- 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 ($1 is the default increment) raises the bidding each time by that minimum amount (you can always bump it up even higher). 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.
Proxy bidding allows the system to bid for you automatically. Think of Proxy bidding as someone who stays and watches the auction 24 hours a day while you're off doing more interesting stuff. You activate Proxy Bidding 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,our system places another bid for you and so on up to the maximum amount you've specified. Under no circumstances will Proxy Bidding ever bid MORE than you said. But the system will send you e-mail about an outbid so you can enter a higher Proxy Bid amount if you'd like.
This
auction requires 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
ourselves as the auction providers and you as buyer
and/or seller. Registration is simple and painless.
Merely click on [New
Registration] here or near the top or 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. 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, the item sells for $100 new. The seller 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 here at Temecula Information.com Auction Site easy.
Simply register if you have not already (by clicking [New
Registration] here or at the top or bottom of any
auction page). Our system automatically mails your
password usually within 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 replace our rather obtuse
collection of letters and numbers with something you
might more easily remember."; print "
Posting
items for sale is accomplished by clicking on [Post
New Item] here or at the top or bottom of any
auction screen. Fill in the form 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 Auction
Administrator 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!). Click on the Ask Seller A Question link found on the item page. You can ask about the 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 is to be an informed buyer. We do police this auction, but we can give no blanket guarantee. You might read our Terms and 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 are then 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.
