Bid on the City enters foreign partnership

Online Manhattan real estate auction company Bid on the City has partnered with a South African property auction company to share listings, Bid on the City’s founders said. Vlad Sapozhnikov, one of Bid on the City’s founders, said South African company Alliance Group approached Bid on the City about finding a way to sell Manhattan real estate to South African customers. Under the companies’ agreement, scheduled to take effect at the beginning of this month, each company’s properties will be included on the other company’s Web site. For any sales of Bid on the City properties to Alliance customers, Bid on the City will get a referral fee, and vice versa.

“We call them ‘Big Brother’ right now — they’re doing much more for us than we’re doing for them,” Sapozhnikov said of Alliance, which he said had sales of over $650 million per year.

Partnerships with companies in several other countries are in the works, Sapozhnikov said, but he refused to give specifics before the arrangements are finalized. Bid on the City is deciding where to expand based on how many people visit the company’s Web site from each country. “It means that people in those countries are more or less used to the idea of auctions,” Sapozhnikov said.