Frequently Asked Questions

Additional documentation and policies can be found at our documentation page.

FAQ For Auction Administrators

Why does eFlea have to create my base auction for me?

We currently screen auction hosts to try and make sure that their auction is legitimate, and that it meets our guidelines for eligibility to use our free service. It only takes us a very short time to create your auction site, and typically will have it set up within 24 hours of the request, assuming all information that is required has been provided at the time of request.

Do all items in my auction close for bidding at the same time?

Yes. To keep things fair for all bidders participating in an auction, bidding closes on all items at the same time.

How long should I run my auction for?

Your auction can run (from bidding open to bidding close) for as little as 24 hours all the way up to one month in duration. The typical auction runs for 5 to 14 days.

When can I start adding items to my auction?

You can start to add items as soon as you log into your auction with admin access (if your account does not have admin access, please contact eFlea or any of the additional administrators of your auction).

How many items can I have in my auction?

Auctions support from one to 200 items.

We recommend that you have at least 10 items in your auction of varying price ranges and general appeal. The more items you have, the more bidders you will attract.

Can I add multiple images to my item descriptions?

We currently support only one image per auction item.

Do I have to add all my auction items before bidding opens?

You can add new items to your auction up to 4 hours prior to auction bidding close, although it is recommended to have at least one half to three quarters of your items added before bidding opens.

For longer running auction, you might find it helpful to add new items during the run of your auction. New items can help draw additional interest in your auction.

Can I set the minimum starting bid value for my auction item(s)?

When you add your item(s) to the auction, you set a "minimum starting bid" dollar value. The first bid on the item must be equal to or greater than this starting bid value. You can set this value to the value that you want as a minimum for this item.

You can change the minimum starting bid value after the item has been added to your auction, as long as the item does not have any bids.

Can I set the minimum bid increments?

The eFlea platform implements a system-wide minimum next bid algorithm. This algorithm cannot be customized on a per auction basis.

Please refer to our Minimum Bid Increment document for details on the algorithm used to calculate the next minimum bid amount.

Can I set a reserve bid value on an item?

No. In most cases setting a "hidden" reserve bid on an item frustrates bidders. If you want to ensure that you get a minimum value for an item, set the starting bid (see above) to the lowest value that you would accept for the item.

eFlea reserves the right to edit or remove items from an auction that violate this rule.

Does eFlea support "Dutch" style item listings?

No. "Dutch" style auctions, where the top "N" bidders on an item each win, is not supported and is prohibited.

Each item listed in an auction is sold as a single lot. There can only be one winning bidder per auction item listing. If you have multiple duplicate items, they must each be listed as a separate item listing.

eFlea reserves the right to edit or remove items from an auction that violate this rule.

Does eFlea support "Buy It Now" style item listings?

eFlea's service operates in the traditional silent auction sense, meaning each auction item can have multiple users bidding on it, driving the final bid value up.

"Buy It Now" is more of a store-front method of selling items, and does not fall into our definition of a silent auction. IF you must have a minimum guaranteed selling price for an item, set the item's minimum starting bid to this value. Why limit yourself to a single value when you could potentially get a higher closing bid value from people competing for the same item.

eFlea reserves the right to edit or remove items from an auction that violate this rule.

When should I start promoting my auction?

As soon as you have a few items added to your auction start promoting! Don't wait until bidding opens to start promoting your auction. Spread the word, and take advantage of of the social sharing features found on the site. You can share the whole auction, and you can share individual items. eFlea has optimized the sharing features to include summaries and images of the auction or items on most social websites.

Also, share your auction with your team and have them share it with their friends, family and co-workers. Promote your auction on local regional blogs and news networks (i.e. radio, TV, newspapers, etc.). The more people know about your auction, the better!

I want to run another auction, can I re-use my auction?

No. Each auction is unique. To run another auction you must request/create a new auction, following the standard auction request process. You can find all the information needed in our How It Works section.

Does eFlea collect Credit Card information from bidders for me?

No. Since we do not directly handle payment processing, our system does not ask for, nor store, bidder's credit card information.

Third party payment processing systems, such as PayPal, may collect credit card information.

How private is a private auction?

It is as private as the URL. Private auctions are not listed in eFlea's public auction listing. In general, search engines won't find it unless you link it from a public web page. Search engines work by following links from other pages or by visiting pages purposefully submitted to them. Your private auction site is an isolated "island" on the web unless you link to them from somewhere. You are, of course, free to publicize they auction's address by sending email to your friends, posting it on your web site, sharing on Facebook™, Twitter™, etc.

Note that certain browser add-ons can send your page's URL to various search services, so it could, at some point in time, appear in search engine queries.

Something came up and we no longer need to run our auction

If you no longer have a need to run your auction, please delete any items you may have added to your auction to help prevent accidental bidding.

Also, please inform eFlea that you no longer have a need to run an auction. We will then remove your auction from the system to free up resources.