Can I Really List for Free?
Yes, On Bidcayman you can list your auction at no cost, so long as its a single item. After you have joined you will have an option of either "Standard" or "Dutch" auction.
The "Standard" option allows you to have only one item for sale. The "Dutch" option also lets you have only one item for sale, but in multiple quantities.
If you want to list more than one item, you will have to open a store.
How do I Start an Auction?
Login into your account using your account number and password, then click the "SELL" tab on the main menu bar.
Choose which category you want to place your item(s) into. Then just follow the on-screen instructions. You will be asked for auction title, a description, a photograph if you have one, the starting bid price, reserve price (the minimum price you are willing to accept), quantity etc. You would have the option to advertise as well as sell your item(s) in an effective manner. Charges will be levied as applicable.
How do I list my item?
When listing an item, just follow the steps below.
After login, click the "SELL" tab on the main menu located at the top of the webpage. You will be sent to step 1 of listing your item.
(Store-owners only will be given a choice of location - Site, Shop or Both - for the item).
Step 1: Main Category:
Click the Main Category that your item fits in to best, e.g. Electronic, if you want to sell a camera.
Next, choose the appropriate sub-categories.
Step 2: Item Details:
Item Title: Enter the title of your auction in the "Item Title" text box. E.g. - '3-year old, hardly used Kodak camera'. Enter as descriptive a text as possible, as this is what will drive buyers to look at your auction. (45 characters limit)
Description: In the description box enter your text description, or your own html (no java). To enter your own html simply click the html view source button, which looks like this "<>". Then copy and paste your html into the box. Click the html view source button and you can see how your ad will look.
If you are not using your own html, you can just type your text into the description box. This program works similar to a word processor, so if you want to get fancy you can use the tools available to change fonts, add bullets, change font color, insert images, plus much more.
Step 3: Settings
Auction Type: Choose the auction type from the drop down menu. Standard auction is for one item. If you want to list an item with quantity more than one, select Dutch auction.
Currency: Change the currency setting to your preference.
Quantity: Enter the quantity of items to be sold on this auction if Dutch. (Not applicable for Standard Auction)
Auction Starts at: Enter the price you want your auction to start at. (NOTE: If you want to list a "Buy Out Only" auction, you need to set the start price equal to the buyout price.) Default price is $1.
Reserve Price: Enable this feature (optional). Enter a reserve price. Reserve price is the lowest you would be willing to sell your item at. So if you set a reserve price of $20.00, and your auction ended with the highest bid at $19.00, your item would end as unsold.
Buy Out: Enable this feature (optional) Enter a buyout price. This would enable prospective buyer the option of buying at the price listed instead of waiting until the end of the auction. The buy now price must be equal to or higher than the start price.
Bid Increment: Leave this as it is, unless you want to set the bid increments to a different setting. A bid increment is the amount a bidder must bid over the previous bidder. So if you set the bid increment at $1.00 and there was a bid on your item of $5.00, the next bidder would have to bid at least $6.00.
Private Auction: Choose this if you wish to hide the ID of your bidders. The bidders will see only the bid prices and not the bidder ID. Only the seller will be able to see the bidders.
Start Time: Your auction will start immediately upon submission; unless you click the custom box and enter the date and time you want your auction to start.
End Time: Choose the length of the auction you want from the drop down menu.
Paid Feature: You can have a better display for a small fee you can advertise your item. You will see the current fees for each feature offered alongside it.
Images: Use browse to locate the picture in your computer. Once you find the picture or enter the url of the picture, click on the "upload file" button. The page will refresh and you will now see a thumbnail of your picture in the images section of the listing page.
Your pictures should not be more than 500 kb per image, to upload correctly. You can use gif, jpeg, jpg format. If your picture does not show up when listed, your picture is either the wrong format, too large, or you failed to click the "upload file" button before proceeding to the next step. Here you can upload up to three additional pictures. Size limitations are the same as above.
Media: You can upload a video for your item that you might have or a url.
You Tube: You can use this to advertise your item even further via Youtube. If there is already a video on www.youtube.com that describes your item we will be happy to host it for you here. Just copy & paste the link in the given field.
Auto Re-list: Check this option if you want your item to automatically re-list if unsold. If you choose enhanced options like 'homepage featured' on this auction, you will incur the fees for the initial listing of that item, but you will not incur the fees for that listing each time this auction is re-listed.
Choose auto re-list if you want your auction to re-list if unsold. Choose auto re-list if sold when you want your auctions to re-list even if sold. Enter the amount of times you want your item to re-list. The maximum is 99 times.
Location: Enter your country and zip code, then click the next step button.
Step 4: Shipping & Payment Shipping Conditions:
Select who pays for shipping and check the international box if you ship internationally.
Payment Mode: Select which payment options you will accept.
Select direct payment methods for this item by checking the direct payment box. By using direct payment, buyers are able to pay for the item directly.
Postage Costs: Enter shipping costs here. If unsure of costs, leave blank and place estimated costs in the Shipping & Payment Details box below.
Insurance: : Enter insurance cost (optional).
Shipping & Payment Details: Enter shipping payment instructions/details here.
Type of Service: Select SHIPPING SERVICE USED * TOTAL SETUP FEES. This will show you the charges for listing this auction, most auctions do not have a fee unless additional options were chosen on the previous page. By clicking the next step button you state that you agree to the Terms and Conditions as listed.
Step 5: Preview:
Here you will see a the final display of your item before its actually put up with all the settings and parameters set. Right below is there are the our Terms & Conditions. Click the check box next to accept them and click on "List Now" to post your item. You can also save it to drafts and post it later.
Step 6: Finish:
You are all done and only left to pay the fees if any. The charges are for the features opted for other than the default ones. You can choose from one of the three payment modes offered.
Can I change my Auction Price or Quantity?
No. Once the biding starts, changes cannot be made to that item. You can only change the description details. You are allowed to change all the details only if you have removed all the bids placed on that item. Find the details under "view history" under the particular item.
What is a Bid Increment?
The bid increment of your auction is the amount the minimum bid price that is automatically raised by after each bid is made. The two types of Bid Increment are Default & Custom
- Custom Bid Increment
A price of the item listed will increase according to your own defined flat incremental value.
Eg; An item X is listed with a custom bid incremental value of $10. The biding will now increase with a difference of $10 with every bid.
How do I Contact the Buyer?
Log into your account, click the selling tab in the members area. This opens a page that will display your open auctions, by default. Click the "sold" sub-tab to view your sold items. Click the "message board" link for the appropriate auction, to send your buyer a message or to view their contact info.
How Do I Add a Description to My Auctions?
Bidcayman provides Simple and Advanced Description Editors for entering and editing information.
Your favored method can be selected when posting your auctions. Alternatively, you can also set your editor default in the My Defaults section. To do this, go to Members Area (left hand side menu), select Selling and Pre-filled Fields.
Simple: This will enable you to get your auction up and running with the minimum of fuss. What you type into the description area is how the description will be shown when the auction is posted. There are a minimum number of Tool icons that get a no frills auction on site quickly and efficiently.
Advanced: This is similar to the Simple option but with far more editing and HTML options available to enhance your descriptions. You can use View/Edit Source from the top panel in Edit Description.
How Do I use Make Offer?
Potential buyers who would like to make their offer for an item can simply click on the Make Offer button (if the seller has enabled this feature) and type in the offer you would like to make. If the seller is interested, he will get back to you.
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