David Duggleby Auctioneers & Valuers was founded in Scarborough in 1996 and now holds over 150 regular and specialist auctions a year across 26 departments, from four locations in Yorkshire. Our auction platform has grown alongside the business for close to a decade, and today it runs almost every part of a sale.
The challenge: big catalogues that never sit still
A single auction can hold anywhere from 600 to 1,500 lots, with withdrawals, extra photographs and amendments right up to sale day. The auction house's in-house software could only export CSV files, which made keeping the website accurate slow and fragile.
What we built
We connected the website directly to the auction database. Lots, images, client records, invoices and bids synchronise automatically, so the online catalogue stays current without anyone re-keying it. Commission bids, payments and buyer details are written straight back into the auction software, removing hours of daily admin and the errors that come with it.
Live bidding runs through the David Duggleby website itself, with no third-party bidding platform, extra commission or second login. Clerks and auctioneers work from dedicated live control screens, and the current lot is shown on large screens around the saleroom in real time.
After the hammer falls
- Invoices generated and emailed automatically when a sale closes, with reminders
- Secure online payment, with delivery costs calculated at checkout
- Stock control, dispatch management and custom label printing, including QR-coded lot labels
- Bid result notifications and personalised “Lots for Me” alerts
- A “Make an Offer” system that keeps selling unsold lots after the auction
- Case studies, department pages and valuation enquiries that bring new consignments in
Security has been a priority throughout, with hardened servers and strict access control. The platform keeps evolving as the auction house grows.