Lifecycle Pro recently completed a BidRush online auction with $49,164 in auction sales (CAD $68,279) with everything starting at just $1 with no reserves, 100% sold and 327 people participating.
Lifecycle Pro’s previous online auction platform used a complicated and inconsistent seller-fee structure.
Depending on the customer and arrangement, the seller fee could be 30%, 15%, 6% or even 0%. In some arrangements, the auction company's “partner” could receive 6% or 12% of the platform’s seller-fee revenue (percentage of the fees, not the total). Depending on the arrangement, the other auction company's partner’s actual share represented only approximately 1.8% to 3.6% of gross auction sales.
BidRush, however, has a transparent 12% platform fee, plus payment processing of 2.9% plus 30 cents an invoice - which total less than 16%. Partners choose their own buyer’s premium, and keep 100% of this as revenue for their business.
“We realized our clients were overpaying for online auctions relative to the value they were receiving. Seller fees on our previous platform could vary depending on the customer, but even a special 0% seller-fee offer, the platform’s 18% buyer’s premium was simply too high and could discourage buyers from bidding. We switched to BidRush and set a reasonable 13% buyer’s premium, and we keep 100% of it for all the work we do. Our total platform and payment costs are less than 16%, so the buyer’s premium offsets almost all those costs. That brings our effective auction cost below 3%. We also have more control over our auctions, our brand, our marketing and our relationships with buyers. The latest auction attracted 327 participants, started every lot at $1 with no reserves, sold 100% of the inventory and generated more than US$49,000. The results and the net proceeds speak for themselves.”
— Jason Suderman, Lifecycle Pro Estate Liquidators
The important question to consider is whether you are receiving enough value to justify what it pays, and whether the quoted seller fee tells the complete story. It usually does not.
The Buyer’s Premium Still Matters
On Lifecycle Pro’s previous platform, buyers were charged an 18% buyer’s premium. (unchanged when a customer’s seller fee was reduced to 15%, 6% or 0%)
Lifecycle Pro decided to look beyond the discount and evaluate the complete economics:
What do buyers pay? Who keeps the buyer’s premium? What value does the platform provide? What does the auction company ultimately retain? Who controls the auction, brand and buyer relationship?
Lifecycle Pro switched to BidRush after a hard look at the math and operational business efficiencies.
The Results: US$49,164 (CAD $68,279), Even With Every Lot Starting at $1
Lifecycle Pro’s recent Carlisle Estate Sale demonstrated what can happen when an experienced estate liquidator combines strong photography/cataloging, leverages not only a platform model designed to encourage bidding but also brings marketing that's effective in promoting the auction as well as the partner.
The final results:
US$49,164.25 sold (CAD $68,279)
327 auction participants
165 of 165 lots sold
100% sell-through
2,786 bids placed
Every lot offered without a reserve
Bidding started at just $1
Every item was given the opportunity to find its market through competitive bidding—and every item sold. Lifecycle Pro did not sacrifice auction performance by moving away from its previous platform’s variable-fee model.
Standout Auction Results
The auction included an impressive collection of gold jewelry, luxury names, sterling silver, collectibles, furniture and estate contents.
Among the leading results were:
Vintage 18K Gold Sputnik on a 14K Bracelet — Sold for US$4,650 (approximately CAD $6,458)
The auction’s highest-selling lot attracted 15 bidders and received 54 bids.
Vintage 14K Gold Jewelry Collection — Sold for US$4,300 (approximately CAD $5,972)
This substantial 45+ dwt jewelry grouping attracted 12 bidders.
18K Florentine Gold Bracelet and Gemstone Cocktail Ring — Sold for US$3,506 (approximately CAD $4,869)
Fourteen bidders competed for this 18K gold grouping, placing 45 bids.
Vintage 14K Chunky Charm Bracelet — Sold for US$3,150 (approximately CAD $4,375)
This distinctive bracelet generated 45 bids from 11 bidders.
Vintage M.C. Mossalone 14K Necklace and Jewelry — Sold for US$2,650 (approximately CAD $3,680)
1950s Tonka Toys Hydrolic Dump Truck Sold for US$276
Why the Seller-Fee Percentage Never Tells the Whole Story
On Lifecycle Pro’s previous platform, one auction company might pay 30%, another 15%, another 6% and another nothing at all. But buyers were still charged an 18% buyer’s premium—and the platform kept it.
That creates two important questions:
If buyers reduce their bids because of a high premium, is the seller really paying nothing?
If the auction company creates the inventory, serves the client and performs the work, why should the platform keep the entire buyer’s premium?
The cost may not appear as a deduction from the seller’s proceeds. It may instead appear through the buyer’s total cost, bidding behaviour and the auction company’s lost opportunity to retain the premium as revenue.
Lifecycle Pro switched to BidRush and established a 13% buyer’s premium—a rate it believed was more reasonable for its bidders.
More importantly, Lifecycle Pro keeps that buyer’s premium.
A Simple Way to Calculate the Real Cost of an Auction Platform
Do not compare the quoted seller-fee percentage alone.
Use this calculation:
Total platform and payment costs minus the buyer’s premium your company retains equals your effective auction cost.
Then consider the value that does not appear in a fee schedule:
Can you publish and update your own auctions? Can you set your own buyer’s premium? Does the platform promote your company’s brand? Can you develop direct relationships with your buyers? Do you control the complete auction experience?
A discounted seller fee can be attractive, but it should not distract from the complete financial and operational picture.
How Lifecycle Pro’s Effective Cost Falls Below 3%
Lifecycle Pro’s BidRush economics are straightforward:
13% buyer’s premium retained by Lifecycle Pro
Less than 16% in total platform and payment costs
Less than 3% effective cost after applying the retained buyer’s premium
On US$49,164.25 in auction sales, a 13% buyer’s premium represents approximately US$6,391 in revenue retained by Lifecycle Pro. Because the combined platform and payment costs are less than 16% of auction sales, the retained buyer’s premium offsets almost all those costs. The effective net cost is therefore less than 3%.
Lifecycle Pro receives the technology, auction infrastructure and marketing support it needs without giving up control of its buyer’s premium.
What the Switch Changed for Lifecycle Pro
The value of the switch is not simply a list of software features. It is what those capabilities allow Lifecycle Pro to do for its business and clients:
Publish and update auctions without waiting on the platform
Set a buyer’s premium that works for its bidders and business
Keep the buyer’s premium as revenue instead of giving it away
Build the Lifecycle Pro brand with every auction
Direct access to buyers for smoother pickups
Combine its local knowledge with BidRush marketing support
Maintain greater control over the complete auction process
This is more than switching auction software. It is a different business model—one that gives professional estate liquidators greater control over their revenue, buyers, brand and client experience.
Are You Receiving the Same Value for What You Pay?
If your auction company is paying a substantially higher seller fee than other customers, giving away its buyer’s premium or losing control of its bidders, it may be time to examine what your current platform is really costing you.
If you are hesitant about switching to BidRush, give Jason Suderman at Lifecycle Pro Estate Liquidators a call.
CAD equivalents are approximate and based on the Bank of Canada daily exchange rate of US$1 to CAD $1.3888 on August 28, 2026.