Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Click on
a question to go directly to that section, or scroll down to see the answers.
Follow this link for a quick overview of how the auctions works. And see
how this is different from a typical auction.
What
is Outbid4less.com?
OutBid4Less
is a diverse and innovative auction site. OutBid4Less offers you, the user the
chance to win a variety of new brand name products at 80-90% below retail value.
OutBid4Less Offers the best deals, while donating to 30% of net proceeds to
charities.
<Return
to Top>
How
do the auctions work?
- Before
each auction, the auction supervisor will determine the maximum bid amount
and the maximum number of bids that will be accepted for the auction, among
other things. This maximum bid price will be displayed for each auction and
is referred to as the "Bid4"; price.
- To
Participate, users must register and setup a profile in which they choose
a charity, from a list of selected charities. Registering is free.
- After
registering members may then participate in an auction.
- To
participate in an auction members submit bids, less than or equal to the "Bid4";
price in US dollars and cents and agree to pay a nominal bidding fee for each
submitted bid.
- For
every bid a participant places in an auction, the charity in the Participant's
member profile will receive one point.
- Each
Auction will close when it receives the maximum number of bid for the auction
or meets the other closing requirements.
- After
the auction closes, the participant that submitted the successful (winning)
bid is determined. The successful bid is the highest unique bid out of all
bids received for the auction.
- The
successful participant may then purchase the product and/or service for the
successful bid amount submitted by them in the Auction.
- After
receiving payment for the successful bid amount, the product and/or service
will be delivered to the member.
<Return
to Top>
What
is a unique bid?
A
unique bid is a bid that is NOT a duplicate bid. A "duplicate bid"
is a bid submitted by a participant in an auction where another participant(s)
has submitted a bid(s) for the identical amount. Duplicate bids are used to
calculate the number of bids required to close an auction, but are disqualified
from being selected as the successful bid. A bid can be unique and still not
qualify as the successful bid. For example, in a single auction the following
bids are accepted:
Participant
"A" bids $13.91 (bid #1)
Participant "B" subsequently submits the identical bid of $13.91(bid
#2)
Participant "C" bids 14.56 (bid #3)
Participant "D" bids 14.92 (bid #4) Successful
Bid!!!
Bids
#1 and #2 are for identical values and are therefore duplicate bids and disqualified
from being selected as the successful bid. Bids #3 and #4 are both unique bids
and qualify to be selected as the successful bid. Bid #4 is the highest unique
bid and is therefore selected as the successful bid. All participants will be
required to pay the bidding fees for the bids they submitted. Participant "D"
is awarded the right to purchase the product and/or service offered in the auction
at the successful bid amount. <Return to
How Does the Auction Work>
<Return
to Top>
What
if an auction closes and there is not a unique bid?
In
the very unlikely event that an auction closes and there is not a unique bid,
all participants will receive an e-mail describing the situation and will be
asked to submit a new bid within 72 hours. There will be no fees associated
with the new bid and a special URL will be given to the participant to submit
the new bid. If a participant does not submit a new bid, their original bid
will be used.
<Return
to Top>
What
is the "Bid4"
price?
The
"Bid4"; price is the maximum price a member can
bid on a product and/or service in an auction. The "Bid4";
price is approximately 80-90% off suggested retail prices and is the maximum
price a product and/or service can be sold for. Even better the amazingly
low "Bid4"; price has no hidden charges and includes
all taxes, shipping and handling costs unless otherwise noted in the auction.
It is NOT possible to purchase a product at or below the "Bid4";
price unless you win the auction with the highest unique bid.
<Return
to Top>
Can
I bid more than the "Bid4"
price?
No.
Your bid must be equal to or less than the "Bid4";
price. Bids greater than the "Bid4"; price will
not be accepted.
<Return
to Top>
How
many bids can be submitted in an auction?
The
maximum number of bids allowed in any one auction is determined by the auction
supervisor before the auction opens, and may vary between different auctions.
The maximum number of bids that will be accepted for an auction will be clearly
specified in the information presented for each auction. Once an auction opens,
the maximum number of bids will not be changed for that auction.
<Return
to Top>
How
long will an auction remain open?
An
auction will remain open until either the maximum number of bids allocated for
the auction is reached OR the auction reaches maturation (63 days for auctions
requiring less than 200 bids, and 183 days for auctions requiring 200 or more
bids), AND has received the MINIMUM number of bids required to close. If the
minimum number of bids has not been reached, the auction will be extended until
the minimum number of bids has been reached. At that time, a closing date of
three days will be set and posted on the auction. This is a very good time to
bid in an auction because your chances of submitting the successful bid are
greater because the maximum number of bids has not yet been reached and you
will be competing against fewer bidders.
<Return
to Top>
What
is the "Ending Soon" indication?/How will I know when an auction ends?
We
will attempt to show a "Ending Soon" indication on any auction that
has only 25% or less of the bids left to go before it hits the maximum number
of bids we accept for the auction. If an auction is set up with a maximum of
50 or less bids, the "Ending Soon" indication will show when there
are 12 or less bids left.
<Return
to Top>
How
many bids can I place in a single auction?
You
may bid as many times as you would like, within the constraints of the maximum
number of bids that may be accepted for an auction. The more times you bid,
the more chances you will have of becoming the successful bidder. You will be
charged bidding fees for every bid you place in a main auction.
<Return
to Top>
How
can I buy the products and/or services at or below the "Bid4"
price?
Every
auction offered by Outbid4less.com is for only one item per auction. Like any
auction, ONLY the auction winner is allowed to purchase the product and/or service.
If you are the successful bidder for an auction, you may purchase the product
and/or service for your successful bid amount or donate it to charity. The successful
bid in an auction is the highest unique bid. Here is how it works:
Suggested Retail Price = $250.00
"Bid4"; Price = $17.50
Your "Successful Bid" = $17.41
You pay ONLY = $17.41 (Even less than the already low "Bid4";
price)
<Return
to Top>
How
is the successful bid determined?
When
an auction closes, all duplicate and unique bids are identified. Duplicate bids
are disqualified and unique bids are ranked by value. The highest unique bid
less than or equal to the "Bid4"; price is declared
the successful bid and the participant that submitted the successful bid is
awarded the right to purchase the product and/or service at the successful bid
amount. <example>
<Return
to Top>
How
can I see what the successful bid was in an auction?
When
an auction closes and the successful bid is determined, all auction participants
will receive an e-mail with a URL directed toward the "outbid winners page."
From there you can view the most recently closed auctions. In addition, auction
results may be viewed on your bidding history page and all closed auctions will
be displayed on the closed auctions page for a minimum of 45 days.
<Return
to Top>
How
will I know if I have the successful bid in an auction?
In
the event you are the successful bidder, within a few days of an auction closing,
we will contact you, via the e-mail address contained in your member profile
at the time you submitted the successful bid. If we are unable to contact you
via e-mail we will try alternate methods such as telephone and postal mail.
<Return
to Top>
What
if I didn't have the successful bid for an auction?
You
will receive a bonus auction credit that will allow you to bid on items in the
bonus auction area of the website. You will still be charged the bidding fees
if you are not the successful bidder.
<Return
to Top>
Can
I participate in more auctions even though I've already been the successful
bidder in another auction?
Absolutely.
There are no limits to the number of auctions you may participate in or win.
<Return
to Top>
How
much does it cost to bid?
The
bidding fees vary from auction to auction and are clearly specified in the information
posted for each auction. Bidding fees are kept low and typically range from
$5.00 to $10.00 Bids in the free and bonus auction areas are FREE, but you must
have free auction or bonus auction credits in order to participate in these
areas.
<Return
to Top>
What
forms of payment do you accept?
Visa,
MasterCard, Discover, American Express and yes even Paypal. We are still
evaluating if we would like to accept electronic checks. You can bid and pay with confidence at www.Outbid4less.com,
our site uses a Verisign secured SSL payment gateway and encryption from Authorize.net.
<Return
to Top>
How
long do I have to pay?
Bidding
fees are charged at the time you place a bid. If you are the winner of an auction,
you will have (45) days, from the transmission of a notification message sent
to the e-mail address in your member profile identifying you as the successful
participant, to pay the amount of your successful bid. Payment instructions
will be included in this e-mail notification.
<Return
to Top>
What
are the different types of auctions?
There
are three different types of auctions: Main Auctions and Bonus Auctions. All
members may participate in a main auction by paying bidding fees. Only members
that have earned free or bonus auction credits may participate in a bonus auction.
<Return
to Top>
How
do I earn Double Bid credits?
Every
you referrer a friend, whom places a bid in a main auction and pays the required
bidding fees, you become eligible to receive one Double Bid credit. Once you
have referred a friend, that has placed a main auction bid and payed the required
biddding fees, and you the "referrer" has placed a main auction bid
and payed the required bidding fees succeeding your refferals bid. Your account
will be accredited with one Double Bid Credit.
Do
you have more friends you want to tell about the amazing deals you get at www.Outbid4less.com
while helping charity or do you want to increase your chances of winning a Bonus
auction?
<Click Here to Refer A Friend>
<Return
to Top>
How
do I earn Bonus auction credits?
Users
will Earn one Bonus Auction Creidt just for signing up! If you place a bid in
a main auction, but aren't the successful bidder, don't despair. You still have
a chance to win an auction for great products. For EVERY non-successful bid
you place in a main auction, you will earn one bonus auction credit that will
allow you to bid on the great products in our Bonus Auction area.
<Return
to Top>
What
Charities do you support?
Outbid4less
donates at least 30% of the net auction proceeds to the charities sponsored
by Outbid4less. There will always be 4 to 5 well-known charities supporting
different causes for you to choose from. If you don't see your favorite charity
or cause sponsored on the website, you can tell us about your favorite charity
via email. Please contact our support team at: info@outbid4less.com In addition
to the money we donate to the sponsored charities, every quarter we will choose
two member submitted charities to receive a portion of that quarter's donations.
If your favorite charity supports a worthy cause and could benefit from a donation,
please tell us about it.
<Return
to Top>
How
can you afford to sell new brand name products for 80-90% off retail prices
and still donate so much money to charity?
Every participant pays an affordable bidding fee for each bid they place in
an auction. By collecting these fees, keeping our administrative costs low and/or
by getting product donations from the product manufacturers, we are able to
offer these amazing discounts and still donate at least 30% of the auction net
proceeds to the selected charities.
<Return
to Top>
Which
charities receive money from my bids?
There
will always be 4 to 5 well-known charities supporting worthy and different causes
for you to choose from. If you don't see your favorite charity or cause sponsored
on the website, you can tell us about your favorite charity. In addition to
the money we donate to the supported charities, every quarter we will choose
two member submitted charities to receive a portion of that quarter's donations.
See the Charities page to learn more about the charities we've selected.
<Return
to Top>
How
are the donations to the charities determined?
Every
time a member participates in an auction, the charity selected in their member
profile gets a point. At the end of the quarter all the points are tabulated
and the charities are ranked according to the percentage of the points earned.
This percentage determines the distribution of the proceeds each charity gets.
<Return
to Top>
How
do I change my charity affiliation?
Log
in and change your charity selection in your member profile. Every time you
place a bid, the charity selected in your member profile will receive one point.
If you change your affiliation, points earned for prior bids will not be altered.
This allows you to earn points for multiple charities if you desire.
<Return
to Top>
How
can I contact somebody at OutBid4Less, LLC?
See
the <Contact Us>section
on our website to reach a representative.
<Return
to Top>
Will
you share my user information?
Outbid4less
does not share any member information with affiliates or outside sources, other
than those required to conduct the auction and process payments. Please see
our <Privacy
Policy> for more details.
<Return
to Top>
Are
the products new or used?
All
products and/or services are new, brand name products with warranty, provided
by the manufacturer or distributor, unless otherwise noted.
<Return
to Top>
How
will my product and/or service be shipped?
If
you are the successful bidder, once you pay the successful bid amount the product
and/or service will be shipped to you. Outbid4less will select the delivery
method based on the product and/or service to be delivered. Some products and/or
services will be shipped overnight while others will be shipped via ground service.
<Return
to Top>
How
much do I have to pay for shipping?
All
shipping and handling charges are included in the successful bid. There are
no additional charges for shipping or handling.
<Return
to Top>
Can
I have the product and/or service delivered to an address outside the USA?
No,
at this time auctions are restricted to members with US addresses.
<Return
to Top>
Can
I change or cancel my bid once it has been submitted?
When
you submit a bid you will be asked to verify your bid prior to final submission.
As a general policy bids cannot be changed or cancelled once they have been
submitted. We will consider special requests on an individual basis providing
that the request is submitted while that auction is still open. A confirmation
e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address in your member profile verifying your
bid was accepted. If you received a confirmation e-mail and suspect fraudulent
use of your credit card, please Contact
Us
<Return to Top>
Where
can I go to review my bids or see the status of auctions I have participated
in?
When
you submit a bid, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address in
your member profile verifying the bid was accepted. Bidding histories, auction
statuses and results may be viewed on your bidding history page.
<Return
to Top>
What
is your refund policy?
As
a general policy, refunds and credits for bidding fees will not be issued. We
will consider special requests on an individual basis providing that the request
is submitted while that auction is still open. Please see the <User
Agreement & Rules> for more details on our refund policy.
<Return
to Top>
When
will I receive the product?
Usually
you will receive the product 1-2 weeks following payment of the successful bid.
However it can take up to 45 days depending on the product and shipping and
distribution times.
<Return
to Top>
Can
I see other participants' bids?
No.
This is a "blind" auction and all bidding information is kept in the
strictest confidence. Only the auction supervisors and auditors will have access
to bid amounts while an auction is open.
<Return
to Top>
Do
the products or services come with a warranty?
All
products include the full manufacturers or service providers' standard warranty.
<Return
to Top>
Who
can become a member and bid in an auction?
Any
person, 18 years of age or older, with a valid credit card or accepted method
of payment with a residence in the USA, or a business entity qualified to do
business within a particular jurisdiction, with a valid credit cardcepted method
of payment and a shipping address in the USA.
<Return
to Top>
What
if I forget my username and/or passwod?Your username
is the e-mail address we have on file for you. If you change your e-mail address
in your profile, your new e-mail address will become your new username. To recover
your password, just click on the "I forgot my password" link on the
Member Login Page and
your password will be e-mailed to the e-mail address stored in your member profile.
<Return
to Top>