The Dutch auction system enables sellers to offer multiple ad spots within a single auction.
They can only be used to list multiple identical placements on the same domain. For example, offering a series of six 125 x 125 Ad Spots or a rotating banner/s.
If the placements are static, ad spots must appear together in the one location with equal visibility.
Sellers are not allowed to impose preferential conditions such as "the highest bidder gets first choice".
Basically, all spots must be equal in terms of buyer exposure.
How do Dutch auctions work?
If a seller has say 10 ad spots/rotations to sell, they can be listed in a single auction.
Buyers can bid for the ad spots or, if the seller has selected it, the buyer can use the buyout option.
If we assume the start bid is $1.00:-
Scenario 1
Bidder A bids $1.00 for 5 spots Bidder B bids $1.00 for 4 spots
Both bidders will receive their spots for $1.00 should the bidding end like that.
Scenario 2
Bidder A bids $1.00 for 5 spots Bidder B bids $1.00 for 4 spots Bidder C bids $1.00 for 3 spots
Bidder C will be assigned one spot for $1.00 (as there are only 10 spots available)
Bidder C can increase their bid in order to take the lead on the other two requested.
If so, the lowest bidder will be knocked off.
If the bids are of the same value the earliest bidder will need to re-bid.
If Bidder A does not re-bid, then the circumstances in Scenario 3 would apply:
Scenario 3
Bidder A bids $1.00 for 5 spots Bidder B bids $1.00 for 4 spots Bidder C bids $1.00 for 3 spots (Assigned one @ $1.00, so Bidder C bids $2.00 for 2 spots)
Should the auction close at that point the following are assigned:-
Bidder A 3 spots @ $1.00 Bidder B 4 spots @ $1.00 Bidder C 1 spots @ $1.00 Bidder C 2 spots @ $2.00
Can I edit my auctions?
Yes. You may edit your listing up until
the first bid has been placed. Once a bid has been made, you may only
edit the description.
To edit your listing, while logged in click on the "Edit Auction" link on your auction page. Click the Proceed button to save any changes.
The steps below will guide you through our selling process:
1. Register for a Bidswamp account. 2. Register an account with PayPal. For your protection, we only accept payment via PayPal. 3. Click “Sell” on the navigation bar. 4. If you have a store set up with subscription enabled you will have the option of listing the item within the site, your store or both. 5. The listing process is split into six steps:
Step
How To
1 Item Details
Listing Type
Recommended you choose a Full Listing first to familiarize yourself with all our options. If you find that many of the options you are offered are not relevant, try a quick listing.
Main Category
Choose a main category for your item. This can be revised at any time by using the “Previous Step” button.
Additional Category
You may select an additional category or choose to skip this step.
Item Title
Enter a title for your item. Eg: "bidswamp.com - 50,000/month for 2 months"
Site Link & Screen Shot
Add your site link (must start with http://) and capture a screenshot. Attempt to capture up to 5 times as the image we capture is very large and requires a good connection between our site and your server.
If you are still unable to capture a screenshot using our site: visit Thumbalizr.com and capture a screenshot there. After capturing a large (800x600 or 1024x768) screenshot save the image onto your local computer and upload it in step three.
Be sure to leave your website URL in the above field for your site link.
Additional Rows
Enter the information in the value fields.
You do not need to complete fields you do not have information for.
You may add up to 10 additional rows.
The red symbol beside a field removes the additional row.
Description:
Use the HTML editor to write a description of your website.
Make sure you state all of your terms and conditions.
If you require Buyers to submit copies of their advertisements for your approval, mention this as a requirement, together with any other conditions you have.
2 Settings
Fill out the settings as appropriate to your auction. The fee charged for additional features are listed next to each setting where applicable. Below are explanations of each setting:
Auction Type
By default all auctions are standard. You may select a Dutch auction to list multiple identical ad spots. See the first FAQ above for an explanation on Dutch auctions.
Currency
For ease of use the United States Dollar (USD) is the only currency used at Bidswamp.
Quantity
If choosing a Dutch auction, enter how many spots you wish to sell.
Auction Starts At
Enter the amount at which bidding will start at.
Reserve Price (optional)
Enabling a reserve price means the item cannot sell for less than the amount set. For example you can set the start price at 5.00 but only accept winning bids over 50.00. Should the final bid be below 50.00 the item will close without a winner.
Buy Out (optional)
The Buy Out price enables bidders to buy your item instantly for a given amount.
OfferRange (optional)
You can set a price bracket in which you are willing to consider offers. For example if you set the offer price brackets from 75.00 to 100.00 interested parties will be able to offer you an amount within these brackets. You may accept or decline offers via the member’s area. Your range is not disclosed to other Users. However, the system will not allow a User to make an offer below your minimum offer range figure.
Bid Increment
Choose if you would like to use custom bidding increments or use our default increments.
Default Bid Increments Table From $0.01 to $0.99 increments of $0.05 From $1.00 to $4.99 increments of $0.25 From $5.00 to $24.99 increments of $0.50 From $25.00 to $99.99 increments of $1.00 From $100.00 to $249.99 increments of $2.50 From $250.00 to $499.99 increments of $5.00 From $500.00 to $999.99 increments of $10.00 From $1000.00 to $2499.99 increments of $25.00 From $2500.00 to $999999.99 increments of $50.00
Home Page Featured (optional)
By selecting this option, your listing will be featured on the home page. Featured listings are rotated upon each page load, only ten (10) featured listings are displayed at a time. Users can also find your listing by viewing the “View All” home page featured auctions section.
Category Pages Featured (optional)
By selecting this option, your listing will be featured on the category page and subcategory page/s (if any). Only five (5) category featured listings are displayed at a time.
Highlighted Item (optional)
This option highlights your listing in purple.
Bold Item (optional)
This options bolds your auction title.
Exclude from Search Engines
Your listing will not be crawled by search engines. Accordingly, your auction page will not appear in search engine results.
Start/End Time
Stipulate the start and end point of your auction. Custom start and end times are optional. When entering a custom start/end time, you must also stipulate the hours and minutes.
Private Auction (optional)
Enabling this option will hide bidders' usernames from site users. Only you will be able to see their usernames. Bid amounts will still be visible to everyone.
Auto Relist (optional)
For convenience you can have your items automatically re-listed. Maximum of 3 Auto Relists allowed. 25% will be taken off the original fees for each Relist.
Country, State/Province, Zip/Post Code
Confirm your location details. This area is pre-filled by default using your profile information. Your general location will be displayed within your listing.
3 Images
Upload up to 4 free images with your listing; please note the first image is the main one. Upload images from your local computer by clicking "Browse".
4 Payment
Direct Payment
Check the payment method(s) you whish to accept from buyers.
Offline Payment
Check the box next to each offline payment method you accept. Note that you, the Seller, should be equipped to handle these payment methods yourself.
5 Preview
Finally examine the preview. If you need to change any details, use the “Previous Step” to go back and make any corrections. If you would like to save the listing, click “Save as Draft” - this will save your listing and allow you to return to it later. If you are satisfied with your listing and accept our Terms and Conditions, click "List Now." You may still edit your listing up until the first bid has been made.
6 Finish
A notification confirming activation of your listing and the fee are displayed. If you click “List Similar Item” then you will be taken back to step 1 above with all your fields pre-filled in accordance with the previous auction. You may change any of the fields to customize your next listing by clicking through the “Previous Step” and “Next Step” buttons.
Managing your Listings
You can manage your listing in your Member’s Area. There you may view Open Auctions, Items with Bids/Offers, Scheduled Auctions, Closed Auctions, Drafts, Sold Items, Invoices Sent, Fees Calculator, your Prefilled Fields. You may even exclude specific Users from participating in your auctions and suggest categories to Bidswamp in the Member’s Area. Remember to always respond to questions from potential buyers.
Sold Items – what to do next?
You can send the Buyer an invoice by clicking “Send Product Invoice”.
Once the Buyer makes payment respond promptly through the Message Board (found next to the listing under the “Sold” section of your Member’s Area) and arrange with the Buyer for placement of their advertisement in accordance with the terms of sale.
If the Buyer has not paid within the required time, contact the Buyer directly through the Message Board or via email (the Buyer’s email is disclosed at the Message Board).
Leave Reputation comments for the Buyer. You may do this upon receiving payment or wait until the end of the contract period.
How can I better promote my auction?
Look at similar listings on Bidswamp.
Watch some auctions to get a general pricing idea, appropriate category(ies) and keywords.
Based
on your research, find out whether an auction or buy out model would
suit your needs and whether you would like to list a “make me an offer”
range. (Your offer range is not disclosed to users).
If
you require Buyers to submit copies of their advertisements for your
approval, make sure this is mentioned as a requirement in your
description.
The more analytics, server statistics images/links you provide the better.
Display
a Bidswamp banner on your website linking to your auction page; this
increases trust as well as confirming to Buyers that space is up for
sale.
The more information you provide within the listing the better.
Ad
Space for placement of advertisements in the form of banners (including skyscrapers, leaderboards, rectangles, popups, buttons, popunders,
interstitials) and text links on your website
page/s, emails, newsletters, RSS feeds etc.
Ad Space may be sold for a set period of time (Cost Per Time). For example $200 for a period of one month. Alternatively, the Pay Per Event category may include Ad Space offered on any the following cost bases:
Pay Per Click Through (PPC)
Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Pay Per Action (PPA)
Cost Per Impression (CPI)
Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM)
Any other method of calculating advertising costs.
In order to be able to sell you must be the legal owner of the inventory or must have the legal owner’s permission to make the listing.
How does Fee Evasion and Unfair Practices work?
Certain practices resulting in fee evasion and unfair advantage undermine the fairness of the Bidswamp marketplace.
As a result, you must not:
Offer to sell your Ad Space outside of Bidswamp while that Ad Space is up for auction at Bidswamp.
Offer buyers the opportunity through Bidswamp to purchase the Ad Space outside Bidswamp.
Link to material which entices buyers to purchase the Ad Space outside of Bidswamp.
Link
to a web page that contains other ad space (or links to other ad space)
for sale that is not listed on Bidswamp. For example, during your
listing, you must remove your “advertise here” or “advertise with us”
page from your website (if that page offers ad space not listed on
Bidswamp).
Use your About Me or Store Information profile pages to entice sales outside Bidswamp.
Provide a catalogue or other list of inventory from which buyers may directly order.
Offer a choice of Ad Space in one listing.
Offer additional or alternative Ad Space in your listing description.
Include a requirement or condition in your listing for buyers to make additional purchases.
Avoid reserve price fees by cancelling bids and ending a listing early just because your desired price has not been met.
What links are permitted within listings?
Links to your website where the
Ad Space is contained whether in your description or by using the
additional row feature in the auction setup. When adding a link as an
additional field make sure to insert the “www.example.com” format. Here
no HTML is required.
Links to analytics/server statistics or metrics data (PDF, excel or other).
Links to your blog about the website which contains the Ad Space.
Any
other links are strictly prohibited and will be removed by Bidswamp.
Bidswamp may also take any other action deemed appropriate including
suspending, amending or terminating your listing and/or your membership.
What terms can Sellers stipulate?
Remember to state all the terms of sale in your description including Advertisement requirements for the Ad Space such as:
Creative specifications;
File size;
Animation restrictions;
Acceptance procedure (ie: whether buyers should contact you for approval before bidding);
Appropriateness of materials placed on the advertisement; and
Contract period.
You may also direct buyers to your store policies, however all essential terms and conditions must be in each item description.
What are the Seller's content restrictions?
Listings and inventory in which the Ad Space is found must be:
Accurate, true and correct.
Complete without omissions of necessary information.
Current and kept up to date.
Placed in the “Pay Per Event” category if the Ad Space is not being sold on a “Cost Per Time” basis.
And must not:
Be false, inaccurate, misleading, deceptive or fraudulent;
Impersonate you as another person, company or entity;
Infringe any person’s copyright, intellectual property rights or encourage/enable others to do so;
Violate any law or encourage/enable others to do so;
Be defamatory, hateful, harassing or offensive;
Copy or reproduce another seller’s content including description and images without their written consent;
Be obscene, contain child pornography, racial hatred or other offensive content;
Contain any viruses or other damaging computer programming mechanisms;
Create liability for Bidswamp or cause us to lose or cause disruption to our services;
Link to any content that is prohibited by the Listing Policy.
What are Bidswamp's prohibited practices?
Certain practices undermine a level playing field and trust within the Bidswamp marketplace.
Accordingly, you must not:
Create a listing that does not offer Ad Space;
Request
or influence Buyers to use payment methods not offered by Bidswamp. You
must always accept payment from Buyers through the payment methods
selected in your listing.
Discourage Buyers to use your selected payment methods;
Use store pages in your listing. Although, you may refer buyers to your store in your listing;
Place want-it-now (Wanted) ads or a desire to trade ad space;
Offer or promote giveaways, raffles, prizes, random drawings or bonuses;
Use third party verification logos, services or representations;
Manipulate
Bidswamp feedback. Any reference to your feedback must be verifiable by
buyers on the Bidswamp website. For example, the statement “100%
reputation in buy it now auctions” is unverifiable;
Create test listings;
Include any hidden text or source tags for the purposes of including keywords or using it as a means of promoting your listing;
Undertake any keyword spamming activities. For example by including inappropriate keywords in a title or description;
Include misleading titles that do not accurately describe the Ad Space;
Promote
your other Bidswamp listings by referring to the category or keywords
of such listings. For example, you may only state “see my other
Bidswamp listings”, not “see my other Bidswamp listings including music
sites, gardening sites, recipe sites etc”.
List
pre-sale Ad Space unless clearly identified as such in your listing. In
any event the Ad Space must be made available within 60 days after
payment.
What happens if Sellers breach?
To avoid unintentionally breaking rules, we strongly advise you read our Terms of Use and Listing Policy before listing Ad Space.
If you breach the listing rules, then in addition to other rights, Bidswamp may take any of the following actions:
Cancel or amend listing/s without refund.
Amend your account privileges.
Suspend your account.
Terminate your account.
Remove or alter your status.
If a listing is cancelled/amended Bidswamp will email the Seller and all bidders advising of the cancellation/amendment.
How do Sellers complete a transaction?
When a Buyer wins an auction, Sellers must complete the transaction.
For
Ad Space sold on a performance basis for example Pay Per Click Through,
Sellers must provide the Buyer with logs/data in accordance with agreed
terms. If there are no agreed terms, Sellers must provide Buyers with
this information upon each request for payment.
We recommend Buyers monitor/compare logs with analytical data/logs provided.
Sellers
are not required to complete the transaction if the Buyer does not pay
or if they do not comply with requirements stated within the auction
listing. This applies where the Buyer failed to have their
advertisement approved prior to making the purchase or if Sellers
cannot authenticate the Buyer's identity.
If a Buyer is not satisfied with the performance of the contract, they may leave negative feedback.
How do I contact the Buyer?
Once your Ad Space has been purchased,
you can find the Buyers' full name, address and email address by
entering the Message Board of the auction. The message board is located
within the member’s area, in the “Sold Items” section on the far right
of each auction.
Previously sent and received messages are found on the left sidebar of the member’s area.
You can request us to provide the Buyers' telephone number by emailing us at disputes@bidswamp.com.
The Buyers' information can only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
When should Sellers leave feedback?
We recommend Sellers do not leave
Reputation Comments or Ratings for a transaction until after the
Contract Period comes to an end.
What if the Buyer doesn't pay?
The Process & what we will do
The purpose of our dispute process is to open up dialogue between you and the Buyer in order to enable you to resolve the dispute between yourselves. Make sure you keep a copy of all correspondence and file notes of your telephone conversation(s) with the Buyer.
To start the resolution process:
1.Email the Buyer
If a Buyer does not pay after seven (7) days or within a period defined in your item description, contact them via the message board or via email. Most problems can be resolved by direct communication. Remember that the Buyer may still be having its banner developed or might be having an emergency or eperiencing computer problems.
2.Telephone the Buyer
If you do not receive a positive response, we will give you the Buyer’s telephone number upon your request if you wish to contact them by telephone. Please note that we will also provide the Buyer with your telephone number at the same time.
The Buyer’s information can only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
3.Contact Us
If the buyer does not pay within seven (7) days of you contacting them, then you may advise us of this fact at disputes@bidswamp.com. Please provide us with copies of all emails and communications with the Buyer (including all email text and headers).
4.We contact the Buyer
We will contact the Buyer and give them an opportunity to respond within seven (7) days.
5. Tell us of the outcome
Dispute Resolved Tell us if the dispute has been resolved so we may stop taking action against the Buyer.
Please note the dispute cannot be reopened once it has been closed in our system.
No agreement If the Buyer does not respond to us and you confirm to us that you have not been able to reach an agreement with the Buyer within seven (7) days, we will record a non payment strike against the Buyer’s account. This will enable us to take any of the following actions:
Remove privileges and/or status from the Buyer’s account;
Place restrictions on, suspend or terminate the Buyer’s account;
Cancel the Buyer’s listing(s) if any;
Forfeit fees paid by the Buyer if any; and/or
Referral to law enforcement
depending on what we believe is appropriate in the circumstances. We are unable to advise you of the result due to privacy reasons.
You will receive a credit for your Final Value Fee and we may waive the listing fees to enable you to re-list your Ad Space. Credits will be issued within seven (7) days. If you require a refund instead of credits, you will need to notify us of this fact by email.
Remember to provide us with copies of all emails and communications with the Buyer (including all email text and headers).
Extension of time Advise us if you and the Buyer have agreed to extend the time for compliance. We will suspend all action against the Buyer until that time.
Please note however that all cases will close in our system after 60 days of first notifying us about the dispute and cannot be reopened after that date.
6.Time Limit
NOTE: If we do not receive notice from you about the outcome of your dispute within 60 days of first notifying us about the dispute, then we will automatically close the dispute in our system and no action will be taken against the Buyer. Once closed, the dispute cannot be reopened in our system.
7. Leave Feedback
You are free to leave reputation rating and comments for the Buyer based on your experience.
8.Report Fraud
If you suspect that a Buyer has engaged in fraudulent activity, then report the details to us at security@bidswamp.com.
What we don’t do
As we are not involved in and therefore not a party to any transactions that take place at the Website, we cannot force a party to settle a dispute or force them to comply with their obligations to you. We do not provide mediation or collect payment. We are not responsible or liable for any disputes between the Seller and the Buyer. All disputes must be resolved by Sellers and Buyers between themselves.
We therefore encourage you to try to resolve your dispute directly with the Member involved. If you cannot resolve the dispute with the other Member, you may wish to seek alternative avenues such as using independent online dispute resolution processes, contacting the police, consumer fair trading authority or obtaining legal advice.
The Buyer has lodged a dispute against me?
If a Buyer has lodged a dispute through
Bidswamp, then we will notify you of the dispute by email. You will
have seven (7) days to respond to us and the Buyer.
Here are some examples of how you can respond to us and the Buyer:
I’d like to communicate with the Buyer about resolving this dispute. (Remember to keep copies of all your communications with the Buyer).
I haven’t received payment.
I have posted the Ad Space;
I’d like to offer the Buyer a full refund.
No Response from You If
you do not respond to us within seven (7) days and the Buyer notifies
us that no agreement has been reached between yourselves, then we will
record a non performance strike against your account.
This will enable us to take any of the following actions:
remove privileges and/or status from your account;
place restrictions on, suspend or terminate your account;
cancel your listing/s;
forfeit fees paid; and/or
referral to law enforcement
depending on what we believe is appropriate in the circumstances.
Dispute resolved If
the Buyer advises us that the dispute has been resolved, then we will
cease any further action against you. The Buyer may leave reputation
comments and ratings on your profile depending on the Buyer’s
satisfaction of your performance.
No agreement If
the Buyer advises us that you have not been able to resolve the
dispute, then we will notify you of the Buyer’s advices and you will
have seven (7) days to respond if you disagree with the Buyer’s
comments.
After the seven (7) days, we may take any action we deem appropriate including the same action as if you had not responded to us (see No Response from You above). Extend Time If
the Buyer advises us that it has agreed to extend the time for
compliance, then we will suspend our action against you until that time.
Time Limit If
we do not receive notice from the Buyer about the outcome of your
dispute within 90 days of the Buyer first notifying us about the
dispute, we will automatically close the dispute in our system and no
action will be taken against you by us. Once closed, the dispute cannot
be reopened in our system.
What payment methods can Sellers accept?
For the protection of our members, Sellers can only accept online payments via the following payment gateways.
Paypal
Worldpay
2Checkout
Nochex
Moneybookers
Paymate
& Google Checkout
Sellers may also accept the following offline payments.
American Express
Diners Club
Mastercard
Visa
Note: Sellers must be equipped to handle these forms of offline payments.
How do Sellers choose different payment methods?
Sellers have the ability to choose a payment method when creating a listing.
Once
a listing is live you may select and deselect which Direct Payments and
Offline Payments you choose via the edit auction page. Make sure you
click the “Proceed” button after making any changes.
What is standard and proxy bidding?
Standard bidding is the most common way to bid on an item, and is exactly the same as the process used in real-world auction rooms. You bid the minimum amount required to outbid the current high bidder.
A Proxy bid means that you bid an amount that is higher than necessary. Bidswamp will raise your actual bid to the minimum necessary, but will retain your maximum. If someone attempts to outbid you, the system will automatically place additional bids on your behalf up to the value of your proxy bid. This means you can stay on top of bidding without having to be present. However, at all times you will only pay the lowest required bid should you win the auction.
For example, if your current bid on the auction is 50 and you placed a proxy bid of 200. Should you remain the only bidder you will win the item for 50. However should the item receive other bids the site will automatically re-bid for you (up to 200) to ensure you remain in the lead.
Placing a standard or proxy bid:
To place a bid, enter your chosen amount into the "Place Bid" field in the item listing and click the Place Bid button to continue (there are two areas from where you can place your bid, one next to the item details and a second at the bottom of the page.)
The bid confirmation screen will display the minimum bid needed (standard bid) and will allow you to adjust your bid accordingly.
If you wish to place a standard bid, adjust your bid to match the Minimum Bid value shown
If you wish to place a proxy bid, enter your maximum bid into the Your Bid field
If your bid is high enough to take the lead in the auction a confirmation message will be displayed to you, however if your bid has not taken the lead (be it due to a higher proxy bid or not meeting the reserve price) you will be invited to make a further bid.
Bidswamp does not allow retraction of bids. So please bid carefully.
What is "Buy Out"?
Some sellers allow items to be purchased
instantly at a fixed price, regardless of any auction bidding that has
taken place. This feature is called Buy Out. You will see the Buy Out logo in item listings that offer it. The Buy Out price will be stated directly below the Buy Out logo under the item's primary image.
1. To purchase an item with Buy Out, click on the Buy Out logo.
2. You will be taken to a confirmation page showing the Buy Out price and payment methods for the item.
Click proceed if you are happy to continue.
3. Your purchase will now be confirmed and you will be able to pay the seller.
What is "Make Offer"?
Some sellers allow potential buyers to
make offers on items to avoid having to wait for the auction to end. If
a Seller is open to accepting offers, the "Make Offer" logo will be
displayed on the item listing.
To make an offer:
1. Click on the "Make Offer" icon.
2. On the Make Offer page, enter the amount you would like to offer.
3. Click Proceed
to continue. You will be notified if your offer is not within the
Seller’s range, in which case you may increase the amount and place
another offer. Once the amount is within the Seller’s range, your offer
will be confirmed and submitted to the Seller.
4. The Seller may accept or reject your offer.
Can I watch auctions through my account?
The auction watch feature allows you
keep track of auctions through your member's area. You can watch any
auction by clicking on the “Watch this Item” link on any auction page.
How can Buyers contact a Seller?
Upon winning an auction, Buyers can find
the Seller’s full name, address and e-mail by entering the Message
Board of the auction. The message board is located within the member’s
area, in the “Won Items” section on the far right of each auction.
Previously sent and received messages are found on the left sidebar of the member’s area.
You can request us to provide the Seller’s telephone number by emailing us at disputes@bidswamp.com.
The Seller’s information can only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
When should Buyers leave feedback?
We recommend Buyers to leave Reputation Comments or Ratings only after the Contract Period has comes to an end.
What if the Seller doesn't perform?
Seller refuses to complete the transaction but I received a refund or have not paid yet.
If
the Seller has contacted you refusing to complete a sale and you have
not sent payment or you have received a refund, report the Seller to
us. Please include a copy of the Seller’s emails (including both text
and the email headers).
We will investigate the circumstances
and take action against the Seller if appropriate. We are unable to
advise you of the result due to privacy reasons.
You are free to leave Reputation Rating and comments for the Seller based on your experience.
I am not satisfied with the Seller’s performance
The
purpose of our dispute process is to open up dialogue between you and
the Seller in order to enable you to resolve the dispute between
yourselves. Make sure you keep a copy of all correspondence and file
notes of your telephone conversation(s) with the Seller.
1.Email the Seller
If
a Seller does not provide the Ad Space within the required time, or if
you are unsatisfied with the Seller’s performance of the contract,
contact them via the message board or email. Most problems can be
resolved by direct communication. Remember that the Seller might be
having an emergency or experiencing computer problems.
2.Telephone the Seller
If
you do not receive a positive response, we will give you the Seller’s
telephone number upon your request if you wish to contact them by
telephone. Please note that we will also provide the Seller with your
telephone number at the same time.
The Seller’s information can only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
3.Contact Us
If the Seller does not respond within seven (7) days of you contacting them, then you may advise us of this fact atdisputes@bidswamp.com. Please provide us with copies of all emails and communications with the Seller (including all email text and headers).
4.We contact the Seller
We will contact the Seller and give them an opportunity to respond within seven (7) days.
5.Tell us of the outcome:
Dispute Resolved Tell us if the dispute has been resolved so we may stop taking action against the Seller.
Please note the dispute cannot be reopened once it has been closed in our system.
No agreement If
the Seller does not respond to us and you confirm to us that you have
not been able to reach an agreement with the Seller within the seven
(7) days, we will record a non performance strike against the Seller’s
account. This will enable us to take any of the following actions:
remove privileges and/or status from the Seller’s account
place restrictions on, suspend or terminate the Seller’s account
cancel the Seller’s listing(s)
forfeit fees paid by the Seller
referral to law enforcement
depending
on what we believe is appropriate in the circumstances. We are unable
to advise you of the result due to privacy reasons.
Remember to provide us with copies of all emails and communications with the Seller (including all email text and headers).
Extension of time Tell
us if you and the Seller have agreed to extend the time for compliance.
We will suspend all action against the Seller until that time.
Please
note however that all cases will close in our system after 90 days of
first notifying us about the dispute and cannot be reopened after that
date.
NOTE:
If we do not receive notice from you about the outcome of your dispute
within 90 days of first notifying us about the dispute, then we will
automatically close the dispute in our system and no action will be
taken against the Seller. Once closed, the dispute cannot be reopened
in our system.
6.Leave Feedback
You are free to leave Reputation Rating and comments for the Seller based on your experience.
7.Report Fraud
If you suspect that a Seller has engaged in fraudulent activity, report the details to us at security@bidswamp.com.
What we don’t do
As
we are not involved in and therefore not a party to any transactions
that take place at the Website, we cannot force a party to settle a
dispute or to comply with their obligations to you. We do not provide
mediation or collect payment and are otherwise not responsible or
liable for any disputes between the Seller and the Buyer. All disputes
must be resolved by Sellers and Buyers between themselves.
We
therefore encourage you to try to resolve your dispute directly with
the Member involved. If you cannot resolve the dispute with the other
Member, you may wish to seek alternative avenues such as using
independent online dispute resolution processes, contacting the police,
consumer fair trading authority or obtaining legal advice.
The Seller has lodged a dispute agains me?
If a Seller has lodged a dispute through
Bidswamp, then we will notify you of the dispute by email. You will
have seven (7) days to respond to us and the Seller.
Here are some examples of how you can respond to us and the Seller:
I’d like to communicate with the Seller about resolving this dispute. (Remember to keep copies of all your communications with the Seller).
I have already made payment.
No Response from You If
you do not respond to us within seven (7) days and the Seller notifies
us that no agreement has been reached between yourselves, then we will
record a non payment strike against your account.
This will enable us to take any of the following actions:
remove privileges and/or status from your account;
place restrictions on, suspend or terminate your account;
cancel your listing/s (if any);
forfeit any fees paid; and/or
referral to law enforcement
depending on what we believe is appropriate in the circumstances.
Dispute resolved If
the Seller advises us that the dispute has been resolved, then we will
cease any further action against you. The Seller may leave reputation
comments and rating on your profile depending on the Seller’s
satisfaction of your performance.
No agreement If
the Seller advises us that you have not been able to resolve the
dispute, then we will notify you of the Seller’s advices and you will
have seven (7) days to respond if you disagree with the Seller’s
comments to us.
After the seven (7) days, we may take any action we deem appropriate, including the same action as if you had not responded to us (see No Response from You above). Extend Time If
the Seller advises us that it has agreed to extend the time for
compliance, then we will suspend our action against you until that time.
Time Limit If
we do not receive notice from the Seller about the outcome of your
dispute within 60 days of the Seller first notifying us about the
dispute, then we will automatically close the dispute in our system and
no action will be taken against you by us. Once closed, the dispute
cannot be reopened in our system.
How do I register for a Bidswamp account?
To create an account, click the “Register” link on the navigation bar.
When registering, you will be asked to complete a short form which includes standard information.
Mandatory fields include:
Business or Individual?
Full Name
Address
City
Country
State/Province/County
Zip/Post Code
Phone Number
Date of Birth
Username & Password
E-Mail address
Confirmation of terms an conditions acceptance
Please read our Privacy Policy to see how we use this information.
Click the Register button at the bottom of the form to complete your registration.
A confirmation e-mail will be sent to you where you will be asked to follow a link in order to activate your account.
You will then be able to log in to your Bidswamp account.
Should you encounter any registration difficulties please at admin@bidswamp.com.
What happens if I breach any terms or policies?
When
a Member breaches our Terms of Use or any of our Policies, we may take
any action available to us including without limitation the following:
Remove your account privileges & status;
Suspend your account;
Terminate your account;
Cancel/amend your listing(s) without refund; and/or
Refer you to law enforcement agencies.
What is the Reputation/Feedback system?
The Reputation rating system is an integral part of creating and maintaining trust among Members.
Every
Member of Bidswamp has a Reputation Profile. When you enter into a
transaction over Bidswamp, the other Member may leave a comment and a
rating on your Reputation Profile for that particular transaction. This
enables future Buyers and Sellers to determine what to expect when
dealing with you.
For each transaction that takes place, the buyer and seller can award each other a star rating from 1 to 5:
1 star: Very poor - Your reputation is reduced by 1
2 stars: Poor - Your reputation is reduced by 1
3 stars: Neutral - no change to your reputation
4 stars: Good - Your reputation is increased by 1
5 stars: Excellent - Your reputation is increased by 1
You can see full details of your reputation and the comments you have received in your Members' Area.
Wherever a user id appears, the reputation for that user is also shown.
You should leave honest and helpful comments to promote trust and integrity in the Bidswamp marketplace.
We
recommend that you do not leave Reputation Comments or Ratings for your
transaction until after your Contract Period with the other Member
comes to an end.
If a Member receives unacceptable
and/or repeated negative comments and ratings then we may take any
action we deem appropriate against that Member. Please refer to the
“What happens if I breach any terms or policies?” question above.
Leaving Comments for Other Users 1. After you have completed a transaction, go to your Members Area section sidebar, and click on the Leave Comments link. You will see a list of auctions for which you need to leave comments. 2. To leave a comment, click on the Proceed link to the right of the auction. 3. Select a suitable star rating (from 1 to 5), and enter any comments you would like to leave about the transaction. 4. When you are finished, click on Leave Comments. 5. Your rating and comment is recorded against the member’s reputation/profile immediately.
For more information about the Reputation System, please refer to the Terms of Use.
How do I use my member's area?
Introduction After logging in, you will have access to the secured Member’s Area (via the “Member’s Area” tab on the blue navigation bar). This gives you access to all of the main functionality of the auction system.
The main areas of member’s area functionality are located in the sidebar, including:
Summary - a brief summary of your auction activity. Messaging - sent and received private messages. Bidding - this section gives you an overview of auction activity. Selling - manage your selling activities. Reputation - view feedback you have given and received for each item bought or sold. About Me - create your own "About Me" page, to enable other members to find out a little more about you and your interests. This can be disabled at any time. My Store - setup and configure your own "store" - a private shop where only your items are listed. My Account - view and modify your account details and carry out other administrative tasks.
Messaging This section allows you to read, delete and reply to messages.
Click on Received or Sent to see a list of your messages. To read a message, simply click on the "To" or "From" user ID and the message will load for you.
To delete a message/s, select the checkbox of the message you wish to delete and click the “Proceed” button.
Sending Messages You can send private and public (unless disabled by the seller) messages to sellers from all item listings:
1. Scroll down the listing until you find the "Ask Seller a Question" section. 2. Enter the question you would like to ask, and select whether you want it to be private or public (visible to other users). 3. Click Submit to send the message. You can see all of your sent and received messages in your Members Area, under Messaging.
Bidding The Bidding section provides you with an overview of the items you have bid on, lists items you have won, outstanding invoices and items you are watching. The Bidding section also provides access to your Favourite Stores list.
Managing & Placing Bids Bidswamp allows you to purchase items in several ways:
Standard bidding
Proxy Bidding
Make an Offer
Buy Out
See the above FAQ's for detailed explanations of each purchasing method. Won Items The Won Items section allows you to see all of your recent purchases and bids at a glance.
Recently-purchased items are then individually listed with their payment status.
When you are ready to pay for the item, simply click on Pay With Direct Payment.
This will take you to a payment screen enabling you to choose your preferred payment method and make an instant payment for your item.
Once you have completed payment, the payment status for the item will be updated in the Won Items table.
Invoices Received The bidding section of the Member’s Area also allows buyers to see their current invoices.
Watched Items If you would like to track the progress of an auction, you can choose to watch the auction.
In every item listing, you will see a Watch This Item link. To add the auction to your Watched Items list, simply click on this link.
To view your Watched Items list, go to the Watched Items section within your Members Area.
Favorite Stores Bidswamp allows users to operate their own stores within the auction site. Selecting a store as a favourite allows you quick and easy access to it directly from your Members' Area, without having to search for it.
1. To access a complete list of stores or to search the store directory, click on the stores link on the blue navigation bar. 2. At the top of each store's home page, there is an Add To Favourites link. Click this to add this store to your Favourite Stores. To see a list of all of your favourite stores, go to Members' Area / Bidding / Favourite Stores.
Keyword Watch The Keyword Watch feature notifies you of newly listed auctions which contain keywords you have chosen. For example if you are looking to advertise in a cosmetic surgery website you could enter keywords related to this topic from your Members Area under “Keyword Watch”. Each time a new auction is listed containing those keywords you will be notified via email.
Managing Your Listings You can manage all of your listings from the Selling section of the Members' Area.
The Selling Totals section provides a simple summary of the number of items at each selling status.
Open The open view shows all Ad Space you currently have listed in active auctions.
You can sort the items in the Open Auctions table by clicking on the arrowheads by each column heading.
Items with Bids/Offers The Items with Bids/Offers view shows items you are currently selling that have bids or offers on them.
Scheduled The Scheduled view shows auction listings you currently have which are scheduled to start.
Closed The Closed view shows all of your closed auction listings.
Drafts The Drafts view shows all of your saved draft auction listings.
Sold The Sold view shows all of your sold auction items.
Invoices Sent The Invoices Sent view shows all of your current sent invoices.
Fees Calculator The Fees Calculator allows you to calculate the listing fees for an item before you create the listing.
Simply select the fees that will apply to your listing and click Proceed. Note that this calculator excludes the end of auction fee as this is variable and depends on the final selling price.
Prefilled Fields Regular sellers may find that they have certain fields which require the same data. The Prefilled Fields page allows this information to be saved and automatically populated into your auction listings.
Field Name
Description
Item Title
The title for your auction listing
Description
Enter any common text that appears in all your item descriptions into this field.
Duration
If your auctions always have the same duration, you can specify it here.
Private Auction
If you always run private auctions, check this box.
Direct Payment Methods
If you only accept certain payment methods, select them here.
Accept Public Questions
If you have a fixed policy on public questions, indicate it here.
New Bid Email Notifications
If you always wish to be notified of new bids by email notification, check this box.
Blocked Users If you wish to block certain users from bidding on your items, you can add their usernames to this page. Click on the Add User link to block a user. You can also specify the reason you have blocked them, and blocked users can be removed (unblocked).
Reputation Your reputation provides an indicator of how much trading you have done on the auction site and allows other buyers and sellers to get an idea of your trustworthiness and experience. For each transaction that takes place, the buyer and seller can award each other a star rating from 1 to 5:
1 star: Very poor - Your reputation is reduced by 1 2 stars: Poor - Your reputation is reduced by 1 3 stars: Neutral - no change to your reputation 4 stars: Good - Your reputation is increased by 1 5 stars: Excellent - Your reputation is increased by 1
Wherever a user id appears, the reputation for that user is also shown. Click on the reputation rating to see full details of that user's reputation.
You can see full details of your reputation and any comments you have received in the Members' Area.
About Me The About Me facility enables users to provide a little information about themselves to other users. For business users, this might be information about their business. Personal users might want to provide some information on their hobbies and interests - especially if they are the main reason for their auction activities. You can set up an About Me page like this:
1. Click on the “view” link under the About Me heading within the Member’s Area. 2. Make sure to enable the About Me page by selecting the checkbox. 3. Enter some suitable information into the text field. Use the toolbar at the top of the text area to format your text. You can also include hyperlinks - just click on the symbol and enter the target URL and the link text. Links must not be in conflict with the Listing Policy. 4. When you have finished, click on the Proceed button to save your About Me page. You will now see an additional icon appear alongside your user id. Anyone who clicks on the About Me logo will be taken to your About Me page.
How do stores work?
The Bidswamp auction system allows sellers to operate their own private Stores. Sellers can customise the store's appearance, categories and include detailed information about their business and inventory. By default users' store subscriptions are disabled. Enabling stores is simple, instant and allows users to choose between five kinds of stores:
Free Store - up to 1 free item
Basic Store - up to 3 items, $2.00 per 30 days
Medium Store - up to 6 items, $3.00 per 30 days
Advanced Store - up to 20 items, $10.00 per 30 days
Expert Store - up to 100 items, $30.00 per 30 days (Store is featured on Stores page)
Please note: standard listing fees apply if the item is to be listed in the main site.
Setting Up A Store - Subscription Setup 1. Go to the My Store section within the Member’s Area and select Subscription Setup. 2. At the top, you will see a summary of your store subscription status, showing subscription payment dates and the number of items presently listed. If you have not had a store before, the Store Status will be Disabled. 3. To setup a store, ensure the Enable Store check box is checked. 4. Select the type of store you wish to operate 5. Click Proceed to activate the store and confirm your choices. 6. You will be taken back to the Subscription Setup in My Store. Above the check box, will appear “Please click [ here ] to fill these fields”. You will need to click on the ‘here’ link and fill in necessary details then click proceed. 7. Your store is now set up and ready for use, although you should probably consider adding some further information using the Main Settings, Store Pages and Custom Categories sections, which are explained below.
Main Settings The Main Settings section allows you to customise your store and provide information about the kind of items you offer for sale.
There are five fields you can populate (all are optional):
Field
Description
Store Name
The name of your store
Store Description
A description of your store - content may include information on the kinds of Ad Space you sell, your trading history, your business, etc This can be formatted and include links to other sites.
Store Meta Keywords
You should enter relevant keywords for your store here - words that people might search for if they were looking for the kind of Ad Space you sell. Separate each keyword (or phrase) with a comma.
Store Logo
If you wish to display a store logo, you can upload it here using the Browse and Upload buttons. You can also upload a graphics file from another website by entering its URL into the Enter URL field and then clicking Upload.
Store Designs
Choose from a number of alternative store designs, to help make your store more distinctive
Store Pages The Store Pages section allows you to provide additional information about your store, including details of your special offers and advertisement requirements. All of these sections can be updated at any point and changes made will immediately be applied to your store.
Field
Description
Number of Store Featured Items
Specify how many of your store's items you would like to highlight as "featured" items at the top of your store's home page.
Number of Ending Soon Store Items
All store items are listed for a fixed length of time. Specify how many "ending soon" items you would like highlighting in the Ending Soon section on the store home page.
Number of Recently-Listed Store Items
Recently-listed items can be highlighted in the Recently Listed section at the top of your store's home page. Specify how many of your most recent items you would like included in this section.
About This Store
Include additional information about your store, inventory or your business here.
Store Specials
Provide full details of any special offers you are running here.
Advertisement Requirements
Include full details of your advertising acceptance policies such as:
Creative specifications;
File size;
Animation restrictions;
Acceptance procedure (ie: whether buyers should contact the Seller for approval before bidding); and
Appropriateness of materials placed on the advertisement.
Company Policies
Include any further details of your company policies here.
Custom Categories All items are placed in a category of your choice when listed in an online auction or as a store item.
Within your own store you can choose which categories are available and you can create your own custom categories.
Please note that custom categories can only be used for Store-only listings - if you would like to list your item in the main site as well as in your store, you must use the standard categories that are available.
Setting Up A Custom Category 1. To setup a custom category, go to the My Store / Custom Categories section of your Members' Area. 2. Enter the name of your category into the Add Category field, then click the Save Changes button. You can add as many categories as you need. 3. When you have finished adding new categories, click the Generate Categories button. 4. To update the changes, this text will appear in a yellow box: You have made changes to your category structure, please update those changes by clicking [ HERE ] when you have finished. Click the "here" link to complete the process. Selecting Categories For Your Store If you don't wish to create custom categories you can choose to restrict the standard categories that are available in your store instead.
1. In My Store / Custom Categories section of your Members' Area, scroll down to the Store Categories 2. Select the categories you would like to use by clicking on them (hold down the Ctrl key at the same time for multiple selections) 3. Click on the -> button to add these categories to your store. Selecting your own categories will automatically mean that only these categories are available within your store.
Listing Items for Sale in Your Store See "How do I sell?" FAQ above.
Viewing Your Store 1. To view your store, click on the Stores link on the main navigation bar: 2. Type the name of your store into the Store search box. 3. Click on your store's name to enter it.
How do I manage my account?
In the My Account section of your Member’s Area, you can manage all aspects of your account including:
Personal Information
Manage Account (payment methods)
Account History
Mail Preferences
Abuse Report
Personal Information The Personal Information section allows you to view and edit your personal details. The information on this page is exactly the same as the information you provided when you registered as a member.
If making any changes, be sure to click on the Update button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
Manage Account The Manage Account page allows you to see:
Your status
Registration Date
Balance of your account
Maximum Debit (all customers have a maximum debit of 0.01 USD). After reaching the maximum debit, you will not be able to list any items until you have cleared your account balance (within the Members Area > Manage Account page).
You may also select which payment methods you want to accept and enter all the relevant information. Once you have made any changes necessary, click on the Update button at the bottom of the page to save your updated information.
Account History The Account History page allows you to view reports showing your activity over a defined period.
Use the drop down menus to specify the date range you want to include in the report, and then click Proceed to run the report.
To view all activity, leave blank and click Proceed.
Mail Preferences The Mail Preferences page allows you to choose which events you wish to receive email notifications for.
Once you have updated your selection, be sure to click the Proceed button to save your choices.
How do I report abuse?
From time-to-time, you may find that another user is abusing the auction system in some way.
The Abuse Report
page within the member’s area allows you to send a confidential report
to auction administrators bringing abuse issues to their attention.
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