Wimbledon Auctions Nearly Doubles Turnover with Bidpath
Founded in 2022, Wimbledon Auctions is a London auction house specialising in fine art, antiques, and jewellery sourced from private collections across London and Surrey. Since moving its website, back office, and live bidding to Bidpath, the firm has nearly doubled its turnover. Owner Felix Turner explains how the switch happened — and what changed.
Key takeaways
- Turnover nearly doubled since Wimbledon Auctions adopted Bidpath’s website, Back Office, and live bidding.
- Onboarding was straightforward and stress-free — fully operational within a few months, and feeling native within weeks.
- The Go Auction Back Office speeds up cataloguing, invoicing, statements, media management, and AML compliance.
- Wimbledon Live offers bidders a 0% live bidding surcharge, with buyers bidding directly with the auction house.
- Standout results followed, including a rediscovered Raeburn portrait of Robert Burns selling for £84,320.
The Challenge
Wimbledon Auctions’ sales attract a broad audience — from private collectors and trade dealers to museums, institutions, and individuals furnishing their homes — drawn by the firm’s focus on fresh-to-market items and diverse catalogues.
As the business grew, owner Felix Turner faced a familiar challenge for London auction houses: rising operational costs and increasing administrative complexity. Managing cataloguing, invoicing, compliance, and live bidding across multiple platforms was time-consuming, and Wimbledon Auctions was seeking enhanced functionality and a more modernised bidding experience to support its continued growth.
“I wanted a more user-friendly website and our own bidding platform. When I looked at our competition in London, I noticed that many of the higher-end auction houses were using Bidpath.”
— Felix Turner, Owner, Wimbledon Auctions
Felix also wanted greater control over the bidder experience and a scalable system that would support growth without adding unnecessary stress to an already demanding workload.
The Solution
After consulting with Bidpath and reviewing the platform in detail, Wimbledon Auctions transitioned to a fully integrated Bidpath solution: a new website, the Go Auction Back Office, and a custom live bidding platform — Wimbledon Live.
“From the first chat, it was clear that Bidpath understood Wimbledon Auctions and our requirements.”
Although switching systems mid-cataloguing cycle initially felt daunting, the efficiency and usability of the Go Auction Back Office proved decisive.
“It was the efficiency of the Go Auction System that helped me make up my mind to go with Bidpath. The Go Auction system is incredibly easy to use — so straightforward, yet it opens up a wide range of options for valuations, receipts, cataloguing, media management, and AML.”
Onboarding & Implementation
Despite concerns about the workload involved in launching a new website, back office, and live bidding platform, the onboarding process quickly exceeded expectations. In Felix’s words:
“It took me a few months to make up my mind to go with Bidpath. Namely because I worried about adding extra stress and tasks to my already large workload. The thought of changing back office, a new website and a new live bidding platform that neither myself or my colleagues had any idea to use seemed daunting. However, once I joined Bidpath, the reality was the total opposite to my expectations. The onboarding experience was straightforward and stress-free. I worked with a couple members of the onboarding team for the next stages, both of whom were a pleasure to work with. They had everything sorted within a few months, and after a few training sessions I was good to go with the new system.”
With hands-on support from the Bidpath team, including training sessions and guided setup, Wimbledon Auctions was fully operational within a few months.
“The Bidpath team were incredibly helpful during the onboarding process. It was not stressful and didn’t add to my workload. Once I joined Bidpath, I realised that the efficiency of the system meant I now had more time to focus on important tasks like business go-getting.”
Was there a particular moment or feature that made you feel confident you’d made the right choice?
“As soon as I saw the new website and began training on the Go System, I knew I had made the right choice. Everything looked super professional, and yet was so easy to use. Myself and my staff quickly adapted to the new system, and within a few weeks it was as though we had always used it.”
The Results
Since adopting Bidpath’s solutions, Wimbledon Auctions’ turnover has nearly doubled.
The impact has been felt across the business:
- Faster invoicing, statements, and receipts for both buyers and sellers
- More efficient cataloguing and media management
- Improved compliance workflows, including AML
- Greater capacity to chase consignments and focus on business development
“The Go System improves the overall efficiency of our auction process. We can catalogue more lots, send more receipts, manage invoices easier, manage statements easier, solve problems faster. My team has also given me great feedback about the system.”
The new website has strengthened seller confidence, reinforcing Wimbledon Auctions’ credibility in a competitive market — and on the buyer side, Wimbledon Live gives bidders a professional, cost-effective way to bid directly with the auction house. Felix sums up the impact across the whole business:
“Our turnover has almost doubled since adopting Bidpath’s solutions. The Go System saves us time, from sending receipts and statements to sellers to issuing invoices to buyers. The efficient nature of the system gives myself and my staff more time in the day to chase consignments. Our website also looks better, which helps sellers know they are working with the right company. When we want to make changes to our website, be it images, text, videos or blog posts, everything can be done at a click of a button. The tech support that Bidpath offer is also brilliant. Assistance is available at the click of a button, and someone from the Bidpath team gets back to us promptly. They are also polite and easy to converse with. Likewise on auction day (often the most stressful day of the month), any technical glitches or errors (always my fault!!), Bidpath are always there to help resolve things. I feel confident knowing that we have the best support available.
On the buyer’s side, our live bidding also offers our buyers a more cost-effective method of bidding, directly with us. It’s professional for an auction house to offer their own live-bidding platform, and Bidpath facilitates this for us. Whilst it does mean an extra clerk is required on sale days, the clerking system is also incredibly easy to use.”
— Felix Turner, Owner, Wimbledon Auctions
Supporting Exceptional Sales
Enhanced efficiency and increased confidence from buyers and sellers have coincided with several standout results. Among the most notable was the rediscovery of a long-lost portrait of Scottish poet Robert Burns by Sir Henry Raeburn, which sold for £84,320 including fees after being missing for over 200 years.
In another landmark sale, two imperial Chinese bowls from the reign of Emperor Kangxi achieved £81,250 and £60,000 respectively.
Felix believes the professionalism of Wimbledon Auctions’ digital presence and systems has played a key role in attracting higher-value consignments and delivering stronger outcomes.
“I think our website and use of the Bidpath system gives our sellers and buyers confidence when working with us. This, in turn, leads to higher value consignments and better sale results.”
Ongoing Support & Partnership
Beyond the technology itself, Bidpath’s ongoing support has been central to Wimbledon Auctions’ success — assistance is available at the click of a button, and the team responds promptly, including on sale day. From onboarding through to day-to-day operations, Felix regularly works with the Bidpath team for guidance, support, and advice on new features and opportunities.
“From my perspective, our working relationship with the Bidpath team is incredibly strong. I know that Bidpath is only ever an email away for assistance.”
Have there been any standout moments of collaboration, service, or innovation?
“I think the amount of time that the Bidpath staff have given me in support on a weekly basis, through emails, phone calls, video calls. It really is outstanding. The team is also quick to notify me of any new available options that might benefit Wimbledon Auctions, and I have recently taken him up on some of them.”
Looking Ahead
Wimbledon Auctions continues to build momentum and is set to open a new consignment office in Wimbledon Village, with a focus on attracting higher-value consignments and expanding its client base.
With Bidpath as its technology partner, the business is well positioned to scale efficiently while maintaining a premium experience for both buyers and sellers — proof that the strongest auction technology is often the part bidders barely notice. For another view of what an integrated Bidpath operation looks like, read how Tiger Group boosted auction performance and bidder engagement.
In Felix’s Words
“Straightforward. Trustworthy. Professional. Supportive. Helpful.”
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