• Browsing - Our home page contains a list of item categories along the left hand side. To see the items contained within a category, click on the category name. This will bring up a list of items within that category. If a category has subcategories, the parent category will contain the items listed both in itself and in its subcategories.

  Once you click on a category, you will see three (3) tabs at the top of the page:
  

  • "All Items" - This is our default view and includes all current items listed in the category INCLUDING items that have been previously listed by their respective sellers and did not sell the 1st time around.   There are some wonderful treasures here that we are sure you won't want to miss!
  • "New Items" - If you prefer to view current listings EXCLUDING items that have been previously listed by their sellers, just click on this tab
  • "Buy Now" - If you would rather buy an item instantly without waiting for the listing to end, just click on this tab!

  Each category has two sections, "Featured Items in ..." and "Items in ...". The Featured section is located at the top of the page. When browsing, don't miss the "Items in..." section as it is located below the Featured section. Each page contains a set number of items. If there are more items than fit on a single page, the items will be split across multiple pages. You can navigate to another page of items by clicking on "Prev", "Next", or a page number contained in square brackets ([5]).

  Just above the Featured section, you will see links that say Current, New Today, Ending Today, Completed, and Going, Going, Gone. If you click on one of these, you will see only the items in that category that match the criteria selected. For example, New Today will display only the items in that category that were posted by sellers on the current calendar day. Going, Going, Gone will display only the items that are to end in the next five hours.

  To see the details of an item you are interested in, click on the item title. This will display the item listing which contains more information about the item. You can place a bid from the item listing page.

  At the very top of each page of item listings, you will see links labeled Current, New Today, Ending Today, Going, Going, Gone, and Completed.  These links work just like the ones located just above the Featured section except they will display items in all categories, not just the category you are browsing. The Search link in this row will take you to our Advanced Search.

• Searching - You can search for an item you are interested in by using the Search facility located near the top of the home page or the item category pages. Included in this feature, is a tool we call Notify Me and by using this tool, you can save your searches and when an item you are looking for becomes available, our system will automatically notify you via email. You can access our Advanced Search page by clicking on the Search link located at the very top of each page. We have detailed information on how to use our search effectively on our Search Tips page.

A Starting Bid is the least amount you can bid for an auction. As the name implies, it is where bidding starts. You cannot place a bid lower than the Starting Bid. If an auction has a Starting Bid and no Reserve Price, the high bidder on the item will win the item at auction close. Every auction has a Starting Bid, even if the Starting Bid is $.01.

A Reserve Price is the least amount you can win the item for. The Reserve Price is kept secret from the bidders. You can place a bid that is lower than the Reserve Price, but the item will not be sold unless bidding meets or exceeds the seller's Reserve. You can identify Reserve Price auctions by the red (R) in the item title and by the words 'Reserve Met' or 'Reserve Not Met' next to the Current Bid in the item listing.

Here is an example: say there are five blue lampwork beads being sold at $15.00 and seven bidders bid for one blue lampwork bead each, at $15.00. In this case, only the first five people will be the bidders who get their product successfully. Since the bid amounts are the same, the earlier bids will win the auction.

Now, let's say that one of those people bids $20.00 for one blue lampwork bead. Since her bid is higher than all the others, she will certainly be one of the bidders to win the auction.

If bidders continue to bid higher than the starting price enough times, then the final bidding price will increase as well. In another instance, if less than five people bid in our example "blue lampwork bead" auction, only that number of beads will be sold at the opening price of $15.00. For the selling price to increase past the opening price specified by the seller there must be a higher or equal level of demand than the supply indicated.

In a case where a bidder bids for multiple quantities, the bidder who bid the lowest will not always get the merchandise that he/she bid on. If the bidder who made the lowest bid requested a quantity of four beads, he/she may not even be entitled to one bead. For instance, if 2 other higher bidders each bought two beads, there would only be 1 bead left. In this case, the original bidder would only be entitled to one bead, even though she originally bid for four. The way around this problem is to ensure that you are not the lowest successful bidder. Note: A bid's value in the auction is determined by the total number of items bid on, multiplied by the bid price.

When you have found an item that you are interested in you can place a bid on the item. You place your bid from the item listing page. The bid form is located below the item information, pictures, and description. You can scroll down to get to this form, or click on the picture of the bid card located along the left side of the page.

You should check the seller's Feedback Profile before placing a bid to see what others have said about her. Next to every JustBeads member's User Name, there is a Feedback Rating number in parentheses ( ). For example: Beadcrazy (125) means that this member's User Name is Beadcrazy and she/he has completed at least 125 transactions with other JustBeads members. If you CLICK on the feedback rating, you can see the comments that were left about the user.

You should review the terms and conditions posted in the item listing carefully. For example, if the terms state cashier's check or money order, do not assume that the seller will accept a personal check. If shipping charges have not been specified, do not assume that they will be a certain amount. If you have questions about any of the terms, please contact the seller by clicking on the "Ask seller a question" link.

You should also review the item listing itself carefully. Most problems reported by users are caused when the buyer has failed to do her homework or has assumed the item to be something that it is not. If the item condition is not specified, do not assume it is in good condition. Ask the seller! If you do not know what the item is, do not bid until you find out.

Before you place a bid, it is extremely important that you make sure that you want the item. If you have any questions, you must contact the seller and ask her before placing your bid. You can contact the seller by clicking on the "Ask seller a question" link. If you place a bid and win the item, you will be expected to complete the transaction with the seller.

Right after you place a bid on an item we show you the status of your bid. If you place a bid that does not meet the seller's Reserve Price, we will tell you that. If you are outbid by another bidder using ProxyBid, we will tell you. If you are outbid for any reason, you are no longer obligated to buy the item. You are then free to bid again or pursue another item.

When you place a bid, we send you an email confirming your bid. If another user outbids you, we send you an email message telling you that you have been outbid. However, Internet mail is not guaranteed delivery; just because we sent the message does not guarantee that you received it. You should check on your auctions using the My Auctions page as explained in the Monitoring your auctions section to keep track of your auctions.

There is a special tab called "Watch List" on your My Auctions page. All items in this list are managed by you. You can add items to this list and remove items from the list. To add an item, click on "Add this item to your Auction Watch List" located in any item listing. That item will be placed on your Watch List. To remove an item navigate to the My Auctions page, select the "remove" checkbox(es) of the item(s) you wish to remove, and click the "Remove Selected Items" button.

From the time the auction closes you have a maximum of five (5) days to contact the seller at the email address located in the notification we sent you. The seller must contact you as well within the same five days. If you do not receive a response from the seller within the five days, please check the "What if I have problems with a seller?" section of this tutorial.

The seller will send you instructions on making payment and will request your address for shipping. Typically you will be required to prepay using PayPal, although some sellers will take credit cards, money orders, personal checks, COD, etc. Make sure that you follow the seller's payment instructions carefully. 

When sending payment, always include your name, address, phone number, the item number of the auction you won, the name of our site (JustBeads.com), and your email address. We cannot tell you how many times we hear of problems because the buyer sent a check and included no other information!

To view another user's feedback, use the View User Feedback function located on the For Buyers page.