The lockdown in recent times due to the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly changed the lifestyle and the way people function in various areas. What was once assumed to be normal has turned on its head, giving rise to the term “the new normal”. People do not go to the office but work from home, adjusting to the various drawbacks of this setting. Similarly, auctions have moved from large halls where people milled around inspecting exhibits to free online auction sites, thereby ensuring that social distancing norms are strictly maintained.

This change has been a boon for non-profit organizations for whom auctions and gala dinners and events were the best way to raise funds for charities. Now, the free online auction sites are helping the fundraisers to maintain the status quo and carry out their activities as before.

What is important here is that the efficiency of these online auction sites is no less than the traditional brick-and-mortar environment. On average, if you can manage to get around 200 people registered for an online auction, the chances are very bright that all items on display will be sold and you make a handsome profit.

Free online auction sites have a major advantage over the older system. Both sellers and buyers get a much wider scope and audience to buy and sell their products. Being online over the Internet, there are no restrictions of geographical borders to contend with. Buyers and sellers from all corners of the world can get together on a single platform to participate in an auction.

Because sellers do not have to set up any infrastructure for the auction, anybody can use this method – from individuals and organizations putting up items to raise funds to major corporations looking to dispose of excess inventory quickly and seamlessly.

Before selecting free online auction sites you should carry out detailed search on the Internet. Select a few sites and go through the fine print to know if there are any hidden charges. This will save you from inconveniences if you are handed a bill you did not expect at the close of the auctions. But rest assured, most free online auction sites are just what they profess. Registration, displaying items on the site, and commissions on sales are not charged. A flat one-time fee might be levied as administration fees for the actual cost of holding the auction.

However, you have to pay certain expenses on free online auction sites. The major one is for third-party services like credit card payment gateways. In any auction, this alone can add up to substantial amounts. Even though the free online auction sites provide payment gateways to auction organizers, the charges will not be paid by them and you have to do so.

Free online auction sites have been a great help to fundraisers in recent troubled times.