Auction Basics
Registration
In order to start enjoying Harbor Shoppers auctions and our site, registration is required. Registration is free and all personal information is kept secure. For more information on our privacy policy please review our terms and conditions.
Logging In
After you are registered you will have the option of enrolling in a membership type, membership is required to bid on auction but not for regular purchases.
Nothing is more exciting than winning but we want to keep you informed! The following will explain the bidding process, rules and your personal obligations once you have won an auction item. Keep in mind that each bid you make is a binding contract to buy the item if you win.
There are a couple different styles of bidding and we will briefly discuss each to help you make an educated decision when bidding on an auction item.
*Remember you must be registered and enrolled in a membership to bid.
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How To Bid
Manual Bidding
Manual bidding is as easy as 1, 2, 3…
Step 1
Carefully review the listing.
*Remember all listings are as is/where is.
Step 2
Enter your bid amount in the text box next to the Bid Now button.
*Remember you must be logged in.
Step 3
Enter your bid, and then click the Bid Now button.
Pro Tip: Your bid must be higher than the current bid amount listed on the auction item. To insure you still have the highest bid, refresh your page to make sure your bid wasn’t matched by another user automatically. If someone has entered a higher than your current bid you will be immediately outbid and you will need to manually re-enter a higher bid amount.
Automatic Bidding
Enjoy the flexibility of automatically bidding on Harbor Shoppers products. Our max bidding (also called automatic bidding) system makes bidding convenient so you don’t have to keep coming back to re-bid every time someone places another bid.
How max bidding, or automatic bidding, works…
- When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for the item in the standard Bid Now box. The seller, Harbor Shoppers and other bidders do not know your maximum bid. In order for the system to mark your bid it must be higher than the minimum bid at that time.
- We place bids on your behalf using the automatic bid increment amount that you have placed as your maximum bid. We increase your bid only as much as necessary to make sure that you remain the high bidder, up to your maximum amount. There are no reserve bids on Harbor Shoppers auctions, bidding starts at the minimum purchase price set for the item. If an item doesn’t get sold at the minimum bid amount the item may be relisted at the consigner’s discretion.
- If another bidder places a higher maximum bid than yours, we notify you so that you can decide whether to place another higher bid. Your maximum bid is kept confidential until it is exceeded by another bidder.
Here’s an example:
- The current bid for an item is $500.00. Jack is the high bidder, and has placed a maximum bid of $550.00 on the item. His maximum bid is kept confidential.
- Jill views the item and places a maximum bid of $600.00. Jill becomes the high bidder.
- Jack’s bid is raised to his maximum of $550.00. Jill’s bid is now $600.00.
- We send Jack an email that he has been outbid. If he doesn’t raise his maximum bid, Jill wins the item.
Auctions with Reserves
Some sellers may wish to put a reserve price that is not disclosed to the bidders at the time of the auction. The reserve price will not be shared but the seller can adjust the reserve price until it is reached. Once reached the seller is bound to sell the product for that price unless Harbor Shoppers decides to cancel the sale. If the auction has a reserve price, the auction can be extended up to two months from the starting bid date and can only be extended up to one week once the reserve is reached. This allows for the people interested in the item to get enough interest so they can purchase the product.
For example: If auction is ending on a certain date but the reserve is not hit and it sows the auction has ended the auction can be extended allowing bidders to bid to reach the seller’s reserve price. The seller will then have time to adjust the reserve price down to let the item sell.
What Is Due At Checkout?
Buyer Fee
The Harbor Shoppers Buyer Fee is a 3% fee charged at checkout for the winning bidder only.
Deposits
All winning bids are a binding contract to buy the item(s). Once an auction closes, the winning bidder is required to pay a deposit for their winning bid. The deposit amount is noted on the auction listing and must be paid within 48 hours of the auction end time. Failure to pay within 48 hours may result in additional expenses and fees to the buyer.
The deposit amount may vary from product to product based on the consigner’s requests.
Payment Options
Harbor Shoppers currently supports PayPal and Credit Card payments for products excluding vessels and only 10 percent of the vessel payment. ( We take wire payments for any vessels balances owed after the 10 percent is paid)
Closing Details
Winning bidders will have 48 hours to pay the deposit required. The winning bidder has 10 business days from the date the auction closed to provide full payment to Harbor Shoppers, based on payment terms requested by the consigner. Some Harbor Shoppers products require a Bill of Sale and may incur storage fees, that are the responsibility of the buyer, if the product is not collected within the 10 day closing period. Any storage fees prior to the purchase of the product will be the responsibility of the consigner.
Additionally, please visit our legal page for more information.
