Help and Support
Registering as a User Buying & Browsing the Auctions |
Managing Your Account
|
Registering
User
Registration
In order to trade on our web site, you must first become a registered user. You can achieve this as follows:
- Click on Register, from the navigation menu.
- Fill out the registration form, selecting your own User ID and Password.
- You must agree to our terms and conditions.
- Upon registering, you will be sent an email with a summary of your login details for your records.
User
Login
Central to the process of buying through our web site is the process of 'logging in' as a registered user of the site every time you wish to bid or check your account.
Upon user registration, you will have chosen a User ID and Password. You will need these details to login.
You can login when you first visit the site by entering your User ID and Password under the 'Login' section, and clicking on the login button. Depending upon which option you chose at the time of registration, you will be taken to your 'My Account page', or selected web page.
When you log in, if you tick the "Remember Me" checkbox, the web site will store a 'cookie' on your computer that will remember your login details. When you subsequently return to the auction site, you will be automatically logged back in.
If you choose not to login when you first visit the site, you will have to do so when you wish to perform any of the following actions:
- Place a bid in an auction
- Manage your account
Forgotten
Passwords
If you have forgotten your login password, you will need to click on the Help tab, and then the Forgot Password link.
Enter your email address and your login details will be emailed to you immediately.
Buying & Browsing the Auctions
Auction
Formats
An exciting way to purchase goods and get the price you want. Auctions on this web site follow the traditional 'English' (Forward) auction format.
Some auctions will have a reserve price that must be met in order for a successful sale. An auction may also have a 'buy it now' price that allows you to secure the item immediately by paying a fixed price to the seller.
Other items may be sold a fixed price only. In this instance, only a 'buy it now' price will be displayed, and no bidding will be required to obtain the item.
Sealed Tender Auctions & Sealed Bids
If you are bidding in a sealed tender auction, please pay careful attention to the following guidelines:
- A sealed tender listing may or may not have a guide price. If a guide price is specified by the seller, it is only to be used as a rough indication as to the price that the seller expects to achieve for the item.
- When placing your bid, you may specify any bid value above, below, or equal to the guide price.
- The bid history & current bid will not be displayed on the main auction page. You are bidding 'blind'!
- At the end of the auction, the highest bidder will be the winner.
- If more than one high bidder places the same bid value, the earliest high bidder will win the item.
- If the seller has specified a reserve price, a winning bid must be equal to, or higher than the reserve price. This is the same rule as per a standard auction.
Methods
of Browsing
There are various ways to find the auctions you are looking for. On the left-hand side of the auction site, you will find a list of auction categories. By clicking on these categories, you will be able to navigate down the 'category tree' to sub-categories and the auctions within. Against each auction category, you will see a number that indicates how many auctions are within that branch of the category tree.
Searching
Also on the left-hand side of the auction site, you will find a Quick Search box, where you can type in keywords to find the auctions you are seeking. For a more thorough method of searching, click on the Home tab on the top navigation bar, and then click on Search which will bring you to a more advanced search page, where you can enter more specific criteria for your search.
Auction Listings Pages
By clicking on the Browse tab at the top of the page, you will be presented with a list of auction categories on the web site. Clicking on these links will take you to the auction listings page for that category. There are other links on the 'Browse' navigation bar, described below:
New Auctions - displays a list of the latest auctions to have been posted to the auction site.
Most Popular - displays a list of auctions in which people have placed the most bids.
Featured Auctions - displays a list of featured auctions from the home and category pages.
Closing Soon - displays a list of auctions that are approaching their closing time.
Gallery - displays auctions that have photos of the auction item in a tabular form.
Search - presents an advanced search form, where more specific criteria can be used to search.
Placing
a Bid
To place a bid, first locate the auction in which you are interested. At the bottom of the page, you will see the 'Place a Bid' box. If you are not already logged in, you will be asked for your User ID and Password at this stage. This is so that we know who is placing the bid in our auction.
You will then be required to enter your bid. It will be clearly stated what the minimum bid is, and your bid must match, or be greater than this value.
On the bid confirmation page, you can check the bid value is correct. Upon submitting this page, you will be notified if your bid was successful. If your bid failed, this usually means that another user has placed a better bid whilst you were in the process of placing your bid. In this instance, go back to the auction page and look at the bid history to see the latest bids in the auction, and then place another bid if you wish to do so.
At any time, if you have placed a bid, and another user out-bids you, you will automatically receive an email stating this fact. This email will contain a link directly to the auction so that you can place a better bid if you wish to do so.
Automatic
(Proxy) Bidding
The process of automatic bidding is designed to make bidding in an auction more convenient so that you don't have to keep coming back to re-bid everytime someone places another bid.
- When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay for the item. The seller and other bidders don't know your maximum bid.
- The system will place bids on your behalf using the bid increment amount, only bidding the minimum amount necessary to make sure that you remain the highest bidder, or to meet the reserve price, up to your maximum amount.
- If another bidder places a higher maximum bid, you will be notified by email so you can place another bid. Your maximum bid remains confidential until it is exceeded by another bidder.
- If another bidder places the same maximum bid, at the end of auction, the first person to have placed their bid in the system will be deemed the winning bidder.
- In auctions with a reserve price, if your maximum bid is less than the reserve price, you maximum bid will be placed. If your maximum bid is equal to, or greater than the reserve price, your bid will be automatically increased to meet the reserve, and bidding will continue from there.
- Automatic bids may be placed days or hours before a listing ends.
Placing a Shock Bid!
During an auction, as 'maximum' bids are placed, the each successive bid will only ever be superseded by the bid increment each time, up to the current pre-existing maximum bid, or by someone placing a higher maximum bid (which would then only place a bid with a value of the bid increment greater than the previous maximum bid). However, if you wish to speed up the bidding process and 'up the ante', you can place a Shock Bid! A shock bid will be placed at the exact value that you specify. Obviously, if another bidder has previously placed a higher maximum bid, your bid will immediately be superseded by a proxy bid on behalf of the other bidder. If your bid is higher than any pre-existing maximum bid, your shock bid will then become the current highest bid.
At
The End Of Auction
If you have been bidding in an auction, within 15 minutes of the end of auction, you will receive an automated email from the auction site telling you if you are the winning bidder.
At this point, you will need to sign-in to the auction site and go to your My Account page, where you will now see the auction listed under 'Recent Auctions I've Won'. If the auction was for a physical item that needs to be shipped to you, you will now need to click on the link to 'Select Shipping Method' and choose from the shipping options presented to you by the Seller from the drop-down menu. This will then notify the seller and the final auction costs will be calculated. You will then need to view the Auction Summary page by clicking on the 'View Summary' link, where you will see the payment methods accepted by the Seller. It is your responsibility to contact the Seller to arrange payment for the auction item and shipping. A green 'P' icon will appear against any auction where the Seller needs to be paid. When the Seller has received cleared payment, this icon will disappear.
If the auction site is charging a Buyer's Premium Fee (Bidder Closing Fee), this fee will be debited from your auction account and you will need to make a payment to the auction site. For a description of all auction site fees, please click on the 'Sell' tab at the top of the site and choose 'Site Fees'.
Managing Your Account
My
Account
When you login with your User ID and Password, you will be able to view your account page by clicking on the My Account tab at the top of the site. This is your own personal part of the auction site where you can view all activities you have performed on the site. You will see a summary of your auction account, detailing the number of auctions you are bidding for, the number of auctions you are 'watching', as well as a summary of any payments that are due at the current time. At the bottom of the page, you will see a list of your current bids, and your current auction 'watchlist'.
The My Account tab has the following links, which are explained below:
Bids
Displays a list of you current bids in the auctions. You will only see bids displayed here for auctions which are still running, or have recently closed.
Buying
History
Displays a historical list of items in which you have placed bids in the past, or purchased. Clicking on Items I've Won will display a list of items that you were successful in purchasing. Clicking on Items I've Lost will show you a list of auctions in which you placed bids, but were not the winning bidder.
Watchlist
Your watchlist is a list of items that you are currently 'monitoring'. You do not necessarily have to be bidding for an item on your watchlist. You can add an item to your watchlist by going to the item page, and clicking on the Add to My Watchlist link.
Summary
Clicking on the Summary link will take you to a page that displays a summary of your account. If a payment is due at the current time, then the Make a Payment button will be visible. Click on this button and you will be presented with a list of methods by which you can pay the amount due. Simply follow the instructions presented to you at this stage.
You will also see a list of buttons under the Account History section:
- View Fees - shows a list of all fees incurred throughout the auction process, per item.
- View Debits - shows the manual debits that have been applied to your account.
- View Credits - shows the manual credits that have been applied to your account.
- View Payments - shows a list of payments made into your account along with the amount and payment method
- View Invoices - shows the invoices generated due to account activity such as fees, debits and credits.
Personal
Info
From time to time, your personal details may change. You can notify us of these changes on-line by simply clicking on the Personal Info link and amending the appropriate fields and clicking on the Update your Details button.
Preferences
Clicking on the Preferences link will enable you to subscribe/unsubscribe from our mailing list. You can also specify which page you will be taken to in the auction site when you log into the site with your User ID and Password.
Click the Update Preferences button to save your changes.
Change
Password
You can change your login password at any time by clicking on the Change Password link. You will need to type in your new password two times to verify that you have spelt it correctly.
Please Note:
If you require any further assistance in using this auction web site, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Call
us now if you need assistance: 020 8870 3909
