Q: What is GoBid?
A: GoBid is a new way to get incredible deals on the things you want. We use a different kind of auction model than you may be used to. At GoBid it is not free to bid. Each bid costs $0.95 to place. The auction price goes up by one penny with each bid. Because of that, the prices stay very low and winners get deals that can not be matched by other sites. Imagine an iPod for $8 or a Wii game console for $14.
Q: Are these items new or used?
A: New! Everything on GoBid is brand new and in the box. Most items come with manufacturer’s warranties. We never sell refurbished or used items. You can count on high quality original products…for very low prices.
Q: What’s up with the countdown?
A: If you have watched our auctions for any length of time you might be scratching your head wondering about the clock. Auctions start with a fixed amount of time on the clock and start ticking down as soon as they go live. Every time a bid comes in we add 15 seconds back to the clock. If several bids come in at the same time you might see the clock jump back by more than 15 seconds. Other auction sites let bidders use software to place last second bids, stealing the auctions away from human bidders. That is no fun so we made our auctions more like a live auction that goes on until people are done bidding.
Q: What happens to my bids if I do not win the auction?
A: On GoBid you get a full credit for lost bids. Here’s how it works: Let’s say you bid 10 times in an auction that you do not win. You will see a credit on your account page of $10. The next time you win an auction, we take $10 off the sale price. So if your next auction ends at $15 you only pay $5! There is a time limit on the credit. After 7 days the credit expires so it is important that you use it up in that first week. Go to your account page to see a complete accounting of your credits and when each expires.
Q: Does GoBid allow automated bidding?
A: No, every bid place on GoBid is placed by a human. If you want to win, you have to play. That keeps things fair.
Q: Can I bid if I live outside of the US?
A: GoBid is only open to residents of the United States. Products on the site are hand picked for American tastes and by limiting GoBid to American based bidders, we increase your chances of winning. Why bid against Europeans when you can win what you want right here at home?
Q: Why do the auctions pause?
A: GoBid auctions are open for bidding 16 hours per day- 6am to 10pm PST (9am to 1am EST). That gives us a chance to restock the shelves and sweep up before opening up each morning. In the near future we will offer several overnight auctions. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the daytime auction action.
Q: What if I am bidding on something that pauses?
A: Take this as an opportunity to catch your breath, make sure you have enough bids and get some rest. At 6am PST the auction will resume and you can get back in there, refreshed and ready for action.
Q: I placed my bid and got a confirmation but my name did not show up as the high bidder. Why not?
A: Sometimes, in popular auctions multiple bids come in at close to the same time. Our system updates the site with whichever bidder came in last. If you saw a confirmation message your bid was registered and you can see the last ten bidders on the item page.
Q: What happens if I run out of bids?
A: You can easily buy more from just about any page on the site. Look in the top right corner for your User Profile box. Under the number of bids you have left is a button that says ‘Buy More Bids’. You will see the Bid packate options and your choices for payment processors. As soon as you finish your transaction you will see the bids in your User Profile box. Happy bidding!
Q: When will I receive the item I won?
A: After you win an auction we will email you an invoice for the amount due plus shipping. As soon as you pay that balance we start the shipping process. We make every effort to get you your item in 1 to 3 weeks but in some cases it takes 6 to 8 weeks for delivery so please be patient. Status is updated on your account page.
Q: How often can I win on GoBid?
A: In order to keep things fair for all GoBiders we limit users to five wins per week (rolling seven days, not a calendar week). This keeps any one user from dominating and evens the playing field for new users.
Q: How does the charity thing work?
A: GoBid works with some of the top charities in the world. We donate 5-10% of every bid purchased on GoBid to the charity of your choice. The more you spend the more we give. Think of it as shopping Karma. If your favorite charity is not on the list, let us know by filling in the feedback form.
Q: Can I request a specific item for GoBid to offer?
A: Of course! We are all about giving you what you want. Just don’t ask for the fossilized remains of a saber tooth tiger or a nuclear submarine. Fill in the feedback form and give as much detail as possible.
Q: Is GoBid an American company?
A: GoBid is as American as apple pie. Favorite sport? Baseball. Favorite food? BBQ. Favorite holiday? Fourth of July.
Q: What if I can’t find the answer here?
A: You have a few choices. If you have a question about how the site works, you can use our 24 hour chat support. If you have a more detailed question about your account or an item you won you can use the feedback form. We love to hear from our users so fire away.
Now that you know everything, GoBid!