This is a generalized overview of
online auction sites available on the internet. Please read the further
Help
FAQ's, Terms and
Conditions and Privacy
Policy on this site to familiarize yourself with the features
applicable to
Auction Depot.
Whether you're looking for a collectible or thinking about selling that
treasure you discovered in the attic, an Internet auction may be just
the thing for you.
Since their first appearance in 2008, Internet auctions have become one
of the hottest phenomena of the web. They offer buyers a "virtual flea
market" with an endless range of merchandise from around the world — and
they give sellers a "storefront" from which to market everything from
sports memorabilia to computer systems to millions of local and
international buyers.
An online auction site is so called because it mimics some of the
characteristics of the traditional auction house. In the "real" world,
when an item is presented, the assembled buyers declare how much they
are willing to pay (bid) for that item. They can revise their bid
upwards, and the bidding process continues until nobody is prepared to
make an offer higher than the current highest bid. The buyer offering
this highest bid then "wins" the auction and gets the item.
An online auction site follows similar principles.
A Seller will visit Auction Depot and register. Registration is free on
Auction Depot, however some auction sites may charge a fee. They then
add an item to Auction Depot's listings of items for sale, and invite
Auction Depot members to make a bid on this item. When adding this item
to the listings, the selling member also specifies:
a starting and ending date for the
"auction", usually a period of several days (buyers can make bids
during this time);
a minimum price (starting bid);
(optional) a reserve price; the
winning bid must exceed this price, which may or may not be
displayed in advance to buyers;
a detailed description of the item
in question, and optionally pictures of the item; sales conditions
(such as delivery times, whether the buyer pays for shipping,
perhaps other limitations on whom may bid or where they will deliver
to, etc.).
There may be various charges to the
seller to list and/or sell items on the site. Buyers on Auction Depot
must be registered, which is free. They search or browse the auction
listings to find items they want to buy. They can then place a bid on
the item for sale. They are able to see what others have bid before
them, so they can place a higher bid if they wish to buy the item in
question.
Once the auction is over, the highest bidder wins (assuming the reserve
price has been reached) and it's then up to the Seller and Buyer to
contact each other, with information provided by the auction site, and
make arrangements for payment and delivery. Generally the buyer pays no
additional costs, other than the winning price of the auction and
freight to the Seller.
Usually upon the completion of the transaction the Seller and Buyer post
a comment (feedback) on the quality of the transaction with each other.
Over a period of time, this feedback will give a guide to other Buyers
and Sellers of the integrity of that member.
The main difference to the real world auction house is that:
everything is automated;
all items listed are auctioned
concurrently and there is no restriction on when bids can be
submitted as long as they are submitted at some point within the
time period specified by the seller;
Auction Depot itself doesn't manage
or interfere with the transaction, it just provides the facilities
to bring buyers and sellers together;
Auction Depot offers a range of
added services and options, most notably a feedback system where
buyers and sellers can rate each other after a sale has taken place
(and these ratings can be seen by other Auction Depot visitors)
together with an automated system of emails when the seller lists an
auction, when a bidder is outbid and when the auction ends.
Is it
safe and Secure? The biggest question people ask about online shopping is: is
it safe? Our answer is: it's just as safe as real life shopping.
Don't believe us? Let us explain.
Every time someone steps outside of their home, they risk being
attacked, injured (by a person or moving vehicle) and even being
tricked by a clever sales person - being over charged or offered a
fake item. Is the item in the can safe to eat? Are those vitamins
the quality Vitamins in the pack? Is that painting really 200 years
old? As we can see, risk is everywhere! but if we can reduce the
risk we should be able to have a pleasant shopping experience
wherever we may be.
If you're not shopping for fast food, online shopping is the place
to find great bargains. With Online Auctions/Sales you won't get
injured or hit by a moving vehicle, you won't have to search for a
parking spot, nor deal with unhelpful staff, all the necessary
information is clearly represented right in front of your eyes, and
if it isn't simply ask for more from the seller. Today people are
turning to the internet to find out more information about products
because it is simply much more convenient to search for an item from
the comfort of your home sweet home than to go out shopping. To make
online shopping as safe as possible we recommend you follow the
guidelines outlined below:
Buy Small at first If you are new to online shopping, buy an inexpensive item
first before buying a more expensive one. That way you learn about
the process of trading on Auction Depot by the best teacher of
all... experience!
Buy from those who live close to you Buying from someone who lives closer to you - someone in your
own Country and State - is safer than buying from someone on the
other side of the Globe. Always buy an item, if it is available
locally, in your own Country or State of residence before purchasing
it from overseas. Don't trust sellers who sell expensive items World
Wide and don't offer all major credit cards using there merchant
account as payment methods.
Always Buy using Secure and
Established Payment Services: Use all major credit cards using there merchant account as
they offer various forms of protection
(please click on the links to find out more) where you can make a
claim to retrieve your money in case you
don't receive your item.
Check the sellers' previous feedback. Please note: Auction Depot's
system can easily verify previous eBay feedback scores if the seller
concerned wishes to do so.
If still in doubt contact the seller via email or phone if necessary
just like you would call a real store to ask for extra information.
Ask to see an original image of the
item: If the seller has placed an image up of the item that is not
their own, ask to see an actual image of the item on sale in place
of a professional brand item photograph. If the user shows an image
of the box and item they themselves took it will be more
trustworthy.
Work with trusted Sellers and
Friends: Trust takes a little time even in the real world of commerce,
we always only go back to sellers we trust and that have provided a
good, honest and friendly service. It is the same with Auction
Depot, once you are happy with a seller you will be much more
confident in purchasing more of their items in the future. Once you
establish trust with a seller you can also pay via other methods
without much concern, though we recommend always using all major
credit cards using there merchant account or Escrow payment methods
for added safety.
What does Auction Depot do to
protect users?
A Valid Email Address
Every member that signs up must have a valid email address. After a
user signs up, a link is sent to their email address which they must
click to activate their Membership.
I.P. Address Verification
Auction Depot does extensive I.P. Address fraud checks on sign up.
All users can be tracked back to their origin of sign up via their
I.P. address.
Submitted details Verification
If the user details are suspicious we remove their right to buy or
sell on Auction Depot immediately and ask the newly signed up Member
to correct their details. If they re-submit their details and we are
the least suspicious the re-submitted details are once again
incorrect we give a final warning asking if we may call via phone to
verify their membership or make a small credit card verification
payment. If the Member does not reply they will be unable to buy or
sell.
ISP Email Verification
Members can gain verification points from having an internet service
provider email (an email other than a free email service provider
such as hotmail.com, yahoo.com.)
Merchant account accepting all major
credit cards or similar
trusted Payment Methods
If a Auction Depot Member offers all major credit cards using a
merchant account or the like as a payment method, the user can be
considered verified to the point that they can be tracked and money
can be claimed back if there is an issue after purchase. Any seller
that accepts all major credit cards using a merchant account or
similar should be considered as verified because to register with
these two services you need to verify your Membership using a valid
easily traceable bank account. If a seller only provides buyers with
Western Union or any other such non-refundable payment method, be
wary about buying from these sellers as there is absolutely no buyer
protection with such payments.
Auction Depot Reputation
System Auction Depot has a reputation system where users can leave
feedback from past buys or sales. The reputation system is a great
way to gain trust from the experience of other Members.
Auction Depot Member Activity Auction Depot monitors user activity, if any suspicious
activity is noticed Auction Depot restricts or cancels accounts
where it is deemed fit.
Auction Depot Community Watch Auction Depot has a link on every item listing where the item
can be reported by any user immediately if it seems at all
suspicious. Auction Depot is a community watch system where Members
can warn others by reporting items that are offensive or
inappropriate. Members may also warn other Members quickly and
easily if they feel the need to do so by mentioning the problem in
the appropriate discussion group in the Community Forum.
Auction Depot warns Members
of Phishing and Spoofing Some people try and steal passwords by Phishing or Spoofing
users in an attempt to grab their password via email and other
methods. Auction Depot protects Members by telling them never to
give their Passwords to anyone via email or by a web site posing to
be Auction Depot. Always check the address bar of your browser for
the url http://www.auction-depot.com/. If you are directed to
another page via an email acting as Auction Depot and the url is not
http://www.auction-depot.com/ or http://www.auction-depot.com/ then
you are on a spoof web site which will try and steal your login and
password. Immediately report it to us via the contact form so that
we may warn all Members.
Auction Depots
Security Statistics to Date So far Auction Depot has not had one case of a fraudulent
sale, this is due to our system being designed from the ground up to
quickly detect fraudulent users. We hope to keep this excellent
record of zero fraud sales for a very long time.
If you wish to join the honest Auction Depot trading community, you
can Sign up for free today and start buying or selling right away!
Simply Click
Here to Sign up for FREE.
In order to buy or sell items on
Auction Depot you must become a registered member. Registration
whether as a buyer or a seller is free; and in fact your
registration is FREE and in
fact you receive an USD $5.00 credit when registering which can be
used to pay any listing fees of items you may wish to sell.
To register go to the
registration
page, where you are required to provide your details and setup a
user account. Your contact details are supplied to your buyers and
sellers after an auction ends, so make sure they are correct.
Your "Username" must be unique and will be your identification on
Auction Depot. You will need your "Username" to sign in and access
member areas, and to list and bid on auctions.
Once you have completed the registration, an email will be forwarded
to the email address supplied to activate your user account. You can
access your email and activate your account from within Auction
Depot by clicking on the popup screen that will appear when you
complete your registration.
If you have not received an activation email, please check your junk
mail settings to make sure emails from Auction Depot are not blocked
Another word about passwords and usernames: They are CASE-SENSITIVE.
When using our system, you must enter your password and username
exactly as it exists, capital (or lowercase) letters and all.
Please note: multiple registrations by the same user are not
allowed. You may only have one account at a time.
Registration is available to most
countries. However some users might not want to send to or buy something
from another country. All listings on Auction Depot are by individuals,
and they have the right to accept or reject a foreign bid. Whether they
will or not is generally shown within the auction listing. Don't be
discouraged, many users will just charge extra for shipping. You can
also e-mail the seller before you bid, to see if user is willing to ship
to your location and if they accept an international payment.
We value our own privacy and
yours, and do not abuse your information. Specifically:
We will disclose your contact
information to other Auction Depot users that you have had dealings
with or who have reason to contact you
We will disclose your contact
information to other users who have a reason to contact you
We will use your contact
information to send you bills, notifications you request,
newsletters, and occasional announcements. For full details of our
Privacy Policy click here
We will not
sell or give your name to other organizations for them to contact
you
Once you
have successfully logged in using the login forms from the main page
or from the login page (click on the “login” button from the page
header), you will be redirected to the members area page. This page
has a number of selections on the left hand panel:
Customize:
My Summary:
My Messages:
All Buying:
On this page, you will be able to see the items your currently
bidding on, as well as the status of the bids, items you have won,
and watched items. By clicking on the “Auction Watch” link, you will
be able to add keywords for auctions your interested in. An email
will be sent to your email address every time an auction that
contains the keyword in its name or description is submitted.
On this page you can also lodge an "Abuse Report" if you feel that a
listing contravenes the Auction Depot listing guidelines or is
suspicious or illegal.
By clicking on the “View Details” link from the Won Items area, you
will be able to see the details of the seller, and make contact with
them in order to finalize the sale.
All Selling: There are three
areas available on this page.
The “My Opened Auctions” area, where you will see details of
auctions you currently have open; if no bids were submitted yet on
an open auction, you are able to edit the auction.
The “My Closed Auctions” area, where you will see the auctions
submitted by yourself, and that were closed. You can choose to edit,
delete or re-list a closed auction.
On the “Sold Items” area, you will see the items you have sold, and
by clicking on the “View Details” link, you will be redirected to a
page where you will see the details of the buyer. If an end of
auction fee is set from the admin area, then the seller will have to
pay for the end of auction fee in order for you to see the buyer
details.
If, after the seller has contacted the bidder, and no sale has been
made, you can claim back the end of auction fee. By clicking on the
“Claim back end of auction fee”, a claim back request will be sent
to the site's administrator, and will be evaluated for fee refunding About me:
From this page, you can create a simple "About Me" page. If you have
a store, this page will be disabled.
ATTENTION: Enabling this page will automatically disable your store!
Store:
By enabling the STORE page, you will have the option to list a
number of auctions on the newly created store section.
Want it Now:
Want It Now is a new format enabling buyers to let sellers know what
they are looking for and allowing sellers to respond to buyers with
their listings.
Simply list the items you want and sellers will respond by either
directing you to their existing listings, or to listings they
specifically create for your wanted item. Want it now brings the
items to you.
Classifieds:
All Favorites:
My Account: From this page, you will be able
to see the feedbacks you have received, and leave feedbacks for
other users. See our FAQ on Feedback.
To Set up your e-mail Notification
Preferences, you will need to
Log in to your
"Members Area".
Click on your "Details" icon to bring up your personal details.
Click on "Mail Preferences" listed in the yellowbar to show the
available Mail options.
When loaded; just check the "Radio Button" to suit your preferred
options.
Below is a list of the Ten System Notification Emails available, select
Yes/No as applicable;
Auction Sold Notification - Applies
for all Normal & Buy it Now Sales
Buyer Details Email - Choose to
receive the Buyer Details email when an item is Sold
Auction Won Notification - Applies
for all Normal & Buy it Now Purchases
Seller Details Email - Choose to
receive the Seller Details email when an item is Won
Item Watch Notification - Receive
Item Watch notifications on auctions you are watching
Auction Closed but not Sold -
Notifies the Member when an auction has closed but without a winner
Wanted Offer Placed Notification -
Notifies the Wanted Item owner when a new offer is placed on their
Wanted Ad
Outbid Notice - Notifies the bidder
should they no longer hold the winning bid on a particular item
Keyword Match Notification -
Receive mail notifications when auctions that match your keywords
are posted
Item Setup Notification - Choose
whether you wish to receive an email notification each time you set
up a new auction.
Remember to Click on the "Update
Information" Button before you leave.
Bidding on
and buying items online can be a rewarding experience. As an online
consumer you will wish to conduct yourself as you would in making a
purchase anywhere. Here is some information which will help you through
the process.
KNOW THE ITEMS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR:
Items listed on this site are most often posted by individuals, and
sometimes small companies. While we try and regulate our site and remove
objectionable material or listings, we cannot be responsible for
regulating or verifying every item for sale. You need to be aware of the
potential for misleading statements or fraud in a listed item, or the
possibility of purchasing an illegal product.
You can minimize your risk by e-mailing or messaging the seller with
specific questions related to the item and checking out the seller's
reputation compiled by other individuals who have purchased from this
person/company.
USER AGREEMENT:
Please read our Terms and Conditions
which outlines the site policies and terms of use.
You must first
register,
and be logged in, to bid on any auction. Registration is free and in
fact you receive an USD $5.00 credit when registering which can be used
to pay any listing fees of items you may wish to sell. There are no fees
whatsoever to bid and buy on Auction Depot.
Each item listing will have a Bidding option in the listing. You will
need to enter a dollar amount. When you submit a bid, you will be shown
a second confirmation screen to double check. Once you confirm your bid,
it will be submitted immediately.
Once you confirm and submit a bid, one of two things may happen:
1. You become the new High Bidder immediately.
2. The previous bidder's Proxy outbids you immediately.
The system will immediately tell you what happened. If you are the new
High Bidder, you will receive immediate confirmation on the screen. If
you are outbid later, or the Proxy raises your bid for you, you will
receive emails if you set up your preferences for the system to do so.
If you wish to place a new higher bid the bid will not bid against
yourself, meaning if you are the current high bidder and you return to
increase your maximum bid, it will not increase the auctions current
high bid, it will only increase your proxy bid.
At the close of auction, you will receive an email with the results.
Your email preferences can be set up in your Members area. Go to Details
and then Email preferences, or (if you are logged in) click here.
An
automated bidding system where a bidder may enter a maximum price and
the auction system will increase their bid as necessary until the
bidder's maximum is reached.
For example, Bidder A is the first bidder on an item whose starting bid
is $1. They place a maximum bid of $10 and the system places their
initial bid at $1 and holds the balance in confidence until needed.
Bidder B places a maximum bid of $8. The system automatically bids for
Bidder A and Bidder B until Bidder B's maximum bid ($8) is surpassed.
Since Bidder A's maximum bid is higher than Bidder B's, Bidder A remains
the high bidder.
A Dutch
auction is an auction of 2 or more identical items. The bidder will
enter a maximum bid he is willing to pay for an item, and the number
of items he wants to purchase. The highest bidder(s) will receive
the number of items they have bid on and the remaining bidders will
receive the number of items still available. Buyers are able to bid
more than once for the same item.
All winning bidders pay the same price, which is the lowest
successful bid. For example, if a seller has 3 of a particular item
available, and the bidding goes like this:
Watching items and keeping
track of items you are bidding on
Item Watching
The Item Watch feature lets you keep a close eye on any auction
without having to place a bid on it. This feature means you can be
kept up to date on how an auction is doing and prepares you to place
a winning bid at the last minute. You can watch any item by clicking
on the
Watch this Item
link on the item auction page.
Auction Watch
The Auction Watch feature notifies you of newly listed auction that
contain the Keyword you have chosen. For example, if you are looking
for a
Playstation
you could enter in this keyword from within your Members Area. Each
time a new auction is listed containing the term
Playstation
you will be notified via this web-site. You can enter as many
keywords as you like.
Items you have bid on
Items that you have bid on will show in your Members Area under the
section
All Bidding.
Want It
Now is a new format enabling buyers to let sellers know what they
are looking for and allowing sellers to respond to buyers with their
listings. Simply list the items you want and sellers will respond by
either directing you to their existing listings, or to listings they
specifically create for your wanted item. Want it now brings the
items to you.
You may list a new auction on
the site by selecting Sell on the
Main toolbar. To access this page you must be logged in. If you are
already logged in
Click Here.
Then simply begin filling in all the fields in the form that will be
displayed:
MAIN CATEGORY Category: The category under which you wish to list your auction. Depending
on the category, the form may present you with sub-categories under
this. SECOND CATEGORY Select the appropriate sub-category and then click Next Step. The
form will then ask you if you wish to list the item under a second
category. There is a
fee for the second category listing. Select appropriately and then
click Next Step. ITEM DETAILS Title: The name or title of your Auction. Example: New
Men's Nike Shirt.. etc. Subtitle: Enter a descriptive subtitle here if required
(there is a fee for this). Item Description:
Enter a detailed description of your item. The more information
the better, and try and be as accurate and truthful as possible. LISTING DESIGNER Select a Theme: This feature will enhance your listing and may increase the
bidding on the item. Select appropriately. AUCTION SETTINGS
Auction Format: Select Standard, Dutch, Reverse or
Nash. (Trial Sellers: only Standard available) Items Currency: Select the currency that you wish the
auction to be in. Items Quantity: The number of
items you are selling. If you have multiple items ensure that you either
select a Dutch auction type, or specify in the auction body how many the
bidder is bidding on. (Trial Sellers:
Quantity limited to one) Auction Starting Price: List the
starting price of your auction. Reserve Price: A reserve price is
the lowest price the seller will accept. If the bidding falls below the
reserve price it will not win the auction. Buy it Now Price: Use this option
if you prefer to sell the item straight away for the price displayed
rather than participate in bidding. If any bid crosses the Buy Now
Price, the auction will be closed automatically and the bidder will be
selected as winner. (Trial Sellers: Not available) Bid Increment: This is the amount
the bid will increase on subsequent bids. Choose whether you wish to use
the Auction Depot increments, or wish to set your own increment.
(Trial Sellers:
Auction Depot increments only) Feature Item: Choose whether you require additional
features on listing your item. There are Fees
relating to these. (Trial Sellers: "Item featured on Home page" and "
Feature on Category page" Not available}
Start Time: The auction may start immediately you finish your
listing or at a future time set by you.
(TrialSellers: Future time Not available)
End Time: Select the auction period from 1 day to 1 month. Private Item: Some sellers prefer
to keep the ID of the bidder secret. There is no sinister reason for
doing so, it just protects the bidder's identity and stops other rival
sellers contacting them to offer similar products or services. (Trial
Sellers: Not available) Accept swap offers: Whether you will accept a swap
offer in respect of this auction. See
here for details.
(Trial Sellers: Not available) Accept ID Verified Users Only:
Choosing this option means that only Verified Users will be able to bid
on the auction. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Condition: Choose the description that best applies. My Note:
COUNTER STYLE AUTO-RELIST
Auto-Relist: In case the auction does not get sold, our system will
relist it for you automatically. There is a limit of 5 auto-relists for
each auction. All auto-relists are free.
Insurance: Choose from the available
options. Page Counters: Choose the page
counter of your choice. This item is
free to use. Upload Picture(s): If you wish to
show a picture on your auction page, simply click the link to the
graphic you require. You may upload one
picture for free; there is a
fee for a
maximum of 4 additional pictures.
(Trial Sellers: One picture only) Country: Choose the Country where
the item is located. Zip Code: Enter the appropriate
Zip/Post Code. ADD PICTURES
ITEM LOCATION
SHIPPING & PAYMENT
Shipping conditions: Choose appropriately. Under this item you
also indicate whether you will ship internationally. Payment Methods: You may select
any of the following payment methods available to the Buyer: Cash,
Direct Deposit, Online Payment, Personal Check, Bank Check, Money Order,
Bankcard, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners, PayPal, or Other. PayPal Direct Payment Settings:
If you accept PayPal Direct payment indicate here, and enter the
appropriate details. Shipping & Handling fee: Enter
the amount for Shipping and Handling, if known. Shipping Insurance: Enter the
amount for Insurance, if applicable and known. Discount: Amount you wish to
discount shipping for this item (if combined with item of equal or
greater shipping cost). Leave it blank for no discount. Will the shipping be combined:
Choose Yes or No. Type of Service: Choose available
shipping methods. Shipping and Payment Instructions:
Enter any additional details relating to shipping or payment
here. TERMS OF SERVICE Clicking the Next Step button indicates that you accept the Terms
and Conditions applicable to Auction Depot, and will take you to a
preview of your auction listing.
Should the listing be satisfactory, click the submit button, or click
the Previous Step button(s) to go back and amend your listing.
The following items may not be listed
for sale on Auction Depot. Auction Depot reserves the right to
remove other items that are not on this list if they are considered
inappropriate, illegal or are in breach of our Terms and
Conditions. Listing fee is non-refundable.
You are responsible in making sure that you are legally allowed to
buy or sell an item. Find out before listing!
Adult related items:
You must not list items that are
considered to be indecent by the authorities. Alcohol: You must have a license to list wine and
other alcohol and display your license number in the listing. Make
sure you know the laws of trading alcohol in all states you may
trade in. Animal products, organs or any body
parts: You must not list any
animal products, organs or body parts including human parts &
remains or live animals & pets. Artifacts and Heritage Items: You must not list any
artifacts or heritage items. Copyrighted items: You must
not list items or include content which breaches any copyright or
other intellectual property rights. Drugs:
You must not list any kind of
drugs either herbal or chemical. Fireworks: You must not list fireworks. OEM software: You must not
list Original Equipment Manufacturer software (OEM) unless listed
with the specified accompanying hardware. Police related items: You
must not list any police related items regardless of origin (other
countries). Software that access's Auction
Depot: You must not list software which directly or
indirectly access's Auction Depot's web site area and database
without approval by us. Tobacco: You must not list
tobacco which includes cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco.
Tobacco related items may be allowed for sale. Weapons and Firearms: You
must not list weapons or firearms.
Sellers
can offer to accept other items or services in a swap for their auction
item, rather than waiting for the auction to finish by bidding.
Buyers can offer swaps to Sellers by clicking the "offer swap deal"
hyperlink. They will then be taken to a page where they can fill in the
details of what they have to offer the Seller in return for the item.
Who pays?
Only items that successfully end in swaps are assessed the swap fee.
Check all fees hereor on the home page under Site Fees. This
swap fee is
in lieu of the end of auction fee and is paid by the
original seller.
There are NO listing fees for a
standard auction on Auction Depot. A standard auction gives you the
listing with limited enhancements together with the ability to show one
free picture.
If you use any or all of the enhanced options or additional images in
your auctions you will be charged those fees whether your product sells
or not!
If your product does sell then you will also be charged a final value
fee (sometimes called an end of auction fee). All fees are listed on the
home page under the heading
SITE FEES.
Well
that's a very good question! We don't charge registration fees, listing
fees, or seller shop fees.
We do charge fees for enhanced auction options and final value fees. If
we didn't we would have to find another source of revenue. We would
probably have to rely on advertising, and we don't want to be controlled
by our advertisers. We want to be able to respond to the need and wishes
of our registered members. We want this auction site to be an online
community and if this online community is to grow it's the views of you,
our members, which must be of prime importance.
That is why we charge fees! Nonetheless, we have still tried to make
that fee structure as economical as possible.
Once you complete the registration
process you are automatically given a free account.Once this account
credit is used-up we will invoice you monthly, at the end of each month
(or when you reach your credit limit). You can view your account at any
time through the member’s area.
New accounts are automatically given a $20.00 credit limit. If you think
this is not enough then please contact us.
In order to sell your items
effectively, we have put together a list of tips to help you sell more.
Represent the items you are selling
fairly and accurately. If you have a manufacturer's description and
specification, be sure to include these to help give your potential
buyers a real sense of the item.
Respond promptly to buyer
questions. This shows that you are always reachable, giving your
potential buyers confidence.
Review your buyer's reputation.
This will give you a good indication of how reliable they are for
buying items.
Clearly state your return policy in
your listing. Show the terms of your "after sale" policies, so
buyers are aware before bidding.
Maintain records of postage
receipts as proof the item was posted.
Keep copies of any proof of your
item's authenticity. If you claim it to be a limited edition, and
proof is available, then let the buyers know.
Verify payment before shipping
items (including holding checks until they clear). Before sending
out the item, be sure to have the payment cleared. If you prefer to
do this, make it clear to the buyer in the listing, so they know
what is to be expected.
Only ship items to the verified
billing address on the buyer's credit card account (if applicable).
Auction
Depot
does not arbitrate in feedback. Although certain exceptional
circumstances will result in feedback being removed - feedback will
remain a permanent part of your Auction Depot record. You can be
held legally responsible for damages to the trader's reputation
under law, so keep your feedback factual.
Auction Depot will only remove feedback where it breaches our terms
and conditions of feedback. Feedback that is over 30 days old will
not be reviewed by Auction Depot.
Feedback
will be edited or removed if:
It
contains swear words or vulgarities*
It
contains defamatory statements as to the character of the
individual*
It
contains the trader's contact details, phone number, surname, email
address or other means to individually identify the trader
The
trader placing feedback has been permanently removed from Auction
Depot for misbehaving
The
feedback refers to any ongoing investigation by Auction Depot, the
police, or any other authorized party
Auction Depot is ordered by a valid court order to remove feedback
Auction Depot reserves the right to determine what is considered
swear words, vulgarities or defamatory statements at it's
discretion.
At the end of every auction we
encourage the buyer and seller to place feedback about each other.
This feedback should represent how the person was to deal with.
Note: Only successful buyers
and sellers of an item may leave feedback. Each new feedback must be
referenced to a separate item number. Feedback can be left from the
Feedback tab in the Members
area. Feedback can only be left once, and it cannot be edited
afterwards.
By reviewing a member's feedback you can see what other traders
thought of their trading behavior. It will help you assess whether
they are a reliable trader or not. Reviewing a seller's feedback and
trading history before bidding is essential and is the best way to
protect you as a buyer.
The number in brackets next to a trader's username, is their
feedback rating - e.g. admin (110 ) . Feedback ratings are
calculated by subtracting negative feedback from positive feedback.
A higher feedback rating is given to traders with more positive
feedbacks. The color of the star next to a trader's name represents
their feedback rating. See
here for star
color ratings.
Resolving disputes before leaving
negative feedback. As the old saying goes... once you've said something you
can't take it back. Once a negative comment has been posted, the
damage has already been done. For this reason we encourage all
members to contact the person in question directly before leaving
negative feedback about them.
You are responsible for your own
words. Your comment will include your user name and the date which
you left your remark. We cannot take responsibility for the comments
you post here, and you should be careful about making comments that
could be libelous or slanderous. To be safe, make only factual,
emotionless comments. Contact your lawyer if you have any doubts.
Please try to resolve any disputes with the other party before
publicly declaring a complaint.
Feedback points may be left by Sellers
and Buyers after each transaction. Feedback points are graded depending
on the quality of transaction and are as follows:
You receive:
+1 point to your feedback score for each positive rating,
0 points to your feedback score for each neutral rating,
-1 point to your feedback score for each negative rating.
Feedback stars are awarded to Auction Depot members for achieving 5 or
more positive feedback points, and are graded as follows:
Escrow is
usually initiated by buyers,
as they are the ones who normally have to pay the seller for a purchased
item before a seller will send it. Always check the auction detail or
with the Seller that he is prepared to accept escrow. Escrow fees are
generally paid by the buyer.
Upon completion of a successful Auction/purchase, a buyer who may be
worried about paying for the item they've purchased before receiving it
can initiate an escrow by contacting the escrow service provider. In
turn the escrow service provider will then notify the seller of the
pending escrow, the escrow service provider will then instruct the buyer
to pay them for the item. Once the buyer has paid them they will then
notify the seller that they have received payment for their item and
instruct them to send the item to the buyer. Once the buyer receives the
item and confirms they have received the item, the escrow then pays the
seller.
An escrow service provider is a kind of middleman acting as a go between
on behalf of the two parties (the buyer and seller). For a small fee an
escrow really provides a safe trading solution especially were expensive
items are involved. Using an escrow service when trading online
eliminates 100% of the risk of fraud to both parties.
