FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions about our online auctions

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT OUR ONLINE AUCTIONS & STORES

zippytazz (eBay)
Uncommon*Finds (eBay store)
Uncommon Finds (Overstock.com auctions)

Please know that when you bid on one of our auctions or make a purchase in one of our stores, you are legally agreeing to a contract to abide by the following Terms of Service.

If you're looking for a particular topic, find it easily by simultaneously holding down the control ("Ctrl") and "F" keys on your keyboard to create a search box. Then type in a keyword.

What do I need to know BEFORE I bid on or purchase one of your items?

1. If you have any questions about the item that could affect your purchase, please use the ASK SELLER A QUESTION feature in the auction listing or email us to ask for the clarifying details you need to know -- before you bid on it and before you purchase it. This will save us all a great deal of stress!

IF YOUR ORDER WILL BE SHIPPED TO AN UNCONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS OR TO A DIFFERENT ADDRESS THAN THE ONE CONNECTED TO YOUR PAYPAL, BIDPAY, OR ESCROW.COM ACCOUNT, you must contact us BEFORE bidding or making a store purchase to let us know, and then wait for our reply ... this situation is considered on a case-by-case basis/review prior to the sale. To prevent unnecessary complications with your purchase, please honor this request!

3. Before bidding, please make sure your address and telephone number are accurate, and that your email address is a current address you check on a regular basis. Many times we're unable to reach the winning bidder because they forget which email address they signed up with and our email messages to complete the transaction either get bounced back as undeliverable or sit in a web-based email account the buyer forgets to check. This results in confusion and sometimes in negative feedback ratings in your profile because it appears you're just ignoring the communications. So please don't forget you've bid and please make sure we can contact you by email and by telephone when the auction is over. If we don't hear from you within 8 days of the auction's close, the item will be RELISTED and unfortunately your ratings will suffer.

4. We sometimes use the early close option on our auctions, so if your interest is serious please bid and if you bid please be serious. If you’re new to the online auction experience, please realize that a bid is a binding contract between buyer and seller.

To quote from eBay's rules:

"The only acceptable reasons for retracting your bid are: you entered a wrong bid amount; the item description changed substantially after you bid; or you cannot authenticate the seller's identity. Otherwise, your bid is a binding contract and you should follow through with your purchase."

5. See payment options below to make sure you are able to pay for your purchase.

6. See international sales policies below if you live outside the USA.

7. Backing out on your bid is a BIG No-No with us, I'm sure you share our sentiments if you have any experience selling on auctions yourself. Don't you hate it when a buyer never responds to your emails? Don't you hate it when you have to leave the item sitting in dead space on hold when a decent customer could have purchased it already? Don't you hate having to "eat" the listing and commission fees the auction site extracted from you because now the item has to be relisted and valuable time has been wasted? Don't you hate the hassle people put you through just because they're insensitive or too afraid to admit they changed their mind or didn't know what they were doing? Though we don't enjoy it, we have no qualms about leaving negative feedback for customers who do this. Keep in mind that the negative feedback resulting from backing out can adversely affect your buying and selling activities and can even result in suspension. In good conscience you would want to think about reimbursing us for the fees we had to pay for the transaction.

We understand mistakes are sometimes made and there are sometimes extenuating circumstances, but if you just bid and close our auction and then go out and buy the item somewhere else -- leaving us in the lurch -- that's a totally different story.

By the same token, we do enjoy leaving positive feedback for good customers and will take the time to do so after we know you've received your item and are happy with it. The highest ratings go to customers who follow instructions, keep their promises, pay quickly, and maintain good communication during the transaction.

When do you expect payment?

Payment must reach our office within 8 days of the auction's close in order to avoid the problems of unsatisfactory feedback and the danger of relisting.

NOTE -- On eBay auctions: if we have not received payment within 10 days, we will file an UID (Unpaid Item Dispute) and follow through with the process. This can seriously affect your buying and selling activities on the auction site, so it's important to pay on time to avoid this procedure.

What payment methods do you accept?

USA buyers:

1) MONEY ORDER. Easily available at the post office, bank, grocery store, Walmart, Western Union, etc.

2) PAYPAL -- Going through PayPal will allow you to use a credit card, personal check, or bank transfer to pay for your auction transaction …(sorry, but we cannot accept those directly). PayPal accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Conducting online transactions this way increases your safety by keeping your financial account information private. We are Verified members with PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy coverage.

If you're not familiar with this free service used by more than 100 million online consumers in over 55 countries, the funds would be transferred to our PayPal account after you fund your account with either a credit card, personal check, or electronic bank transfer. This is the preferred method of payment because of its speedy, free money transfer which enables us to ship the product sooner (no delay from waiting for your payment to arrive through the mail). You are immediately granted a $1,000 initial spending limit, which you can later lift by completing their Verification process. You can withdraw the money from your account at any time through bank transfer or the debit card (which also doubles as a cash back MasterCard for spending too, by the way). Plus, you may be eligible for a $5 new account bonus when you join! It takes literally 2 minutes to open an account. The majority of our auction customers pay through PayPal.

NOTE: The only PayPal transactions which clear instantly are those funded by a credit card or your PayPal balance. If you choose the eCheck as a payment option, please note that the product you are purchasing cannot be shipped until funds clear our PayPal account. Since an eCheck is an electronic funds transfer that withdraws money directly from your bank account, PayPal holds the transaction as pending for 3-4 business days, until the electronic funds transfer has cleared both banks. If your bank initially declines the electronic funds transfer, the payment can be delayed for up to an additional 7 business days. Most customers choose to use the instant payment option rather than the eCheck.

3) REVOLUTION MONEY EXCHANGE.COM -- this free service allows you to send payments from your account to mine. Visit this link to read an article in USA Today about this new service!

4) ESCROW.COM -- This will allow you to place money in the custody of a trusted third party. The money is then paid to the seller once the item is received and inspected by the buyer. USA buyers can pay escrow.com with a check, money order, PayPal, wire transfer, and in most cases with a credit card. International buyers must pay escrow.com by wire transfer. Please visit the escrow.com site to be sure you can use it. NOTE: There is a fee to use this service, a minimum of $25. We usually ask the buyer to pay this fee, but on some items we may be able to split the fee with you 50/50. Contact us to inquire if your transaction qualifies for this discount.
(Escrow cannot be used to purchase software, digital media, or written materials.)

Escrow.com is the recommended transaction settlement service of many of the top names in eCommerce, including eBay. It is a privately held company that has pioneered the process of online escrow services. The Company, founded in 1999 by Fidelity National Financial, has established itself as the leading provider of secure business and consumer transaction management on the Internet. Since this is the only escrow service approved by eBay, we will NOT use any other escrow company, so please do not even ask. This is for your protection and ours.

5) WESTERN UNION -- Your payment can be made with cash at a nearby agent location, by U.S. bank issued Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card over the Internet, or by credit card over the telephone. I pick up the payment at an agent location in a matter of minutes or hours. Available in over 200 countries. Western Union payments must be in the exact amount of the transaction (NO exceptions).

6) CASH -- for your protection, we only accept small amounts of U.S. Dollars by mail.

... and on almost every auction we also accept:

7) BARTERING -- We are open to bartering on many of the items we sell, so if you have a product or service don't be afraid to offer a trade. Depending on what it is, we may want it. (Hey, we're even willing to trade for postage stamps!) Even if the value of your item isn't as much as the auction item you're purchasing, you might be able to reduce your price by offering it toward payment. If it's of equal or greater value, that's even better! You would still bid and win the auction and we can leave feedback for one another ... your "payment" would be the traded product rather than money. Click here for details on how it works.

NOTE: The only way to pay immediately by credit card with no funds clearance process is either with a PAYPAL instant payment or a Western Union Money Transfer. (At this time we cannot accept credit cards directly.)

International buyers:

We are able to service many countries around the world, but certain restrictions and qualifications apply -- international transactions will be considered on a case-by-case basis/review prior to the sale.

If you live outside the United States, YOU MUST CONTACT US to find out if we can ship to your country, BEFORE bidding or before buying an item in our store. We will then contact you to let you know if we can do business together -- and if so, which payment options you can use and how much shipping will cost.

If you ignore this policy and do not qualify, the transaction will be considered invalid and the item will be relisted or sold to the next highest bidder.

If it is determined that we can ship to your country,
please be sure you can comply with our Terms of Service:

PAYMENT OPTIONS:
~ PayPal -- (see the yellow box above regarding our UNCONFIRMED address policy) ... it might not be acceptable for all countries
~ Western Union money transfer -- (see above) ... must be in the exact amount of the transaction -- NO exceptions
~ Escrow.com -- (see above)

We do not accept payments by mail for international transactions.
Much higher shipping rates and handling charges apply to foreign shipments.
Customs valuation will be final bid price / All customs, duties, import fees, and taxes are between buyers and their government (they are your responsibility) / We will not mark the package as a Gift since it is merchandise you purchased from us / Invoice will be included in package / Invoice number will be marked on customs form / You must supply us with your valid, working telephone number.
This is to comply with the law, to be honest, and for your protection as well as ours. Please understand there will be NO exceptions. Since customs policies vary widely from country to country, you should contact your local customs office for further information if you do not have experience in this area.
We can only ship your package to the address provided on the payment service's transaction page.

[NOTE: The payment options listed on this page are the only ones we can accept, as clearly explained in the auction listing and in our Frequently Asked Questions. Please do not ask about any other methods. If you send payment by an unapproved method, the money will be returned to you -- which will unnecessarily delay shipment and create problems. Thanks for understanding.]

Why are you giving away those 100 great bonuses? How do I get them?

Some shoppers have mistakenly assumed that I'm offering the bonus package as part of some sort of MLM scheme or that they'll automatically be signed up for 100 different things that will clutter their emailbox. Allow me to put those fears to rest: What will happen when I give away these bonuses is that you will receive an email with the location of the online area granting free access to the list of over 100 bonuses. You are free to choose whichever ones appeal to you and can go back and re-visit any time you want. It's simply my personal collection of outstanding freebies and special deals I've found in my travels as a Professional Research Consultant … which I am sharing with you in appreciation for doing business with me on this auction and paying promptly (within 2 days of the auction's close). That's all ! You won't be disappointed.

What do I do after I win the auction?

We will be sending you an invoice shortly after the auction closes or store transaction is initiated. Please be sure to go to the special insidersecrets.info page link in the Payment Instructions section of the invoice -- it contains all payment details and transaction details needed to walk you through the buying process step by step.

How do I reach you by email?

You can contact us by email in one of these 3 ways:

Use the ASK SELLER A QUESTION feature in our eBay listing.
or
If you have won an auction or purchased a store item, use the seller email address shown in the congratulations notification eBay sent you.
or
Fill out this form:

Your Name:
Your Email:

(Rest assured that your email address will NEVER be shared with third parties.
I absolutely despise Spam and would never contribute in any way to the activities of Spammers.)

Auction site you're inquiring about:
Yahoo
eBay

Auction item you're inquiring about:

COMMENTS/QUESTION:

What is your return policy?

Unless otherwise indicated, up to 15 days after the auction's close a request for a refund or a store credit may be made (another reason it's important to pay on time), and processing instructions will be emailed to you. Refunds and credits are granted on the purchase price of the item only (not on the shipping cost), if the item is returned in original condition. And you must pay the shipping costs to send the item back to us. So please bid carefully because if you decide you don’t want the item, you’ll end up paying shipping costs twice. The item must be shipped back to us within 7 days of your refund request.

NOTE: Returns on music/recordings, videos/DVD's, musical instruments, software, computer hardware, electronics, products with working parts, art prints, and reading materials are only accepted if you bought a brand new and sealed item AND it is returned brand new and unopened/sealed. Clothing refunds are only given on garments sold new with original tags returned in original condition. Refunds are not given on emailable or downloadable products / digital reading material.

Please be assured that items with working parts are tested prior to listing them for sale. If the items is untested, it will CLEARLY be stated in the listing and will be sold at a discounted bargain price.

Do you offer any discounts?

Look around at the other auctions in our booth, our eBay store, our other online sales booths, and the items for sale here on our website … if you buy more than one item you’ll get a shipping discount. Once you buy something from us you’ll get a 10% discount on future shipments (up to a $20 discount each month).

What if the auction closes and I still haven't heard from you?

If it has been longer than the 3 day window suggested by the auction site and you have not heard from us, there may have been an emergency, the computer is down, internet/phone service has been interrupted for some strange reason, or the electricity is out due to a storm OR ... a new discovery is that some email servers such as AOL and web-based email accounts have such sensitive Spam/Bulk Mail filters that sometimes legitimate messages get miscategorized as spam and therefore get automatically deleted. PLEASE check your Delete/Spam/Bulk Mail box before contacting me if you have not heard from me to make sure my message did not get sent to that dead zone. It will save us both some time if you could extend this courtesy.

The majority of our more than 1,000 combined eBay and Yahoo feedback ratings are from customers who offer mention of a speedy transaction ... therefore, you can be sure we do get to our customers quickly. Although it's highly unlikely that no one could respond, the possibility exists. If we're out of town, we try to check in with our auctions every few days, so we will get to you even if away.

How long will it take for my item to be delivered?

Shipment is made upon receipt of the funds of your payment. The US Postal Service is the carrier for most items. (Occasionally we use DHL Ground or UPS Ground, which can take anywhere from 3 to 7 business days.) Of course they won't ever guarantee delivery speed unless you're paying for their expensive Express Mail service, but here's a good estimate of time frames during non-holiday seasons:

Within the USA --
First Class (under 13 ounces) -- 3 business days
Priority Mail (over 13 ounces) -- 2-3 business days, up to 7
Media Mail (the default method for books, music, and videos weighing over 1/2 pound) -- 2-9 business days, possibly longer if it's a heavy package
Parcel Post (cheapest method for packages over 12 lbs. going a long distance) -- 5-8 business days, possibly weeks if it's a very heavy package ... sometimes just as fast as First Class mail
Express Mail -- (anything that needs to get to you immediately) -- overnight to most areas

International --
Priority Mail International -- 6 to 10 days
First Class International (under 4 lbs.) -- variable ... could take 2 to 12 weeks or more
Express Mail International -- 5 to 6 days
Global Express Guaranteed -- 1 to 3 days

(Insurance coverage is REQUIRED on all international shipments.)

Anything else I need to know about shipping?

2. If you live outside the United States, you must contact us before bidding so that we may determine if we can ship this product to your country. There are restrictions on payment methods which also have to be met.

3. Delivery Confirmation (and in some cases Signature Confirmation) with online tracking is used on most shipments as a protection for both of us. If you claim to have never received the shipment but the official Confirmation tracking shows that it was delivered, we are no longer responsible for the package. This is just normal policy for companies doing mail order business.

4. On breakable items and also on some international packages, we include insurance in the shipping price. On all other items, it is available for an additional charge upon request. Very few of our packages are ever lost or damaged, so we leave it as an extra option to help keep your shipping costs down.

5. If you own a business and have a shipping account (for example with UPS), please do not give us your account number and ask us to ship through your account so you don't have to pay our shipping charges. Please respect our Terms Of Service just as you would if ordering from any other online store.

6. There is usually a small handling charge added to the shipping costs ... this covers reasonable expenses such as packing and shipping materials, Delivery or Signature Confirmation, gas to package dropoff location, extra time, and related fees. Don't worry though, it's never excessive. Most sellers don't admit this and you're left with a big surprise when it comes time for payment. I want to be honest and up front with you. PLUS, you get at least one free gift with every auction purchase, so you're really always coming out ahead of the game anyway.

7. In case you're wondering why S&H charges are usually not listed in the auction, there's a very simple explanation. We don't tally up the shipping costs on our auction items until we have a buyer because as you can imagine it would waste a lot of storage space and time in the event the items don't sell -- such as obtaining packing material and boxes, packaging it all up to weigh each item, storing them in big separate boxes, etc. (We sell our unsold merchandise offline if it doesn't move after a while, so boxing it all up would be very inefficient.) Also, we never know from where a buyer will come -- shipping charges vary by state and country on most items. Auction listings for heavy items almost always contain a range of prices to give you an idea. If you're seriously interested in one of our items and there is no shipping price listed, just contact us with your zip code and we'll be glad to package it all up and calculate what it will cost you.

A note about used software: Unless otherwise specified, each product includes only original manuals and media. I am not selling licenses to use any software or media but sell to computer professionals who understand the complexities of software licensing. You should contact the software manufacturer to determine what action you must take to be licensed for any software use.

Thanks for your interest ... I hope we can do business together soon! We'll do our best to ensure that everyone walks away happy and willing to do business again in the future.

HAPPY BIDDING!

zippytazz (eBay)
Uncommon*Finds (eBay store)
Uncommon Finds (Overstock.com auctions)