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Buying FAQ2018-05-03T05:51:53-07:00

FAQ

Registering is easy and only takes about 30 seconds. Click the REGISTER button and complete the online registration form. After sharing your basic information, a verification email will be sent to you.

Some Internet Service Providers run slower than others. Whereas most emails arrive in seconds, some can take minutes or even hours. Occasionally, the email might be blocked by your provider. It is also possible that you entered your email address incorrectly. If you have not received your Bidspotter.com welcome email within 15 minutes, please call BidSpotter support desk at 1-866-597-2437.

You can go directly to BidSpotter.com, click the SIGN-IN button, then ‘forgot password’ and you will be prompted to enter your email address associated with your BidSpotter account. Click send and follow the instructions in the email that you receive.

If you wish to bid, you need to first register for an account with BidSpotter. This is free and takes about 30 seconds! If you have not yet registered, follow the instructions under “How do I register with BidSpotter” above. If you are already a registered user, click the AUCTIONS tab on top of the page, select an auction, click on the VIEW CATALOG button and once on the BidSpotter platform, click the ‘SIGN-UP TO BID’ button. Complete the auction sign-up form, review and agree to the Terms and Conditions. Please note, a deposit to bid may be required.

Yes, you need to sign up for each auction as terms and conditions may vary. Bid Venues may ask for credit/debit card details to be provided as a condition for bidding. Bid Venues may use your card details for a pre-auction deposit (typically $100.00) or to be later used as a payment option.

As soon as possible. The sooner you register, the more likely you are to be approved by Bid Venues.

You can bid anytime between the start and end time displayed for each Lot available for bidding. Bid Venues allows multiple days for bidding.

Our timed online auctions have an auto extension facility to discourage sniping. The extension period is ten (10) minutes. If a new bid is placed within the final ten minutes of the scheduled Lot closure time, the time remaining on the Lot automatically resets to an additional ten minutes. This process repeats until ten minutes elapses without the Lot receiving at bid, and then the Lot closes.

If you don’t wish to personally make each bid increment, you can set an upper bid limit (your “maximum bid”) and the BidSpotter platform will bid on your behalf up to your ‘maximum bid’. The platform will bid only when necessary to maintain you in the lead when another bidder is bidding against you. The platform will never exceed your ‘maximum’ bid limit. The platform will notify you by email if another bidder places a bid that exceeds your ‘maximum bid’, in which case you are no longer in the lead. Your ‘current bid’ is clearly displayed when you view the Lot for which you’ve left a ‘maximum bid’. Your ‘current bid’ will be lower than your ‘maximum bid’ if no other bidder has bid higher than your ‘current bid’. You can increase your ‘maximum bid’. You can also decrease your ‘maximum bid’ if the leading bid price is below the new price established by your decreased level. Please remember, bidding online is a contractual commitment to buy.

Once on the BidSpotter platform catalog page, type the item you are looking for into the search box, select “In this auction” and hit Enter.

To add a lot to your Watch list, select the ‘Watch list’ button next to your chosen lot. Please note that you need to log into your BidSpotter account to do this.

Items on your Watch list can be viewed under ‘My Bidder’ on the Auctions page.

You will see a tab of your ‘Won’ Lots when you go to ‘My BidSpotter’ on the BidSpotter platform. Bid Venues will also contact you by email after the auction closure to confirm you have won each such Lot and arrange payment.

Yes. However, Bid Venues shipping services are limited in type/location and processing fees apply. We ship to contiguous United States (aka “lower 48”) only and exclude P.O. Boxes. We do not ship to Alaska, Hawaii or US Protectorates. This information is covered in detail in our Auction Terms and Conditions.

Bid Venues will email you an invoice following the auction closure. We accept payments in cash, by bank card, cashier’s check or by, subject to Bid Venues’ approval, wire transfer or regular check accompanied by a bank guarantee.

Clearly we recommend that you understand all of the potential costs before bidding. Below is an expense summary and additional detailed information can be found under the Auction Terms and Conditions (e.g. ‘Registration & Fees’ section) and our ‘Shipping Quote’ page.

  • Hammer Price is highest (winning) bid at Lot closure time. Note that Bid Venues does not use reserves, so the highest bid is always the winning bid.
  • Buyer’s Premium is calculated as fifteen percent (15%) of a Lot’s Hammer Price. The Buyer’s Premium is listed on the right hand side of the Lot details page.
  • Sales Tax of eight point nine percent (8.9%) will be added to the Hammer price and the Buyer’s Premium, and is collected at the time of payment, unless we are provided with proof of exception as defined by the appropriate governing authorities. The Sales Tax is listed on the right hand side of the Lot details page.
  • Deposits in the form of a bank card pre-authorization (usually $100.00) may be required from buyers who register for our auctions. The pre-authorization will be charged only in the event of non-compliance to the Bidder Contract.
  • Removal is the responsibility of the bidder and you may have special expenses for loading, rigging, transport and insurance of your Lots.
  • Shipping is the responsibility of the bidder to finalize, with limited forms of services available from us. Note our shipping is limited to the contiguous United States only (aka “lower 48”) and excludes P.O. Boxes. Processing fees will apply in addition to carrier transport rates. See Shipping Quote page.

BidSpotter uses a third party supplier to ensure that BidSpotter is Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant. BidSpotter does not store your credit/debit card details. As soon as you enter your card details, the card number is converted to a token and encrypted and the original data discarded.

Try using an alternative internet browser, such as Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. If your problem persists, call us at 1-360-339-5777 or email us.

Text 'BID' to (855) 243-2014 to receive auction reminder alerts by text