We recently interviewed the owner of the new penny auction site Bargainsandfun.com. He tells us that he has removed all instances of bots from his script, and believes shill bidding to be unfair and dishonest.
Penny Auction Watch: What got you interested in the entertainment shopping industry?
Bargainsandfun.com : I was looking around for a TV and kept running into penny auction sites that were selling them dirt cheap. I signed up on a few of them and started bidding. Once I got addicted there was no way out. In 3 or 4 hours I had blown over $500 on several different sites (should have just bought the tv at walmart it would have been cheaper) and still don’t have the tv. Eventually I had a few problems with some of the sites I was dealing with either from their “corporate policies” or whatever. I decided that I was going to start my own, and one of the founding and most important things about it would be EVERYTHING IN WRITING. Basically meaning that if you have a question it is answered in writing somewhere on the site, and whats better – I Stand behind it.
Penny Auction Watch: How long have you been open?
Bargainsandfun.com: We opened on January 1st 2010 at about 9:00AM.
Penny Auction Watch: What kind of items do you offer/ have lined up? Do your auctions run on a schedule?
Bargainsandfun.com: Since it is a new site we will be starting with inexpensive items. Some collectables and some gift cards. I don’t want to give too much away yet but there are some blasts from the past in our inventory. MOST but not all of the items we will be selling are new – some items are collectables that are used but in this case the item is described as completely as possible to avoid the wrong impression of the item. As with any other site as time progresses we will add more items to the inventory but we will always keep the less expensive items around as well. One other note is that YES we are keeping an inventory which means all items are in my hands BEFORE it is listed on the site. As for a schedule, I don’t plan on having one it’s more of a what I have in hand and a little thought about what I already have scheduled to start. BUT all auctions will be listed for a minimum of 24 hours before the bidding on those items starts, with the exception of the opening day (most of those items have not been listed yet).
Penny Auction Watch: What are the timer increments between bids/does this vary by auction?
Bargainsandfun.com: Most timers on our site will start with a small time limit. This is because most of the items we will be selling from the beginning will be smaller items with less cost. Larger items will be given a higher start time. Bidding will add anywhere from 10 – 20 seconds to the clock but ONLY if the clock has fallen below the 1 minute mark. In the event of a bidding war with bid buddies or even manual bids the clock will never again pass the 1 minute mark.
Penny Auction Watch: How much are your bids?
Bargainsandfun.com: Bids on our site range in price. The more expensive bids are 75 cents if you buy the smallest package. If you plan to do a lot of bidding then you are better off with the bigger packages as you will save on the per bid price. Our biggest package right now only charges 50 cents per bid and if the need arises in the future we will add larger packs with more savings.
Penny Auction Watch: What are your shipping costs? How long does it usually take for users to receive their items?
Bargainsandfun.com: Shipping costs are on a per item basis with most items shipping for under $20. All items will have the shipping price CLEARLY listed in the description section of the item for everyone to see and no Guessing later. Since all items are in stock prior to listing they are shipped within 1-2 days Monday thru Friday.
Penny Auction Watch: What states/countries are you open to?
Bargainsandfun.com: Currently we are ONLY shipping to the United States including Alaska and Hawaii. Others are welcome to bid however they must make their own shipping arrangements.
Penny Auction Watch: What is your policy for bid refunds?
Bargainsandfun.com: If you paid for bids and decide that you no longer wish to use them or do business with us we will be more than happy to refund your money. In the event you have purchased several bid packs with different PER BID prices we will use the first in first out method to determine any partial refund.
Penny Auction Watch: Are they win limits, limits /household?
Bargaingsandfun.com: As a new site we have not put up any win limits. This is because we do not have a large customer base and we want everyone to feel welcome on our site. In the event that we do have “power bidders” start wining on the site we will institute win limits. If that happens these limits will be based on the retail price of the item so that one person can not win all of the high dollar items. It just makes it more fair for everyone.
Penny Auction Watch: Is there a story behind the name/theme?
Bargainsandfun.com: Not really, I was just thinking about deals and entertainment and trying different names in domain searches. Eventually I thought about what a bargain you could get and how much fun I was having. Then I put that together and registered it. The theme on the site right now is just what came with the script when I got it. I was hoping to change it before the launch but have been chasing down the snakes to make sure everything else runs smoothly.
Penny Auction Watch: And anything else you’d like to add about your penny auction.
Bargainsandfun.com: I plan to run a legit and honest PA site from the start with no BOTS or SHILLS. The phone number and contact information is all on the site so if you ever have a question, comment or even just want to talk PLEASE feel free to call. If I don’t answer I’m probably working on adding product or redesigning the site.
-Thank you!
Bargainsandfun.com: NO NO NO, Thank YOU!
Review and discuss your experiences with Bargainsandfun.com in the Penny Auction Watch Forum.
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