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May I retract my bid?
If you bid on an item, you are obligated to pay in the event that you win the item. To maintain the integrity of this site, you must provide an absolutely exceptional cause for retraction and contact both us and the seller. Unless you are absolutely certain you wish to purchase an item for any amount, up to that of your maximum bid, do not place any bid on any item. You will be held accountable for your bidding.
Where do I find the seller's email address and contact information?
Visit the Closed Auctions page to view details of auctions in which you were the seller or winning bidder. You may also access this information via the "My Auctions" link which is found at the upper right of the navigation bar at the top of every page. You will find addresses, email addresses, names, bid amounts and everything else related to the item.
I'm not sure I understand proxy bidding...
Proxy bidding allows you to remain in the bidding process without manually tending to your computer or the auction. Simply enter the highest price that you are willing to pay for an item, and the agent (proxy bidding system) will manage the bidding on your behalf. If your bid is the high bid, it will remain so until another bidder submits a higher maximum bid than yours. Your bid will automatically outbid other bids by the designated bid increment, as long as the other bidders’ maximums are less than yours. The easiest way to understand proxy bidding is through an example:
Current minimum bid on an item is $10.00. The bid increment is $1.00.
Bidder A bids a maximum proxy bid of $13.00 at 12:00 p.m.
Bidder B bids a maximum proxy bid of $15.00 at 4:00 p.m.
The price for the item goes up based on the lowest agent bid. Bidder A bids a maximum of $13.00 at 12:00 p.m., so at 12:00 p.m. bidder A is in the lead.
Bidder B bid $15.00 at 4:00p.m. on the same day. So, at 4:00p.m. Bidder B takes the lead, and bidder A’s bid is now void. At the end of the auction bidder B wins the item at $14.00 unless Bidder A increases his/her maximum bid.
Please note that if your proxy bid is higher than the reserve price that your bid will be for the amount of the reserve.
Where do I look to verify that an auction has ended?
Visit the Closed Auctions page to view details of auctions in which you were the seller or winning bidder.
This information is also accessible via the "My Auctions" link on the upper right corner of the navigation bar which appears at the top of every page.
How do I pay the seller?
We act as as the venue for sellers to conduct auctions and for bidders to bid on sellers’ auctions. We are not involved in the actual monetary transaction between buyers and sellers. As a result, all arrangements are made between the buyers and sellers.
We recommend using a trusted third party payment processor such as paypal which will not only speed things up considerably but also provide you with consumer protection.
What if the seller backs out?
If the seller backs out leave your comment indicating the incident using Feedback.
What if the seller takes my money but does not deliver the item?
If you are purchasing valuable merchandise make certain the seller uses some sort of delivery tracking method,
and possibly request insurance as well.
If it is your belief that the seller is acting in a dishonest or unethical manner, contact the seller through email and post negative feedback to warn other potential victims.
If you have not received your merchandise within 21 days after payment has cleared please contact us and tell us the auction number/title along with your payment details and we will attempt to contact the seller on your behalf
and may possibly suspend or remove the user if we are not given a satisfactory explanation. Additionally if you paid with a credit card through PayPal or another online payment service you may report
the incident of fraud with them as well as your credit card company. We strongly recommend using the PayPal service for payment
because it allows you to verify a seller's identity since they have submitted their banking details to PayPal. You will be warned if a PayPal member has not been verified.
Additionally, PayPal will investigate on your behalf in incidents of fraud and attempt to
negotiate a refund from the seller in question. In extreme cases of fraud if all else fails you may elect to notify the Internet Fraud Complaint Center which is a department of the FBI and they may possibly investigate the matter. This should done in extreme cases of fraud, especially if you suspect the seller is operating under numerous aliases
and is running multiple auctions, maybe running an intentional scam. We do our absolute best to prevent this from happening at Auction Fire so please let us know if you suspect something bad is going on here.
Why do some auctions have 'reserve prices'? What are these?
A reserve price means the seller is not obligated to sell below that price. The purpose of this is to protect the seller from selling an item for less than he/she wants to.
Many people wonder why doesn't a seller just start his/her auction at their minimum price, thereby eliminating the need for reserve pricing. The high bidder and seller may still work out a deal, maybe for the highest bid amount even if reserve was not met. They are not obligated to transact with one another but
they may do so if they both agree and will receive contact information for the other party at the end of the auction. Also, it draws more interest to an auction if the price starts lower just to get the bidding started.
Why do some auctions offer instant purchase? What is this
A seller has the option of setting an instant purchase price when they post their auction ad. An instant purchase price is an amount that can be paid in order to end the auction early, thereby guaranteeing a winning bid. Instant purchase is only made available before an actual auction bid has been placed.
Bidding and Buyer Tips
When bidding, enter the highest amount you are willing to pay. The proxy system will continually place bids on your behalf to ensure that you are the current highest bidder until your maximum amount has been exceeded. If you have any questions regarding an item, contact the seller before placing your bid. Also contact the seller immediately after winning an auction. They can retrieve needed information by viewing the closed auction, such as who and where to send the item to (you can also use the Closed Auctions link to view the seller's information), but personal contact between buyer and seller is considered proper ettiquette and reassures both in the process of the transaction.
Remember to view a seller's feedback history before bidding. And after your transaction has completed, be sure to leave your own feedback on their history so that future buyers will know, based on your experience, whether or not the seller is worth future business. And remember, they can leave feedback about you-- so be accountable!
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