What is BidYell

Welcome to BidYell, the only place to combine your shopping and entertainment needs on the internet.

We sell only the best products, and guess what? All of our products are brand new and factory sealed. You can buy all sorts of things, from a Playstation 3 to the latest perfumes at unbelievably low prices. Our auctions that start at just 1p and don't have a reserver.

How can I get started I hear you ask? Well first, you need to buy some bids. Bids cost just 50p and you can buy them in groups of 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 or 500 (We like to call them Bid Packs). You can place single bids, or, use our automatic bidding softeare, which will place bids for you when you can't be at your screen (We call it the Autobid). So you have placed your bid, now the price of the product has increased by 1p and the timer has increased by up to 20 seconds. The user who is the top bidder when the countdown reaches zero, is the winner of the auction. Our prices are normally well under RRP and we can afford this because you pay for your bids!

Now let me guess, you are thinking "what if I don't win the auction and I have used bids?" Not to worry,we wouldn't let you leave empty handed! After you have placed your first bid in an auction, you can choose to buy the product for a discount, getting back the cost of the bids you placed in that auction. If you choose to do this, the auction will continue as usual, so you can let the other bidders battle for the product.

What is BidYell

Welcome to BidYell, the only place to combine your shopping and entertainment needs on the internet.

We sell only the best products, and guess what? All of our products are brand new and factory sealed. You can buy all sorts of things, from a Playstation 3 to the latest perfumes at unbelievably low prices. Our auctions that start at just 1p and don't have a reserver.

How can I get started I hear you ask? Well first, you need to buy some bids. Bids cost just 50p and you can buy them in groups of 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 or 500 (We like to call them Bid Packs). You can place single bids, or, use our automatic bidding softeare, which will place bids for you when you can't be at your screen (We call it the Autobid). So you have placed your bid, now the price of the product has increased by 1p and the timer has increased by up to 20 seconds. The user who is the top bidder when the countdown reaches zero, is the winner of the auction. Our prices are normally well under RRP and we can afford this because you pay for your bids!

Now let me guess, you are thinking "what if I don't win the auction and I have used bids?" Not to worry,we wouldn't let you leave empty handed! After you have placed your first bid in an auction, you can choose to buy the product for a discount, getting back the cost of the bids you placed in that auction. If you choose to do this, the auction will continue as usual, so you can let the other bidders battle for the product.

How do I get involved?

All you have to do is register via the website, then you have to buy some bids. That's it and you are ready to go and get bidding.

Click "register" below to get signed up!

Register

What is the cost of Bidding?

A bid costs only 50p, and you can get bids in packs of 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 bids.

Can I win?

Get a buzz from bidding but you never leave BidYell empty handed. You can still get your product even if you don't win the auction. Any time during the auction, you can choose to buy the item at a discount rebated rate a 70% to the amount of bids you've placed in that auction. So the choice is to buy win the product at way less than RRP or 'buy it now' at some of the cheapest prices on the internet!

What do I have to do to bid?

Bidding on BidYell is really easy, trust me!. Just follow these four simple steps:

1. Register for free
   
2. Buy bids
   
3. Choose your auction
   
4. Bid and go for the win!
   

Register for free
If you want to bid you will have to register. Registration is free and easy. We need a few personal details so we can ship your products to the right place and an email address so we can contact you if we need to (don't worry we won't annoy you, just in case we need to ask you a question about shipping or something similar) Once you´re confirmed: congratulations - you´ve registered fully with BidYell. Buy bids Each bid costs just 50p, available in BidPacks of 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500. Pick the BidPack that suits you best and you can pay via credit or debit card, or with PayPal.

Choose your auction
What will it be? A brand new 42" plasma TV? The latest notebook computer? Or maybe replacing your favourite perfume that you have just finished? Choose an auction and go for it! Do you want a specific product that we dont sell? Well, you can let us know through our Forum and if we like your idea, we will list it!

Bid and go for the win!
Here we go - you´re now ready to take part in your first BidYell auction. Just click on the "Bid" button! Simple, eh?

How to Edit My Autobid?

Ok, so you have placed an autobid but you want to change your strategy. BidYell has a unique feature which allows you to edit your autobid, live! If you want to add on some more autobids, all you have to do is enter the amount of bids you want to add here: *

Then press the this button to add the bids: **

If you want to remove some of the autobids you have placed, all you have to do is enter the amount of bids you want to remove here: ***

Then press the minus button to take away those bids: ****

If you want to delete your autobid, click on the bin symbol and this will remove any remaining autobids.

Can you give me some advice on how to bid?

People always ask us "what is the best strategy for winning an auction on BidYell?"

We have not come across a strategy that always win, but here is a few things to think about before you start bidding.

Place your bid late
Watch the countdown and try to place your bid in the final ten seconds. If the timer has reached this point, you know the auction will end with you as the winner unless another bid is placed. However, don't leave it too late as sometimes it may be too late for your bid to be registered

Start with the cheapest products
People do get some incredible bargains on our most expensive itemsbut they have the most competition. Our cheaper products tend to have fewer bidders, meaning you're much more likely to win.

Use the Autobid to your advantage
The Autobid is a weapon that must be used but only with caution. It has the ability to scare off other bidders by placing one. Nobody likes to see their bids matched over and over again by your all conquering Autobid, you might just persuade them to give up and try again next time.

Check out your Competition
You can see the details of the last ten bids placed: try to work out who's bidding and when they're bidding. It's all about timing, so maybe you can work out when's the right time to jump in and grab the lot. Look and see how many different bidders have recently bid on an auction. You're more likely to win if there are fewer bidders interested in the item than if there are lots of competing bidders.

Bid at the right time of day
The number of bidders varies at different period during the day , there are certain times where great deals are there for the taking.

How do I buy bids?

You can buy bids using either your credit or debit card, or via PayPal.

We accept Visa, Visa debit and Visa electron cards as well as MasterCard and Maestro cards.

Where can I see who's bidding on an auction?

To see who's bidding on an auction, just look under 'Previous Bids' to see a list of the most recent bidders on that auction and the type of bid they placed.

Where can I see who's bidding on an auction?

When a bid is placed, it will always be the highest bid, but might get out bid very quickly. This can happen if there are many bidders or if there's another user's Autobid also bidding on the auction.

To help you make your bidding more effective, here are some tips:

• Look at the Previous Bids, check the number of bidders on the auction and the type of bid placed. If there are only single bids, try placing a Autobid, a Autobid can not only save you bids, but also help you to become the highest bidder.
• Try looking for a similar auction with fewer bidders, you can often find a similar product on auction at the same time with fewer users.

I've just won an auction, what now?

The Penny Auction is the idea that the last bidder should win the auction whereas the speed auctions award the bidder who places the most bids. Also, Speed auctions only last an hour wheras Penny Auctions can last from 10 seconds after the auction is scheduled to finish up to some time longer.

Advantages of Speed Auction:

• Only last an hour so you won't be waiting around.
• The person who puts most in wins so you don't need to worry about auction sniping.
• Only people registered for the auction can bid so you don't have to worry about extra bidders coming in, this will make it easier for you to win.
• Great deals, where you can save yourself up to 80% off the RRP.

Advantages of Penny Auctions-

• You can theoretically win with 1 bid!
• Great deals where you can sve up to 99% off RRP.

Who am I bidding against?

Bidding is open to bidders from the US and the UK on most of our auctions. Doing this allows us to offer you a greater variety of products than we'd be able to do if we were to only allow bidding from one country.

Do I have less chance of winning because you allow bidding from other countries? We always try to offer enough auctions of any item to ensure the winners get a great bargain, without us losing money, irrespective of where the bidders are located. When we find there is more interest in a certain item, we run more auctions, trying to keep the bargains on offer roughly the same. By allowing bids from several countries, we can offer even more auctions of a particular item, and auction items that would otherwise be unprofitable for us.

Why is there sometimes a different item displayed on the same auction in different countries? We do our best to find matching products in all our markets, but sometimes it is impossible to find an exact match. To ensure the auctions remain fair, we always try to ensure that any inexact matches are of comparable products. This allows us to give a more, what we like to call, "Glocal" approach.

Are the auctions affected by bid prices being different in different countries? We adjust our bid prices to try to reflect changes in currency exchange rates, aiming to make sure that the price of a bid is the same for all our users, and that they can buy bids in their local currency.

How many Auctions can I win?

We love nothing more than creating winners at BidYell. This is why we put a limit on how many auctions you can win, therefore, giving everybody a chance.

You may win 3 auctions a day and 30 in a calender month.

What is Haggle?

Haggle is a unique feature on BidYell where customers who would prefer money or bids for a win rather than the actual product can do just that.

Under your won auctions, you have an option to haggle. BidYell will basically buy the product back off to save you time, money and hassle rather than selling it on other sites. You will be asked to name a price you would like for your product, if we agree we will add the money into your account. If we disagree, we will make a counter offer. And we can keep haggling until we come to a happy medium.

Rookie Auctions

Rookie auctions are auctions for new users on BidYell where the total number of wins is limited to 5. It is a great way to introduce newcomers and beginners to penny auctions, how they work, different bidding strategies, and general feel for bidding on BidYell.

After you have won your first 5 auctions you will have grasped the ethos of BidYell after which you will be prepared to take on the bigger value item auctions, where there will be more competition, and insistent bidding happening.

Drop us a line if you have any questions on customerservice@bidyell.com or why not log on to our forums where there are a lot of seasoned bidders who may be able to give you advice.

What is Speed Auction?

Speed Auctions are our unique twist on Penny Auctions, you won't find them anywhere else on the web!

We designed the Speed Auction to cater for those people who may not have time to sit in front of a penny auction or people who just want a little extra excitement whilst bidding!

The basic concept is, the person who makes the most bids in a limited time frame (usually an hour) wins the auction.

How it works?

1. Register:
   The first step is to register with BidYell, you can set up an account at the link below:
   http://www.bidyell.com/registration.aspx
   Ignore this step if you have already registered with the site.
   
   
2. Buy Bids:
   Once you have an account, load up your account with bids. You can pay using your credit card or PayPal
   
   
3. Register for an Auction
   So you have registered and have bids, what now? You can find the 'speed auctions' by clicking on the Speed Auctions tab on the main menu on any page. Now you can see what speed auctions are available. As Speed Auctions require a certain amount of bidders before they begin you must register to book your place. once decided what you want to go for, press the bid button and follow the process until you have succesfully registered. Don't worry it should take less than 30 seconds.
   
   
4. Bidding
   Once you have registered you have to wait a short while for all the seats to fill up. When the auction is ready to begin, click on auction box and you will be able to place bids. Each bid placed will increase the price of the product by one penny and will add to your total amount of bids placed.
   
   
5. End of Auction
   The auction will end when the timer reaches 0, and the bidder who has made the most bids will win the product. If you win you must pay the final price of the product, this can be found in your 'my account' section.
   
   

How can I see who has placed the most bids?

There is a handy box labelled 'previous bids' which allows you to see who are the top 10 bidders who have placed the most bids.

I placed a bid but my bid does not show in the previous bids box

When you place a bid you will not appear on the 'Previous Bidders' box until you are one of the top 10 bidders, you should place more bids until you reach the number 1 spot so you can win the auction.

Speed Auction Autobid

The Speed Auction is filled with excitement and the time will fly by! However, if you can't be at your screen or you would prefer for our software to manage your bidding, you can use the specifically designed 'AutoBid' facility.

The Autobid will ensure you have made the most bids whilst it is active. For example, the highest bidder, user 1, has made 3 bids. You can set your autobid to place 7 autobids. This will make you the top bidder with 4. Your remaining autobids will only be used if somebody places more bids than you have.

How is this different to Penny Auction?

The Penny Auction is the idea that the last bidder should win the auction whereas the speed auctions award the bidder who places the most bids. Also, Speed auctions only last an hour wheras Penny Auctions can last from 10 seconds after the auction is scheduled to finish up to some time longer.

Advantages of Speed Auction:

• Only last an hour so you won't be waiting around.
• The person who puts most in wins so you don't need to worry about auction sniping.
• Only people registered for the auction can bid so you don't have to worry about extra bidders coming in, this will make it easier for you to win.
• Great deals, where you can save yourself up to 80% off the RRP

Advantages of Penny Auctions-

• You can theoretically win with 1 bid!
• Great deals where you can sve up to 99% off RRP.

What is Buy It Now?

Buy it Now lets you purchase the product you're interested in at any time so you don't have to wait. All the purchased bids (excluding freebids) you place on an auction are offered as a discount off the recommended retail price of the item.

You should note that the auction will continue as normal for all other users, even if a user chooses to Buy it Now. We ensure that the products offered for Buy it Now are available in sufficient amount, so there is no limit as to how many bidders can decide to Buy it Now.

The Buy it Now price can't fall below 0.00, even if the discounted sum of all bids is more than the recommended retail price of the item.

We ensure that the buy it now price will not be an inflated figure.

How is my Buy it Now price calculated and when can I view this?

To purchase an item via Buy It Now is easy. Just by clicking the button in the small box during the auction
countdown, you can purchase the product from us. All the bids placed on an auction (excluding freebids) are
offered as a discount against the recommended retail price of the item.

Below is an example of how your discount for Buy it Now is calculated:

• Item's Recommended Retail Price: 150
• Bids placed by you: 75
• Discount off the RRP: 75 x 0.50 = 37.50 x 70% = 26.25
• Buy it Now price: 123.75 plus delivery

Your Buy it Now price is updated with every bid placed. You can view this at anytime in the blue box below the auction countdown.

You should note that the auction will continue as normal for all other users, even if an individual opts to Buy it Now . We ensure that the products offered for Buy it Now are available in sufficient amount, so there is no limit as to how many bidders can decide to Buy it Now.

What is important to know for Buy it Now?

• The Buy it Now price can't fall below 0.00, even if the discounted sum of all bids is more than the
  recommended retail price of the item.
  
• Free bids are not eligible for a discount off the Buy it Now price, and can't be refunded.
• Bids placed over the phone are not eligible for a discount off the Buy it Now price.
• Welcome Vouchers or any other vouchers are not redeemable against the Buy it Now price.
• Buy it Now option is not available as long if you are the highest bidder on an auction or the auction has ended with you as the winner.
• As soon as you opt to Buy it Now, all your active and future Autobids for the auction will be cancelled.
• All bids not placed by your Autobid are recredited to your account, and are not eligible for discounted against the Buy it Now price.
• The Buy it Now offer is valid anytime during the auction and up to 24 hours after the auction has ended.
• Once you have completed the Buy it Now process, you are no longer able to participate in the auction.

How can I purchase the item via Buy it Now?

It's easy - simply click the button 'Buy it Now' box anytime during the auction, or up to 24 hours after the auction has ended to purchase the product via Buy it Now.

How do I haggle?

Once you have won an auction and you have decided you would prefer money rather than the product itself you are ready to haggle.

First, you must enter your "my account section" and from there enter your "won auctions". It is a tab on the left hand side.

Then click on the button labelled haggle for the product you would like money for.

You now have to enter the "haggle amount", this is the value in money you want us to give you rather than the product. If you have any comments, then please write them in the "comments" box.

If we agree with your offer we will let you know and add the money into your account.

If we don't agree, we will haggle further and send you a counter offer, if you agree we will send the money into your account. If you don't agree we can continue haggling until we both agree!

Referral Program

If you want to get free bids the easiest way is to refer a friend, for each friend your refer who buys bids you get (x amount of bids).

How do I refer a friend?
Enter your "my account" section, on the right hand side, there is a tab labelled "refer a friend".

Click on this tab and a little box like below will appear:

Enter your friends name here and his email address here and then press save.

All you have to do now is wait for your friend to buy bids and your free bids will be added to your account.

Loyalty Scheme

We don't just want to reward new members, our older and loyal members are also very important. Therefore, everytime you buy a bid pack you will be awarded free bids. The amount of free bids is as follows.

Buy Bids Incentive (free bids)

Bids	Commision
500+	50 (10%)
350	26.25 (7.5%)
250	18.75 (7.5%)
100	7.5 (7.5%)
50	2.5 (5%)
25	1.25 (5%)
10	0.5 (5%)

You can see how many free bids you have collected at your my account section on the left hand side, see below:

Voucher Codes

From time to time we run voucher code promotions, these may offer money off your auction win or may offer extra bids when you purchase bids.

When you are at the buy bids page, enter a promotional code in the box labelled "Discount Voucher".

What countries do we deliver to?

We deliver to the UK and the United States of America. Sorry, but we’re not currently able to deliver to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, the Scilly Isles, Scottish Islands, the Republic of Ireland or BFPO addresses.

Delivery Charges

If you win an auction, shipping is always free. If you use the buy it now facility a shipping charge will be easily viewable in the product page.

Delivery Times

Delivery times vary for the different items that we auction. Most of our items are shipped directly from our suppliers, with the majority of orders arriving within 5 days of payment.

Substitute Items

On rare occasions we are no longer able to source the specific item detailed in the auction. When this happens, we will contact you and offer to send you an equivalent item of at least equal value. Many of the products we sell are high-technology items that have a short life-cycle, so often this will mean an upgrade to the newer version of the item.

What should I do, if the item I won is faulty?

Firstly, we're sorry that you have received an item that you are not happy with. Most of our winners have no problems with the goods, but occasionally an item might not work or may get damaged in transit. If this has happened, our aim is to solve your problem as quickly as possible.

It can sometimes be useful to check the manufacturer's website or call their helpline – many of the most common problems are easily solved without having to return the product.

In the event that the product you received is faulty, please contact us and we'll tell you what to do next. Please, let us know the auction ID number and the the product, in order for us to deal with your problem more quickly.

Please don't send the item back to us without contacting us – this is likely to mean that it takes longer to replace your item. If your product does need replacing, we'll contact you and let you know what to do.

Do you offer a standard guarantee on the products auctioned?

The warranties provided on goods may vary depending on the type of item that you win. Please contact our customer service team if you have any queries about the warranties or guarantees that apply to an item that you've won.

Can I return an item that I have won?

We want you to enjoy the item you won, but if, for whatever reason you decide that you do not want the item, please get in touch with our customer service team and we'll explain what to do next. When you contact us, please make sure that you let us know:

• Your user name
• Your email address
• The auction ID number
• The reason you'd like to return the item

Please note that we can only offer a refund on the final auction price of the item you won as well as shipping costs. However, we cannot offer you a refund on the cost of the bids that you placed on that auction.

How do I change my password?

Please log onto Bidyell.com, then go to "My Account > and you will be able to see your password box. Once changed, please click "save changes"

What do I do, if I've forgotten my password or user name?

if you have forgotten password then Click Here. We will email you with instructions. For security reasons, we will not send out your password via email. You will have to change it.

Can I change my user name?

When registering on Bidyell.com, you may only use one user name, and unfortunately you can not change your user name.

Where can I check my bids account?

To veiw your bids status, you must be logged into bidyell. In the grey status box you'll be able to see the number of bids you currently have on your account, this box will be located next to your user name and the top right of the page.

Where can I check how many auctions I have won?

Please log onto Bidyell and in the "My Account", and click on "Won Auctions". This will show all your winning auctions.

Can I change my email address?

Yes, simply log into bidyell.co.uk, go to "My Account" and change it from the Email Address, then click "Save Changes".

How do I buy bids?

You can buy bids using either your credit or debit card, or via PayPal.

We accept Visa, Visa debit and Visa electron cards as well as MasterCard and Maestro cards.

How can I pay for Auctions that I Have won?

• You can pay for your BidPacks by credit or debit card, or via PayPal.
• We accept credit and debit cards like Visa, Visa Electro and MasterCard.

How secure are your payment methods?

Your privacy and security are highlyimportant to us. We use high-security encoding (SSL) to protect your payment details when processing your online payments.

What are the recommended PC requirements to use Bidyell?

You can participate in Bidyell auctions with nearly all PCs that allow you to access the internet:

Supported system software:

• Windows Vista / Windows XP / Windows 2000
  
• Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
  
• Linux

Recommended browser:

• Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
  
• Firefox 2.0 or higher
  
• Opera 8.0 or higher
  
• Safari 2.0 or higher

Recommended internet connection:

• 512k DSL connection or faster

Why hasn't my bid been registered on an auction?

Very occasionally, users tell us that even though they bid before the countdown ended, their bids did not get placed and the auction ends. In these instances, the most likely explanation is so-called "Internet lag times". These are time-delays in the transfer of data between your PC and our servers. Mostly those delays (lags) occur because single parts of the internet connection are overloaded.

This, unfortunately, is a general problem with the internet.

There are a few ways of helping minimize this problem:

• While bidding on Bidyell do not download large data such as video or audio files from the internet.
  
• Don't send emails with large attachments while bidding on Bidyell.
  
• Make sure that no other users such as family members, etc. are using the internet while you are bidding.

We're very sorry if your bid wasn't registered by the Bidyell servers in time. To be absolutely certain that you avoid the problem of "Internet lag times" don't leave your bidding until the last second, or use the BidButler to place your bids.

I can't confirm my registration using the link in the registration confirmation email, What should I do?

It might be that your email program shows the link in your registration mail as faulty. If this happens, just copy the complete link in to the address line of your internet browser and press 'Enter'. If this doesn't work, please get in touch with our customer service team, letting us know the email address that you used to register.

How do I activate Cookies?

To enable cookies, please follow the instructions below for the internet browser version you are using.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0+

• Select Tools from the pull-down menu in your browser.
  
• Select Internet Options. The Internet Options dialog will appear.
  
• Select the Privacy tab. Under Settings, click Advanced.
  
• Check Override automatic cookie handling under Cookies section in Advanced Privacy Settings window.
  
• Under First-party Cookies, select Accept. Under Third-party Cookies, select Accept. Check Always allow session cookies.
  

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+

• Select "Internet Options" from the Tools menu.
  
• Click on the "Privacy" tab.
  
• Click the "Default" button (or manually slide the bar down to "Medium") under "Settings".
  
• Click "OK".
  

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x

• Select "Internet Options" from the Tools menu.
  
• Click on the "Security" tab.
  
• Click the "Custom Level" button.
  
• Scroll down to the "Cookies" section.

To enable:

• Set "Allow cookies that are stored on your computer" to "Enable".
  
• Set "Allow per-session cookies" to "Enable".
  
• Click "OK".
  

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x

• Select "Internet Options" from the View menu.
  
• Click on the "Advanced" tab.
  
• Scroll down to find "Cookies" within the "Security" section.

To enable:

• Select "Always accept cookies".
  
• Click "OK".
  

Mozilla Firefox 2.0+

• Go to the "Tools" menu.
  
• Select "Options".
  
• Select the Privacy tab.
  
• Make sure that the Accept cookies from sites under Cookies is ticked (the default setting).
  
• Click "OK" to save changes.
  

Mozilla Firefox (1.0 final release and earlier)

• Go to the "Tools" menu.
  
• Select "Options".
  
• Select the "Privacy" icon in the left panel.
  
• Check the box corresponding to "Allow sites to set cookies".
  
• Click "OK" to save changes.
  

Netscape 7.1/Mozilla 5.0

• Select "Preferences" from the Edit menu.
  
• Click on the arrow next to "Privacy & Security" in the scrolling window to expand.
  
• Under "Privacy & Security", select "Cookies."
  
• Select "Enable all cookies".
  
• Click "OK".

I'm using an AOL browser, why can't I bid?

Unfortunately, it's not possible to bid on Bidyell using an AOL browser. As a standard setting, AOL doesn't allow cookies to be stored in the browser, which means you'll be unable to see the countdown clocks or place a bid. We'd advise you to try a different browser – ideally Firefox, and ensure that cookies are enabled in this browser

Protect yourself

Important security notice: Employees of Bidyell will never ask you for your password in emails or on the phone. Consequently, please do not send your password to anyone and don't hesitate to contact our customer service at support@Bidyell.com if you receive such a message.

What is the danger of fake emails (Spoof und Phishing)?

Such emails, also called "Phishing" or "Spoofing" emails are sent in order to illegally obtain confidential information such as passwords or credit card details. Please be highly suspicious if you're asked in an email for such confidential data.

How do I recognise a fake email entailing a request for payment?

Payments to Bidyell can only be made via the www.bidyell.co.uk website. Please don't respond to any emails, which ask you to transfer money via direct debit or Western Union.

How do I recognise a fake email entailing a request for payment?

• You should never click on a link in such an email. The links in these emails may lead to websites which are designed to obtain your personal data illegally or to commit another related crime.
• Please forward such emails to support@bidyell.com. Bidyell will check those emails and inform you if it was sent by Bidyell or not.