Resources

Guides for platform builders

Practical tutorials, comparisons, and insights for entrepreneurs launching auction, lottery, and gaming platforms.

Latest articles
Guide
Running UK Prize Competitions: Skill Questions, Free Postal Entry and the DCMS Code
The Gambling Act tests a paid draw must pass, what the DCMS code expects, and how RaffKing and PrizeX support it.
Oct 20, 2026·8 min read
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Guide
Turning Your Auction Site Into a Mobile App: Push Notifications, App Stores and Policy
What the Mobile App add-on gives you, which events send a push, what you build yourself, and the app-store rules to check.
Oct 15, 2026·7 min read
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Tutorial
Launching an Auction or Raffle Site in Nigeria With Paystack or Flutterwave
Paystack and Flutterwave side by side, setup steps, naira pricing and mobile checkout.
Oct 14, 2026·7 min read
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Tutorial
Launching an Auction Site in Brazil With Pix and Mercado Pago
Pix and Mercado Pago side by side, setup steps, pricing in reais, and the regulator to know.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Tutorial
Launching an Auction Site in India: Razorpay, UPI and the Legal Line
Auctions of goods vs online money games, Razorpay and UPI, rupee pricing and coins, and planning for GST.
Oct 14, 2026·7 min read
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Comparison
Best Self-Hosted PHP Auction Scripts in 2026: A Fair Comparison
Eight self-hosted auction scripts compared from each vendor's own page. We make one of them, and we say so up front.
Oct 14, 2026·9 min read
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Comparison
BidKing Starter vs Plus vs Pro: Which Edition Do You Need?
What each edition includes, side by side: auction formats, sellers, shop, proxy bidding, anti-sniping and staff tools.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Comparison
BidKing vs RaffKing vs PrizeX: Which Platform Fits Your Idea?
Auctions, draws or everything in one site: what each bundles, side by side, and the add-ons that work with all three.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Guide
Charity Auction Software You Host Yourself
When a hosted platform is better, when self-hosting fits, and the settings that protect donated items.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Tutorial
Installing a PHP Auction Script on a VPS With nginx
Requirements, the shipped nginx config, the browser installer, cron every minute and tested backups.
Oct 14, 2026·7 min read
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Guide
Lowest and Highest Unique Bid Auctions Explained
The rules of LUB and HUB, how the winner is worked out, why bid fees make them chance-heavy, and the legal question to answer first.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Guide
Mystery Box Odds and Disclosure: How to Set, Price and Publish Fair Odds
Weights, expected value and disclosure: how to build a mystery box that's honest with buyers and still covers its costs.
Oct 14, 2026·7 min read
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Guide
Mystery Box Script: What to Look For Before You Buy
Weighted odds, odds that lock, loss warnings, 24-hour opening limits, prize types and the claim flow: a buyer's checklist.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Guide
Provably Fair Games Explained: HMAC-SHA256, Server Seeds and Client Seeds
How provably fair works in real code, how to verify a round step by step, and what it doesn't prove.
Oct 14, 2026·8 min read
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Buyer's guide
Raffle Script: What to Check Before You Buy a Self-Hosted Raffle Platform
Tickets, draws, payouts and records: what a raffle script has to do, how winners are picked and proved, and a checklist before you pay.
Oct 14, 2026·10 min read
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Comparison
Self-Hosted vs SaaS Raffle Software: The Real Cost Over Three Years
Percentage fees, per-ticket fees, free charity platforms and a one-time licence on one table, with every assumption stated.
Oct 14, 2026·8 min read
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Guide
Sealed-Bid Auction Software: How to Run Blind Bids Online
When sealed bidding fits, how bids stay hidden until the close, ties, reserves, bid fees and what to tell bidders.
Oct 14, 2026·6 min read
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Guide
PHP Auction Script: The Complete 2026 Setup Guide
Everything you need to know to launch a self-hosted auction platform — from choosing a script to going live. Covers hosting, payment gateways, and first-auction checklist.
Jun 12, 2026·8 min read
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Comparison
Self-Hosted vs SaaS Auction Platform: Which Should You Choose?
A straight cost-and-control comparison of self-hosted auction software vs SaaS — with a 12-month cost breakdown and verdict for different use cases.
Jun 12, 2026·7 min read
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WordPress
How to Add Live Auctions to Your WooCommerce Store
A practical walkthrough of adding live bidding, sealed auctions, and reverse auctions to an existing WooCommerce store — without rebuilding your site.
Jun 12, 2026·6 min read
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Guide
How to Build a White-Label Auction Platform for Your Clients
Agencies and developers: how to rebrand and deploy a PHP auction script for clients — licensing, customisation steps, pricing, and managing multiple deployments.
Oct 30, 2024·7 min read
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Guide
Mystery Box Platforms: The High-Margin E-Commerce Model Explained
How mystery box platforms work, how the economics fit together, and how to build one.
Apr 12, 2024·7 min read
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Guide
How to Start an Online Lottery Business: Legal, Technical & Marketing Guide
A comprehensive guide covering legal requirements by country, platform setup, payment gateways, and how to acquire your first lottery players.
Nov 8, 2023·10 min read
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Guide
Building a Multi-Vendor Auction Marketplace: What You Need to Know
Platform architecture, seller management, commission structures, and the technical requirements for building a multi-vendor auction marketplace.
Jul 20, 2023·8 min read
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WordPress
5 Features Every WooCommerce Auction Plugin Must Have
The 5 features that separate a production-ready WooCommerce auction plugin from one that breaks under real bidding load — including race-condition protection.
Mar 15, 2023·6 min read
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Guide
How to Launch an Online Raffle Platform: Complete Guide
Legal considerations by country, platform setup, payment gateways for raffle businesses, and a 9-item pre-launch checklist.
Sep 22, 2022·8 min read
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Tutorial
How to Integrate Razorpay With Your PHP Auction Script
Step-by-step: API keys, payment confirmation, test mode configuration, and going live with Razorpay on a self-hosted PHP auction platform.
Jun 8, 2022·7 min read
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Guide
5 Reasons Entrepreneurs Are Moving Away From SaaS Auction Platforms
Transaction fees, data lock-in, limited customisation — why more auction businesses are switching from SaaS to self-hosted scripts.
Feb 14, 2022·6 min read
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Tutorial
How to Set Up an Auction Website on Shared Hosting: Step-by-Step
A complete walkthrough — from domain and hosting selection to going live with your first auction. Covers cPanel, databases, payment gateways, and SMTP.
Nov 18, 2021·9 min read
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Story
Why We Built BidKing: Our First PHP Auction Script
The problem we kept seeing in 2021, why we chose self-hosted over SaaS, and what we learned from the first month of sales across India, UAE, and Brazil.
Aug 10, 2021·5 min read
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