This is a generalised 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 familiarise yourself with the features applicable to SellBidandBuy.

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 1995, 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 SellBidandBuy and register. Registration is free on SellBidandBuy, however some auction sites may charge a fee. They then add an item to SellBidandBuy's listings of items for sale, and invite SellBidandBuy 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 SellBidandBuy 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;


• SellBidandBuy itself doesn't manage or interfere with the transaction, it just provides the facilities to bring buyers and sellers together;


• SellBidandBuy 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 SellBidandBuy visitors) together with an automated system of emails when the seller lists an auction, when a bidder is outbid and when the auction ends.

Registration is available to most countries. However some users might not want to send to or buy something from another country. All listings on SellBidandBuy 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 SellBidandBuy 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

1. Customize:
2. My Summary:
3. My Messages:
4. 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 SellBidandBuy 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 finalise the sale.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Classifieds:
8. All Favorites:
9. 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.
10. Dispute Console:
11. Community:

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;

1. Auction Sold Notification - Applies for all Normal & Buy it Now Sales
2. Buyer Details Email - Choose to receive the Buyer Details email when an item is Sold
3. Auction Won Notification - Applies for all Normal & Buy it Now Purchases
4. Seller Details Email - Choose to receive the Seller Details email when an item is Won
5. Item Watch Notification - Receive Item Watch notifications on auctions you are watching
6. Auction Closed but not Sold - Notifies the Member when an auction has closed but without a winner
7. Wanted Offer Placed Notification - Notifies the Wanted Item owner when a new offer is placed on their Wanted Ad
8. Outbid Notice - Notifies the bidder should they no longer hold the winning bid on a particular item
9. Keyword Match Notification - Receive mail notifications when auctions that match your keywords are posted
10. 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 AUD $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 SellBidandBuy.

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.

Our system automatically figures bid increments. Proxy bidding does not apply to Dutch auctions.

The bid increment is the amount by which a bid will be raised each time the current bid is outdone. It is predetermined based on the current high bid.

Here is how increments are determined:

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 SellBidandBuy increments, or wish to set your own increment. (Trial Sellers: SellBidandBuy 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. (Trial Sellers: 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 Cheque, Bank Cheque, 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 SellBidandBuy, 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.

Yes you can, however we recommend you use basic tags as complex HTML descriptions may not display correctly.

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 here or 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 SellBidandBuy. 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.

more to come ...............

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 with a free AUD $5.00 credit. 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 $15.00 credit limit. If you think this is not enough then please contact us.

More to come ...............

You can keep an eye on everything you are selling by visiting your member’s area and selecting the "selling" page.

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 buyersa 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 cheques 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 theyknow what is to be expected.
• Only ship items to the verified billing address on the buyer's credit card account (if applicable).

Use extra caution with:

• International payments
• Revised shipping information
• Unknown or new buyers
• Unusual bidding activity
• Orders shipped "rush" or "overnight"

• 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 SellBidandBuy for misbehaving
• The feedback refers to any ongoing investigation by SellBidandBuy, the police, or any other authorised party
• SellBidandBuy is ordered by a valid court order to remove feedback

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 SellBidandBuy 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.

Escrow Australia http://www.escrowaustralia.com.au provides an escrow service. SellBidandBuy are not connected with them in any way and receive no financial benefit from them whatsoever. Our only interest is to benefit and help our members in any way we can. We highly recommend you use an escrow service if purchasing an expensive item from someone you don't know, or are not sure about.