$100K+ Raised in One Week: How a Custom Auction Platform United 170+ Artists for Gaza
Built a full-stack auction platform that connected 170+ international artists and raised over $100,000 for Gaza relief in its first week — with real-time bidding, secure payments, and a custom admin panel.
Raised in first week
Artists onboarded
Bid uplift on top works
From launch to $100K
The Challenge
A group of artists and organisers wanted to raise funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in support of Gaza relief. They needed a platform that could:
- Handle hundreds of simultaneous bidders across global time zones without downtime
- Onboard 170+ artists with individual profiles, artwork images, and biographical information
- Process secure credit card verification and payments without storing sensitive data
- Provide real-time bid updates so users never had to refresh the page
- Run a transparent, trustworthy auction that clearly demonstrated all proceeds went to MSF
- Launch quickly — the humanitarian urgency demanded a compressed timeline
The Solution
I designed and built a custom full-stack auction platform from scratch, tailored specifically for this initiative:
Custom Bidding Engine
Real-time auction system with live bid updates, automatic outbid notifications, paddle-number anonymity, and bid history — no page refreshes needed.
Artist & Artwork Management
Admin panel for curators to add, edit, and publish 170+ artist profiles and artworks, manage auction timings, and monitor bidder activity.
Secure Payment Pipeline
Two-step verification (email + credit card) via Payrexx integration — ensuring every bidder is verified before placing a bid, without storing payment data.
Optimised Media Handling
Automated image optimisation, secure storage, and responsive delivery for hundreds of high-resolution artwork images across all devices.
Custom Lightroom-Style Viewer
Full-screen artwork viewer with adjustable black/white background, letting users appreciate each piece without distraction.
Donation Pathway
Streamlined donation flow for supporters who wanted to contribute directly rather than bid — integrated alongside the auction system.
Results
The platform launched to immediate traction, with results that exceeded all expectations:
Raised in the first week alone, mobilising meaningful humanitarian support at scale
International artists donated original works, demonstrating extraordinary global solidarity
Certain works achieved more than 20× their starting value through passionate competitive bidding
A worldwide community of supporters joined the platform within days of launch
Project Timeline
Technology Stack
Frontend
- • Next.js 14
- • React
- • TypeScript
- • Tailwind CSS
Backend
- • Python
- • FastAPI
- • REST API
- • WebSockets
Database & Infrastructure
- • PostgreSQL
- • Redis
- • Real-time sync
- • Image CDN
Payments & Security
- • Payrexx
- • Email verification
- • Card verification
- • HTTPS
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