FAQ

I am new to CHL Auctions – where do I start?

Everyone is invited to browse of search through our auction categories and listings for items on CHL Auctions. If you see something you would like to bid on, you must first register. Official registration takes place in association with the CHL.com network. For more details on registration, click here.

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Why do I need to register with CHL Auctions?

By registering with CHL Auctions you are letting other members know that you will participate in an honest and professional manner. You must provide us with valid contact information so that we may contact you regarding your CHL Auctions purchases.

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How do I register?

It takes just a few minutes to register. To complete the registration process, you will need to provide information such as your username, full name, address and email address. By registering with CHL Auctions, you will be registered with the entire CHL.com network.

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What does it cost to register?

Registration is free and no credit cards are necessary unless a bid is placed. Once you have submitted your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message from CHL Auctions and you will have instant access to view all products. After registration, you are not obligated to buy anything on CHL Auctions. However, if you do see something you would like to bid on, you can do so quickly as a registered user.

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Do I need a separate account for CHL.com?

No, the CHL.com network supports a single sign-on feature between CHL.com and CHL Auctions, meaning that users can use the same account to login to both sites. All new user registrations will have access to the CHL.com network including CHL Auctions. Please click here for more details on registering at CHL.com. All existing CHL.com users will have access to the CHL Auctions site.

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What do I do if I have forgotten my username and/or password?

If you have registered before but do not remember your username and/or password, you can have it sent to you via email by clicking Sign In > Forgot Password? and entering the email address associated with the account.

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Can I update my registration information?

Yes – you can update your account information at any time. CHL Auctions members are expected to maintain valid accounts by keeping their contact information up-to-date. Please review your contact information within My Account > Update User Info.

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What is my 'Watch List'?

You can use the CHL Auctions Watch List feature to keep track of items you are not ready to bid on, but want to monitor closely so you can bid on them when you are ready. On each auction listing page there is a link titled 'Add to Watch List'. Click on that link to add an item of interest to your list.

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What about the privacy of my information?

CHL Auctions is fully committed to protecting your right to privacy within our online auction community. The release of any members' personal information for reasons other than those specifically connected with CHL Auctions is prohibited. For full CHL.com network privacy policy, please visit the official CHL.com website here.

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How do I bid?

Review the item information on the listing page for the item that interests you. Once you are ready, enter your bid amount and hit 'Bid Now'. You will need to be registered with CHL Auctions to bid.

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Do I need to use a credit card to bid?

Yes – to ensure fair bidding a valid credit card will be required to bid on an item. Your credit card information is required only for the first time you place a bid. By providing your valid credit card information, you authorize CHL Auctions to make a temporary authorization to your credit card account to verify the information you provide is valid. This credit verification will occur each time you provide a different credit card in the bidding process.

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What is my CVV/CVC code?

When you place a bid we will request your card security code to help prevent against fraudulent use of your card. The security code is the three digit number on the signature strip on the rear of the card.

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What is a 'maximum bid amount'?

Your maximum bid amount is the highest price you are willing to pay for an item. You should determine beforehand the most you are willing to pay for an item and then enter a single bid at that amount in the Bid field. An early bid supported by a high maximum bid amount can make you a winner.

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Can I increase my maximum bid after I have placed a bid?

Yes – if your maximum bid amount has been outbid, you can either place another maximum amount or enter each subsequent bid one at a time. Please note that you can only increase a subsequent maximum or incremental bid. To increase your current bid amount, simply return to the listing and enter and submit a new, higher maximum bid amount (this amount is the most you are willing to pay for the item).

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Can I retract a confirmed bid?

Yes, but your confirmed bid can only be retracted under special circumstances should you choose to submit a formal request by contacting CHL Auctions directly.

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Can I submit a bid offline?

We only accept bids submitted via this website.

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Where can I monitor my bidding activity?

You can monitor all your bidding activity from within My Account > Bid Status

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How will I know if my bid is no longer winning?

We will send you an email when your bid is no longer winning. However, there can be unpredictable delays in email transmission. We suggest that you regularly visit CHL Auctions to check your bid status.

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What is a Reserve Price Auction?

In a Reserve Price Auction, CHL Auctions has the option of setting a reserve price, which is a price below which the listing will not sell. The reserve price is higher than the opening value. A reserve price allows the auction to start with an opening value below the reserve price to initiate bidder interest and determine the fair market value of an item. If the auction has a reserve price, you will see either a 'Reserve price NOT met' or 'Reserve price met' message on the listing page depending on whether the current bid is below, or at or above, this price.

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What is Auto Bid Extend?

The Auto Bid Extend feature ensures that bidders will always have a chance to challenge bids placed in the final seconds of an auction. When indicated on a listing page, if a bid is placed during the last 5 minutes of an auction, the auction will automatically extend for an additional 5 minutes from the time of the latest bid. The auction will close once all bidding activity has stopped for a period of 5 minutes.

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Why does it appear that I am having to place multiple bids in order for my bid to be accepted?

This is because a bidder has placed a Proxy Bid (a higher maximum bid), which is an amount higher than the bid increment. This is the maximum value that a bidder is prepared to pay in order to win this auction. You can place a proxy bid of your own in order to try to outbid the current proxy bid, or you may choose to continue bidding in the increments indicated until your bid is accepted.

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I appear to have been overbid by an amount smaller than the bid increment. How has this occurred?

The other bidder had placed a proxy bid. In some cases, it's possible that another bidder's standing maximum bid is greater than yours, but by less than the bid increment. In this case, the other bidder will be winning at exactly their maximum bid.

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What is Real Time Bid Refresh?

The Real Time Bid Refresh feature is in place in order to deliver the best possible online auction experience by presenting the most up-to-date auction information, including Auction Time Remaining, Bid Count, and Current Bid Amount. When a new bid is placed or an auction goes in to Bid Extend, the most recent auction information will automatically be presented on the screen without the need to manually refresh the current browser page.

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Why did Real Time Bid Refresh automatically deactivate?

Real Time Bid Refresh is set to automatically deactivate after 12 minutes of inactivity on a page that presents auction data such as Auction Time Remaining, Bid Count, and Current Bid Amount. This is to ensure that, in case an active browser session is forgotten and left open, users do not have fresh data constantly feeding into their active browser session and unnecessarily using up network data. When presented with the message "Real Time Bid Refresh is no long active on the site", users can choose to click the "Reactivate" button, which will cause the system to resume pushing up-to-date auction data into the active browser session, or users can click "Cancel", which will prevent Real Time Bid Refresh from reactivating on the current page. Note: if a user chooses to click "Cancel" when presented with this message, they will NOT be shown the most up-to-date auction data, or any new bid activity placed on the listing by other customers. However, manually refreshing the browser window OR clicking through to a new auction page will cause Real Time Bid Refresh to reactivate automatically.

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Will I be charged sales tax on my order if I am the winning bidder?

Sales tax is charged for orders shipped to U.S. states where we have a business presence and/or we have determined sales taxes are applicable. Items shipped to APO / FPO military addresses are not subject to taxes. The amount of state sales tax charged is based on current tax rates.

For items being shipped to Canada from a Canada-based vendor, customers will be charged applicable sales tax. If any other duties/fees are required, they will be the responsibility of the customer.

For items being shipped to Canada from US-based vendors, sales taxes will not be charged; however, any duties and taxes will be the responsibility of the customer.

Please note the sales tax amount does not reflect on the bid price. You will not receive notification before the charge. The sales tax is applied once your winning bid is accepted and your method of payment is charged.

***Shipping addresses located in the following states will be charged associated sales tax:

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin & Wyoming.

Additionally, customers living in Australia will be subject to sales tax.

For international shipments (items shipping from vendors not located in the winning bidders country), any duties or taxes are the responsibility of the customer.

All products ship within 3-5 Business days upon receipt of payment.

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How will I know if I win?

We will notify you by email if you win, although you are responsible for determining if you have won by visiting the site and checking the status of your bid in the My Account section. The email will contain instructions on next steps.

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How do I pay for a winning auction?

All winning bid payments will be captured and processed through our secure payment centers using the credit card entered during the bidding process. If the payment fails, you will be notified by email with next steps to complete payment.

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When will I be charged for my order?

When the auction closes an order will be generated for the winning bidder. It is at this time that payment is taken on the registered credit card on file.

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How do I find out if an auction has ended?

You can locate an auction in which you have participated from within My Account > Bid Status.

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Can I save on shipping costs if I win multiple auctions?

If a customer wins multiple auctions, they have an opportunity to save on shipping costs on any items coming from the same vendor (may vary due to individual vendor shipping policies, see shipping terms on product page). Items won from different merchandise vendors are subject to individual shipping costs from each vendor.

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Can I view the CHL Auctions site in French?

Yes - by clicking the language of choice in the upper left-hand corner of the website the user may toggle between English and French text. Main site functionality, including email, etc., is translated into French. Product titles and descriptions, as well as partner page descriptions may not be available in French, as they are subject to each individual vendor managing translations.

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Can I view the CHL Auctions site on my mobile device/tablet?

Yes – the CHL Auctions site has been built in responsive design, meaning that no matter how you are accessing the site – whether it's on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone – it will render in a user friendly, fully functional responsive format. We currently support the following browsers: Internet Explorer version 8 and up, as well as all the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

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What is 'Buy Now'?

'Buy Now' is an alternative listing type offered by CHL Auctions which offers a product at a set price that is available for purchase in real time.

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How does 'Buy Now' work?

To purchase a 'Buy Now' product, locate the desired item and click on the 'Buy Now' link if available. Auction items containing only a 'Buy Now' link are available for a customer to perform the 'Buy Now' function. Select the amount of units of the product that are to be purchased (if more than one is available), then confirm shipping information to complete the purchase.

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How is 'Buy Now' different from an auction?

The 'Buy Now' feature is different from participating in an auction in that instead of bidding against other customers and waiting for the auction period to end, a customer may purchase the item immediately at the set price. There may be multiple units of the item available for sale all at the same price, so multiple customers may buy the same item at the same cost, or a single customer may purchase greater quantities of the same product if desired.

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What does 'Sold Out' mean?

The term 'Sold Out' only applies to 'Buy Now' items. This indicates that the item was once offered as a 'Buy Now' listing but all available units have been purchased and therefore the product is no longer available for purchase.

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