Sometimes (and our system supports
this) a seller enters a Reserve Bid. For
example, his product 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.
A seller might specify a Reserve Price if they are unsure of the real value of their item and would like to reserve the right to refuse to sell the item if the market value is below a certain price. If the seller has specified a Reserve Price, the Listing will be marked with an 
so you know immediately that your leading bid may not be a Winning bid.
Posting
your items for sale here at The Free Auction is both free
and easy.
Simply register if you have not already (by clicking
New Registration
here or at the bottom of any auction page). 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 Change Registration
to replace our rather obtuse collection of letters and numbers with
something more easily remembered.
Again, we charge
nothing to buy or sell items.
But, we do have optional premium features like: bold listings, featured auctions, catagory featured
auctions, attention grabbers, and the
like. For those, we charge a nominal rate.
Posting items for sale is accomplished by clicking on
Post New Item
here or at the bottom of any auction screen. Fill in the form that pops
up with a short descriptive title (make it snazzy to get people's
attention). Next, select the category the item should be in (if you
don't see an appropriate category on the drop down list, please e-mail
the administrator at and ask for that
category to be added. Be a little patient, please--we get LOTS of
e-mail. For more information on How To Post, click Here.
If you have any questions about an item, by all means
contact the seller and ask him or her (not us!). You can contact the seller by clicking on the (ask seller a question) link, when viewing their auction. From there enter your username and password, then type in your question and click "send".
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. Another way is to check out the feedback of the seller. Many times this will give you a good indication of weather they are honest or not. For more information on users feedback, go here.
The system automatically sends the
buyer (highest bidder) and seller of the item e-mail when the auction
ends. The buyer and seller then are responsible for making their own
arrangements to conclude the deal by payment and shipment. 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. For information on how to settle a dispute go here.
If you can't find an answer to your question here, check out:
The How to Bid Page.
The How to Sell Page.
The Message Board.
The Bulletin Board.
or Contact Us.
