{"id":13370,"date":"2025-08-04T11:09:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T09:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/blog\/?p=13370"},"modified":"2025-08-05T11:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T09:25:11","slug":"customer-story-pipa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.combell.com\/en\/blog\/customer-story-pipa\/","title":{"rendered":"PIPA auctions top pigeons for millions, powered by Combell\u2019s rock-solid hosting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf you aim for the top of the market like we do, your platform needs to be rock-solid and reliable.\u201d So says Erwin De Vylder, Chief Information Officer at PIPA<\/a>. This Belgian company is a global player - and the market leader - in the online auction of racing pigeons. Combell ensures that the auction platform, which regularly sees million-euro deals coming in from China, performs just as flawlessly as the feathered champions themselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\u20ac2.2 million for a pair of pigeons<\/a>\" (Dutch) and \"New Kim becomes world\u2019s most expensive pigeon at \u20ac1.6 million<\/a>\", just two of the many headlines generated in recent years by Combell customer PIPA (Pigeon Paradise).<\/p>\n

What does it take to organise world-class racing pigeon auctions? And how does Combell\u2019s robust infrastructure, the proud hosting partner of PIPA, to the international success of this unique business? We visited their headquarters in Knesselare<\/strong> (close to Aalter, Belgium) to find out.<\/p>\n

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Combell is responsible for hosting PIPA's ultra-important bidding platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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From news site to online auction house<\/h2>\n

Surrounded by countless pigeons, we meet Erwin De Vylder<\/strong>. As Chief Information Officer, he\u2019s responsible for \u201ceverything with a plug\u201d but primarily for the online platform that powers PIPA.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in 2000, PIPA was just a news website about pigeon racing, a hobby project of our CEO Nikolaas Gyselbrecht<\/strong>,\u201d Erwin tells us.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Gyselbrecht family has deep roots in pigeon racing. Carlo, Nikolaas\u2019 father, won the first international race from Barcelona in 1995. That\u2019s the most prestigious race in the sport. It wasn\u2019t long before their name became well known in the pigeon world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driven by passion, Nikolaas saw a gap in the market: why not move pigeon auctions out of dusty village halls and online?<\/p>\n

\u201cEnthusiasts were sceptical. They thought you had to see and feel a pigeon\u2019s muscles.<\/em> But it was a huge success, and the auctions kept growing. Today, we\u2019re best known as an international auction house with our own breeding company<\/strong>,\u201d says Erwin.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019re one of the few companies exporting to China instead of importing from it.<\/p>\n

Erwin De Vylder, Chief Information Officer at PIPA<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\"Top players sell their pigeons exclusively through us\"<\/h2>\n

Although PIPA regularly makes the news with dizzying deals, behind the scenes there is a lot of work involved in all the preparations.<\/p>\n

\u2018All pigeons need good photos and a detailed description. Just like on Zalando!\u2019 laughs PIPA's CIO.<\/p>\n

\u2018In addition, our foreign employees scout the top fanciers in countries such as France and Germany.<\/strong> Most of them are under contract with us and only sell their pigeons through us. That exclusive offering is PIPA's strength. Our sales agents establish contacts with potential buyers, especially in China and Taiwan<\/strong>.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\"Not just for grandpas on Sundays, pigeon racing is truly global\"<\/h2>\n

Erwin explains that while the number of enthusiasts is declining nationally, pigeon racing is big business internationally. The entire world watches PIPA\u2019s online offerings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn Belgium, the sport is shrinking, but globally it\u2019s booming. It\u2019s no longer just grandpas racing pigeons on Sundays. There\u2019s a wave of professionalisation.<\/strong> Some enthusiasts turn it into a full-time job and spend over \u20ac100,000 on pigeons annually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sport is growing in the Middle East and the Balkans.<\/strong> And then there\u2019s China, where people bet big on pigeon races. That\u2019s where the high bids come from. Some buyers are willing to spend fortunes on pigeons with exceptional track records.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In Knesselare, we meet Erwin De Vylder, Chief Information Officer at PIPA<\/u><\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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No imports but exports to China instead<\/h2>\n

That gives Belgian-based PIPA a strong foothold in the Asian market. Erwin: \u201cMost companies import from China but we do the opposite: we export to China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before potential buyers get access to the online bidding platform, they go through a thorough screening process. \u201cWe aim for the top of the market. No \u2018fun bidders\u2019 who walk away without paying. Our average pigeon sells for around \u20ac2,500<\/strong>, while other platforms sell birds for \u20ac50 or \u20ac100,\u201d Erwin explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018We opt for a personal approach. We check everyone who registers; we want to know if they are legitimate<\/em>. Sorry, the highest bidder has walked away. Would you still like to buy that pigeon for the second-highest bid?<\/em> You can't explain that to customers.\u2019<\/p>\n

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In China, people bet heavily on pigeon races, that explains the big money.<\/p>\n

Erwin De Vylder, Chief Information Officer at PIPA<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cIf you want to bid, we assign you a budget upfront. That way, people can\u2019t randomly place \u20ac500,000 bids. In the first conversation, we try to gauge which budget category<\/strong> the customer fits into.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen pigeons sell for huge sums, we try to keep their location as discreet as possible. You don\u2019t want your prized pigeon to get stolen. I\u2019ve heard of sellers who, after closing a deal, take the bird into their bedroom for safekeeping!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Text continues below the video<\/em><\/p>\n

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