Bidder Terms

1.1These Bidder Terms apply when you register for an auction, bid, win or pay on Bidding Fever. They add to the Terms of Use.

1.2Each auction also has terms set by its seller, shown on the auction page before you bid: for example the buyer's premium, deposits, payment deadline, pickup times and shipping options. Those auction terms form part of your contract with the seller. If they conflict with these Bidder Terms, these Bidder Terms apply unless the law requires otherwise.

1.3The sale of a lot is a contract between you and the seller. We run the platform and process payments for the seller.

2.1Read the whole listing: description, photos, condition grade, location, pickup and shipping rules, and the cost breakdown. Many lots are used, returned or sold as-is.

2.2Some auctions require you to register, verify your phone number, keep a valid card on file, pay a refundable deposit or authorization, or be approved by the seller before you can bid. We or the seller may refuse or limit a registration, for example because of unpaid invoices or a low trust score.

2.3Where the seller offers an inspection or preview, you are encouraged to use it before you bid.

3.1A bid is a binding offer to buy the lot for the amount of the bid plus the buyer's premium, taxes and any other charges shown before you confirm. You cannot withdraw a bid once it is placed, unless the law requires otherwise or we cancel it under clause 3.6.

3.2Bids must follow the increments shown on the auction. If you set a maximum bid, the system bids for you one increment at a time, only as much as needed to keep you in the lead, up to your maximum. Other bidders do not see your maximum.

3.3If a bid arrives shortly before a lot closes, the closing time may be extended so other bidders can respond. Each auction page shows its closing rules.

3.4A lot may have a reserve price. If bidding ends below the reserve, the seller does not have to sell. We show whether the reserve has been met, not its amount.

3.5The time and order of bids are those recorded by our servers. Your device clock or connection speed does not change them.

3.6We may cancel bids, void a result or reopen a lot when there is fraud, shill bidding, an obvious error in the listing, or a technical failure that affected bidding. If we do, we tell the bidders affected.

4.1When a lot closes, the highest valid bid that meets any reserve wins. You receive a notification and an invoice.

4.2Winning commits you to pay for the lot and to collect it or have it shipped as the auction terms say.

4.3When you win, the seller of that lot receives your name, email address, phone number and shipping address so they can invoice you, arrange pickup or delivery, and keep the records the law requires. Sellers receive these details only for lots you have won, and only after the auction closes.

5.1Your total for a lot is the hammer price (your winning bid), plus the seller's buyer's premium, applicable sales taxes (GST/HST, QST or PST) and any shipping, handling or other charges shown on the auction page. The total is shown before you confirm a bid.

5.2There is no fee to open an account and no fee to place a bid. Optional paid services, such as a VIP membership, are priced separately before you buy them.

5.3Amounts are in Canadian dollars unless the auction page says otherwise.

6.1Pay each invoice by the deadline shown on the invoice or the auction page.

6.2Payments are made by card, or by another method we offer, through our payment provider, Stripe. Payment in person, such as cash or Interac e-Transfer, is possible only when the invoice says the seller accepts it.

6.3By keeping a card on file and bidding, you authorize us to place a temporary authorization hold or collect a refundable deposit when an auction requires one, and to charge your card for invoices you owe when the auction uses automatic payment. We release or refund holds and deposits that are no longer needed, less any amount applied to an unpaid invoice as the auction terms allow.

6.4If a payment fails, we may try the charge again several times over about 24 hours, ask you for another payment method, and limit your bidding until the invoice is paid.

6.5If an invoice remains unpaid after those attempts or after its deadline, we may cancel the sale, offer the lot to the next-highest bidder, keep a deposit as the auction terms allow, record a non-payment on your account, lower your trust score, limit or suspend your bidding, and recover the amount owed.

6.6If you think a charge is wrong, contact us or open a claim first. A chargeback on a valid charge can lead to an account review and restrictions, and we or the seller may contest it with evidence.

7.1We keep a trust score for each bidder, based on payment history, pickups, claims and verification. It can set your bidding limit and whether you need approval to bid in some auctions.

7.2You can ask us how your trust score or a limit was decided, and ask a person to review it, by writing to support@biddingfever.com.

8.1Collect your lots, or arrange shipping, as the auction terms say and within the time they allow. Bring the pickup code or invoice shown in your account.

8.2Unless the law or the auction terms say otherwise, the risk of loss or damage passes to you when you collect the lot, or when the seller hands it to the carrier for delivery to you.

8.3If you do not collect a lot by the deadline, the seller may, after giving the notice that the auction terms require, treat the lot as abandoned. In that case, any amount refunded is what the auction terms provide.

9.1You can open a claim from your dashboard when a lot:

• is significantly different from its description;
• arrives damaged;
• is not received; or
• is missing major parts.

9.2Open a claim as soon as you notice the problem, and no later than 14 days after pickup or delivery.

9.3A claim is usually declined when the lot matches its description, when the condition was disclosed and the lot was sold as-is, when the reason is a change of mind, when there is no reasonable evidence, or when the claim is late.

9.4How a claim works:

• you describe the problem and add photos, messages or documents;
• the seller has 5 business days to respond (3 business days for a seller in its first 90 days) and can accept a refund, offer a partial refund or decline;
• if the claim is not resolved, we review the listing, the evidence and the history of both parties;
• the outcome can be a full refund, a partial refund, a declined claim or a referral to outside resolution.

9.5Refunds go back to the original payment method. Most appear within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your bank.

9.6Unless the law or the outcome of a claim requires otherwise, the buyer's premium and processing fees are refunded only together with the lot they relate to.

9.7We run the claims process fairly, but we do not guarantee an outcome, and we cannot always recover money that has already been paid out to a seller.

9.8False or abusive claims can lower your trust score and limit your access.

9.9You keep every right you have under consumer protection law, and you can contact your provincial consumer protection office at any time.

10.1We send messages about your bids and purchases, such as outbid alerts, win notices, invoices, payment receipts and pickup reminders, by email, by text message if you turned it on, and by push notification in the app. These messages are part of the service and do not require marketing consent. You can choose most channels in your settings; security and invoice messages cannot be turned off.

11.1Questions about bids, payments or claims: support@biddingfever.com.