SellingCattle.com
Internet
Auction Instructions
How To Participate
Last update: June 1, 2009
In order to gain access to the online auction "ring", we ask that you pre-register
as a bidder, prior to the opening of bidding.
Your registration will be authorized within 24 hours. You may register after
bidding opens as well, but please remember that authorization to bid is not always instantaneous.
Please include a valid email address with your registration so that we may contact
you by email when your bid registration is activated. If you do not have an email
address---you will be contacted by telephone.
Please contact the seller directly if you have any concerns.
*PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR USERNAME CAREFULLY to maintain anonymity!
First you must register to bid...
How The Auction Works
Once your bid registration has been accepted and activated by the Seller, you may login to the auction. You will view a web page that is unique to your login ID. There will be a list containing the sale lots, their descriptions, the current high bid, time remaining, *proxy bid, and manual bid buttons. This page will react to your bids and let you know when you are the current high bidder.
No one else will be able to see your bids - that data is not accessible to the public.
Each time you login, the auction screen will display your private bidding information. Your auction screen is unique and private displaying your activity to only you. On the auction page, you will see if you are IN or out on any of the lots and also can see your *proxy (automatic) bid settings as applicable.
The lots will sell in the order they appear online.
Take note of the time remaining - lots will sell with set time intervals between lots.
See more information on Time Remaining, below.
Automatic Bidding (setting a proxy bid)
With Automatic Bidding,
you can enter your maximum bid, then sit back and watch.
When you set an Automatic Bid amount, the SellingCattle.com auction automatically
bids on your behalf up to your maximum bid. If the lot ends for less
than your maximum, that's all you'll have to pay. This means you don't
have to keep coming back to re-bid every time another bid is placed.
The Selling Cattle.com auction uses an automatic bidding system that
makes bidding more convenient and less time-consuming.
Here's how it works:
When you set your high limit bid, you type in the maximum amount you
are willing to pay for the lot. Your maximum amount is kept confidential
from other bidders and the seller. Even though you can see this
amount on your screen - absolutely no one else can.
The SellingCattle.com system compares your bid to those of the other
registered bidders --- the system automatically places bids on your behalf,
using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high
bid position.
The system will bid only up to your maximum amount as necessary to maintain
you as the high bidder. If another bidder has a higher maximum, you'll
be outbid. BUT, if no other bidder has a higher maximum, you win the
lot. And you could pay significantly less than your maximum price!
If you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed
in this tutorial, please call us. It's our goal to have a very
functional, and useful set of instructions to answer all the common
questions.
Toll Free: 1-888-931-2446 ext 0
Proxy Set Screen
"New Proxy" will have the current Asking Bid displayed.
Click in the "New Proxy" box, to change this amount
by deleting the amount there, and replacing with the
amount you wish to set your high limit at.
Bidder Display Changes...
This amount cannot be seen by anyone else!
MANUAL BIDS - Single Bid Button
Click on the BID
button pertaining to the lot that interests you. The single bid button
indicates what the next bid needs to be in order to get "IN". Bidding
will be set at increment amounts. In the instance where two bidders bid "simultaneously",
the first bid that reaches the internet auction computer will be given
the amount----the second bidder will be asked to bid the next available
amount. DO NOT HIT THE BID BUTTON REPEATEDLY or you may actually
stall your bid placement! Click only once to place bids - you will be
notified if you are outbid, or your bid will be visible the next time
your page refreshes.
Please note that using the single BID button will
not be as quick as using the Automatic Bid (proxy). Due to slow internet
connections out there, we CANNOT guarantee last second bids will get through
every time - so please don't hesitate when bidding one bid at a time. We
strongly suggest utilizing the automatic/proxy bid button
to ensure your bids are accepted.
Warning: LOOK TWICE, CLICK ONCE!
Be sure you are bidding on the correct lot. In order to maintain quick
bidding on dial-up connections, you will not be asked to confirm
your bid. We are not responsible for bids placed on the wrong lot.
Time RemainingThe time remaining to bid on each lot counts down in real time. Each time your screen refreshes (updates), you will see the time remaining decrease. The auction page is set to refresh at set increments, but you can refresh the page yourself at any time using the "refresh" link at the top right corner of the page.
There is no possibility of tie bids. They auction server accepts bids when they are received - first come, first serve.
In the case of setting a proxy amount (high limit for automatic bidding), if two people try to set their high limit at the same price, the second bidder asking for that amount will be told to choose another amount since the amount he has chosen is already taken.
Accepting Final Bids Once the time remaining on any lot reaches 30 seconds (or less) the time remaining is replaced with text reading "Now Accepting Final Bids", at which time you are encouraged to place your final bids.
Bidding will close when no bids are received for 30 seconds. Think of it like a "shot clock" in basketball. This shot clock enables bidders to rebid if their bid is exceeded. DO NOT try to second guess this time remaining. Each browser interprets time remaining slightly different. Dial up connectivity and page refreshing times are not all identical. Please use your manual refresh link to refresh your page quicker, and do not try to wait out the clock to get your last bid in. We strongly advise using the Automatic Bid system. DO NOT HIT THE BID BUTTON REPEATEDLY - this will stall the bidding.
Once bidding is complete, the status of the lot will change. If you held the current high bid on a lot, the status of the lot will display "Sold To You!" if your bid was accepted by the seller.
When the sale is over, please contact the Seller to arrange payment, pick-up or delivery. Please refer to the Seller's Terms & Conditions of Sale.
Bidding With Confidence - a note about privacy
Bidding activity and confidentiality is of utmost importance to us. Bidding activity logs and data are maintained by SellingCattle.com for purposes of conflict resolution or legal contests only. Sellers have no access to your Automatic (proxy) bid amounts, so you can place your high limit with confidence that it will not be revealed to the Seller nor other bidders. Your proxy bid will not be "run up" without another legitimate bidder competing against you. Your privacy is guaranteed.