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More FAQs for ComeToTheFarm Auction
(Frequently
Asked Questions)
The seller (the person who
posted the item) decides where 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, currently
the system will ask you to bid the starting price. This may
soon be changed to be 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 raises the
bidding each time by that minimum amount (you can
always bump it up even higher or enter a Proxy Bid, in which
case the system will bid either the bid increment or enough of
your stated amount to make you the leading bidder. 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.
There are several systems of
"proxy" bids; i.e. the system bidding for you automatically.
The system in this software is called "MaxBid." Think of
'Max' as someone who stays and watches the auction 24 hours a
day while you're off doing more interesting stuff, like farm
chores! You activate 'Max' 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, good old 'Max'
places another bid for you and so on up to the maximum amount
you've specified. Under no circumstances will 'Max' ever bid
MORE than you said. But the system will send you e-mail about
an outbid and you can give 'Max' a few more bucks to play
with, if you like. Just enter another bid amount. Please note:
the auction script will not allow you to bid against yourself.
For this reason, you cannot raise your max bid again until
someone has topped your current max bid. So, please
consider having your proxy as high as you want to bid for the
item!
This auction is FREE!
We do offer Banner Advertising to help cover our costs,
but the auction itself is completely free. We also require
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 us as auction providers and you as buyer
and/or seller. Registration is simple and painless. Merely
click on New Registration. As another opportunity for
promoting your products or business, you can place a Banner in
our rotation. It can be seen thousands of times as folks go
from page to page in the auction!
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. This
system accepts proxy or
maxbid
bids (see
Proxy Bids
below). 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.
Why do I get a
password/username error message when I try to bid?
The most common errors happen
when you use upper case or lower case letters incorrectly.
The password is case -sensitive, which means your password
must be exactly as it appears in the auction records. The
second problem comes frequently when folks copy and paste
passwords and they inadvertently include a space before or
after the letters in the password. You will get a "cannot use
non-numeric" error message. Just try again, carefully
including ONLY the letters! If you have lost or forgotten
your password, there's a
Lost Password link at the bottom of every page
and on the Quick Jump menu. If you've forgotten your
Username, there's a
Forgot Username link
too!
Sometimes (and our system
supports this) a seller enters a
Reserve Bid. For example, his Model 384T Golden
Widget sells for $100 new. He or she 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 ComeToTheFarm Auction
is both
free
and
easy.
Simply
register if you have not already
. Our system automatically
mails your password within usually 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
Modify Registration to
replace our rather obtuse collection of letters and numbers
with something you might more easily remember.
Posting items for sale is accomplished by
clicking on
Sell/Donate Item on
every auction screen. Fill in the form that pops up with a
short descriptive title (make it snazzy to get people's
attention). Follow the rest of the directions. If you
using an image that is on your website somewhere, you do not
need to Upload an image. You simply put the URL in the
location on the post screen. An easy way to make sure you
have the correct URL is to go to the image on your site (or
wherever it is), right click and go to "Properties". Then,
copy the entire address (should end in jpg or gif) and place
in the box indicated. You can have up to two images!
If you have any questions about
an item, by all means contact the seller and ask him or her .
The seller's e-mail address is included on the item's page.
Just click on it to send him or her mail. You can ask about
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 to be an informed buyer.
In Latin: Caveat Emptor! The age-old warning of Buyer
Beware! We do police this auction and make our best effort to
keep it clean and pleasant, but we can give no blanket
guarantee. You might read our Terms & 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. If you did not receive a message, there are
two common reasons. First, if you are using a free
address with limits on mail storage, your message would not be
delivered if you have exceeded your space. Second, if
your email address is not correct, then our message can't
reach you!
The buyer and seller then are responsible for making their own
arrangements to conclude the deal by payment and shipment. If
this is a Benefit Auction, payment is sent to the Auction
Administrator. Shipment is made to the buyer after that
payment is received. 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.
What Happens If
The Buyer Doesn't Pay?
We have implemented a way of
telling others about "Problem" Buyers and Sellers.
Go Here for more
information.
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What can
I sell or donate?
