Article Charity Auctions Today online silent auction sites
                     A Review of Raising Funds on Online Silent Auction Sites
While raising funds through auctions has always been fun and exciting, the recent Covid-19 
pandemic and the related lockdowns and social distancing norms have forced people to look for 
alternative methods to fund-raising. And it is not surprising that in the present Internet-fueled 
age, people have chosen online silent auction sites to do so. 
The online silent auction sites are precisely what the name suggests, online auction without the 
bustle of crowds milling around a hall and the participants and the auctioneer calling out the 
bids. Not a word is spoken here during the auctions and the bids are placed by visiting the site 
and entering the amounts from any Internet-enabled device like a smartphone, tablet, or a 
laptop while on the go. The whole auction is conducted virtually w3ith bidders from all corners of 
the world. 
The functioning of online silent auction sites 
• If you are looking to hold auctions on online silent auction sites, you should understand their 
functioning first. Here are some guidelines to follow. 
• Choose a well-known site: Carry out thorough research of the Internet and select online silent 
auction sites that have experience in this area. 
Be cautious as online auctions are a comparatively new concept and not many sites 
have in-depth experience in conducting them. Look for free online silent auction sites 
that do not levy administrative charges or any fees for displaying the photos of the 
items. However, you will have to pay the fees of third-party service providers like 
payment gateways. 
Get the goods together: In traditional auctions, the goods had to be brought to the 
venue for public display. But in online silent auction sites, only the photos of the items 
for auctions are displayed on the websites. Hence, contact your sponsors or donors 
well in advance and take photos of the goods. But those will physically stay where they 
are and will be shipped from that location to the winners’ addresses. It takes a lot of 
time to solicit for the goods and have their images displayed on the online sites and 
hence start early with the preparations.  
Decide the number of items: You might think that. unlike a physical venue, online 
silent auction sites have no space constraints as only the photos of the items are 
displayed on the websites. But most sites have a limitation on the number of items 
that can be displayed as well as the number of photos of each item. Hence you should 
go by the policies of the chosen site.
It is also to your benefit if you keep the numbers within manageable limits. Remember 
that at the end of the auction you have to collect the payments and ship the goods to 
the winners which can be a very complex task.  
These are aspects to keep in mind when selecting the best online silent auction sites.