An eBay clone with real auctions and fixed prices.
An eBay clone is a marketplace where sellers choose between an auction and a fixed price, and Yclas runs both on your own domain. Auctions have proxy bidding, an optional reserve and buy-now price, and late bids that extend the end time; fixed-price items have offers and checkout.
Free for 15 days · No credit card · Auctions on Professional and up
eBay made bidding feel safe between strangers.
eBay began in 1995 as AuctionWeb and turned online auctions into an everyday habit, then added Buy It Now and fixed prices. Its tools for strangers to trade each other are what any auction website like eBay needs.
The auction rules of an eBay clone script on Yclas.
A seller picks Auction on the post form and sets a start price, an end date up to 90 days ahead, and optionally a reserve and a buy-now price higher than both. Bidders sign in, and you choose whether anyone or only verified users can bid.
- Proxy bids: a bidder enters their maximum; the price shown is one step above the next-best maximum, never above their own.
- Steps: a ladder that grows with the price, from 1 at the start to 1,000 above 50,000, or one flat step you set.
- Reserve: below it the auction ends without a sale, and both sides are pointed to the contact form.
- Buy now: ends the auction at once, until the bidding reaches that price.
- Anti-sniping: a bid in the last 5 minutes keeps the auction open until 5 minutes after that bid; you set both numbers, or turn it off.
- Outbid emails go out at once; the bid history shows first names and an initial.
When the auction ends, the winner gets a Pay now order for the winning price plus shipping, and the seller hears once it is paid. If the winner has not paid after 14 days, the seller can relist or switch to a fixed price.
What the auctions do not do.
Write these into your site's rules so nobody is surprised:
- Bidders cannot withdraw a bid once placed.
- There are no second-chance offers to the runner-up; when a reserve is not met, the seller can contact the highest bidder.
- Unsold items are not relisted automatically.
- Outbid notices are emails; there is no push notification for them yet.
- There is no buyer's premium, and no live auction with an auctioneer: auctions are timed.
Current bid, time left and the full history.
The listing shows the current price, the time left counting down, whether the reserve is met, and the bid form with the smallest bid accepted. The full history opens in place, and the seller can cancel only before the first bid.
Who bids, how much more, and how late.
Settings › Auctions holds the site's rules: anyone signed in or only verified users can bid, the increment ladder or one flat step, and the anti-sniping window and extension, from 0 to 1,440 minutes.
Reviews, returns, disputes and held payments.
Buyers and sellers rate each other after a deal, and double-blind reviews keep either side from answering a bad rating with another. Returns and disputes let a buyer report a problem and you decide.
- Returns and disputes from Professional.
- Escrow: payment held until delivery, on Marketplace.
- Verified sellers: they send an ID or business document and your team approves it.
What eBay is known for, and the Yclas part for each.
Feature by feature, with what is missing.
| eBay is known for | On Yclas |
|---|---|
| Timed auctions with proxy bidding | Included on Professional with Nova. |
| Reserve price and Buy It Now | Optional reserve and buy-now price on each auction. |
| Fixed-price listings and Best Offer | Fixed prices with offers and counter-offers in the chat. |
| Feedback ratings | Reviews after a deal, double-blind if you want. |
| Money Back Guarantee | Not included as a programme. Returns and disputes that you decide, and escrow on Marketplace. |
| Seller levels | Not included. Verified badges and ratings instead. |
| Bid retraction and second-chance offers | Not included. |
| International shipping programme | Not included. Sellers set shipping prices. |
| Millions of buyers | Not included. Start with one category of collectors. |
eBay is a trademark of its owner. Yclas is not affiliated with eBay. This table uses public information; your site gets its own name, look and listings, not a copy of eBay.
How an auction site makes money.
Charge where value is created: when an item is listed, promoted or sold.
Prices are examples: you set your own, in your currency. Yclas takes no commission on what you earn. All the ways to make money →
A launch plan for one category of collectors.
- Choose the categoryCoins, watches, classic car parts, comics: one thing people love to bid on.
- Set the rulesWho can bid, the steps and anti-sniping in Settings › Auctions.
- Recruit ten sellersDealers and collectors from clubs and fairs. List their first lots with them.
- Time the endingsEnd auctions on evenings and weekends, when bidders are free.
- Add fixed pricesLet sellers sell the rest at a set price, with offers.
Is it legal to build an eBay clone?
Yes. An auction marketplace is legal in most countries, though some regulate auctions, so check local rules. Do not use the eBay name, logo or design, or copy its listings or pages.
How does bidding work on an auction website like eBay built with Yclas?
Proxy bidding: each bidder sets a maximum, and the price shown is one step above the next-best maximum. Late bids extend the end time if you keep anti-sniping on.
Which plan do auctions need?
Professional ($99 a month) or Marketplace ($149), with the Nova theme. Escrow and your commission need Marketplace.
Can only verified users bid?
Yes. Choose "verified users only" in Settings › Auctions. Users get verified when your team approves their document.
What happens when the reserve is not met?
The auction ends without a sale. The highest bidder and the seller are both told, and can still contact each other.
How does the winner pay?
The winner gets a Pay now order for the winning price plus shipping, paid through your site's checkout. The seller is told when it is paid.
Can bidders retract a bid?
No. A bid is final. Say so in your rules, and let sellers cancel an auction only before the first bid.
Related pages.
The parts of Yclas this leans on.
Your auction site, with its first lots ending this weekend.
Set your bidding rules, invite your first sellers and open the bidding. Free for 15 days, no credit card.
Start my auction site
Photo credits
The screenshots show demo sites with made-up sellers. Their photos come from Wikimedia Commons, some cropped or with signs and plates blurred; these ones are under Creative Commons licences:
- Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8 Litre 1961 by DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Caterpillar 330 excavator on a pile of dirt by Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Seth Thomas tambour mantel clock ca. 1930 by Smerdis of Tlön, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Persian Rug Khorrasan 1 by Carpetbeggers, CC BY 2.0
- 3D illustration image of a gavel by Quince Media, CC BY-SA 4.0