Whether you make art, design clothes, collect trading cards, or run a small brand, the approach is the same. Post on Instagram to get attention, then send people to an auction page to place their bids.
Not inside the app itself. Instagram lets you post, share Stories, and go live, but it gives people no way to place a bid, see the highest offer, or pay when they win. Its live shopping tool, which let sellers tag products in live videos, was switched off in 2023.
That leaves two options. You can take bids in comments or messages, or you can set up a separate auction page and share the link on Instagram. You don't need a business account for the second option, because any account can add a link to a Story or to its bio.
Anything your followers want and only one person can own. For example:
Taking bids in comments or messages costs nothing to start, but it turns you into the auctioneer, the cashier, and the referee. Your own auction page does those jobs for you.
| Bids in comments | Bids by message | Your own auction page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can bidders see the highest bid? | Yes, if they scroll through every comment | No, so there is little reason to bid higher | Yes, it's shown on the page and updates as people bid |
| Who can bid? | Anyone, even people with no plan to pay | Anyone | Only people who have signed up, and you can ask them to add a payment card |
| What about bids in the last second? | You decide who was first, by hand | You decide who was first, by hand | Late bids add a little extra time so others can respond |
| How does the winner pay? | You arrange it by message | You arrange it by message | They get an email with a payment link |
| What do you have afterwards? | A list of Instagram usernames | A list of Instagram usernames | Names and email addresses of everyone who bid |
| How much work is it? | Counting bids and chasing winners | The same, plus answering every message | Adding your items and sharing one link |
Bids in comments feel natural on Instagram, but a popular item can attract hundreds of comments to sort through. If the winner goes quiet, you have to start again in public.
Bids by message keep things private, but bidders can't see what others have offered. Seeing someone else's bid is what makes people bid higher.
Your own auction page lets Instagram do what it does best, which is getting attention. The bidding, the payment, and the record of who bid all happen on a page built for them.
David Ambarzumjan is a painter based in Berlin. Since 2018 he has been painting a series called "Brushstrokes in Time", and for years he sold original works from it through auctions on Instagram, with collectors bidding in the comments.
In August 2026 he moved his auctions to his own Indy.auction page, david.indy.auction, for two new paintings, Passages and Witnesses". He told his collectors that bidding would now be much easier.
The switch solved the two biggest problems with bidding in comments: the admin, and not knowing which followers were genuine buyers.
| Bidding in Instagram comments | Bidding on Indy.auction |
|---|---|
| Scrolling through comments to track the highest bid | Every bid recorded automatically, with the highest shown on the page |
| Confirming the winner and arranging payment by message | The winner gets an email with a payment link as soon as the auction ends |
| Bidders refreshing the comments to keep up | Bidders set the most they're willing to pay and get a notice if someone outbids them |
| A list of usernames once it's over | The names and email addresses of everyone who bid, ready to invite to the next auction |
A follower who likes a post is not the same as someone who will pay. Everyone who bids on Indy.auction signs up first, and the seller keeps their contact details. That gives David a mailing list of people who have already bid on his work.
Both paintings started at €100. 18 people placed bids, and the two works sold for €21,000 in total, more than 100 times their starting prices.
| Painting | Size | Starting price | Sold for |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Witnesses" | 30 x 40 cm | €100 | €13,000 |
| "Passages" | 30 x 40 cm | €100 | €8,000 |
The auction ran for just over five days, from 29 August to 3 September, and the two paintings closed one after the other. Instagram brought the audience, and the auction page turned it into bids, payments, and a list of buyers David can contact again.
Get your auction page ready before you post anything, so the link works the moment your first Story goes up. Indy.auction has no setup fees or monthly fees. You only pay a percentage when something sells (see pricing).
Want to see what your bidders will see? Try one of the demo auctions.
A low starting price brings more people in, and the more people bid, the higher the price goes. David started both paintings at €100 and sold them for €8,000 and €13,000.
On Indy.auction, your starting price is also the lowest price you'll accept. So choose the lowest amount you'd genuinely be happy to sell for. Read more in what sells well at auction?
Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, so an auction that runs for a few days gives you several chances to remind people. David's auction ran for just over five days. Most auctions on Indy.auction run for somewhere between a few days and two weeks.
Pick an end time when your followers are usually on Instagram, often an evening. If your followers live in different countries, choose a time that suits most of them. David's auction ended at 6pm UTC, which is evening across Europe and afternoon in New York.
If each item ends a few minutes after the last, people who miss out on one can bid on the next.
Your auction page takes the bids. Your Instagram posts get people to open it. Plan your posts in four stages.
| When | What to post |
|---|---|
| A few days before | Sneak peeks of what you're selling, the date the auction opens, and a countdown sticker in your Story |
| The day it opens | A post or reel about the item and why it matters to you, a Story with a link sticker, the link in your bio, and a pinned comment pointing to it |
| While it's running | Stories showing the latest highest bid, close-up details, and behind-the-scenes moments, each with the link sticker |
| The last day | "Final hours" Stories, a countdown sticker set to the end time, and if you like, a live video showing the items |
A few simple habits help:
For more ideas, read the guides to promoting your auction in the Indy.auction help centre.
In an online auction without any protection, someone can wait until the last second to bid, leaving no time for anyone to reply. Indy.auction prevents this. If someone bids in the final minute, the auction adds a little extra time, and it keeps doing so until nobody bids in the final minute. For example, if you choose a two-minute extension and someone bids at 3:59pm, the auction now ends at 4:02pm.
This keeps things fair for your followers, most of whom won't have bid at auction before. Everyone watching gets a chance to respond, and the item sells when the bidding has genuinely stopped.
Before you go live, you choose one of three ways for your auction to end (see the help centre):
| Ending | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| All Lots | Everything ends at the same time. A late bid on any item adds time for all of them | A few items you want to sell as one event |
| Cascade | Items end one after another. A late bid adds time to that item and every item after it | A run of items where people move from one to the next |
| Individual Lots | Items end one after another. A late bid adds time to that item only | A single item, or several items that appeal to different people |
Bidders can also set the most they're willing to pay in advance. If they're busy when the auction ends, the platform keeps bidding for them, one step at a time, up to their limit.
When the auction ends, each winner gets an email with a payment link. They pay in a few clicks using the card they added when they signed up, through Stripe or PayPal, or by bank transfer. If they haven't paid, the platform sends them reminders, so you don't have to chase anyone. The money goes to your own Stripe or PayPal account.
Stripe and PayPal charge their own small fee for handling payments, usually between 1% and 3%.
The end of one auction is the start of the next.
Can I run an auction directly on Instagram?
No. Instagram has no way to take bids or payments. Run the auction on your own auction page using Indy.auction, and then share the link on Instagram.
Can I take bids in the comments?
You can, but you'll have to track every bid yourself, anyone can bid without proving they'll pay, and you'll need to arrange payment by message. Use comments to tell people about the auction, not to take bids.
Do I need a business account?
No. Any Instagram account can add a link to a Story or to its bio.
What can I sell?
Anything your followers want and only one person can own: original work, signed items, collectibles, one-off products, or experiences.
How long should my auction run?
Long enough to post about it several times. A few days to two weeks works for most sellers.
How do I avoid people who bid but never pay?
Ask bidders to sign up before they bid. On Indy.auction you can ask them to add a payment card or wait for your approval.
What if the winner doesn't pay?
The platform sends them reminders. If the sale still falls through, you have the contact details of the other bidders, so you can offer the item to the next highest bidder.
Can people outside my country bid?
Yes. Anyone can bid from anywhere, and you can run your auction in several currencies including GBP, EUR, and USD.
Can I keep the final price private?
Yes. You choose whether final prices are shown once the auction ends.
How much does it cost?
There are no setup or monthly fees. Indy.auction charges a percentage only on items that sell, and you can ask the buyer to cover it. See pricing.
Indy.auction lets you create your own auction page, with your own look, your own rules, and your own bidder list. There are no setup or monthly fees, and you can be ready to take bids in minutes.
Sign up for free and create your first Instagram auction today, or see how creators use Indy.auction.
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