How auction estimates and starting bids are set
How House of Bid and auction houses generally set a starting bid using comparable sales, condition, and demand, and why the market decides from there.
Read the guideHouse of Bid
Estate, yard, and house pricing
Photograph the room. We name the lot. Estate is $199 once for a family sale at one address. Yard is $79 once for a driveway catalog (proposed). Repeating auction businesses request an invitation — we email the rate card after approval. The fee is the house tools in the app, not a listing-board host fee.
Families
Event
$199once
1 timed sale · 500 unique verified bidders included · $20 / 1,000 extra hosting (cap $100) · 250 lots · ~30 days live · 250 Lot Identify lookups · bidder CRM · reminders from the app · dock scheduling · pickup QR · bound to one address · at most 3 / year without support
Event is cheaper because it is for people settling an estate or selling a property after a loss — not for a running auction business. They should not have to pay a house retainer on top of that. The price is the help. It is not a loophole.
List an estateHouseholds
Yard
$79once
Proposed
1 timed sale · 150 unique · 40 lots · 7 days live · 40 Lot Identify lookups · one address · at most 4 / year
Yard is a driveway catalog, not a house walk. They can self-serve. Estate $199 is the help SKU when the whole house has to be listed.
List a yard saleAuction businesses
Managed House
Rate card after approval
Repeating houses apply for an invitation. If we approve, we email the Managed House prices — not a public signup. Families stay on Event and Yard.
A repeating house is not Event. Event is help for a family settling one address — at most three a year.
Request invitation
What you need for an estate
Photo of the estate
A picture of the property itself — the house, yard, or building being sold. Not a stock photo.
Posted in our app
Estate information is entered in our app. A dealer catalog dump or a second site is not Event.
One sale address
The Event is registered to that address.
Tax ID for payouts
A person we pay out gives a W-9 tax ID (Social Security number or EIN). The yearly Event limit follows that tax ID, even if they open a new account.
In the app
CRM, scheduling, QR — that is the product
You are not paying us only to host a bid. The fee is access to the house tools in the app: bidder CRM, reminders we send, dock scheduling, and pickup QR.
Bidder CRM
Creytix CRM in the house — import, remind, and keep repeat paddles on the same pipeline board. Reminders are a CRM job, not a second Mailchimp bill.
Reminders from the app
Preview morning, close-eve, and pickup-morning nudges go out from House of Bid to the people on that sale. Copy is wired now; live SMTP stays gated until ops clears send.
Dock scheduling
Creytix Scheduling in the app: winners pick a weekend window; staff see the same appointment at the dock — not a spreadsheet after the clock.
Pickup QR
Paid invoices get a pass with a QR at the dock. Sell pieces get a sticker QR on the walk so the photo becomes a lot.
Local · proposed
Neighbor board — listing stays $0
Marketplace pickup with a timer — neighbors bid instead of messaging. Facebook Marketplace local pickup and most Craigslist by-owner posts are $0 when you meet in person — we mirror that for listing, cash, and Zelle. Neighbor stays free so the city board can grow.
House card is 5% plus payment processing. For higher hammers, pay with Zelle or cash so you keep the sale instead of losing it to fees. Card sticker: 5% + payment processing.
Neighbor
First 5 listings free · then stay free at up to 3 live lots · 30-day clock · pickup only · no percent of hammer
Local Shop · $19/mo
$19 / month proposed · unlimited live lots · one bump a week · shop name on the city board · still no percent of hammer
Pricing questions
Are we just paying you to host the bid?
- No. The fee is access to the house tools in the app: bidder CRM, reminders we send from the app, dock scheduling, and pickup QR. A listing board hosts a date. We house the clock and the operations stack.
Why is an estate cheaper than a house?
- Event is cheaper because it is for people settling an estate or selling a property after a loss — not for a running auction business. They should not have to pay a house retainer on top of that. The price is the help. It is not a loophole.
What is included in Event?
- Same auction technology as House — catalog, timed bidding, invoices, pickup, bidder CRM, reminders from the app, dock scheduling, and pickup QR. You are not paying only to host a bid. Not a stripped demo. 1 timed sale · 500 unique verified bidders included · $20 / 1,000 extra hosting (cap $100) · 250 lots · ~30 days live · 250 Lot Identify lookups · bidder CRM · reminders from the app · dock scheduling · pickup QR · bound to one address · at most 3 / year without support.
Who is Event not for?
- Surplus yards, dealers, or any account that looks like a house: repeating sales, retainers, deposits that behave like House signup.
How do auction houses see prices?
- They request an invitation on Join. Ops review the house. If we approve, we email the Managed House rate card. Event and Yard stay on this page for families.
Do bidders need an invitation?
- No. Register a paddle and start exploring catalogs. Approval is for housed sellers only.
How is this different from a listing board?
- Listing boards such as EstateSales.NET let families post a few sales a year for a listing fee. They do not run the bidding software. House of Bid houses the sale on a clock. Event is $199 once. We do not scrape those boards.
Can my estate sale company list here?
- Apply on Join as an estate sale company. If we approve, families can find you on Companies. Event and Yard stay on this page for families who run the sale themselves. We do not scrape EstateSales.NET.
What if traffic goes past 500 bidders?
- 500 unique verified bidders included. Above that: $20 per 1,000 extra uniques, shown before it bills, capped at $100 hosting overage per Event. Watchers who never bid do not count. Above the cap, contact support before more traffic lands.
Do you waive the Event fee if the sale is a bust?
- The Event fee covers hosting the catalog and clock. If the sale underperforms, the fee still applies — we do not take a percentage of hammer either way.
Do you post to Craigslist and Facebook for me?
- Not by default — those sites block unattended posting bots. We give you the link and paste text; you post on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, Craigslist (yard), and your flyer. We run SEO on House of Bid so search can find our catalogs. When a board offers a sanctioned API we may post for you later.
What does Local cost?
- First 5 listings free · then stay free at up to 3 live lots · 30-day clock · pickup only · no percent of hammer $19 / month proposed · unlimited live lots · one bump a week · shop name on the city board · still no percent of hammer Listing is $0. Cash and Zelle stay $0 to us. House card is 5% plus payment processing — never 5% all-in. For higher hammers, use Zelle or cash so you do not lose money on fees. eBay’s ~13.6% is the wrong comparison; they process shipped goods.
Should Local sellers use house card, Zelle, or cash?
- House card is 5% plus payment processing. For higher hammers, pay with Zelle or cash so you keep the sale instead of losing it to fees.
Bidder paddle
Register to bid
Free AlignAlgo membership to see Marketplace listings. House fee still applies on a win.
Estate and yard sales · House invitation · Find a company · Guides · How it works
For auction businesses
Get the rate card and a call about your setup.
Tell us how your sales actually run — how many a month, what you sell, and whether you have a website. We email the fee structure the same day: flat monthly, a printed ceiling on overages, never a percent of your hammer. Account review takes 24 to 48 hours.
No website? That is fine — we host one, build you one, or license the platform under your own brand.
What things are worth
Helpful tips
How to read start bids, standing bids, and estimates
Start bid is the opening ask. Standing bid is the live market. Typical sold ranges on Sell are comps helpers, not appraisals.
Clear the house, protect a few lots, or leftover buy-now
A short questionnaire recommends a clock plan. Host minimums and leftover asks stay below typical sold low. Same tools for estate families and other housed sellers.
How to become a seller on House of Bid
Families list one estate on published prices. Repeating auction businesses apply, answer a short questionnaire, get the fee structure the same day, and book a call.
Tips and tricks for reselling what you win
Buying to resell is a margin business. Where the money actually is, what kills a flip, and how to price the work you are about to do.