Full doc #24
Description
Auction Platform - Complete Requirements Document
1. Project Overview
1.1 Platform Description
A comprehensive online auction system enabling sellers to list products for auction and bidders to place bids with automated bidding capabilities, real-time notifications, and complete auction lifecycle management.
1.2 User Roles
- Admin: Platform management and seller registration
- Seller: Product listing and auction management
- Bidder: Browse auctions and place bids
2. Functional Requirements
2.1 User Authentication & Authorization
2.1.1 Admin
- Secure admin login with email/username and password
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) optional
- Password recovery via email
- Session management with auto-logout after inactivity
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
2.1.2 Seller
- Seller accounts created only by admin
- Email verification for new seller accounts
- Login with email and password
- Password reset functionality
- Profile management (company name, contact details, bank info, tax ID)
2.1.3 Bidder
- Self-registration with email verification
- Social login options (Google, Facebook) - optional
- Profile management (name, address, phone, payment methods)
- Email and password login
- Password recovery system
2.2 Admin Dashboard & Features
2.2.1 Dashboard Overview
- Total active auctions
- Total registered bidders and sellers
- Revenue statistics (commission earned)
- Recent activities log
- Auction status overview (live, upcoming, completed)
- Platform analytics and reports
2.2.2 Seller Management
- Create new seller accounts
- View all sellers with search and filter
- Edit seller details
- Suspend/activate seller accounts
- View seller's auction history and performance
- Commission rate setting per seller (optional)
2.2.3 Bidder Management
- View all registered bidders
- Search and filter bidders
- View bidder activity and bid history
- Suspend/deactivate bidder accounts
- Manage reported bidders
2.2.4 Auction Management
- View all auctions (draft, scheduled, live, completed, cancelled)
- Approve/reject auctions (optional approval workflow)
- Edit auction details if needed
- Cancel auctions with proper notifications
- Featured auction management
- Category management for products
2.2.5 Content Management
- Manage static pages (About, Terms, Privacy Policy, FAQ)
- Email template management
- Banner and promotional content management
- Notification settings
2.2.6 Financial Management
- Commission rate configuration (global or per-seller)
- Payment gateway settings
- Transaction history and reports
- Payout management to sellers
- Invoice generation
2.2.7 Settings
- General platform settings
- Email/SMTP configuration
- Payment gateway integration settings
- Auction rules and parameters (bid increment, extension time)
- Time zone and currency settings
- Notification preferences (email, SMS)
2.3 Seller Dashboard & Features
2.3.1 Dashboard Overview
- Active auctions count
- Total bids received
- Revenue summary
- Upcoming auction schedule
- Performance metrics
2.3.2 Product/Auction Management
- Create new auction listings
- Product title, description
- Multiple image upload (with image management)
- Product category and tags
- Condition (new, used, refurbished)
- Starting bid price
- Reserve price (minimum acceptable price - optional)
- Buy Now price (optional)
- Auction duration (start and end date/time)
- Shipping details and costs
- Return policy
- Save as draft
- Edit auction before it goes live
- Schedule auction for future date
- Duplicate existing auction
- Cancel auction (before/after start with conditions)
- View auction statistics and bid history
2.3.3 Bid Management
- View all bids received on auctions
- Current highest bidder information
- Bid timeline and history
- Accept/decline reserve price not met (if applicable)
2.3.4 Order Management
- View won auctions (completed)
- Buyer information
- Payment status
- Shipping management
- Mark as shipped with tracking details
- Order communication with winner
2.3.5 Financial Management
- Earnings overview
- Transaction history
- Pending payouts
- Payout requests
- Invoice downloads
- Commission breakdown
2.3.6 Notifications
- New bid notifications
- Auction ending soon alerts
- Auction completed notifications
- Payment received alerts
- Messages from admin or buyers
2.4 Bidder Dashboard & Features
2.4.1 Dashboard Overview
- Active bids summary
- Watching/Favorite auctions
- Won auctions
- Lost auctions
- Autobid status and balance
2.4.2 Auction Browsing
- Homepage with featured auctions
- Category-based browsing
- Advanced search with filters:
- Price range
- Auction end time
- Condition
- Location
- Seller rating
- Sorting options (ending soon, newly listed, price low-high)
- Auction list view and grid view toggle
2.4.3 Auction Detail Page
- Product images gallery with zoom
- Detailed product description
- Seller information and rating
- Current bid price
- Number of bids placed
- Time remaining (countdown timer)
- Bid increment display
- Bid history (last X bids or all)
- Shipping information
- Return policy
- Ask seller a question
- Report auction
- Add to watchlist
- Share on social media
2.4.4 Bidding System
Manual Bidding
- Place bid button
- Bid amount validation (minimum increment)
- Instant bid confirmation
- Real-time bid updates
- Outbid notification (immediate)
Autobid System
- Enable autobid toggle
- Set maximum bid amount
- Autobid increment settings
- Autobid status indicator
- Autobid activity log
- Autobid balance management
- Autobid rules:
- System automatically places minimum required bid
- Continues bidding up to user's maximum
- Stops when maximum is reached or auction is won
- Shows proxy bid status to user only
2.4.5 Watchlist
- Add auctions to watchlist
- View all watched auctions
- Remove from watchlist
- Notifications for watched auctions
2.4.6 Bid History
- All bids placed by user
- Active bids
- Won auctions
- Lost auctions
- Bid status and timestamps
2.4.7 Won Auctions & Payment
- View won auction details
- Proceed to payment
- Multiple payment options:
- Credit/Debit card
- PayPal
- Stripe
- Bank transfer (manual verification)
- Payment confirmation
- Download invoice
- Order tracking
2.4.8 Messaging
- Message seller about specific auction
- View message history
- Receive admin notifications
2.5 Autobid System (Detailed)
2.5.1 Core Functionality
- Bidders set maximum bid amount
- System automatically outbids competitors by minimum increment
- Only increases bid when outbid by another user
- Maximum bid remains hidden from other users
- Current bid shows only minimum required amount
- Multiple users can have autobid active simultaneously
2.5.2 Autobid Logic
- When new manual/auto bid placed:
- Check if any autobid users exist for this auction
- Find highest autobid maximum
- If new bid < highest autobid max:
- Place autobid for highest autobid user
- New bid = current bid + increment
- If new bid >= highest autobid max:
- New bidder becomes highest
- Check for second-highest autobid
- Continue process if applicable
2.5.3 Autobid User Interface
- Clear toggle/checkbox to enable autobid
- Input field for maximum bid amount
- Display current active autobid status
- Show autobid activity log
- Edit maximum bid amount (increase only)
- Cancel autobid option
- Warning if autobid amount too low
2.5.4 Autobid Notifications
- Autobid activated confirmation
- Autobid outbid notification
- Autobid winning notification
- Maximum bid reached alert
- Autobid cancelled confirmation
2.6 Auction Rules & Mechanics
2.6.1 Bidding Rules
- Minimum bid increment (configurable by admin)
- First bid must be >= starting price
- Each subsequent bid must be >= current bid + increment
- Cannot bid on own auctions (seller)
- Bid retraction rules (strict or time-limited)
2.6.2 Auction End Rules
- Scheduled end time
- Anti-sniping feature (optional):
- Extend auction by X minutes if bid in last Y minutes
- Maximum extensions limit
- Immediate end on Buy Now price (optional)
- Reserve price not met handling
2.6.3 Reserve Price
- Hidden from bidders
- Auction can end without sale if not met
- Seller notified if reserve not met
- Option to accept highest bid or relist
2.6.4 Buy Now Option
- Fixed price for immediate purchase
- Removes auction when purchased
- Disabled after first bid (configurable)
2.7 Notification System
2.7.1 Email Notifications (with templates)
For Bidders:
- Registration confirmation
- Email verification
- Bid confirmation
- Outbid alert (you've been outbid)
- Autobid activated
- Autobid maximum reached
- Auction ending soon (watched items)
- Auction won
- Auction lost
- Payment confirmation
- Shipping notification
- Seller message received
For Sellers:
- Account created by admin
- New bid on auction
- Auction ending soon
- Auction completed (with/without sale)
- Payment received
- Low rating alert
- Admin message
For Admin:
- New seller registration request (if approval needed)
- New auction pending approval
- Auction reported
- Payment failed
- Dispute raised
- System alerts
2.7.2 In-App Notifications
- Real-time notification bell icon
- Notification count badge
- Notification list with read/unread status
- Mark all as read option
- Notification settings/preferences
2.7.3 SMS Notifications (Optional)
- Critical alerts only
- Outbid notifications
- Auction won
- Payment reminders
2.8 Payment & Financial System
2.8.1 Payment Gateway Integration
- Stripe integration
- PayPal integration
- Additional gateways (optional): Razorpay, Square, Authorize.net
- Manual bank transfer with verification
- Payment confirmation and receipt generation
2.8.2 Commission System
- Platform commission on successful sales
- Commission percentage configurable (global or per-seller)
- Automatic calculation at checkout
- Transparent commission display to seller
2.8.3 Payout System
- Seller payout requests
- Minimum payout threshold
- Payout schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
- Payout methods (bank transfer, PayPal)
- Payout history and tracking
- Tax documentation (1099 forms, etc.)
2.8.4 Transaction Management
- Complete transaction logs
- Refund processing
- Dispute handling
- Failed payment management
- Payment retry mechanism
2.9 Rating & Review System
2.9.1 Seller Ratings
- Bidders rate sellers after auction completion
- 5-star rating system
- Written reviews
- Rating categories:
- Product accuracy
- Communication
- Shipping speed
- Overall experience
- Average rating display on seller profile
- Review moderation by admin
2.9.2 Bidder Ratings (Optional)
- Sellers rate winning bidders
- Payment promptness
- Communication
- Overall experience
2.10 Search & Discovery
2.10.1 Search Functionality
- Keyword search across titles and descriptions
- Auto-suggest/autocomplete
- Search filters:
- Category
- Price range
- Auction status (live, upcoming, ending soon)
- Location
- Condition
- Seller rating
- Buy Now available
- Save search criteria
- Search history
2.10.2 Categorization
- Multi-level category hierarchy
- Category-based browsing
- Featured categories
- Product tags
2.11 Reporting & Analytics
2.11.1 Admin Reports
- Revenue reports (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
- Auction statistics
- User growth metrics
- Top sellers report
- Top bidders report
- Category performance
- Payment success/failure rates
- Commission earnings
2.11.2 Seller Reports
- Sales performance
- Auction success rate
- Revenue trends
- Bid activity analysis
- Customer demographics
- Product category performance
2.11.3 Export Functionality
- Export reports to PDF
- Export to Excel/CSV
- Scheduled report emails
3. Technical Requirements
3.1 Technology Stack Recommendations
Frontend
- HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
- Responsive framework (Bootstrap 5 or Tailwind CSS)
- JavaScript framework (React, Vue.js, or vanilla JS)
- Real-time updates (WebSocket or Server-Sent Events)
Backend
- PHP 8.x with Laravel/CodeIgniter/Symfony
- OR Node.js with Express
- OR Python with Django/Flask
- RESTful API architecture
Database
- MySQL 8.x or PostgreSQL
- Redis for caching and real-time features
Real-time Communication
- Socket.io or Pusher for live bid updates
- WebSocket connections for auction countdown
3.2 Performance Requirements
- Page load time < 3 seconds
- Real-time bid updates within 1 second
- Support for concurrent users (minimum 500)
- Database query optimization
- CDN for static assets
- Image optimization and lazy loading
3.3 Security Requirements
Authentication & Authorization
- Secure password hashing (bcrypt, Argon2)
- JWT token-based authentication
- Session management
- CSRF protection
- XSS prevention
- SQL injection prevention
Data Security
- HTTPS/SSL encryption
- Secure payment processing (PCI DSS compliance)
- Encrypted sensitive data storage
- Regular security audits
- Rate limiting on API endpoints
- Input validation and sanitization
Backup & Recovery
- Automated daily database backups
- File system backups
- Disaster recovery plan
- Data retention policies
3.4 Scalability
- Horizontal scaling capability
- Load balancing
- Database replication
- Caching strategy (Redis/Memcached)
- CDN integration
- Queue system for background jobs
3.5 Browser & Device Compatibility
- Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- Mobile responsive design
- Progressive Web App (PWA) capabilities - optional
- iOS and Android compatibility
4. UI/UX Requirements
4.1 Design Principles
- Clean and modern interface
- Intuitive navigation
- Mobile-first responsive design
- Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1)
- Consistent color scheme and branding
- Fast loading animations
4.2 Key UI Components
- Countdown timers (real-time)
- Bid increment calculator
- Image galleries with zoom
- Progress bars for auction status
- Toast notifications
- Modal windows for confirmations
- Loading states and skeletons
- Empty states with clear CTAs
4.3 Responsive Design
- Mobile (320px - 767px)
- Tablet (768px - 1024px)
- Desktop (1025px+)
- Touch-friendly buttons and controls
- Optimized images for different screen sizes
5. Integration Requirements
5.1 Payment Gateways
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Additional gateways as needed
5.2 Email Service
- SMTP configuration
- Transactional email services (SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES)
- Email queue management
- Email template engine
5.3 SMS Service (Optional)
- Twilio integration
- SMS notifications for critical alerts
5.4 Cloud Storage (Optional)
- Amazon S3 or similar for file storage
- Image optimization service
5.5 Social Media
- Social login (OAuth)
- Social sharing functionality
6. Documentation Requirements
6.1 User Documentation
- Admin user guide
- Seller user guide
- Bidder user guide
- FAQ section
- Video tutorials (optional)
6.2 Technical Documentation
- Installation guide
- Configuration guide
- API documentation
- Database schema
- Deployment guide
- Troubleshooting guide
6.3 CodeCanyon Requirements
- Well-commented code
- README file with clear instructions
- Changelog
- License information
- Support policy
- Demo credentials
- Feature list
7. Testing Requirements
7.1 Testing Types
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- User acceptance testing (UAT)
- Security testing
- Performance testing
- Cross-browser testing
- Mobile device testing
7.2 Test Scenarios
- Registration and login flows
- Auction creation and management
- Bidding process (manual and autobid)
- Payment processing
- Notification delivery
- Email functionality
- Search and filtering
- Admin operations
- Edge cases (auction ending, tie bids, etc.)
8. Deployment & Maintenance
8.1 Deployment
- Server requirements documentation
- Installation script
- Database migration scripts
- Environment configuration
- SSL certificate setup
- Cron job configuration for scheduled tasks
8.2 Scheduled Tasks
- Auction status updates (check for ended auctions)
- Send reminder emails (ending soon)
- Process autobids
- Generate reports
- Database cleanup
- Backup automation
8.3 Monitoring
- Error logging
- Performance monitoring
- Uptime monitoring
- User activity tracking
- Email delivery tracking
9. Additional Features (Optional/Premium)
9.1 Advanced Features
- Multi-language support (i18n)
- Multi-currency support
- Bulk auction upload (CSV)
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android)
- Live auction streaming
- Escrow service integration
- Auction insurance
- Verification badges for sellers
- Premium seller subscriptions
9.2 Marketing Features
- Promotional banners
- Discount codes for buyers
- Featured auction packages for sellers
- Email marketing campaigns
- SEO optimization
- Blog/news section
- Newsletter subscription
9.3 Social Features
- Follow favorite sellers
- Auction comments/questions
- Wishlist sharing
- Social media integration
10. CodeCanyon Specific Requirements
10.1 Package Contents
- Complete source code
- Database SQL file
- Installation documentation
- User manual
- Admin manual
- API documentation
- License file
- Changelog
10.2 Demo
- Live demo URL
- Admin demo credentials
- Seller demo credentials
- Bidder demo credentials
- Pre-populated sample data
10.3 Support & Updates
- 6 months support included
- Regular updates and bug fixes
- Security patches
- Feature enhancements
- Support ticket system
10.4 Pricing Tiers (Suggestion)
- Regular License: Single end product, free to end user
- Extended License: Single end product, charge end users
11. Launch Checklist
- All user roles functional
- Authentication working properly
- Auction creation and bidding tested
- Autobid system working correctly
- Payment gateway integrated and tested
- Email notifications configured
- Admin dashboard complete
- Mobile responsive
- Security audit completed
- Performance optimization done
- Documentation complete
- Demo site ready
- Sample data populated
- Cross-browser tested
- Legal pages (Terms, Privacy) added
- CodeCanyon requirements met
12. Future Enhancements Roadmap
- AI-powered price suggestions
- Blockchain verification for high-value items
- Virtual reality auction room
- Live streaming for auction events
- Advanced fraud detection
- Machine learning for bidding patterns
- Integration with shipping providers (tracking APIs)
- Mobile app with push notifications
- Voice-controlled bidding (Alexa, Google Home)