BID4LOTS.COM LTD
Bid4Lots.com Ltd provides online fundraising auctions, event management, and speaker-booking services for UK charities, sports clubs, schools, and corporate organizations, operating since 2004 from Cheltenham with a small team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersGloucester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
BID4LOTS.COM LTD firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BID4LOTS.COM LTD
- Legal name
- Bid4Lots.com Ltd
- Website
- https://bid4lots.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bid4Lots.com Ltd provides online fundraising auctions, event management, and speaker-booking services for UK charities, sports clubs, schools, and corporate organizations, operating since 2004 from Cheltenham with a small team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BID4LOTS.COM LTD industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Charity Auction Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing (THAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where BID4LOTS.COM LTD is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gloucester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BID4LOTS.COM LTD business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Transaction Fees - Card/PayPal Payments: 2% fee charged on payments made via PayPal or card to cover payment processing costs. Payments made directly to bank account are fee-free.
- Supplier Item Auction Fees: For items supplied by Bid4Lots.com for charity auctions, a small fee is agreed based on estimated value and number of items. All profit from these auctions goes to the customer's good cause.
- Event Management Services: Professional event management services from light-touch support to full event organization. Fees start at £250 for basic services.
- Live Auctioneer Services: Booking of professional auctioneer Rob York for live auction events, both in-person and virtual.
- Speaker/Host Bookings: Booking of guest speakers, hosts, and MCs from sport, entertainment and business for events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Risk-free auction participation with no upfront costs |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Event Management Services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
BID4LOTS.COM LTD product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bid4Lots.com Ltd provides online fundraising auction services and event management for charities, sports clubs, schools, and corporate organizations. The company runs an online bidding platform supporting silent auctions and interactive online bidding, and offers supplementary services including professional auctioneering, event management, and speaker bookings. Customers can use their own donated items or select from Bid4Lots' inventory of memorabilia, experiences, and event tickets, with all auction proceeds going to the customer's cause.
Product overview
Bid4Lots.com is a single unified online auction platform for charitable fundraising. The core offering consists of an online auction platform supporting three formats: bespoke auctions (user-supplied items), supplied-items auctions (Bid4Lots-provided inventory), and mix-and-match combinations. Two auction types are available: Silent Auction (hidden bids) and Interactive Online Bidding (real-time visible bids with maximum-bid automation). Add-on services include Live Auction with professional auctioneer Rob York, Event Management (packages from £250), Speaker Booking, and Payment Processing. The platform is designed to be device-agnostic and accessible to non-technical users, with all funds held in a dedicated Client's Account.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bid4Lots Online Auction Platform A simple, straightforward online bidding platform that enables anyone to bid and support charitable causes on any device, whether at a live event or online. The platform supports both silent auctions and interactive online bidding.
- Silent Auction Hidden-bid auction format where bids are concealed from other bidders; the highest bidder when the auction closes wins. Can run online only, at live events, or as a combined hybrid.
- Interactive Online Bidding Traditional auction format where all bidders can see bid progress in real-time. Supports maximum bid automation where the system bids up to a specified ceiling on the user's behalf.
- Bespoke Auction Service
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of pounds raised for charities without them lifting a finger
Companies that use BID4LOTS.COM LTD
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
BID4LOTS.COM LTD technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
BID4LOTS.COM LTD partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Aitch and Aitch BeecoreIn 2021, Rob York joined forces with Mark Hartery and Helen Hartery-Brown of Aitch and Aitch Bee. Mark provides event hosting and access to sporting and entertainment contacts for guest speakers. Helen handles event planning, venue negotiation, and operational coordination. The partnership added event and charity fund-raising expertise to Bid4Lots.
- AMS AuctionscoreAMS Auctions, managed by Rob York, is the parent company behind Bid4Lots.com. Bid4Lots was formed in 2004 as the brainchild of AMS Auctions Managing Director Rob York to develop a platform for charities to auction items and reach wider audiences.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BID4LOTS.COM LTD competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OneCause: OneCause is a US-headquartered fundraising platform offering online auctions, mobile bidding, and event management for non-profits and schools. It competes with Bid4Lots in the charity/school auction space with similar feature parity including mobile bidding and event tech.
- Givergy: Givergy is a UK-based online fundraising auction and raffle platform purpose-built for charities and non-profits. It directly competes with Bid4Lots by offering silent auctions, paddle raises, and event-based giving tools to UK and international charity clients.
- Qtego: Qtego provides auction and fundraising technology for charity events across Europe, including mobile bidding and event support services. It is a relevant European competitor comparable to Bid4Lots in serving UK and European non-profit auction needs.
- ClickBid: ClickBid offers online and silent auction fundraising software for schools, churches, and non-profits. It competes directly with Bid4Lots by providing mobile bidding, payment processing, and event-day support to the same small-to-mid charity and school segments.
- Handbid: Handbid provides mobile auction and event fundraising software for non-profits. It offers similar silent auctions, live mobile bidding, and event management features targeted at charity galas, making it a direct peer to Bid4Lots in the charity auction technology space.
- GalaBid: GalaBid provides online and phone bidding solutions for charity galas and fundraising events. Its target customer profile and auction formats closely mirror Bid4Lots' offering to UK and European non-profit event organizers.
- 32Auctions: 32Auctions is an online-only fundraising auction platform commonly used by schools, churches, and small charities. It targets the same SMB charity auction segment as Bid4Lots and competes on simplicity of self-service auction setup.
Broad incumbents
- JustGiving: JustGiving is a Blackbaud-owned digital fundraising platform serving UK charities with broad online giving, crowdfunding, and event fundraising tools. While it doesn't specialize in auctions, it competes for the same charity fundraising budget and donor attention as Bid4Lots and represents the broader incumbent alternative.
Emerging players
- Auctria: Auctria offers online auction management software primarily for charity and non-profit events with self-service auction creation tools. It overlaps with Bid4Lots' bespoke auction service but focuses more on self-service SaaS than on bundled event management and auctioneering services.
Others
- AMS Auctions: AMS Auctions is the parent company founded and run by Rob York that spawned Bid4Lots in 2004. While distinct in focus (general auction services rather than charity fundraising), it shares operational overlap, leadership, and brand with Bid4Lots and is a meaningful ecosystem peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BID4LOTS.COM LTD social profiles
Digital presenceBID4LOTS.COM LTD financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BID4LOTS.COM LTD leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
BID4LOTS.COM LTD funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BID4LOTS.COM LTD M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BID4LOTS.COM LTD
What does BID4LOTS.COM LTD do?
Bid4Lots.com Ltd provides online fundraising auction services and event management for charities, sports clubs, schools, and corporate organizations. The company runs an online bidding platform supporting silent auctions and interactive online bidding, and offers supplementary services including professional auctioneering, event management, and speaker bookings. Customers can use their own donated items or select from Bid4Lots' inventory of memorabilia, experiences, and event tickets, with all auction proceeds going to the customer's cause.
Is BID4LOTS.COM LTD a public or private company?
BID4LOTS.COM LTD is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BID4LOTS.COM LTD founded?
BID4LOTS.COM LTD was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BID4LOTS.COM LTD based?
BID4LOTS.COM LTD is headquartered in Gloucester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does BID4LOTS.COM LTD make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Transaction Fees - Card/PayPal Payments are the primary driver. The others are supplier Item Auction Fees, event Management Services, live Auctioneer Services and speaker/Host Bookings.
Who are BID4LOTS.COM LTD's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OneCause, Givergy, Qtego, ClickBid, Handbid, GalaBid and 32Auctions. JustGiving is listed as a broad incumbent. Auctria is listed as an emerging player. AMS Auctions is listed as an others.
Does BID4LOTS.COM LTD have an API?
No public API is recorded for BID4LOTS.COM LTD.
What industry is BID4LOTS.COM LTD in?
BID4LOTS.COM LTD's product category is Online Charity Auction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support), with a secondary code of THAHAGAC, Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing. Its NAICS code is 8132.