| Q. How do I bid on an Auction? |
| A. Create a user account in the "My Account" section. If you already have, simply click the "Login" button and enter your username and password. Once logged in, choose an item you wish to bid on, enter the amount you would like to bid, and click the "Bid" button. That's all there is to it. |
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| Q. How does bidding work? |
| A. Once an item is up for bid, there is an "Opening Bid" assigned to it and a timeframe as to when the auction will end. Anyone logged in can then bid on that item up until that time when the auction ends. Whoever has placed the highest bid at that cut-off point gets the item for the price determined by our proxy bidding system. |
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| Q. What is proxy bidding? How does it work? |
A.
ShoppersChoice.com Auctions provides a proxy bidding system so you can spend less time watching and managing your auctions but stay confident that you will not over pay for your item. How does that work? Basically,
When placing a bid on an item, you should enter the most you are willing to pay for that item. We save that amount, but don't show it to anyone; not the seller, not other bidders.
Once you tell us what your amount is, we constantly compare it to the bids placed by other users. We make sure that if someone else bids on the item, and they bid lower than you, we automatically up your bid to the
minimum allowable bid over the other users bid. You will remain the highest bidder until someone places a maximum bid more than yours, though you will also get the most optimum price for the item
with the first bid. Here's an example of how proxy bidding works:
- An item is starting at $100 dollars with a $1 minimum bid increment
- You are willing to pay up to $200 for this item, so you bid $200
- Your proxy bid (and the price of the item) is now $100 since you are the first bidder, and you are winning the bid
- Someone else is willing to pay $150 for this item, so they bid $150
- Your proxy bid (and the price of the item) is now $151 (the optimized price for the item is the previous price plus the bid increment)
- Someone else is willing to pay $350 for this item, so they bid $350
- The price of the item is now $201 and you are no longer the winning bidder
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| Q. I won an auction, now what? |
| A. The seller will contact you and work out payment and shipment details |
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| Q. What do the icons next to the auctions mean? |
A. The icons let you know how you stand with that particular auction. A smiley face ( ) means you are bidding on and currently winning that auction. A frowny face ( ) means you are currently bidding on but not winning that auction. Binoculars ( ) means you are currently watching that auction. |
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| Q. What is "My Search" and how does it work? |
| A. My Search gives you the ability to tell us what you are looking for. You provide us with keywords you are interested in. Whenever new items are added that match your criteria, we send you an email notification. You can also review the "My Search" section of your account to see current auctions that meet your criteria. |
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| Q. How can I change my account information? |
| A. Once logged in, click the "My Account" section. Click the "Edit My Personal Info" link and make any changes you like. Click "Submit" to activate the changes. |
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| Q. How can I see a list of my watched auctions? |
| A. Once logged in, click the "My Account" section. Click the "Items I'm watching" link. |
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| Q. How can I add an auction to my watch list? |
| A. Once you find an item you might be interested in but aren't yet ready to bid, simply click the "Watch Item" button and it will be added to your list you can view from your "My Account" page. |
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| Q. How can I see a list of auctions I'm bidding on, or have won/lost? |
| A. Once logged in, click the "My Account" section. Click the "Items I'm bidding on", "Items I've won" or "Items I've lost" link. |
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| Q. How can I change my Password? |
| A. Once logged in, click the "My Account" section. Click the "Edit My Password" link to make your change. Click "Submit" to activate the changes. |
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| Q. Can I ask the creator of an auction questions about the item being auctioned? |
| A. Sure can. Once you find an item you might be interested in, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Ask a question about this item" link. Type your question and click "Submit Query". Whoever placed the auction will see this question and post an answer that you will be able to read right at the bottom of that item page. Note - check to see if there is already an answer to your question before submitting - might save you some time. |
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| Q. Will I be notified when someone responds to my questions about an auction? |
| A. Yes. |
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