ONLINE
HELP
What
are auctions ?
What are purchases
?
How do I register
?
How do I sell
?
How do I purchase
?
I lost my password,
how can I log in again ?
What happens
when I log in ?
How do I ensure
nobody else can use my account but me ?
Is this website
secure ?
What happens
to my credit card details ?
Can I delete
my credit card details ?
Standard Auctions
Reserve Auctions
Dutch Auctions
What is bidding
?
How do I know
if I am the winner of an auction ?
How can I
withdraw my bid ?
Who determines
the auction winner ?
I wish to
list an item on auction, what do I do ?
I wish to
modify an item I have previously listed
How do I know
who is bidding on my listing ?
Why do I need
to give my credit card to make a valid bid ?
What happens
when the auction seller refuses to sell his item
?
What if successful
bidder refuses to purchase the item ?
Do I need
my credit card to purchase new items ?
What happens
to the contents of my purchase basket ?
How long before
my purchase order is fullfilled ?
What if my
order does not arrive or the order contents are
missing or damaged ?
What are cookies
?
I wish to
search for a particular item, what do I do ?
Why are some
categories only showing Auctions and some show
both Auctions & Purchases ?
I am trying
to modify my auction list dates and get an error,
What am I doing wrong ?
I purchase
on behalf of my company, how do I get an order
receipt ?
What commission
is payable on the sale of my auction items ?
I am representing
a supplier of relevant goods and wish to sell
them through this site, what do I do ?
What
are auctions ?
Auctions
are online trading facilities where private sellers
can either bid on items or sell off their own
items through a fully automated system. Just like
in real life, PetroChemLink supports 3 auction
types : standard, reserved and dutch auctions.
What
are purchases ?
Purchases
are online services provided by commercial sellers
on this site, where you can purchase brand new
goods directly from the suppiers.
How
do I register ?
You
must register to obtain your trading account,
whether you are a seller or a buyer. Registration
can be done by clicking here.
If you chose not to register you will not be able
to bid on auction items, however you will be able
to shop online for new merchant goods. When you
decide to proceed to the checkout, we will register
you automatically.
How
do I sell ?
To
sell online you must be registered.
As a private seller of goods you have to register
online to obtain your trading account. If you
are a merchant seller, supplier or a wholesaler
with a large range of products and quantities,
you should contact us to for more information.
How
do I purchase ?
To
purchase you have to register.
Once registered, you can use your online trading
account for as long as you wish, subject to our
terms and conditions.
To purchase an item, simply add it to your trading
basket and proceed to check out.
I
lost my password, how can I log in again ?
If
you have lost your password and/or your username,
simply click here
for our password facility. Just enter your email
address as provided in the initial registration
and we will email you your login details immediately.
What
happens when I log in ?
When
you log in, our system will allow you access to
your private and secure trading account. Throughout
your use of the account, you will be allowed to
participate in auctions and online purchases.
How
do I ensure nobody else can use my account but
me ?
There
are basically 2 things you could do and we can
help you with 1of them.
1. When you use your online trading account,
make sure you ask the system NOT to memorize your
password. That way whenever another member of
the family or a colleague uses your computer,
they will not be able to access your details.
2.
Protect access to your computer and keep all your
passwords safe.
Is
this website secure ?
YES
! We protect access to your account with the use
of username and password which you should not
share with anyone. Additionnally, your credit
card details are kept secure and accessed through
a secure server SLL protocol. We currently use
a 64bit encryption certificate.
What
happens to my credit card details ?
Your
credit card details are kept on our server at
all times and not given to anyone. Access to your
credit card details is allowed with an aid of
the SSL protocol.
Can
I delete my credit card details ?
Yes
! At any time you wish to remove your credit card
details you may do so. Just remember, you will
not be allowed to bid on auction item, unless
we have your valid credit card on the system.
Standard
Auctions
Standard Auction, otherwise known as English Auctions.
The simplest form of auctions currently available.
The winner is determined to be the highest bid
at the end of the auction.
The seller is obligated to sell the item at close
of a successful auction.
Reserve
Auctions
This
auction type is ONLY successful when the final
bid at the close of the auction is equal to or
exceeds the reserve price set by the seller.
If the reserve price is NOT met by any of the
bidders, the seller is NOT obligated to sell that
item, however if the reserve price is met, the
winner is determined to be the highest bidder
at the close of the auction above the reserve
price.
Dutch
Auctions
This
auction type is only used if multiple, identical
items are being auctioned.
The seller places the quantity of item he/she
wishes to sell and the starting price they are
willing to accept.
Winners can bid on the item(s), providing bid(s)
equal to or higher than the starting bid, together
with the quantity they are interested in.
The winner(s) of the auction are determined to
be the highest successful bidders at the lowest
successful price.
For
e xample : Assume a seller has 10 copies of a
CD-ROM game Flight Simulator and wishes to sell
it at the starting price of $10. If there are
10 bidders all requesting 1 copy of the game at
$10 each, they will all be the winners of the
game and receive their copy. If however person
11 comes along and places a bid of $11 on one
copy of the game, he will automatically be one
of the winning 10, and one of the original 10
will miss out on the game. All however will only
pay $10 for a copy. If enough bidders raise the
highest bid above $10, then only the top 10 highest
bidders will win the game at the price determined
by the auction robot. Sounds confusing ? Do not
worry, our auction facility has been designed
to successfully sort out the winners and their
quantities according to the dutch auction rules.
What
is bidding ?
Bidding
relates to placing an offer of purchase on an
item being auctioned. This offer is in a form
of a dollar figure which signifises your intent
to buy the item.
How
do I know if I am the winner of an auction ?
At
the end of any auction a winner is determined
by our system. If you have participated in an
auction and you happen to be the winner of that
auction's item(s), you will be notified by email
of your successful win together with the seller's
contact details.
How
can I withdraw my bid ?
You
can only withdraw your bid if the auction is still
open.
To do so, simply email us your trading username,
Product ID you placed your bid on and the reason
for cancellation.
We try to process all bids as soon as they arrive,
however we can not guarantee that your bid will
be cancelled in time before the auction closes.
Always
make sure you place correct bids on correct items
to avoid confusion and delays.
Who
determines the auction winner ?
The
auction winner(s) are determined by our automated
Auction Robot facility and winners and sellers
are notified usually within 10 minutes of the
auction close date.
I
wish to list an item on auction, what do I do
?
You
have to be a registered member.
Once registered, simply enter your Account
and go to Seller Details menu.
Listing an item is as easy as specifying the category
for the item, name, short description and auction
type you wish to undertake and of course the starting
bid you wish to set.
All
auctions have built in auction increments which
must be adhered to. These are set by us and are
visible at the item description page.
Your
item becomes visible as soon as you specifiy its
opening date and bidding can be made from that
time on.
I
wish to modify an item I have previously listed
Its
always a good idea to list your item correctly
the first time. If however you wish to modify
your listing, you can do so provided no bids have
been placed on your item or your auction has yet
to start.
You can modify everything from the name to the
starting bid, however we recommend you do not
do that in case other traders are observing your
item and begin to notice major changes and may
be discouraged from bidding on it.
How
do I know who is bidding on my listing ?
Simply
go to your Account
and select Listings Progress menu.
Select your listing and you will be shown who
has made bids on it, what quantity (if applicable)
and when.
Why
do I need to give my credit card to make a valid
bid ?
In
order to ensure legitimacy of your bids, we require
that you provide us with a valid credit card.
We use that to ensure your identity and your abikity
to fullfil the bidding offer.
Your credit card is never charged for any amount,
it is only authorised.
What
happens when the auction seller refuses to sell
his item ?
Occassionally
we will come across some illegitimate traders.
If you are determined to be the winner of an auction
item and the seller refuses to sell that item
to you, simply send us email at disputes@petrochemlink.com
with the seller's details, your details and auction
details and we will try to assist you in resolving
the problem.
What
if successful bidder refuses to purchase the item
?
Simply
let us know and we will suspend the bidder's trading
account until the matter is fully resolved.
Do
I need my credit card to purchase new items ?
Of
course. With purchases your trading basket is
like you shopping basket. When you are ready to
proceed to the checkout, we will debit your credit
card for the amount of the contents of your basket.
What
happens to the contents of my purchase basket
?
Our
system will remember the contents of your basket
if you decide to return to our site for further
shopping at a later date.
How
long before my purchase order is fullfilled ?
Our
merchant sellers will deliver the purchased goods
to you within a period of a maximum of 14 days.
What
if my order does not arrive or the order contents
are missing or damaged ?
Simply
contact us immediately and we will pursue the
matter further
What
are cookies ?
Cookies
are small files saved on your computer system
allowing us to remember who you are when you visit
us again. Cookies are used by internet browsers
such as Netscape and Internet Explorer and allow
much more personalised use of some of the world's
most spohisticated sites.
Your
cookies must be set in order for the site to function
correctly.
I
wish to search for a particular item, what do
I do ?
You
can search in 2 ways - using a quick search facility
in your upper left corner of the window or use
the advanced search facility by clicking here.
Using
the advanced facility allows you to pin point
the exact item of your preferences quickly and
efficiently.
Why
are some categories only showing Auctions and
some show both Auctions & Purchases ?
Not
all categories have items in them. If you come
across a category with a total item count showing
0, it is empty and will have no items in it.
We try to provide more and more products every
day so make sure you check back again later.
I
am trying to modify my auction list dates and
get an error, What am I doing wrong ?
When
you modify an auction and in particular its starting
and closing dates, you must ensure that these
dates are logical. For example, your opening and
closing dates cannot be changed to a date before
today, just as your opening date cannot exceed
your closing date etc.
I
purchase on behalf of my company, how do I get
an order receipt ?
Simply
go to your Account,
and select the Order History menu and click
on Receipts.
All
your receipts can be easily printed from then
on.
What
commission is payable on the sale of my auction
items ?
Commissions
are determined by looking at the final winning
bid of an item's auction.
Our system uses a sliding scale procedure to determine
your commission payable to us.
I am representing a supplier
of relevant goods and wish to sell them through
this site, what do I do ?
We
would love to hear from you. Call us now or email
as at sales@petrochemlink.com
