AuctioneerTech releases Internet clerking and bidding platform

Riding high on the recent success of its AuctioneerTweet sister-site, today AuctioneerTech released an open-source Internet-based clerking software and bidding system for auctioneers called AuctioneerTool.

Based on common, open source web technologies PHP and MySQL, the client installs on any server with access to a database. The platform currently supports pre-auction bidding and Internet only events, with support for real-time bidding coming soon.

“It’s something I’ve been working on in my spare time,” said Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES of Manhattan, Kansas-based AuctioneerTech. “I finally have all the pieces in place to release the code under the GPL. Releasing the code under the GPL – GNU General Public License – means that anyone can use the software free of charge and improve it. There will be some hosting costs we’ll incur, but with the recent success of the advertising sponsors on AuctioneerTweet and the AuctioneerTech Auction Podcast, those expenses should be easily covered.”

All sensitive data is encrypted and stored on AuctioneerTech servers. The data is encrypted before it leaves the AuctioneerTool client so AuctioneerTech never has access to the client information, but the user can be sure that the data is stored on secure servers in a PCI-compliant manner. Because the client software is open source, anyone with a programming background can inspect the encryption mechanism to verify that it’s being encrypted properly and that nobody but the auctioneer has access to the user list or sensitive data.

The client is completely integrated into an auctioneer’s website with no logos or branding. The auction inventories are automatically uploaded to the NAA auction calendar using the NAA’s open AuctionXML format where it can be syndicated to other auction calendars.

For more information about AuctioneerTool, or to download the easy-to-use installation scripts, visit www.auctioneertool.com.