FAQ - Frequently asked questions
Answers for Non-Profit Organizations
How much does the use of the BiddingOwl.com Auction Manager cost? Nothing! It's free. We strongly believe in non-profit fundraising and want to make our easy to use software available to as many charities as possible. Our auction manager is free! You may run as many silent and live auctions as you like. We place no restrictions on the amount of items, users, donors or solicitors. However, there is a 5% charge for online auctions and in-room bidding.
Do you charge a subscription? Nope, no subscription fee either. Just pure free and easy to use software to run your non-profit charity auction.
How much does it cost to run an online auction? We charge a performance fee of 5%. Why? Because your own auction website runs on our secure and triple protected servers. The online bid-process is complex and uses quite a bid of server space. Therefore we charge you a nominal fee of 5% per highest bid placed online. Think about it - BiddingOwl is cheaper than EBay. They charge a final value fee of 9%! The benefits for using BiddingOwl greatly outweigh the cost. Online and pre-bid auctions raise on average far more money than the traditional format alone. Compare us to our competitors and we know you'll like us better!
Do you charge for online "In-Room" bidding? Yes. In-Room bidding is a form of online bidding and therefore will be charged based on our 5% performance fee.
Do you charge a performance fee on online pre-bid silent and live auction items? Yes. Pre-bidding is a form of online bidding and therefore will be charged based on our 5% performance fee. However, we only charge 5% on the pre-bid portion of the item. We do not charge you on the amount raised during your actual live event.
Do you have an integrated checkout system? Yes. BiddingOwl.com uses PayPal as our preferred payment gateway provider.
Do I have to use PayPal? No. You may use your own merchant account or accept cash or checks only. You need to manually keep track of your payments.
Do I have my own online auction website? Yes. If you sign up to run your non-profit's online auction, you will have your own online auction website.
Can I customize the look of my auction? Yes. BiddingOwl.com features many style templates. You may also upload your own logo as well as customize text.
Can my sponsors advertise on my website? Yes. You may upload your supporter's logo and/or slogan. It will be displayed on every one of your online auction webpages.
Answers for Bidders
How do I register? Click on the Login/Register link on any auction page. Fill out the Bidder Sign Up information.
How do I login? Click on the Login/Register link on any auction page. Fill out the Login information.
How do I bid? You must be a registered bidder and you must be logged in to bid on any items. Once logged in, fill out the bid amount field with your bid. Click on the "Bid" button on the item's page and confirm.
How do I know I've won? You will receive an email and/or text message confirmation. You may also log into your account and go to My Account - Order History.
How do I know I've been outbid? You will receive an email and/or a text message. You may also log into your account and go to My Account - Order History.
How do I pay for my online items? Click on the "Check Out" link on any auction web page. Follow the instructions and enter your payment preferences.
How do I pay for items at the actual event? This is solely up to the non-profit. BiddingOwl.com offers custom check out services. Please check with your auctioneer.
What if I bid on an item by accident? Contact the responsible non-profit immediately. You may contact them by clicking on the contact page of the non-profit's auction website.
When and how do I receive my items? This depends on the preferences of the non-profit. BiddingOwl.com does not handle delivery and/or fulfillment of any of the items. This is solely handled by the responsible non-profit organization. Please check with the organization.
Can't find what you are looking for? No problem, just give us a call at 1.989.448.2189 or email us at support@biddingowl.com!
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