# BiddingOwl.com Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is BiddingOwl.com the right Auction solution for you? Explore 131 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/130932/BiddingOwl-com/reviews --- BiddingOwl.com 4.8 (131) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/130932/BiddingOwl-com/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of BiddingOwl.com Ease of use 4.7 Customer Service 4.9 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews DF Donna F CoordinatorCivic & Social Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It helps with tracking of our items throughout our auction acquisition process and facilitates easy reconciliation of payments .“ May 31, 2024 DF Donna F CoordinatorCivic & Social Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “There were a few changes made in the new biddingowl that we were not originally happy with. “ May 31, 2024 LH Lynne H Art DirectorGraphic Design, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “BiddingOwl is run by people who know their product and care about helping you run a successful auction.“ May 21, 2025 CK Cherie K SecretaryNon-Profit Organization Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Initial problems during setup, some functionality from the old version was missing from the new version (not sure if it's been updated).“ March 11, 2024 LF Laurie F Executive DirectorEducation Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “This year there was a software upgrade, and the team was very responsive in helping us to understand the changes, and make sure we were ready to go.“ May 23, 2024 GW Georgette W Volunteer Committee MemberCivic & Social Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The initial with the new site setup was a bit time consuming and confusing. “ March 20, 2024 LF Laurie F Executive DirectorEducation Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The customer support is excellent, and I always know there is someone available to answer my call or email, or to review our site to make sure everything is ready to go.“ May 23, 2024 IA Isabel A Program DirectorMuseums and Institutions, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “A few bidders had trouble figuring out how to checkout.“ October 24, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 131 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Courtney R. Volunteer Orca PTSA Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Orca K8 PTSA Auction Review" May 31, 2024 5.0 We had a lot of help transitioning from the older Bidding Owl site, making our current auction excellent, and every exchange with customer service was quick, professional, and positive. Pros The customer service and the website was so easy to set up and use for our school auction. Cons We had a great experience. I would say maybe the only thing that would have been helpful is if you had automatically charges bidders and asked for credit cards up front. That would make fulfillment easier. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We had used it before in our 2022 auction and likes it. Switched from [Greater Giving](https://www.capterra.com/p/127257/Event-Software/) Ease of use for setup and navigating the website. The cost was much better and great customer service Review Source JG Jennifer G. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Bidding Owl Helped Make Our Auction A Huge Success" September 20, 2024 5.0 It's been wonderful. I couldn't imagine running a successful auction of our size (over 100 items) without it. And it's been great that the team has been so responsive to our questions either via email or phone. Pros The website is very intuitive. It was easy to load auction items, use AI when necessary to write engaging descriptions, easy to edit and add photos, etc. etc. All my auction needs were met and the display is very attractive. Cons Some of our bidders weren't sure that their bids went through. I think there should be a confirmation of initial registration and bids, rather than only when a person has been outbid. Alternatives considered [BetterWorld](https://www.capterra.com/p/237618/BetterWorld/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We liked that Bidding Owl gave the option for guests to purchase event tickets through the same link. It made it very easy to keep track of rsvps and collect money up front. Review Source LB Laura B. Director Fund-Raising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Victoria Gardens" March 10, 2026 5.0 Ease of use for both manager and bidders for a very low tech community was amazing. Additionally using QR codes on an item by item basis really helped. Pros We are a group of long retired women and my old IT roll got me the job of running our silent auction. Implementing and using Bidding Owl was unbelievably easy and the software managed our auction process flawlessly. I would recommend this option for any organization or company without a second thought. Cons Really dislike PayPal as an option, went with Stripe and worked out fine. PayPal has had data leaks too many times to count. Review Source AL Aryn L. Executive Director Environmental Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Bidding Owl for our Organization" June 30, 2020 5.0 Overall it was a great resource for our stopgap online auction. It was quick and easy to set-up, and you can't beat the fees, especially for a small nonprofit and small auction. We would consider using the software again, however if we were putting on a larger and more complicated online auction, we might consider a more sophisticated and intuitive system. Pros I like how it is a simple platform that allows you to get an auction up and running very quickly. I found most of the set-up intuitive, although there were a few things that required some trial and error. Cons A lot of individuals looking to bid on items had trouble figuring out how to do so. We had to create our own instructions and instructional videos to add to our home page to guide users through the process. I wish there were instructional videos front and center on each auction welcome page, so we didn't have to create that and guide people how to use the site. Also, the information on how to bid using increments was difficult for people. I wish the minimum increment information was more easily identifiable with instructions on how to bid on each item listing, or that the system automatically suggested the next applicable bid amount based on the increments in the bid field. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We choose bidding owl because of the low cost for the software. It allowed us to test out doing Online Auctions without a huge investment. Review Source RV Renee V. Board of Directors Vice President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best AUCTION site" November 5, 2024 5.0 Excellent, on computer challenged and I felt supported using this program for our online auction Pros It’s very easy to navigate. And plenty of phone support when needed. Cons Can’t think of anything. I’m computer challenged and I felt very supported. Switched from [Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/) BiddingOwl seemed easier to use and support was excellent Review Source DF Donna F. Coordinator Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2024 Kayak for the Warriors Auction" May 31, 2024 4.0 Overall our experience with biddingowl is positive. We have been able to increase our auction revenue without locking into an annual fee, as we only hold one event per year. The support has been timely and efficient. The payment processor was easy enough to just have members of our team jump in and help accept payments at our event. It helps with tracking of our items throughout our auction acquisition process and facilitates easy reconciliation of payments . Pros We were first drawn to biddingowl because there are no annual fees. We are a charity organization looking to maximize the monies being donated to our cause. The fee structure of 5% of the high bids is in-line with other competitive auction processing. Cons There were a few changes made in the new biddingowl that we were not originally happy with. We contacted their support and appreciated the quick response. Some things they were able to help us with right away, other are being slotted as future release enhancements. We appreciate that they listened and took our opinions into account Alternatives considered [BetterWorld](https://www.capterra.com/p/237618/BetterWorld/)[Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com BiddingOwl offered more pictures per item, link to donor webpages and we are more familiar with their product. Support was also an issue. Review Source KG Kieran G. Operations Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy to use" May 17, 2024 4.0 Overall it has been very intuitive and efficient to use. Pros BiddingOwl was easy to set up and add item. Looking forward to running the auction and its performance. Cons Nothing so far. BiddingOwl has met all of my needs. Alternatives considered [Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/)[RallyUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/182398/RallyUp/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Ease of Use. Simplified and not overly complicated. Review Source LH Lynne H. Art Director Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Five Online Auctions with BiddingOwl: Five Stars" May 21, 2025 5.0 This is my 5th Online Auction using BiddingOwl and my overall experience is excellent! Highly recommend. BiddingOwl is run by people who know their product and care about helping you run a successful auction. Pros BiddingOwl’s interface is easy to use and the auction home page is simple to customize with your organization’s logo, photos and stylized text. Best part is the fast answers you get when contacting support by phone or email with any questions that arise during or after the auction close. Cons BiddingOwl’s online Help questions could be expanded to cover more common questions, such as how to remove shipping cost after the auction closes if a winner is picking up an item and shipping is not needed. Switched from [SchoolAuction.net](https://www.capterra.com/p/106652/SchoolAuction-net/) Lower cost, better support with BiddingOwl. Review Source MH Melany H. Executive Director Mental Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Utah Pet Partners Endless Pawsibilites Auction Success" September 26, 2024 5.0 Utah Pet Partners have use Biddingowl.com since Covid shut down everything and have been happy with the results. Pros It is very easy to set up an auction with Biddingolw.com and it is easy to check into your auction. Plus adjustment are also easy to do before and during the auction. Cons I really think it would be nice if the added items could also be looked by the category that they were entered under when the item was added. That why you would not have to go through the entire list to make changes. Review Source AG Alice G. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great auction site for bidders" September 14, 2024 5.0 I have participated in many auctions on other sites. Best auction site I have used. 🤩 Pros Easy to use. Allowed to adjust an auto bid. Cons It seemed like there was not an option to stay logged in. Review Source BE BARBARA E. VOLUNTEER Public Relations and Communications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Bidding Owl-A Review" November 4, 2023 5.0 Overall our experience has been very good from the set-up to the final invoicing! Pros We like the 'look' of the auction pages! It is an improvement to be able to add 5 photos to each item. Also, the bids are easy to make and bidders can be reminded if they lose a bid. Support is very prompt and helpful! Cons Some of the instructions are a bit hard to understand-ie at the top of Item Management. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com The auction manager before me chose it and we liked it so we continued. Review Source HJ Heather J. Foundation Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Three on-line auctions supported; we have had great experiences" May 5, 2023 5.0 Bidding Owl has allowed our Foundation to extend our Fundraising across the Province that we serve, which is a great boost for us. Pros The best part of my personal experience has been the friendly, efficient, and helpful staff who have responded to any of my questions. Cons There are a couple of aesthetic things I would like to see changed (eg. removal of categories not used in our on-line auction), and I would like to be able to load more than one picture at a time. However, these are insignificant against the overall ease and efficiency of the program. Review Source LP LORNA P. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "So glad we found Bidding Owl!" October 19, 2020 5.0 Although our organization supports work that involves over 250,000 kids in Africa, we have no paid employees (not an option to select at the beginning of this survey). So we wanted something that would be easy for multiple people to use. The reason we went with BO was because they actually had a phone number and somebody to talk to. They have EXCELLENT customer service, always getting back quickly, even providing an emergency after-hours number. Pros We tried an online auction for the first time, due to COVID closing down the school where we usually had our physical auction. This product was very user-friendly and intuitive. The tutorials were helpful as well. The item presentations looked very professional, with pictures and as much space as you needed for descriptions. I could even cut and paste pictures and descriptions from websites for items that could be found online. People said they found it easy to sign up. We ran the auction for a week and people enjoyed being able to bid from home. There are also options for "text me if I'm outbid" and putting in a maximum bid that you will automatically go up to. People found it fun to get those alerts! We had people participate who normally wouldn't have attended an auction in person. Cons The biggest issue was the inability to add a donation at checkout. BO says they are planning to add this feature in an upgrade next month. The other issue was multiple "you won an item" notifications at the end, and it wasn't very intuitive to see how to get to the payment page. I believe this is also going to be streamlined in the upcoming BO software update. Almost all of our people paid right away so we didn't have to chase down anybody for payment. We set up two options for pickup at a specified location - a weeknight and a Saturday. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We looked at many online auction websites but BO was this was the only one with a phone number to ask questions. We were sort of afraid to try an online auction but BO put us at ease & showed us how simple it was. Review Source SW Sharon W. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fourth year and counting ..." April 12, 2023 4.0 Very good experience. Once all info is entered, we are set to go and it basically runs itself. Pros Easy to learn, GREAT customer service when needed Cons Adding pictures was time-consuming. I used the scrolling banner to list sponsors. Banner management did not allow for auto alphabetizing. Review Source MM Melissa M. Vice President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Bidding Owl is great for schools and non-profits" April 4, 2019 5.0 As a school group and non-profit we really needed a low cost auction solution. Not only was this low cost, but we increased our auction revenue so much over the standard paper and pen silent auction. Our parents and bidders loved it and loved being able to bid on their phones during the event. Just remember not to plan anything big at your event during the last 10 minutes of auction bidding, because everyone will be glued to their phones and having fun bidding. Proxy bid functionality is awesome, but lots of bidders still like to be in the moment and do it manually. Pros We liked that we could use it and test it out before buying. It is user friendly and we are able to quickly add new items to our auction. This is our second year using it and we really liked the option to carry over the listing from last year and edit, delete or add as needed. It saved a lot of time. Cons We wish the pictures on each listing could be larger or that the bidder could zoom in on them. I feel like all of our bidders can't see the amazing detail in our auction baskets. We also experienced a slight issue with bid increments and proxy bids. We set the bid increment on all of our auctions to $5, but the way proxy bids would outbid regular bids sometimes allowed a bid of $91 for example. It confused some of our bidders. Review Source CB Cindy B. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Bidding Owl Great Auction Tool for Nonprofits" April 18, 2023 4.0 Our overall experience with Bidding Owl has been very good, and includes great customer service and response time. I highly recommend for convenience, cost and service. Pros We continue to use Bidding Owl every year for our online auction. It's very efficient and easy to use. I can also use information from past auctions to carry over items and other information from previous auctions, which saves a lot of time and effort. Cons Not a lot of cons, though I would like to see some new auction themes added. Review Source ME Maria E. Volunteer Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for School Fundraiser!" February 9, 2020 5.0 Overall, our school makes quite a bit of money with our annual online auction. Customer service is prompt and extremely friendly, so for me, that outweighs the negatives. I'm happy to continue using this site! Pros I really like that we have an easy way for families to bid on items such as lunch with their teacher or front row seats to 6th grade graduation. I'm so thankful to have the option to sell tickets with no fee taken out or to offer items for bidding. Cons It would be nice if the 5% fee was reduced for non-profits, but I believe that's the lowest available, so we'll take it. I also would like the option to delete items from the bidding list rather than contacting customer support. I felt it was unclear that my payment information wasn't completely set up before my auction went live, but that was an easy fix. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We chose BiddingOwl because it had the lowest fee associated with its use. Review Source TD Timothy D. Secretary /Treasurer Entertainment Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Bidding Owl Feedback" May 25, 2021 5.0 The few stumbling blocks we had were very quickly resolved by the support staff. As of today, Bidding Owl meets all of our needs. Pros Low price for a small foundation. We ventured into the online auction as a way to continue fundraising during Covid-19. Start-up costs of any kind deplete our funds very quickly. Bidding Owl was very attractive for this reason, as well as catering to the non-profit industry specifically. Cons To be fair, auctions are new to us. At first the software did not seem intuitive, but after navigating the site multiple times, I found everything I needed and put the rest on the 'back burner' for future review. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Primarily upfront costs. We simply could not justify the cost of other platforms knowing full well we were going into this blind with no hope of knowing if it would have any success. We have had limited success with Bidding Owl, but not because of the software or the support - those are GREAT! The performing arts is a hard sell to the general public. Review Source LJ Lisa J. PTA Committee Chair Fund-Raising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "School Auction" October 3, 2023 4.0 Overall using Bidding Owl has been a great experience! Pros The customer service!! JoAnne was friendly and helpful and answered all of my questions. Cons It is an older system but essentially works the same as other auction sites. Once you get the hang of it, you are able to set up your auction with ease. Review Source KB Kyle B. volunteer Political Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Still Satisfied" October 7, 2021 4.0 The Bidding Owl allowed our community to raise funds in a fun way online when an in-person event was not possible. We also found that by using this site, we raised more funds than we had at any time in the past. Pros This is still a great platform for fundraising events and reaches people beyond my hometown. Once the online auction starts, the event runs itself complete with checkout procedures. Cons Some older individuals find navigating to be confusing when registering and then when checking out. Knowing that you need to click on the green shopping cart with the check-mark to summarize your items and create an invoice is helpful. Review Source RW Robert W. Treasurer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Another Successful Auction" October 30, 2019 5.0 It was a great experience and i found the support to be very helpful. I sometimes felt bad having to call them about something I probably should know, but they were patient and helpful. Pros Bidding Owl is user friendly even for someone who is not techy. As we continue to use it we find even more features that have helped us with our Auction. Cons At first i was afraid to click on some of the menu buttons for fear of what might happen. I soon learned however that they have safeguards to prevent you from having to proceed in something you are not sure of. Review Source CK Christine K. Fundraising Committee Religious Institutions Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Absolutely amazing!!" July 13, 2020 5.0 My overall experience with the BiddingOwl program was fabulous. We have used a personally designed Excel program in the past to manage our silent auction, and it was very vulnerable. This program is pretty much foolproof and efficient. We were able to conduct our auction online in this time of COVID-19 without much work or worry at all. Pros I would be hard-pressed to say what I like "most" about this software, but I think the fact that I didn't have to enter a data base was huge. Cons The only thing I can think of that was a teeny bit annoying was that I could not enter "one item with multiple bidders." If I had a single item that was open to 20 bidders, the item is displayed 20 times on the website. So, bidders must scroll past all of these to get to the next item. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We chose BiddingOwl because we are a small church without a budget for purchasing the expensive software of other companies. BiddingOwl's cut of 5% was acceptable. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Excel was too vulnerable to human error. Review Source PS Patricia S. Head of Marketing Sporting Goods Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Not Just for Non-profits" June 29, 2020 4.0 Really top-notch. I feel like they care about our business and want us to succeed. Pros I was able to roll out a professional auction platform in just 3 weeks. This was a result of the well-organized tutorials and BiddingOwl's absolutely outstanding and consistent customer support. Our bidders tell us how easy it is to search product, bid and pay. We are a small, for-profit company and we are able to configure the software parameters to adequately meet our needs. Our experience with BiddingOwl has given us the confidence to strongly pursue this new (for us) sales channel. Cons The tutorials could be much better. I found the answers to questions to be "bare bones" and I often had to query support to get the rest of the answers I was seeking. In addition, I would love to see bidding on all of our auction items (usually 6 per auction) on one page, real time; currently, we have to jump from page to page. And, for some reason, we must update our credit card before each auction (two per month) even though it does not change and the expiration date is far in the future. Scratching my head. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Could get rolled out faster. Review Source SW Sarah W. auction chair Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great For Elementary School Auction" March 22, 2019 5.0 This is our school's third year using BiddingOwl.com to run our online auction and to sell our auction tickets. It works perfectly for our needs and charges a very fair price. The customer support is great. Pros I love that there is no subscription fee. The costumer support is great and I love that you can "reset" your auction if most items stay the same from year to year, rather than having to re-enter all items every year. Cons The close out process took me a little bit to figure out (although I am not super tech savvy). Review Source TS Terra S. Fundraising Coordinator Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great for online auctions" July 16, 2023 5.0 We had a great experience with our first online auction! Pros We researched a lot of options for our auction and Bidding Owl was straightforward and simple to setup and manage. Cons We used the shortened url suggested as a link in our first eblast instead of the longer url required for that, which lead to some frustration with a broken link. Tech support was helpful but I wish we would have realized before sending to avoid that. 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