Frequently Asked Questions

HOW TO PLACE A BID

Create an account. Although it is not required that you have an account to bid, having one will make bidding faster and easier. A bid entered while you are logged into your account is instantly placed and confirmed. (If you have an account, but you are asked for your email address while bidding, it means you are not logged in. Click the "Log In" link in the upper left corner to log in before bidding). After you have placed your bid, an email will be sent informing you that you are the high bidder.

If you are not logged in when you bid, your bid MUST be confirmed by email. If you bid without creating an account or without logging into your account, you will receive a bid confirmation email at the email address you supplied when you bid. You must click on the link in the confirmation email within 30 minutes of placing your bid to confirm it. (Some bidders may have to paste the confirmation link into their browser to confirm their bid.) Once your bid is confirmed, you will receive an email that you are the high bidder. If you do not receive a bid confirmation email soon after you place your bid, try bidding again (make sure you enter your email address correctly). If you still don't receive a confirmation email, check your spam/junk mail folder.
 

WHAT IF I AM OUTBID?

If you are outbid, an email will be sent telling you that you have been outbid. Please note that, on occasion, an outbid notice might get trapped in a spam filter or otherwise delayed in delivery, so it is always good to check the auction for yourself to be sure you have not been outbid. Feel free to send an email if you need to check your bid status, but be sure to include the name of the item (as used in the auction) in the message.
 

BIDDING WARS and AUCTION ENDING TIMES

Last minute bidding wars will be allowed to continue AFTER the official end of the auction. Since we're trying to raise money for the furkids, we want the winner to be the person who's willing to bid the highest, not the one who's lucky enough to get their bid in at the last instant. This makes the auctions more like a "live" auction than some other online auctions. There will be a 30-minute window after an "outbid" notice is sent during which the item will remain on the auction site and can be bid on again even if the auction has officially "ended." If a higher bid is received in that time period, the previous bidder will be notified and will have 30 minutes to bid again. This will go on until a full 30 minutes have passed without a bid, at which time bidding on that item will close. If there's been a lot of activity on an item that you're really determined to win, plan to stick around for at least an extra 30 minutes after the official end of the auction to be sure you're not outbid! (In actuality, a full hour can pass, but it's very unlikely.)

Be sure to refresh the auction page during bidding wars. Items will remain visible on the auction page until the final 30-minute bidding window has passed, but occasionally an item will disappear if there is an overlap between the official auction ending time and the end of the bidding window for an outstanding bid. Once the outstanding bid is confirmed, the item will reappear for another 30 minutes.
 

WHAT IS A RESERVE PRICE?

Occasionally, an item will have a reserve price (a hidden minimum price). A reserve price is the minimum price a seller is willing to accept for the item. Bidders are not shown the reserve price, only whether or not the reserve has been met. Until the reserve price has been met, there have been no successful bids on that item. Once the reserve has been met, the item will sell to the highest bidder when that item closes. In other words, the winning bidder must meet or exceed the reserve price and have the highest bid.
 

WHAT HAPPENS IF I WIN AN ITEM? HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED? HOW DO I PAY?

Winners will be notified by email after the auction is over. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE EMAIL. The notifications will include information on how to pay for your item(s), as well as other important information.

Auction PAYMENT DUE DATES are noted in the winner notification emails.

Payment may be made by Visa/MC/Discover, PayPal, or check/money order.

Reminders will be sent out about late payments. Hopefully we can all work together in the best interest of the furkids. If you fail to provide payment within the alloted time, the item may be offered to the next highest bidder.
 

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE THE ITEM(S) I WON?

Most auction items will be mailed to the winner within three (3) weeks of payment being received, EXCEPT customized packages. Customized packages should be completed and forwarded within a reasonable timeframe. All customized packages are noted.

Please note that shipping the auction items is handled 100% by volunteer help, therefore shipping of your item may take some time. Please be patient about receiving your item and allow at least three weeks from the time you paid to receive the item(s) you won. Volunteers do their best to get the items out in a timely manner, but when you're suddenly faced with 100 or more items that need to be shipped to different winners, it can take some time to get everything packed and shipped.
 

MISCELLANEOUS

Your bid is considered a contract and you're obligated to purchase an item if you win it. If you don't really want something, please do not bid on it.

All items are AS IS - no refunds, as the money goes to support the group for which the auction is held.

Please read the complete item description before bidding.

All amounts are in US dollars. Thus bids must be in US funds. Please bid accordingly, and make sure your auction bid is in US funds. Also, please bid only in WHOLE DOLLAR amounts.

SHIPPING CHARGES for items (if any) are noted on the item description page. If there is no shipping listed, no shipping will be charged to the winner.

 Questions? Comments? Please send an email.