MD Andy Higgins said the company intended to actively support charity-based auctions this year as a way of “allowing social responsibility and commercial reality to find common ground”.
Of the money raised last year, more than R300,000 was realised in a single auction, when the last built Volkswagen Citi Golf went under the hammer in November.
All the proceeds of the sale went to the Ubuntu Education Fund, which provides health and educational resources to more than 40,000 people in Port Elizabeth townships.
Volkswagen brand manager Tarryn de Klerk said: “We had never executed an online auction of one of our vehicles before and were uncertain of what to expect. However, the process was simple and easy to manage and the winning bid was higher than we could ever have hoped for.”
Higgins said the auction confirmed “buyers are more willing to buy from a charity seller, even if it means paying a bit more”.
“We try to avoid putting a reserve when the auction is for charity, but obviously it is up to the charity. We still start bidding at R1 due to the psychology behind auctions — that of people getting a bargain — and this attracts people in the pre-publicity period.”
An online auction has few peripheral costs for the organisation doing the sale. There are no event management, printing or promotional costs. Bidorbuy waives its commission as part of its social responsibility service, which helps maximise the amount going to charity.
This year's highest bidder, Dolf Jonker, the owner of Auto Trust Body Repairers in Port Elizabeth, was happy to have his name published as the owner of the last Citi Golf. He paid more than three times the retail price but “was delighted with the outcome” as his motive was to “own a piece of history as well as support the charity”.
However, Higgins said keeping buyers' privacy when wanted was paramount and possible.
Last year's “Celebrities for charities” drive was held on bidorbuy in June and after its success charities and companies started seeking out the auction house as a means of raising money.
“This year we intend to run the Celebrities for Charities auction earlier and increase its scope,” said Higgins. “In the US, eBay has a yearly auction offering a lunch with Warren Buffett and it brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity, and we may look at a similar thing here.”
