Chinese Auction Basket Ideas - 7 Gift Baskets You Can Make for the Perfect Basket

When it comes to raffle basket ideas, the sky really is the limit. You can create all sorts of baskets, from a chocolate lover’s basket to a home spa day basket. Literally any theme you can come up with, you can create a basket for.

But if you’re still unsure just which type of basket you want to create, then keep reading as we’re going to include a plethora of the best Chinese auction basket ideas for some seriously cool ideas that will get your creative juices flowing. 

What is a Chinese Auction Basket?

Chinese auction baskets are used for fundraisers or events in order to raise money for schools, charities and other types of organizations. Each basket normally has a value of around $100 and is donated to the charity or fundraiser by the person creating one. 

To win gift baskets at a Chinese auction, you buy raffle tickets and place them in a bowl or receptacle in front of the basket during the auction, the more raffle tickets or bids you add to the bowl, the more your chances of winning increases. Baskets are usually nicely decorated and have a bunch of cool stuff in them to entice people to bid on them. 

They usually include a basket, hence the name, filled with all types of gifts that have a theme. So for example, at a school function you might want a ‘student basket’ that can be filled with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets that students would want to use. Add some stickers, binders and the normal school gear and you have a student themed Chinese gift basket.

Some Other Auction Basket Names

If you’re not familiar with a Chinese Auction Basket, you still might know what they are, you just heard a different name. Actually there are a lot of other names for Chinese auction baskets that totally depend on where you come from. And to make it all more confusing, any of them can be used interchangeably! But anyway, here’s a quick list:

1. Chinese Raffle Baskets
2. Tricky Tray Baskets
3. Pick-a-Prize Baskets
4. Basket Raffle Items
5. Silent Auction Baskets
6. Gift Basket Auctions
7. Penny Social Baskets
8. Bid-n-Buy Baskets
9. Chance Auction Baskets
10. Lucky Draw Baskets
11. Penny Auction Baskets
12. Prize Drawing Baskets
13. Gift Basket Raffles
14. Chinese Auction Bundles
15. Lottery Basket Raffles

Our Awesome Auction Basket Ideas for Any Fundraiser

Coffee & Tea Basket

Everyone loves either coffee or tea, so this is usually one of the better ideas to help raise some cash for your favorite charity. And you can do so much! Create a basket filled with flavored coffees, specialty teas, fancy mugs, biscotti, cookies or crackers, flavored hot chocolate, there are just so many item options. And if you run out of ideas, just look at what’s on display at your favorite shop!

Wine Lover's Basket

Sticking to the drinks category, wine is another favorite idea. You can include both reds and whites as well as a few of the appropriate wine glasses to go with the bottles. A nice wine opener, and a crystal decanter would really put this over the top. Just remember, this idea may not be appropriate for elementary school functions!

Baking Basket

Food baskets are another big winner and there are so many themes you can go with here. With a baking basket you can include all sorts of great DIY baking gadgets. Baking sheets, cupcake tins, even all the ingredients for baking, you can even create a theme within a theme.

Candle Basket

Candles are another fantastic idea and can be appropriate at any function, specifically if it includes a lot of moms. Go with scented candles so when someone is close to the basket, they’ll be able to smell the goodness of what you’ve prepared. Add some unique candle holders and even a lighter and candle snuffer to have a complete basket that anyone would love to own.

Pet Lovers Basket

Practically everyone I know has some sort of pet. And many events are to raise money for abandoned pets. I always thought a cool idea for an animal rescue event would be that everyone makes a Chinese auction basket for a different type of pet, from lizards to horses. And you can do the same for smaller events too. Like maybe a hamster gift basket with a cage, hamster wheel, bedding material, food, water bottle, the complete kit with all the items. Perfect for events with small children or pet lovers.

Spa Retreat Basket

There’s no reason you need to go to a spa to enjoy a relaxing and rejuvenating spa experience when you can do everything they do right at home. These types of baskets can include all sorts of things from setting the mood like scented candles candles to all natural face masks and skin products. Add a few bath salts and essential oils to bump up your basket, or even a relaxing CD or a gift certificate for a spa treatment to really make it stand out. And yes, men like to be pampered too so don’t think this is a woman’s only basket!

Movie Night Basket for Kids

This one is great for the entire family! And sure, you can fill it with a bunch of CD’s, you can even do a movie theme, but there’s a lot more you can do. Give your bidders the full movie experience by including popcorn, Twizzlers, and all the favorite movie night candies. Add some beverages and a nice cozy blanket and you have a great movie night for someone. And to go even farther, you can even add some movie tickets just so there’s some variety.

Gardening Auction Basket

Gardening is definitely picking up pace recently. More people are starting to garden for all sorts of reason from food to growing their own home remedies. That also makes them a great choice as you can easily match them to the event. For charities related to hospitals and health you can include all sorts of gardening tools and even some live plants all used for medicinal purposes. Or include all flowing plants that make any space more beautiful, or an all herb array of seeds. You can even go so far as a few posts, or one huge pot instead of a basket, think big!

Wrapping Up

As you can see with just a few of the many gift ideas for chinese auctions you could create, the variety of baskets is only limited by your imagination. Just think about what basket you would bid on if you were at a charity and that should help spark some creative ideas for you. 

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