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Frequently Asked Questions |
You may browse as much as you'd like without signing up. It takes just a few
minutes to register. To complete the registration process, you will
need to provide us with required information such as your Username,
Full Name, Address, Email Address, Country, and zip code.. Once
you have confirmed your choices, you will then have to agree to the
site rules and restrictions by clicking the Accept command button on
the following Terms and Conditions page. You can change your user-specific Password or your address at any time by editing your User information.
You may Register now! 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. 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 raises
the bidding each time by a 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 Free Auction software is called "MaxBid."
Think of 'Max' as someone who stays and watches the auction 24 hours a
day while you're off doing more interesting stuff. You activate 'Max'
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 'Max' places another bid for you and so on up to the
maximum amount you've specified. Under no circumstances will 'Max'
ever bid MORE than you said. But the system will send you an e-mail about
an outbid and you can give 'Max' a few more bucks to play with, if you
like. Just enter another bid amount. This auction is FREE
to bid and sell 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 above). 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 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 item 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. If you have any questions about an item, by all means
contact the seller and ask him or her (not us!). You can contact the seller by clicking on the (ask seller a question) link, when viewing their auction. From there enter your username and password, then type in your question and click "send". 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 will also go to great lengths here to make sure you have plenty
of great
stuff at bargain prices to bid on. Another way is to check out the
feedback of the seller. Many times this will give you a good indication
of weather they are honest or not. 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. If in any event a person bids on an item and does not meet his or her
obligations, or if a seller sells anything that misleads the buyer we take this
very serious. This means that if there is a dispute the we will investigate and
hold parties accountable. In the event we find any person(s) to have violated
our auctions policy in any way they will be banned. The bann will be indefinite
as we hold a zero tolerance policy on our free auction. |
