extension point
- REST API — sample requests
- WP-CLI — scripting examples
- Plugin source code at
wp-content/plugins/auctions-for-woocommerce/
Can I extend the plugin?
Yes — 100+ hooks for filters / actions. For deeper changes, fork the plugin (GPL allows it).
Is there an SDK?
The REST API is OpenAPI-compatible. Generate clients via openapi-generator-cli. No language-specific SDKs ship with the plugin.
Updates / Support
How often is the plugin updated?
Roughly monthly for minor releases, more often for security patches. See Changelog.
How do updates work?
The plugin checks the Webkul update server periodically. New versions appear as standard WordPress update notices.
Can I downgrade?
Yes, but data migrations are forward-only by default. Take a DB backup before downgrading; you may need to manually revert schema changes.
Where do I get support?
- This documentation (start here)
- Webkul support: webkul.uvdesk.com
- Community: WordPress.org / WooCommerce community forums (general questions only — license-specific issues go through Webkul)
Pricing & licensing
What's included in the license?
- Source code (GPL)
- 6 months / 1 year support (per Webkul's terms)
- Updates during the support period
- Access to documentation
Is there a free version?
The plugin is available as a paid product on the Webkul / Envato marketplace. There is no free tier with reduced features — you get the full plugin or none.
Can I use it on multiple sites?
Per the license terms (single-site or multi-site). Check your specific license.
Refund policy?
Per Webkul's standard policy — typically 30-day money-back if the plugin is non-functional or misrepresents capabilities.
Still have questions?
Check the Glossary or open a support ticket at webkul.uvdesk.com.