- 1. Forgot your username and/or password?
- If you have forgotten your username and/or password, click here. You will be asked to enter your email address and mother's maiden name. We will then email you with your username and password.
- 2. How do I change my password?
- SPEEDBID allows you to change your password at any time. It may be suitable to do this if you have forgotten your password and had to be reminded (as shown in the preceding question and answer). Before you choose a new password you must first have registered with SPEEDBID and have a password. To change your password, click here.
- 3. How do I change my email address?
- If your email address has changed, you may update your email address. All future emails will be sent to the new email address. To update your email address, click here.
- 4. How do I update or change my card details?
- Click on this link to be taken to a secure page where you can safely enter your card details in encrypted form through SSL technology.
- 5. How can I find out the auction results?
- When an auction has ended, the result can be seen on the original auction page. Alternatively you just have to enter the lot number into the Speedbid Autosearch facility on the home page. If you are a successful seller or bidder, you will be automatically notified by email.
- 6. How long after the auction has closed can I view the results?
- The results will be available for 90 days after the auction closes.
- 7. How do the seller and the buyer contact each other after an auction?
- When the auction has ended, both successful highest-bidder and seller are sent an email from SPEEDBID notifying them of the auction results. This email identifies the various email addresses to both parties. Alternatively, registered users can always contact each other by logging into the Member Contact Facility.
- 8. What should I do if the seller decides not to sell the item?
- If you are the high-bidder at close of auction and the seller changes his mind and decides not to sell to you there isn't much you can do about it. This is a highly unlikely occurrence since sellers are normally very keen to sell their lots. One thing you can do is leave appropriate feedback about the seller on the viewers' feedback register.
- 9. What should I do if the winning Bidder decides not to buy the item?
- If after a reasonable period, say 3 to four days, you get no response from the high-bidder, then you can contact any underbidders you may have had. This should be done in the order that they are shown in your lot's bidding history. Auction bidding histories can be seen via a link from the auction item page. If you feel like it, you can always leave an appropriate comment about the winning Bidder in the feedback forum. If you wish, Speedbid will refund sales commission fees on unsold lots. There are conditions attached to this facility which is available to the Seller in My Speedbid after 21 days from auction end.
- 10. Can I show pictures of the item I want to sell?
You may enter up to 2 pictures for each lot. If you have created a URL for your picture you can enter the URL or, more easily, upload your picture directly from your computer onto Speedbid.
For every lot there are 2 different picture text boxes, one is for direct Upload from your Computer and the other for you to enter a URL. The Upload field is listed first and has a "Browse" button to the right of it. This field is only good for Upload direct from your computer. (Do Not try to enter a URL in this field). If you enter a URL (this is the URL as you would type it into your browser to view the picture, starting with "http://"), the URL should be entered in the text box that says "URL". (Do not enter a URL in the text box that has the "Browse" button after it).
To upload a picture directly from your computer, click on the Browse button to the right of the text box that says "Upload". A window will pop up for you to select your picture file. This window is just like the typical Open File window when you open a file on your computer. Find the picture you want to use on your computer, and then click Open. The filepath to that picture will automatically be entered into the text box next to the Browse button.
If you both upload a file directly from your computer and also enter the URL of a picture then Speedbid will automatically use the uploaded image and ignore the URL. Speedbid will also automatically reject any uploaded file that is not a valid picture. Valid picture fields must be of the following types (based on the file extension): .gif, .jpg, jpeg, or .png .
When you finally enter the lot for auction, your picture will automatically be shown on the Speedbid lot page. Please note that depending on the size of the picture, the form may take a few seconds to submit while the picture is being uploaded. Your picture will disappear shortly after the auction ends.
- 11. I have incorrectly listed a lot for sale. How do I correct it?
- You can't correct a lot that has been entered, but you can delete it and enter it again. Enter your username and Password into the "My Speedbid" box on the homepage. This will take you to your office where you will then be able to scroll to the lot in question and delete it. Warning: Don't delay as this option is only available so long as no 'buy bid' is registered and the lot has been open for less than 12 hours.
- 11(b). Can I end my auction early?
- Not if the reserve has been met, or a bid is in place for a lot that has been entered without reserve! However, extra to the circumstances described in Para.11 above, a seller has another option to close an auction early, after it has been open for more than 12 hours, by entering Username and Password into the "My Speedbid" box on the homepage. This will take you to your office where you will then be able to scroll to the lot in question and close it. This facility, however, is not available if there are less than 24 hours left at auction. Speedbid makes an extra charge for using this facility. £5 is added to the insertion fee for lots situated in the Military Orders & Medals category, and £1 for lots in all other categories.
- 12. If I put an item up for auction, will I be able to change the reserve price at a later stage?
- You will not be able to change the reserve price, nor the starting price, once an auction has started.
- 13. How much does it cost me to bid for an item?
- SPEEDBID makes no charge for bidding at any auctions. You will of course have to pay the seller if you are the high-bidder. You may also have to pay delivery or an extra % to cover money handling agency charges. The seller will have made this clear in the item description page which you will have seen prior to bidding.
- 14. What are the bid increment requirements for bidding on an item?
- Bid increments can increase. The bid increment is based on how far the bidding has gotten from the starting bid. Here is how increments are determined:
| CURRENT PRICE | BID INCREMENT |
|---|
| £1.00 - £4.99 | £0.20 |
| £5.00 - £14.99 | £0.50 |
| £15.00 - £59.99 | £1.00 |
| £60.00 - £149.99 | £2.00 |
| £150.00 - £299.99 | £5.00 |
| £300.00 - £599.99 | £10.00 |
| £600.00 - £1,499.99 | £25.00 |
| £1,500.00 - £2,999.99 | £50.00 |
| £3,000.00 and up | £100.00 |
- 15. What currency can I auction my lot in?
- All lots posted at SPEEDBID are in £.
- 16. How much does it cost me to sell an item?
- SPEEDBID MAKES two charges.
- The insertion fee (which on unsold lots includes the reserve fee).
- The seller's commission.
The insertion fee is calculated:
| STARTING PRICE | INSERTION FEE |
|---|
| £0.01 - £9.99 | £0.25 |
| £10.00 - £24.99 | £0.50 |
| £25.00 - £49.99 | £1.00 |
| £50.00 + | £2.00 |
The seller's commission is calculated:
| SELLING PRICE | COMMISSION |
|---|
| £0.01 - £20.00 | 5% |
| then £20.01 + | + 2.5% |
For example:
A sale of £250 would attract the following commission
First £20 @ 5% = £1.00
Then £230 @ 2.5% = £5.75
Total commission due = £1.00 + £5.75 = £6.75 paid to SPEEDBID
A reserve fee is only applied if a seller enters a lot with a reserve and the lot fails to sell.
If the lot sells, then the reserve fee is not charged.
This is how a reserve fee is calculated:
| RESERVE PRICE | RESERVE PRICE AUCTION FEE |
|---|
| £0.01 - £24.99 | £0.25 |
| £25 - £74.99 | £1.00 |
| £75 - £149.99 | £1.75 |
| £150 - £299.99 | £2.50 |
| £300+ | £3.00 |
- 17. How often will SPEEDBID bill me?
- When you have reached the limit of your initial free £10and you wish to continue you will be required to register your card details with SPEEDBID's secure server. Fees are then applied automatically at continuing 30 day periods and invoices emailed to you.
- 18. Do I get charged if my lot doesn't sell?
- Well, obviously there's not going to be any seller's commission charged to you if your item doesn't sell, but to help you to sell, you will be allowed to extend the auction time immediately (within 48 hours) and if it doesn't sell second time around, SPEEDBID will refund you the second insertion fee. What could be fairer?
This offer is good for one relisting only. If you want to relist your item, then you need to enter your USERNAME and PASSWORD in the My Speedbid box on the Homepage. This will take you to your office. There you will be able to view closed lots, and click the link to re-open those recently closed.
- 19. What is meant by a "Reserve"?
- SPEEDBID allows you to run two types of auction. The first type allows you to fix a starting price at which you are willing to sell your item. Anyone interested in buying your item can then leave a bid of what they are willing to pay at, or above, your starting price.
The other type of auction you may want to run is the 'Reserve Price' auction. Here the seller specifies the reserve price when they list the item. This reserve price is never revealed to bidders until it has been reached. The price is set above the starting price. The auction starts at the starting price, and when a bidder's bid is equal to, or greater than, your reserve price, the item can be sold. In other words, the reserve price is the lowest price at which a seller is willing to sell an item. If an item doesn't reach a reserve price, then the seller and any bidders are released from any obligation to complete a sale.
IMPORTANT: If you receive an email enquiry asking what your Hidden Reserve is, we recommend that you do not divulge this information. We believe that a bidder who has this information has an unfair advantage over other interested parties and, knowing your hidden reserve, will not place a winning bid until the last minute thereby reducing your chances of getting the best sale price for your lot. After all, if you wish to advertise your reserve then you can quite simply make it the starting price and avoid the email enquiries.
- 20. How do I cancel a "Wanted" advert?
- Wanted adverts are displayed for 14 days before automatically being removed. You can delete your Wanted advert at any time by entering your Username and Password into the My Speedbid box on the homepage, going to your office, scrolling down to the relevant advert and deleting it. If you delete an advert within one hour of posting it on Speedbid then you will not be charged for the entry. Remember that adverts are prepaid. Although you wont be charged for a deletion neither will you be refunded, and your account will go into credit for future use. Note that any deletion made after the first hour will still be charged for.
- 21. Can I leave a hidden Maximum Bid?
- You don't have to bid the next increment. To leave a maximum bid simply delete the next increment and enter your maximum bid instead.
- 22. How do I know that I can safely use my credit card on the internet?
- Despite media scaremongering, properly secured internet transactions are the next best thing to you actually being personally present. A recent Barclays Merchant Services report stated that 60% of plastic card fraud occurred at the shop counter and only 7% occurred in transactions where the card holder wasn't present.
Most of this fraud, where the cardholder wasn't present, would have taken place during ordinary mail order transactions. When using your card on our internet auction site, SPEEDBID uses industry standard SSL encryption between your browser and Barclays Merchant Services secure server. This gives between in excess of 40 bit and 128 bit encryption depending upon the capability of the customer's browser. We conform to the highest physical/ internet security standards required by the UK Merchant Card Service companies.
The process is fully automated and Credit Card authorisation currently takes about 7 seconds. In the totally unlikely event that someone would want to dishonestly use a credit card to buy advertising space at such small amounts, and be exposed for so long whilst in the process, it should be remembered that each contact carries the computer coding of the internet provider which allows the individual user to be easily traced. There are no eavesdroppers and no carbon copies to go missing. Use your card with confidence.
- 23. What if I need to speak to somebody at Speedbid?
- Speedbid is a fully automated sales vehicle. No humans work here. However, a help desk is available through the Enquiries link below. The Help Desk is visited at regular intervals to deal with any problems you may be experiencing that are not covered in the FAQ's above.
- 24. Can I bar a particular buyer from bidding on my lots?
- As a seller you have the facility to bar any particular member of the Speedbid community from bidding on your lots. This facility is available to you in your My Speedbid which you can enter via the Speedbid homepage.
- 25. How can I enter more than one lot at a time?
- Speedloader is available to all sellers.
When 10 lots are entered simultaneously using Speedloader, the seller qualifies for a 20% discount (unless special offers are operating!) on the introduction fee of each of the 10 lots entered.
The Speedloader entry form can be found on the Speedbid homepage. Sellers need to remain on-line whilst completing this form.
- 26. Do you support paying for purchases via Paypal?
- Speedbid enables you to pay for your items automatically via Paypal. For those items where the seller has indicated they have a Paypal account and that they will accept Paypal as payment, the email you receive when the item closes will include a link to pay via Paypal. The link will also be listed on your My Speedbid bid status page and the lot page after the item has closed.
- 27. How do I indicate I accept payment via Paypal?
- When you register, you can enter your Paypal email address. (Paypal uses your email address as your username.) You can also enter your Paypal email address at any time via the Paypal Update page. Then, when you create your items (either one at a time or via Speedloader) simply check the Paypal checkbox under the payment options.
- 28. Is it possible to extend the auction time of a closed lot?
- Speedbid has a Special Offer facility available to sellers whereby if the seller's item doesn't meet reserve or sell on its first showing then the seller will be allowed to immediately (within 48 hours) extend the auction period. No other changes are allowed, and the offer is for a one time extension only. If a seller wants to make any changes (ie to the description or reserve) then the item must be re-entered as a new lot.
- 29. Can I sell my lot to an underbidder who doesn't meet my reserve?
- Speedbid expects the lot to be re-entered at auction with a lower reserve. Speedbid makes no charge to buyers and very low charges to Sellers. Speedbid needs financial income to survive and improve, and all members of the Speedbid community are direct beneficiaries of this simple fact. Therefore, to agree to sell to someone through using the facilities of the Speedbid site but not to pay Speedbid for the services provided is perceived as essentially wrong. Where it is known to occur, Speedbid will adjust fees to take the loss into account, and sellers who persist in the practice of what Speedbid considers manipulation of its fee charging structure will be suspended from using the site.
- 30. Can I add more information about a lot that is already open for sale?
- Yes. Go to the lot in My Speedbid and click on the "Update Description" link below the lot title.
- 31. As a seller can I add any extra charges to the sale price?
- Sellers who make use of agencies in order to collect their payment may wish to offset any charges that the agencies make for their services. If the seller intends to pass this charge on to the lot winner then appropriate information regarding this should be included on the lot entry page. Sellers normally also charge buyers for any p&p costs. Any other arbitrary charges that the seller decides to make above the final auction price achieved will not be allowed.