When you register you will receive a $10.00 credit just for signing up. You will be able to list auctions and upgrades to your account up to a $25.00 limit. Once you reach $25.00 you will need to pay your account before you can list additional auctions. If you find that you need to add additional funds to your credit account, you simply log in and go to the Members Area section, click on My Account and then Manage Account.
From there you can add funds to your account using Paypal.
If you do not have to have Paypal account. You can pay with a valid credit card through Paypal without signing up.
How old do I have to be to register?
Bidding on an auction is a legally binding contract, so according to applicable laws, you must be at least 18 years of age to bid on an auction, and therefore at least 18 years of age to register
How does bidding work?
When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay for the item. Please consider shipping charges if applicable.
The seller and other bidders won't know your maximum bid amount.
RetroBids will bid as much as necessary (up to your maximum amount) to make sure that you remain the high bidder.
If another bidder has placed the same bid before you or a higher maximum bid, we'll let you know that you've been outbid so that you can place another bid if you wish.
However, if no other bidder has a higher maximum bid at the end of the auction, you win the item even if your bid doesn't go as high as your maximum bid.
You could pay significantly less than your maximum price. This means you don't have to keep coming back to bid again every time another bid is placed.
How do I sell an item?
First you need to become a registered user. Once you have registered, simply login to your account and click on the "Sell" link.
Select a category and if applicable a sub-category.
Indicate the title and description of your listing, and select any images (up to 4) that you wish to display to potential bidders.
Specify all other details required for the auction.
Once you have reviewed the item, simple click submit and your item will be listed and the auction has begun.
How do I pay my auction fees?
When you register for an account you are automaically credited with $10.00 to get you started.
You may list your items using the basic listing for free and you have the option to upgrade your listings
for a small fee. These fees are accumulated to your account and we will either send you a noticifcation once
a month to pay your account or when you accumulate $25.00 in fees then a payment must be made to your account before you can list any more auctions. Any final value fees will be debited to your account.
How do I activate my PayPal Direct Payment?
In order to activate your PayPal Direct Payment option so that bidders/buyers can pay you directly via PayPal, you must first have a valid PayPalaccount.
Once you have set up your PayPal account, log into your account, and click on My Account within the Members Area. Finally click on Manage Account and scroll to the bottom of that screen.
Enter your PayPal email address, and click Save.
The Direct Payment Gateway with your PayPal is now set up and ready to be used.
How large can my uploaded images be?
When uploading your images, you can upload up to 4 images. Each image can be no larger than 500 kilobytes. If your image is larger than that, you will need to reduce the size using any image software available to you.
Can I use HTML in my listing?
Yes you can. You should limit your HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) to the basic tags. More complicated HTML may not work within the auction.
Are there any items I am not allowed to sell?
Yes. Obviously items that are illegal can not be sold at RetroBids.Com A partial list of those items is below:
Alcohol
Protected animals and wild animals (does not include livestock)
Illegal or bootleg recordings
Counterfeit items (including currency)
Credit cards
Drugs and drug paraphernalia
Embargoed goods from other countries
Any item that encourages illegal activity
Government issued ID's
Hazardous items
Human parts or remains
Or any other Item we may deem unacceptable-We will remove the auction and contact the seller.
How can I monitor the items I'm selling or bidding on?
You can easily monitor the items you are selling or the items you are bidding on through your "Members Area".
You will need to be a registered user and logged in to visit the "Members Area".
Can I retract my bid?
No, if you bid on an item, you are obligated to pay in the event that you win that item.
Bidding on an online auction is a legally binding contract between you and the seller.
If you are uncertain that you do not want to pay for the item in the event you win, then you should not place a bid for that item.
Remember to consider any shipping and/or handling charges if they happen to apply.
RetroBids can suspend your account if you do not pay for an item you have won or purchased with the Buy-Now feature.
What if the seller decides not to sell or ship my item?
If the seller decides not to sell, and you have not paid for the item, please leave a negative comment in the sellers reputation section to warn other potential bidders.
If you have paid for the item, make certain the seller uses some sort of delivery tracking method, and insurance if possible.
If it is your belief that the seller is acting in a dishonest or unethical manner, contact the seller through email and post negative feedback to warn other potential victims.
If you have not received your merchandise within 30 days after payment has cleared please file an abuse report in your members area page or contact us at abuse@retrobids.comand provide us with the auction number/title along with your payment details.
We will attempt to contact the seller on your behalf and may suspend or remove the user if we are not given a satisfactory explanation.
In addition, if you used PayPal , you can contact them directly and file a fraud report against the seller.
What is the reputation (feedback)?
You may only leave feedback about another user if you have had a closed auction transaction with that user. On the users profile page, click on Leave Feedback.
We use a Star rating system to rate users' feedback, with one star being a low rating and a five star being a high rating.
You must choose your star rating, as well as leave your written comment about your experience with the transaction and/or user.
Reputation feedback is made up of comments and ratings left by other members, you have either bought from or sold to.
These comments and ratings are valuable indicators of your reputation as a buyer or seller.
+1 point to your feedback score for each positive comment and rating left for you.
0 points to your feedback score for each neutral comment and rating left for you.
-1 point to your feedback score for each negative comment and rating left for you.
Once you have 10 or more comments and ratings left for you, you will receive a star.
Some Tips For Leaving Feedback:
Always leave feedback after a transaction so that other members may benefit from your experience.
Usually, a high feedback score and high percentage is a good sign, but you should always check the member's profile and read the comments looking for negative remarks.
Contact the member and try to resolve any issues before leaving negative feedback.
You cannot remove Feedback once it has been left, so be sure to leave only fair and factual comments and ratings that relate to a specific transaction you have with the member
Seller Ratings
We use a colored star rating system to show the amount of sales the seller has reached on our site.
This is a good indicator of who are you buying from. Below is the table we use:
Yellow Star = 1 - 10 Transactions
Green Star = 11- 50 Transactions
Blue Star = 51- 100 Transactions
Red Star = 101- 200 Transactions
Gold Star = 201- 300 Transactions
Power Seller= 300+ Transactions
What if I receive a check for an item that is more than the total auction?
Be very leary of checks you may receive where the total is greater than what you have sold your item for. These are sometimes called "Advanced Fee" scams.
FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON. BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE!
Here's an example of how these work:
Let's say you post an auction for a large item (perhaps a car) for $3,000. A foreign buyer bids on the item for the full asking price or use the buy-now option. When payment is arranged the buyer says there is someone in the United States who owes him money. The person who owes the buyer money offers to send you a cashier's check for $5,000 and asks that you wire back the difference to the buyer. You agree because they offer you a small commission for brokering the deal.
You receive the cashier's check, deposit it, and because cashier's checks are mistakenly thought to be as good as cash, wire the leftover sum to the buyer. Ten days later your bank informs you that the cashier's check was fraudulent and that you're responsible for any money you've drawn against it. Unfortunately, you've lost your money and merchandise to a scam. There are other variations of this scam as well and not all scammers are from outside the U.S.
Should I consider payments via Western Union or MoneyGram?
RetroBids strongly discourages using wire transfer services (such as Western Union and MoneyGram for example).
You should be very cautious to anyone offering payment option of Western Union, MoneyGram, or any other wire transfer payment method. There is no way to get a refund from these services if this turns out to be fraud. You are solely responsible for any loss you incur if you pay by Western Union, MoneyGram or another wire transfer service.
RetroBids highly recommends PayPalas valid payment gateways. And if you have a PayPalaccount, you can set it so that buyers pay you directly through RetroBids.
You should also be cautious for items that are being sold overseas or if you get contacted by an overseas buyer wanting to pay more than what you are offering. These are almost always fraudulent.
Western Union and MoneyGram are registered trademarks.
If I suspect an item to be part of a scam or fraud, whom should I report it to?
If you suspect an item to be fraudulent or part of a scam, please report it to: abuse@retrobids.com Please be sure to include the item and any information you have, and any evidence you have showing why you believe the item to be a scam or fraud.
In addition, you should contact your local (non-emergency) law enforcement office.
You can also report the incident to the following agencies:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC). They have an online complaint form.
RetroBids will never ask for any personal information or passwords by email or phone. If we ever do need to verify confidential information with you, we will do so through the secure message board integrated into the RetroBids members area.
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