- Who determines the minimum or starting bid?
- What is the Bid Increment?
- Okay, what are Proxy or MaxBids?
- What does using this auction cost and how do I
qualify?
- How do I bid?
- What are Reserve Bids?
- How do I Post an item for sale?
- How do I find out more about a posted item?
- How do I know I'm getting a good deal?
- How do I know I won?
The seller (the person who posted the item) decides
what he or she wants the bidding to begin at. Usually this is (and
should be) just below the lowest price acceptable for the item. If you
bid, the system will ask you to bid the starting price PLUS the Bid
Increment. Sellers are encouraged to start items at a reasonable
amount and not absurdly high. Buyers like the auction process because it
allows bargain shopping. If an item is priced right, people recognize
the bargain and bid on it.
The Bid Increment
(/home/cgi-bin/auction/auction.pl.25 is the default increment) raises
the bidding each time by that minimum amount (you can always bump
it up even higher or enter a Proxy Bid, in which case the system will
bid either the bid increment or enough of your stated amount to make you
the leading bidder. The purpose of the bid increment is to keep someone
from outbidding you by some silly amount like $.01. It protects you and
assures the seller of getting a decent return if the item is hotly
contested.
There are several systems of "proxy" bids; i.e. the
system bidding for you automatically. The system in the DieCastAuctions
software is called "AutoBid." Think of 'AutoBid' as someone who stays
and watches the auction 24 hours a day while you're off doing more
interesting stuff. You activate 'AutoBid' by entering the highest amount
you are willing to pay for an item into the "place bid" box. The system
will then bid for you, bidding only enough to make you the high bidder.
If someone tops that bid, good old 'AutoBid' places another bid for you
and so on up to the maximum amount you've specified. Under no
circumstances will 'AutoBid' ever bid MORE than you said. But the system
will send you e-mail about an outbid and you can give 'AutoBid' a few
more bucks to play with, if you like. Just enter another bid
amount.
This auction is FREE
but we do require that all sellers and buyers be registered. This
enables our software to keep track of items for sale and who bids on
what. It protects both us as auction providers and you as buyer and/or
seller. Registration is simple and painless. Merely click on New Registration on the menu near the bottom
of any auction page.
Click on the name of items you'd like more
information about. If you wish to place a bid, enter your bid in the box
below the item, then just click on the "place bid" button nearby. We
suggest that a good strategy for items you really want is to place the
highest bid you are willing to pay. Otherwise, someone may beat you out.
This system accepts proxy or maxbid bids (see Proxy
Bids below). Should someone outbid you,
the system sends you an e-mail notification with a link back here to the
item. Click on the link right in your e-mail message and you will be
returned to the directly to the item. You can then decide whether you
want to raise your bid.
Sometimes (and our system supports this) a seller
enters a Reserve Bid. For example, his
Model 384T Golden Widget sells for $100 new. He or she decides to place
a starting bid of $1 on the item but they want to get at least $80 for
it. So a reserve bid of $80 is entered into the system. In such a
case--even if you are the high bidder at, say, $60--you will not win the
item unless you go over $80. We feel this is a poor auction strategy and
wastes the time of buyers and sellers alike. We suggest this to sellers:
enter the item at the least price you will
accept, with no reserve.
Posting
your items for sale auction is both free and easy. Simply
register if you have not already (by clicking
New Registration on the menu near the
bottom of any auction page). The system automatically mails your
password within usually a few seconds (no need to disconnect while you
wait). Once you have the password, you might want to copy it from your
e-mail and go to Change Registration
to change it to your own.
Posting items for sale is accomplished by clicking on Post New Item after
you Login your account at the bottom of any
auction screen. Fill in the form that pops up with a short descriptive
title (make it snazzy to get people's attention). Next, select the
category the item should be in (if you don't see an appropriate category
on the drop down list, please e-mail us (see address below) and ask for
that category to be added. Be a little patient, please--we get LOTS of
e-mail.
If you have any questions about an item, by all
means contact the seller and ask him or her (not us!). The seller's
e-mail address is included on the item's page. Just click on it to send
him or her mail. You can ask about condition of the item, payment and
shipment terms, or anything else not already spelled out in the item's
description.
When buying something from someone--whether on the
internet, in any kind of auction, or anywhere else--your best protection
to be an informed buyer. In Latin: Caveat Emptor! The age-old
warning of Buyer Beware! We do police this auction and make our best
effort to keep it clean and pleasant, but we can give no blanket
guarantee. You might read our Terms & Conditions page for more info
on this. However, we also go to great lengths here to make sure you have
plenty of great stuff at bargain prices to bid on.
The system automatically sends the buyer (highest
bidder) and seller of the item e-mail when the auction ends. The buyer
and seller then are responsible for making their own arrangements to
conclude the deal by payment and shipment. This auction merely offers a
venue for buying and selling. We will not, nor cannot, be held
responsible in any way for any lack of performance by any and all
parties. We simply provide a place that allows people to buy and sell.
HOWEVER, do let us know of any problems. We can and will banish anyone
who abuses our auction.
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