Getting To Know Online Auctions
This includes national retailers auctioning off excess inventory or services
. The way auctions work is that sellers may offer one item at a time or multiple lots of the same item.In theory, online auctions run much like local auctions, but behind the scenes there is a collection of data going on continuously. Just like local auctions, there are sellers and bidders and winners and losers.
Winners are expected to pay for what they bid on at the conclusion of the sale. But that is where the similarities between online and local sales end.
At online auctions you will be required to register before you can buy or sell an item. This is required to track items you bid on or sell, keep up with the bids, determine the winning bids and build a database on vendor and bidder feedback.
To help you track the progress of the sale and prevent spam from coming into your main account, set up an online email account separate from your main email account. This just makes life easier and your personal email less cluttered.
The bidding for each sale closes at the scheduled time. In the case of sales of multiple lots, the participants with the highest bids at the close of the sale are obligated to buy the items.
If no one bids at or above the reserve price, the sale closes without a winner. At the close of a successful sale, the buyer and vendor communicate, usually by email, to arrange for payment and delivery of the goods.
There are two types of Internet auctions: business-to-person or person-to-person. Sellers of business-to-person auction sites have physical control of the merchandise being offered and accept payment for the goods.
In person-to-person auctions, individual vendors or small businesses offer their items for sale directly to consumers. Generally, the vendor, not the site, has physical possession of the merchandise.
After the sale closes, the vendor is responsible for dealing directly with the highest bidder to arrange for payment and delivery. Buyers may have several payment options, including credit card, debit card, personal check, cashier's check, money order, cash on delivery and escrow services.
However, all sellers do not accept all forms of payment. Credit cards offer buyers the most consumer protections, including the right to seek a credit from the credit card issuer if the product is not delivered or if the product received is not the product ordered.
Typically, vendors using business-to-person auction sites accept payment by credit card, but many vendors in person-to-person auctions do not. Usually they require payment by cashier's check or money order before they send the item to the winning bidder.
Some vendors agree to use an escrow service. For a fee, generally 5 percent of the cost of the item paid by the buyer, an escrow service accepts payment from the buyer via check, money order or credit card.
The service releases the money to the seller only after the buyer receives and approves the merchandise. This helps protect buyers from ending up empty-handed after paying their money.
Using an escrow service can delay the deal. As with any business transaction, investigate the escrow service's reputation before signing on to the service.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Internet auction fraud has become a significant problem. Most consumer complaints center on sellers who do not deliver the advertised goods or deliver something far less valuable than they advertised.
Other complaints are that the sellers do not deliver in a timely way or fail to disclose all the relevant information about the product or terms of the sale. If you run into a problem try to work it out directly with the buyer or seller or with the web site.
If that does not work, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Although the Commission cannot resolve individual problems for consumers, it can act against a company if it sees a pattern of possible law violations.
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