General

What is BidFun?

BidFun is an auction site that allows you to buy items at a fraction of the regular price. You only need to register, buy bids, and bid on the item of your choice. The bidder that placed the last bid when the counter reaches 0:00:00 wins. The counter is incremented by a few seconds each time a bid is placed to allow other bidders to place another bid.

How do I bid?

Simple: click on the Bid button. Each bid will cost you 1 credit, add $0.01 to the current bid price and push back the countdown timer 20 seconds. Of course, you must have created an account first, and bought credits.

As long as you are the last bidder when the countdown timer reaches 0, you are the winner. If another bidder outbids you, you can always bid again.

Don't wait until the last second: as the countdown timer will be pushed back 20 seconds each time a bid is placed, you won't get an advantage by bidding at the very last second, and you incur the risk that your bid is not counted due to slow-downs of your PC or Internet connection.

You can also set up a robot to bid for you within the limits you chose, by clicking on the product you want, and using the "Create a robot" form.

NB: the official countdown timer is maintained centrally on our servers, the one shown on your computer is maintained locally on it based on information received from our servers. It may happen that there is a slight delay in displaying the latest information. Only the countdown timer maintained on our servers is taken into account to decide which bids are valid and when the auction ends.

How do I win?

Simple: the winner is the last bidder when the countdown timer reaches 0. You then confirm your delivery address, pick the color if multiple colors are available, pay the price of your last bid and any delivery costs (currently free), and the product is yours at a significant discount!

What is a credit, and how much does it cost?

Each time you bid, it will cost you a credit (whether you win the auction or not). Credits are not refundable. You may find the prices of credits on the page linked below.

Can I get a refund for bid credits?

No, bid credits and bids are not refundable. One credit will be deducted from your account for each bid placed, either manually or through a robot, whether you win the auction or not.

What payment modes do you accept?

We accept debit and credit cards via Paypal.

How come items are so cheap?

The credits used by all participants in the auction make up the difference between the price paid by the winner and the actual cost of the item.

Why does the counter move back up?

The countdown timer gets 20 more seconds every time a bid is placed to allow bidders (including you) time to react and place another bid. This is like in an auction house where the auctioneer asks for any more bids ("going once... going twice...") before stopping an auction. If we didn't do so, everybody would just bid at the very last second, and it would be pure luck which would decide who wins.

What does it mean when the countdown timer says "Checking"?

The official end time of the auction is maintained on our servers, which is synchronized to atomic clocks for great accuracy. The countdown timer displayed on your computer is based on information received from our servers regarding bids and the end time. We endeavor to make sure this information is always as up-to-date as possible, however sometimes there might be a slight delay in the information reaching your computer.

When your computer thinks the auction has ended, it displays "Checking" while it waits for further information from our servers:

- either new bids that have been recorded before the auction ended, which are then displayed, together with an update of the countdown timer,

- or the auction has actually ended, and the countdown timer then shows "Finished".

If many new bids have been recorded, or if several robots have been "battling it out", the countdown timer may increase by a substantial amount of time.

If the countdown timer stays stuck in "Checking" state, that means something wrong occurred either on your computer or somewhere in the Internet between our servers and your computer. Please refresh the page to get the most current information then.

What is an automatic bid? What is a robot?

To simplify bidding, you can set up a robot that will bid for you, following the parameters you give: maximum bid and maximum number of bids. Automatic bids are those done by a robot set up by one of the participants.

Once a robot has been set up, it will bid once every time another bid is placed, and its limits have not been reached. This means that:

- if you are not the highest bidder when the robot is created, the robot will not do anything until someone (you or someone else) bids. If you create a robot at the last minute, don't forget to bid manually once to ensure that the robots starts!

- the robot will bid as many times as you tell it to, adding $0.01 to the price, using one credit, and adding 20 seconds to the countdown timer for each bid it does on your behalf.

- if there are multiple robots competing on the same auction, they will all bid in turn as soon as a new bid is recorded, until there is only one left (because the others reached one of their limits). This means that if two or more robots have a high limit in bids, they can use a lot of credits very quickly, and add quite a lot of time to the countdown timer.

The values shown in the robot creation form are suggestions based on frequent patterns of use. You can and should modify them to suit your needs.

Are these reverse auctions?

No. Reverse auctions are blind auctions where luck plays a role. Here the highest bid wins, and you always know what it is and if you are the winner.

What currency are the prices in?

All prices are in US dollars.

Where can I see my bid history?

Please follow the link below

How can I close my account?

You can do so by following the link below.

About the items sold

Are all products new?

Yes, all products are new, in their original packaging.

Are products covered by warranty?

Yes, all products are covered by their usual manufacturer's warranty.

How come items are so cheap?

The credits used by all participants in the auction make up the difference between the price paid by the winner and the actual cost of the item.

Which country are the products for?

Products on www.bidfun.com are US versions (110V, US plugs, NTSC, etc.).

Are phones compatibles with any network?

Yes, all phones are unlocked, and will work with any network. You will need to have a subscription or prepaid account with a network and a SIM to place in the phone, though.

What if the product doesn't work?

Please check the operating manual first, and the manufacturer's website and support. Once you have confirmed that the product is not working, contact us so we can arrange for you to return it. You will have the choice between getting a new one or being refunded for the cost of the product. Note that this does not include the cost of the bids you placed.

Can I return the product and get a refund?

Please contact us to arrange for the return of the product within 7 business days of its receipt. We will refund the cost of the product (the price paid) once we receive it. Please note that this does not include the cost of the bids you placed.