GenBay - Multi-Vendor Auction Platform

Launch your own professional, high-performance multi-vendor auction platform with GenBay. Built exclusively for timed auctions, GenBay is a robust, self-hosted Laravel application designed to handle real-time bidding, AI-driven listing creation, and enterprise-grade user verification. Unlike standard e-commerce scripts, GenBay is 100% focused on timed auction bidding workflows, anti-snipe logic, and high-concurrency database integrity.

This script features a clean Laravel 13 architecture, full PHP 8.4+ compatibility, and rigorous input sanitization. Every single feature listed below is fully functional and ready out-of-the-box.

---

Why Choose GenBay?

• Engineered for Auctions: Standard proxy bidding, automatic anti-snipe extensions, and real-time AJAX bidding updates without page refreshes.
• Advanced Seller KYC: Built-in trust system allowing admins to enforce passport/ID verification before sellers can list items or request payouts.
• AI-Assisted Listing Studio: Sellers and admins can auto-generate product descriptions and images directly from the dashboard using OpenAI or Google Gemini.
• Multi-Vendor wallets & 8+ Gateways: Native deposit wallet system with pre-integrated support for Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Flutterwave, SSLCommerz, Paytabs, Authorize.net, and Mollie. Checkout payment supports all online gateways plus COD and bank transfer.
• Enterprise Security: Strict XSS filtering, CSRF protection, staff roles (RBAC), and configurable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication).

---

Core Bidding & Auction Engine

The auction engine is built to handle high-traffic bids securely and transparently:

• Anti-Snipe Protection (Popcorn Bidding): Prevents last-second bidding bots from stealing auctions. If a bid is placed within the final minutes (configurable by admin), the countdown timer automatically extends to give all bidders a fair chance.
• Automatic Proxy Bidding: Bidders can set a maximum proxy amount. The engine automatically places bids at the minimum increment on their behalf whenever they are outbid, including robust collision resolution for competing auto-bids.
• Real-Time Live Updates: Real-time AJAX polling keeps listing detail pages updated with the latest highest bid, active bid history, minimum required next bid, and countdown timer.
• Automated Cron Winner Selection: Timed auctions are closed and winners declared automatically by a scheduled Artisan task running every minute.
• Race-Safe Database Locking: Database transaction-level locking ensures that concurrent bids are processed sequentially, preventing race conditions or duplicate bids under heavy traffic load.
• Rich Auction Listings: Supports multi-image galleries, downloadable PDF/file attachments (such as user manuals or certificates of authenticity), custom tags, SKUs, and stock limits.
• Tiered Bid Increments: Admins define minimum bid increments per price range (e.g., smaller increments under $50, larger increments above $500) for fairer, more predictable bidding.
• Buyer Wishlist: Registered users can save auctions to a personal wishlist to track and revisit listings before bidding.

---

Know Your Customer (KYC) Verification

A comprehensive compliance module to build a high-trust marketplace and protect your platform:

• Identity Verification: Sellers upload Passport, National ID, or Driving License documents plus a selfie photo for admin approval.
• Admin Moderation Panel: Search, filter by verification status, preview uploaded documents securely, and approve or reject submissions with mandatory feedback.
• Secure Document Storage: Files are stored on a private, non-public disk storage layer to protect sensitive personal identification data.
• Configurable Enforcement: Admins can globally enable/disable KYC or restrict unverified sellers by setting listing count limits or blocking payout requests.
• Conditional Buyer KYC: Optionally prompt buyers for verification before allowing wallet withdrawals.

---

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Secure administrative, seller, and customer accounts against brute-force attacks and credential theft:

• Email OTP Verification: Users receive a secure one-time passcode to their registered email address to complete authentication.
• Granular Role Enforcement: Separate global switches to enforce or disable 2FA independently for Sellers or Customers.
• Trusted Devices: Users can select to trust their current browser/device for a configurable number of days, bypassing OTP checks on subsequent logins.
• Brute-Force & Session Protection: Includes OTP cooldown timers, code expiration windows, and strict gatekeeping that blocks account access until the OTP is verified.

---

Multi-Vendor Marketplace & Commission System

Turn your platform into a profitable business by hosting independent sellers:

• Isolated Seller Dashboard: Sellers register, manage their storefront profile, create auction listings, view real-time earnings, and track customer orders.
• Storefront Profiles: Each vendor receives a public, branded storefront URL displaying their listings, shop banner, description, and feedback rating.
• Flexible Commissions: Charge sellers a flat fee or a percentage-based commission on every successful auction sale.
• Payout Request System: Sellers request withdrawals of their available earnings balance from the seller dashboard. Admins review and process each payout manually.
• Verified Reviews: Only auction winners with fully paid orders can submit reviews, preventing fake feedback and duplicate rating spam.

---

Catalog, Order & Account Management

Full administrative oversight and control across the entire marketplace:

• Three-Level Category Tree: Organize listings with Categories, Sub-Categories, and Child Categories, each with its own image, "featured" flag, and active/inactive status.
• Centralized Product Moderation: Admins can create, edit, clone, feature, or remove any seller's listing directly from the admin panel.
• Order Management: View every order platform-wide, update order status, and generate or print invoices.
• Buyer Account Management: Search, view, edit, verify, suspend, or delete buyer accounts, and update passwords on their behalf.
• Seller Account Management: Approve, edit, suspend, or remove seller accounts, update seller shop details, and configure global seller settings.
• Bid & Winner Oversight: Review and remove individual bids or auto-bids, and manage auction winners when disputes arise.
• Review Moderation: Approve, hide, or delete customer reviews to keep storefront ratings trustworthy.

---

Deposit Wallet & 8+ Gateways

• Deposits: Users top up a secure internal wallet through any of the pre-integrated payment gateways before placing bids.
• Withdrawal Requests: Users can request a withdrawal of their wallet balance from their dashboard. Admins review each request and approve it (recording payment method and transaction number) or reject it, all from a dedicated admin panel.
• Manual Wallet Adjustments: Admins can directly credit or debit any user's wallet balance for refunds, bonuses, or corrections, with every change logged in a full transaction audit trail.
• Pre-Integrated Gateways:
  • Stripe & PayPal (International)
  • Razorpay (India)
  • Flutterwave (Africa)
  • SSLCommerz (Bangladesh)
  • Paytabs (Middle East)
  • Authorize.net & Mollie (International)
  • Manual Bank Transfers (with transaction number verification and admin approval)
• Payment Transaction Log: Every gateway payment is recorded in a searchable admin transaction log, separate from the internal wallet ledger.
• Multi-Currency & Shipping: Manage multiple currencies with configurable exchange rates and a default currency, and configure per-product shipping (free or flat-rate).

---

AI Content Studio & Media Manager

• OpenAI or Google Gemini Integration: Generate professional, SEO-friendly auction descriptions and high-resolution product images directly from the product creation page, using either OpenAI or Gemini as the AI provider.
• AI Provider Settings: Admins independently enable/disable and configure API keys for OpenAI and Google Gemini from a dedicated settings screen — no code changes required to switch providers.
• AI Image Gallery: Every AI-generated image is saved to a searchable gallery for reuse across listings, with admin controls to review or delete images.
• Admin Credit Controls: Limit AI usage by setting global monthly credits for sellers, with text and image generation consuming from a unified credit pool.
• Centralized Media Manager: Admins and sellers get an isolated file manager with drag-and-drop uploads, instant search, grid/list view, and server-side file sanitization.

---

Complete Admin Administration & CMS

• Analytics: View revenue statistics, registration counts, active listings, and platform health from a unified dashboard.
• Homepage Builder: Manage hero sliders, featured/latest/upcoming auction sections, popular categories, top vendors, How It Works steps, sponsors, testimonials, and animated statistics counters — with per-section show/hide visibility toggles, no code required.
• Multi-Language & RTL Support: Pre-configured with 6 default languages with support for unlimited additional languages. Admins can add new languages, edit translations from the panel, and enable right-to-left (RTL) layouts.
• Menus, Quick Links & Social Links: Build custom header/footer menus, footer quick links, and social media links directly from the admin panel.
• SEO & Sitemap Tools: Configure meta titles/descriptions per page and generate/download an XML sitemap on demand.
• Newsletter & Custom Notifications: Manage newsletter subscribers and broadcast custom notifications to users directly from the admin panel.
• Dynamic Page Builder & Blog: Create custom informational pages (FAQ, privacy policy, terms of service) and manage a fully categorized marketing blog.
• Custom Email Templates: Customize and edit all automated system notifications (registrations, bid wins, order updates, password resets).
• Built-In Helpdesk: Integrated customer support ticket system allowing users and sellers to message support staff directly.

---

System Requirements

• PHP Version: PHP 8.4+ (Standard CGI/FPM or CLI)
• Database: MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.4+
• Required PHP Extensions: BCMath, Ctype, Curl, DOM, Exif, Fileinfo, GD, Hash, Iconv, JSON, Mbstring, OpenSSL, PCRE, PDO (with pdo_mysql), Session, Symlink, Tokenizer, XML, Zip
• Recommended PHP Directives: upload_max_filesize (5M+), post_max_size (10M+), memory_limit (256M+), max_execution_time (300s)
• Cron Job: Server support for scheduled tasks (required to close auctions and run background queue/bidding tasks)