| Frequently
Asked Questions
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 ibidrite Auctions 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.
Again, we currently
charge nothing to buy or sell items. In the future, we
do reserve the right to add premium features that other
auction sites have like bold listings, featured
auctions, and the like. For those, we will charge a
nominal rate.
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.
Items listed up to the value of the
following will be charged at listed price:
up to £9.99 - £1 per insertion
up to £19.99 - £2 per insertion
over £30 - £3 per insertion
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