Help

Welcome to Empire Auctions Australia’s fastest growing online auction and retail site.

Overview

There are two ways to buy using our site. These include:

Auction: Auction items purchased by placing bids similar to a physical auction process. A Buyer Premium and GST will apply and will be charged in addition to the Bid amount.

Buy Now: Buy now items are purchased for a fixed retail price. These items are not auctioned.

Step 1: Register as a Buyer

Registering as a Buyer is safe, free and secure. Simply provide us with some basic information such as name, address, billing information, etc and you are ready to go. Credit card details are required at registration to verify security details. When you join, you will need to choose a login name (which will be you email address) along with a password.

Step 2: Locate / View Item

Using the “Browse” tab, items can be located by either selecting the categories on the left hand side or by using the “Advanced Search” tab.

Step 3: Placing Bids / using Buy Now

After locating the item, use the “Place Bid” tab for an Auction item or “Buy Now” tab for a Retail item. If the Buy Now price is available for an Auction item, this can be used to purchase the item immediately.

Step 4: Items Sold / Invoiced

The Buyer will be emailed and advised that they have been successful and provided with confirmation of the item and other relevant details.

Step 5: Paying for an Item

We use a split payment mechanism for invoicing and settlement. You will receive an invoice typically within 24 hours of purchase showing the amount paid and any amount owing which is due immediately.

Step 6: Receiving Products

Please note that the majority of items are dispatched through Elite Logisitcs or Allied Express

Delivery: Once an item has been paid in full, please allow 7-10 working days for delivery.

Auction items can be purchased in two ways. The winning bidder for an Auction item is a person deemed to have placed the highest bid at the conclusion of the auction. Please be advised that there may be undisclosed bids in our auction system to ensure that items meet their reserve.

Alternatively, you can purchase an item immediately using the Buy Now button if this option is available. By using the “Buy Now” tab, you can automatically take this item “off the market” and stop the auction.

Auction items are listed for a duration of between 3 and 7 days.

There are three easy ways to stay informed during an online auction

1. Monitor your My Auctions

2. the item bid page of that particular online auction

3. through e-mails in your inbox.

By using the My Account tab, you are able to review the details of your bidding history, including items bid-on, items won and items missed.

If you are out-bid for an Auction item, you will be notified via email. When this occurs, click on our website link provided in the email from our system and increase your bid. You can also copy and paste a link into your browser. To re-bid, simply follow the same steps as when you placed your original bid.

You can also use the Auto/Proxy bid button function to assist with winning an auction which will allow you to bid up to a predetermined bid price specified, at the relevant bid increment.

Buy Now items are similar to a retail concept, where items are purchased for a fixed retail price.

To list an item you must first be registered as a Seller. To apply to become a registered Seller please click on the Sell tab on the home page. Once you are registered and approved as a Seller, you are able to list items for sale on our Website:

Each item uploaded will have the following information and associated files. Further information can be obtained by contacting our office.

1. Item Title

2. Description

3. Type

4. Price

Reserve Price: The reserve price is the price at which the item can be sold for. For auction/ marketing purposes the starting price may be lower than the reserve. In this instance there may be undisclosed bids in the system which ensures the item does not sell below its reserve.

5. Photographs

High quality photographs must be uploaded. You can upload up to 5 photographs using the upload template. The first photograph uploaded is the main photograph that will be displayed.

Important Notice: Copyright may apply to photographs

DO NOT UPLOAD any photographs on to our Website that may breach or offend copyright.

For art related works we suggest that you review the Viscopy website, www.viscopy.com.au

For additional copyright information please visit the Australian Copyright Council website at www.copyright.org.au

6. Additional Information Document

7. Item timing

8. Freight

9. Condition

10. Classification

11. Promotional extras

What items can be sold

The following items can be listed for sale on our Website:

Registering

Registration is effectively free. Please note that we charge $1c to your credit card during registration. This is for security reasons and assists us in the prevention of fraud on our website. There is a simple registration form which we require you to fill in before you can start trading. This can be accessed using the following link: http://www.EmpireAuctions.com.au/Auctions/BuyerRegistration.aspx

If you haven't received a confirmation email you should check your junk mail settings aren't blocking our emails.

Logging in / Details

From the home page you are able to login by entering your email address and password using the login tab. Once you have logged in you are able to view your bid history and manage your account details.

There are several possible reasons why you may not be able to login:

Incorrect email / Password

If you enter the wrong email address and password combination you will see a message telling you that your entry was incorrect. If you cannot remember your password, you can request a password reminder be sent to your registered email address by using the “Retrieve Password” button on the home page.

· Your membership is not enabled

You need to click on the link in the confirmation email we send you to activate your membership.

· Your Credit Card has expired or is inactive

You need to make sure that your credit card is valid at all times. Please update your credit card details using the My Account tab as necessary.

· Items I am Following

By selecting the My Account /Items I’m Following tab you are able to view items bidding on, items won and unsuccessful items not won which have now closed.

· User Details

By Selecting the My Account tab you are able to view and edit your account details including password, address details and credit card details.

Browse

There are a number of ways in which you can search for items

1. Category selection: By clicking on the categories you are able to view items in identified categories.
2. Key words: A key word search can be undertaken using the search function.
3. Advanced search tab: From here you are able to refine the search criteria even further by limiting the search based on other criteria. For example, the following fields can be used:
• State search based on location of Seller
• Keyword
• Category
• Auction Start Date
• Auction End Date
• No reserve auctions

Adding items to My Account

When you place a bid on an item it is automatically added to your “Items I’m Following” tab. When you login you are able to view items you have placed bids on. They will be broken up into three sections:

• Items you are bidding on (with leading or outbid indicated)
• Items won – items successfully won and now closed
• Items missed - you were un-successful and this auction has now closed

Bid Precedence

Bids placed on online auctions are determined by the time at which the Website accepts the bids. Bids need to be at least one increment above the current winning bid. In the case when two Auto Bids are placed for the same value then the one which was accepted by the Website first will become the winning bid. The system will remove one dollar from the Buyer who placed the second Auto Bid so that it will accurately be represented on the bid history page.

No Reserve Auctions (only available for selected online auctions)

Items may be listed with no reserve price. These items will be clearly defined as “No Reserve Auctions”.

Online Auction Closing Time

Auction items listed on the Website will be posted with an auction closing time. The time and date will be used to determine when the auction closes. If a bid is placed within the last 10 minutes of an auction, then close time will be extended for a further 10 minutes.

Other Auction Rules

• Any bids made on auction items cannot be cancelled and therefore placing a bid is binding and final
• The bidder with the highest bid at the end of the auction will be the successful winner
• Items should be picked up immediately following confirmation of settlement in transaction and certainly no later than 7 days from purchase
• Bids placed must be at least one increment above the current highest bid
• There may be undisclosed bids in the system which ensure that an item cannot be sold below its reserve amount.
• If the Buy Now price is selected then the auction will close and the item will be taken “off the market”

There are two ways in which you can place a bid.

Fixed Price Bid:

This is when you bid a fixed price for an item. Following submission of a bid, the bid price viewed by others will change to this price.

Auto Bid/Proxy Bid:

By placing an Auto Bid you nominate the highest bid you are prepared to pay and the website will place a bid on your behalf one increment above any opposing bids. This way of bidding can protect yourself from being outbid at the last moment, and also prevents you overpaying. Please note that this is also referred to as the Proxy bid.

When placing a bid, the Buyer should be aware of the following: minimum bid increments which are:

Getting Your Bid Removed

Any bid submitted is legally binding. Therefore, please carefully review all item details and freight arrangements before submitting.

Viewing Items / Asking Questions

Use the “Ask the Seller a Question" link from the item listing page to request further information about that particular item. When you ask a question the Seller will receive an email informing them that a question has been asked. Your question will not be visible on the item until the Seller answers it or the items are sold. When the Seller answers your question you will be automatically notified via email.

Buyers

The first $3,000 of any item purchased will be taken directly from your credit card which was specified during the registration process. For items greater than $3,000, an invoice will be provided via email showing the balance of $3,000 debited from this credit card and the balance owing, which is payable immediately.

Methods for payment of invoiced amounts above $3,000 include credit card (Visa and MasterCard), Bpay, or payments made at your local post office.

Please note that at present we cannot accept cheques or American Express cards.

Sellers

Following receipt of payment, payments will be made to Sellers via EFT at month end, less applicable commissions and fees.

Who can register to be a Seller?

Applications to become a Seller will be reviewed and approved at our absolute discretion.

In order to be eligible, the process is simple:

• Learn about selling and become familiar with how online auctions can compliment your business.
• Talk to one of our account representatives. We will work with you to understand your requirements.
• Register as a Seller on our Website.
• Provide us with your company details
• Approval granted to operated as a seller
• Load your products.
• Start selling

Registering and creating a Seller's account is free, and your information will be kept private on our and third-party secure servers.

Listing Policy

It is a Seller’s responsibility to ensure that they are legally allowed to sell any items they list, including checking that it doesn’t breach any copyright, trademark or intellectual property rights.

Sellers must abide by a number of policies which are available from our office during registration:

Banned & Restricted Items

The Seller may only sell items in their possession that they are legally entitled to sell.

Sellers must describe their items and all terms of sale on the listing page of our Website. Listings may only include text descriptions, graphics, photographs and other content relevant to the sale of that item. All listed items must be listed in an appropriate category.

The Seller must not offer for sale, goods or services that are prohibited. Banned items cannot be sold on EmpireAuctions.com.au are those items that are prohibited from selling by law such as backup or copied software, prohibited weapons, pornography and items that require a special license.

Note: We reserve the right to remove items that are not on these lists if they are considered offensive or are in breach of our terms and conditions.

Answering Questions

If a Buyer has any questions about an item listed they can use the “Ask Seller a Question” feature at the bottom of an item page.

The Seller will be sent an email notifying them that a question has been asked. The Seller will then need to view the question and submit an answer.

Sellers are also able to add additional information to their auctions using the Question and Answer feature.

Withdrawing an Auction or Retail item

It is not anticipated that items will be listed on our Website and then withdrawn prior to the sale, except in exceptional circumstances. Please note that we will ask for evidence to support your reason for removing an item and require that a form be submitted. Cancellations fees will apply for any such items.

The Auction Didn’t Meet Reserve

If no bids or the reserve on an item is not met (applicable to some items) by the close of the auction, the auction closes without a winning bidder.

Returns Policy

Our Returns Policy differs depending on the item purchased.

Returning a delivery item

A delivery item is an item that is couriered through our system. The procedure for returning a “delivery item” is as follows:

The Buyer must email our customer service team with full details of any complaint within 7 days of receiving the item

We aim to be a safe and fair environment to buy and sell.

Any form of intentionally changing the efficient operation of an auction is not allowed. This includes placing non-genuine bids or winning auctions without a genuine intention to buy.

Offensive language or abuse of users will not be tolerated.

We reserve the right to remove any listing or Member that breaks this Code of Conduct.

When using the freight system the following options can be selected:

1. Delivery: The cost of delivery will be charged to the Buyer and added to the price paid as specified during the purchasing process. Please note that each item has a fixed freight cost which is indicated on the right hand side of the item on the listing page.
2. Pickup: In this case the Buyer has the option to pick the item up from the seller within 7 days or have the item delivered with the cost of the delivery charged to the final invoice that the Buyer receives.

The following rules apply:

• The item will be delivered to the address which the Buyer nominated when registering under ‘My Accounts’ section.
• Once you have paid for the goods you should allow 7 -14 business working days for the goods to arrive before contacting us.

For Buyers

What is “Buy Now”?

Buy Now allows the Seller to specify a fixed price for an item in which they are willing to sell the item immediately therefore ending the auction (this is separate higher amount than the start / reserve price). Buy Now auctions are identified by the following icon

I want to notify a friend of a particular auction. How can I do this?

A link to an item page can be forwarded to a friend automatically through the website page. Use the “Email a Friend” link accessible from the item listing page.

The goods are different than described. What can I do?

If the item you receive is significantly different to the item described on the item page, please register the issue with our office within 7 days of delivery.

What is Auto/Proxy bid?

The Auto/Proxy bid button function is there to assist with winning an auction and allows you to bid up to a predetermined bid price specified, at the relevant bid increment. As a buyer you need to tick this box on the item when placing a bid and the computer will bid on your behalf against opposing bids up to the total amount specified.

How do I find out additional information regarding a particular Seller

By clicking on the “View Seller Profile” link under an item you will be able to obtain additional information about the Seller.

For Sellers

How does the delivery process work?

Refer to Section 5.0 for a detailed overview of freight.

If you paid over seven working days ago and still haven’t received the goods please report it to us using the Contact Us page.

The top bid on my auction item doesn’t appear genuine

If the top bid appears unreasonable, please email us immediately.

How are payments processed?

Our Website facilitates transaction payment, including invoicing and payments to Sellers.

 

Reviewed and updated 2008.