FAQ for Our Auctions

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT OUR ONLINE AUCTIONS & STORES


zippytazz (eBay)
UncommonFindsShop (Etsy store)
uNcoMmon FiNdS (Mercari store)
 

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!

2. 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.

3. 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 international sales policies below if you live outside the USA.

6. 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? We have no qualms about filing the Non-Paying Bidder complaint process with eBay. This can result in receiving an Unpaid Item Strike, which will adversely affect your buying and selling activities and can even result in suspension.

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 4 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 5 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.

Why are you giving away those 75 great bonuses? How do I get them?

Some shoppers have mistakenly assumed that we're offering the bonus package as part of some sort of MLM scheme or that they'll automatically be signed up for 75 different things that will clutter their emailbox. Allow us to put those fears to rest: What will happen when we give away these bonuses is that you will receive an email link with the location of the online area granting free access to the list of over 75 bonuses. You are free to choose whichever ones appeal to you and can go back and re-visit any time you want. There are no strings attached. 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 or using Buy It Now). 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 and credits 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 are 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 auction 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 ... 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 us if you have not heard from us to make sure our 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 1,300 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 UPS Ground or FedEx, which can take anywhere from 2 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 (4 lbs. or more) -- 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.
To meet PayPal requirements, some international packages must be sent Express Mail.
 

Anything else I need to know about shipping?

1. 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.

2. 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.

3.  On some items, USA shipping charges listed in our auctions for items weighing more than 1 lb. are calculated as flat rate as if the package were going to the most distant point from us, Zone 8 (Pacific Time Zone). If you live elsewhere, your S&H charges will most likely be less than the shipping price in the listing. In that case, we recommend that you contact us in advance with the name of your city AND zip code so we can give you an accurate quote before you buy. Otherwise, we will either adjust your invoice or issue a refund of excess shipping. The same applies to international shipping quotes. Why do we do this? Because when listing items on eBay, their shipping calculator makes us enter a package size and the shipping carrier ... we don't know either one of those details because we don't procure shipping boxes for things until they sell, so we don't know the exact measurements for the packages when we put the items on eBay. Also, we sometimes use UPS and sometimes the post office, depending upon price, convenience, and whether the customer's address is a P. O. Box or a street. The flat rate shipping allows us to just enter Standard Shipping without having to name the carrier or package size.

4. On breakable items and also on all international packages, we include insurance in the shipping price. For all other (USPS) shipments, 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. We are not able to do this. 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 the package dropoff location, extra time, and related fees. Don't worry though, it's never excessive. PLUS, you get at least one free gift with every auction purchase, so you're really always coming out ahead of the game anyway.

A note about used software: Unless otherwise specified, each product includes only original manuals and media. We are 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 SHOPPING!


zippytazz (eBay)
UncommonFindsShop (Etsy store)