You can also find answers to frequently asked questions in the Help section

• Frequent Questions & Answers - General

  • Lack of a verification SMS code
    The phone validation after a registration is made by every user in Settings by clicking the button Send code. After the code is received, it must be entered in the relevant field (Code), followed by a click on the button Confirm. In case the SMS code is not received after you have sent it, please, check if you have entered the phone number correctly. Correct it and send a new code. If it fails again – Contact Us!
  • Login problem
    Make sure that your username and password are correctly entered. If you have forgotten your password, you can generate a new one by the link Forgotten password
  • Restricted activities
    Restriction on user’s activities is possible under the following cases:
    - Incorrect (incomplete) data in the registration. Please, provide correct details;
    - Started procedure for additional identification. In this case, documents verifying the ID of the registrant are required;
    - A habit of unfinished deals along with negative feedback;
    - Detected attempts to register additional profiles and/or manipulate an auction by linked profiles.
  • Received rating comment which wasn't counted in the feedback rating score
    Rating comments left by one and the same user can be counted once. A comment is not counted in your rating when it is made by a user who has already left feedback about a past deal with you. This is the main reason for having a rating score lower than the number of received rating comments.
  • Removing negative rating comments
    Removing a negative rating comment is a possible administrative act but only after a request made by the user who has left the comment (exception: obvious malice/reciprocity).
  • Lack of administrative answer
    The reasons might be:
    - Filtered email/answer by your spam filter. Please, check the Spam/Junk directory in your email inbox;
    - A blocked email address;
    - A sent admin notification/answer about the respective case in the recent past.

• Frequent Questions & Answers - Sellers

  • System testing – starting a test auction
    You can start a similar auction only in the Auctions Test category.
  • How much does it cost to the seller to participate in BalkanAuction
    There is no charge for BalkanAuction registration.
    The start of an auction is also for free.
    Fees are collected for additional / advertising options and they have fixed values. They are charged at every start and restart of an auction, but only in case when there are selected options by the seller:
    - Bold - 0.30 €
    - Highlighted - 0.70 €
    - Category Top - 1.30 €
    - Homepage Top - 2.50 €
    A final value fee is charged if the item is sold. The fee is 4.3% of the final price but no more than 49 € and no less than 1 euro cent.
    Examples: When there is a deal with a price of 1.00 € - the fee will be 0.04 €; price 20 € - fee 0.86 €; price 300 € - fee 12.90 €; price 5000 € - fee 49 €.
    The fees are charged to the seller’s account. For more information - Fee section.
  • Edit an active auction
    If the bidding has not started yet, you can revise/edit your auction. The link Edit the auction is accessible on the page of each of your auctions but only when you are logged into the system. Editing is also possible from Active auctions.
    You can add advertising options up to 6 hours before the end of an auction, even if there are bids.
    The fees of these options are 50% off when there are less than 3 days left. Adding advertising options can be also done from the page of the auction, and from Active Auctions as well.
    
  • Early ending of an auction
    Early ending of an auction is possible when there is a lack of bidding or there is only one bidder as in this case the bidder is deemed a buyer. Ending an auction when there are two or more bidders is impossible.
  • Sale not finalized – final value fee refund
    When the sale is not finalized, every seller can get a final value fee refund. It is possible only after a personally generated request (within the 10th and the 25th day from the end of the auction). The link is available on the page of the auction. More Help info
    
    In accordance with General Terms and Conditions 14.1 when there is an uncontrolled deal, i.e. at early ending of an auction after an agreement/arrangement between a seller and a buyer through the communication module of the system, there is no possibility of:
    - Requesting a final value fee refund in case of non-finalization;
    - Writing rating comments.
    The system allows such a type of sales but it doesn’t recommend them.
    Keep in mind that deals and arrangements which are not achieved through the regular system tools (Bidding, Buy-It-Now, Make Offer), and they are made only through the communication module, cannot offer you any protection against unreliable users. We note that when you have an arrangement about an item, you can revise the auction or start a similar one with a Fixed Price equal to the arranged one and you can require the other user to use the regular tools of the system, namely – the Buy-It-Now button. In this way, the sale will be officially registered and you will be protected if it is eventually not ended with a possibility of getting a final value fee refund and counting feedback in the rating system.
  • Lack of communication with the buyer
    The reasons for not making contact with the Buyer may be varied. Please, try again to make contact. Anyhow, if there is no further contact with you (within 48 hours), you can leave a relevant rating comment. It will be a sufficient indication/signal to the administrators and the other users.
  • Placed sanction in accordance with p.14.2
    Such a sanction/fee is placed after detecting a Seller’s serial incorrectness concerning a declared reason of an early ending of auctions and in accordance with General Terms and Conditions p.14.2.
    You should keep in mind that observing the regulations in accordance with 14.2 is an alternative to the administrative activity of deactivating the user’s profile.
    We remind that in case of an early ending of an auction due to a sale through the communication module of the system, it is necessary the relevant activity to be done having a declared reason “Arranged sale through BalkanAuction system”, and not “Other Reason”. The opposite is considered to be an obvious violation of the terms.
  • Restriction of a bidder
    Placing users in the “blacklist” of a seller, eliminates their opportunity of future participating (bidding) in the respective seller’s auctions. Adding to that list (Restricted Bidders) is done from the profile page of the users. More Help info
    In addition - at an auction start, there is a restriction option which sets a participation restriction on users who have low rating score (under 6). The option is available for sellers with 10 and up rating.

• Frequent Questions & Answers - Buyers

  • Interest in a particular item
    Note that BalkanAuction is a platform in which every registered user can sell and buy, i.e. the system is not a trader (a seller of items). If you are interested in a particular item - every auction displays the user who has started it, too. After logging into the system, it allows you, through the links in each auction, to ask an public question or send a message to the seller and/or participate in a bidding.
  • Testing the system – test bidding
    You can perform test bidding only in auctions started in the category Auction Test. The auctions in this category are excluded from the search modules of the system and they are accessible only when you visit that same category.
  • Wrong amount when placing a bid
    There is a Correct/Remove bid module inserted in the system which is in assistance of users who have made a technical mistake when entering amounts. This function is quite limited and it can be used only a limited number of times by the user. Removing a bid 12 hours before the end of an auction is impossible.
  • Item quality responsibilities
    Sellers are responsible for the items they sell and their actions in the system.
    Note that the system is not an intermediary in the deals, and it does not employ any experts who can estimate and give guarantees for the authentication of each item. The public sections under the auctions give an opportunity for users’ and experts’ comments. Of course, if there are continuous signals of misconduct and incorrect description of an item – the auctions will be ended early. When there are repeated negative reports left by buyers and negative rating comments, all the untrustworthy sellers will be deactivated.
  • Providing delivery data details in a won auction
    To finalize a sale at an auction, when you are the winner of that auction, you should send the seller your delivery details and pay for the item. Making contact is possible either through the link Send message to the seller from the page of the auction or through the available tools in the section Won Auctions
  • Lack of communication with the seller
    The reasons for not making contact with the Seller may be varied. Please, try again to contact.
    Anyhow, if there is no further contact with you (within 48 hours), you can leave a relevant rating comment. It will be a sufficient indication/signal to the administrators and the other users.