Help

Solve A Problem / FAQ
 

Q.  I am new to Police Auctions Canada, where do I start? 
A. The first step is to Register! It's free and easy! 
- Select a Username.  Please choose wisely as this is visible on the auction site for public view. 

- Create a password to secure your account.
- Provide valid contact information, including first and last name and full current address, and a valid e-mail address which you will be directed to verify. 
- Incomplete registrations will not be approved so please be sure you have registered your full name and address.
- After you submit your registration, you will receive an e-mail message to confirm and verify your email address and provide a driver's license or Govt. purple ID for account approval.  
  (Please check your spam/junk folder just in case it lands there.)
- You may begin bidding upon confirming your email address and completing the second step to provide your ID.

- Registered users are permitted only one account.

Q. How do I change my username?
A.
To change your username, please contact us at [email protected] with a few alternatives and we can check availability and confirm. If you have registered your email address as your username we strongly suggest changing it. Your username is visible with your bids. For your protection, we will remove everything from @.
The use of our name, in full or abbreviation, or our partner's name in full or in part, in your user ID or email address is not allowed and will be flagged. In order to bid you will be required to contact us to request a change.

Q. How do I place a bid?
A.  When you have located an item you are interested in, click on the item's title to see it's full listing page. On each listing page, there is a Bid button that you must click on to place your bid. You will see the amount in a new window, as you entered it, and asked to confirm your bid. Click on the Confirm button only after carefully checking the bid amount placed. If you entered an error this is the time to cancel because once confirmed this bid cannot be removed.  You can check the status of a bid by clicking on the Bid History on the listing page.
If you are outbid immediately upon confirming your bid, that means that another bidder has a proxy bid in place. (see Proxy Bid information below)

Q. How does the auction work? 
A. In this type of auction, buyers bid until the auction ends. The auction will officially close when all bids cease, which in some cases may be later than the posted end time. The item is then sold to the highest bidder at the end of the auction period.
- Bidding starts at $0.99 and the next minimum bid required plus the increment will be displayed in the brackets. ie.($0.99 + $1.75)

- New bidders may have restrictions on bidding activity and will need to email us for verification and status.
- Once the auction closes, an e-mail notification is sent to the buyer automatically so that arrangements for payment and shipment or pickup of the item can be determined. Payment is required within 7 days.
- Please bid responsibly and take note that by placing a bid you are entering into a contract. If you have the highest bid and are declared the winner, you will enter into a legally binding purchase contract.

Q. What are some bidding rules I need to know prior to bidding?
AIf you place bids on multiple items, you must complete the transaction on all items won.
    - New registrations will be required to contact us by email prior to bidding on high-value items, as indicated in the listing, to provide identification.
    - Bidding wins over $500.00 (single item or combined) will be required to complete the payment transaction to avoid bidding interruption.

    - Requests to remove a bid other than a typo is prohibited and the account will be flagged.
    - We do not allow bidders to have multiple accounts.

    - Items are sold in ' as is ' condition. No Returns are accepted. 
   
We do not charge the buyer any premium on the winning bid amount but tax is charged where applicable.
   - Items must be picked up and paid within 7 days. Making payment does not extend the 7-day period or hold your item(s). 
   - Any paid item not picked up or removed from our premises in 7 days will be considered abandoned and disposed of, without prior notice, to recoup storage costs. 
   - Payment for pickup items under $20 must be in cash. e-Transfers sent under $20 will be charged a $2.00 fee at pickup.

Q. Why did the bidding keep going after the 'Auction Ends' time?
A.  If a bid is placed during the last minute of an auction, the auction will be extended automatically for an additional 1 minute and continue to extend by 1-minute intervals if another bid is placed. This extended time will give bidders a chance to challenge bids placed in the final countdown of an auction. The auction will close and a winner declared when the bidding activity stops.

Q. What is a Proxy bid and how does it work?
A.  A Proxy bid allows you to place a bid in secret that you determine to be the highest amount you are willing to pay for that item. 
- To place a Proxy Bid simply enter your maximum bid amount and submit. The system will automatically bid on your behalf the minimum amount required to win, up to the value of your maximum bid, without going over your maximum amount.
- You are able to view your Maximum Proxy Bid amount on the auction page and this information is only visible to you.

- A Proxy Bid will not be removed once placed,  so please bid responsibly.

Q. Why does it appear that I am having to place multiple bids in order for my bid to be accepted?
A. If another bidder has placed a Proxy Bid you will continue to be outbid until you have bid higher than the other bidder's maximum bid. 
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.

Q. Why are some items not available for shipping and how do I pick them up? 
A.  Due to the size, weight, hazardous or fragile nature of some of the items we sell, we must list items from time to time that will be marked in the description as 'pickup only'. These items are the responsibility of the winning bidder to collect. We will not arrange the shipping for items noted as 'Pick Up Only'. *We have one location for pick-ups.  

Attention Pick up Customers:
Police Auctions Canada is now located at 75 Six Point Rd. Toronto, Ontario M8Z 2X3
Pick-up Hours:
Thursdays 10 am to 6 pm

Saturdays 11 am to 2 pm.

Q. Can I combine items for shipping?

A. Combined shipping is available on items that indicate $5.00 for each additional item after the one with the highest cost. To have items combined they must be checked out and paid for together on one invoice within 7 days.  The item must state in the listing's shipping option that additional items can be combined at the reduced rate of $5.00 each. Items without the additional ($5) rate notation in their listings cannot be combined at the reduced rate and the full rate for each will apply. Please take note of this information in the shipping section of each listing.  
Example: Items that do not indicate ($5.00 Additional) cannot be combined.
 

Q. How can I recover a lost or forgotten password?
A. Send yourself a password reset via email.

  1. From the sign-in page select the Forgot password? link or click here.
  2. Enter your email address associated with your account and click the [Submit] button.
  3. Check your email inbox. If the email does not arrive in your inbox be sure to check your junk mail folder or spam filter.
  4. Click the reset link in that email.
  5. Choose a new password.
Q. How do I change my password?
A. You can change your password at any time.
  1. From your logged-in account, go to your "My Account" area.
  2. From the left-hand menu, select "Account > Password."
  3. Enter your current password.
  4. Choose your new password.
  5. Save your changes by clicking the [Change Password] button.
Q. Why am I not receiving any emails?
A. If you are not receiving expected site emails, please check the following:
  1. Check your junk mail folder or spam filter for the missing emails.
  2. Make sure that your email address, in your account settings, is entered correctly.
  3. Verify that your email client, such as Outlook, is not in “offline” mode.
  4. If you use a POP3 connection to retrieve your email, please verify that the emails were not downloaded to a different computer.

     If you are still not receiving our emails, please contact us.

Q. How do I change the email address tied to my account?
A. You can change your email address by editing your account details within your “My Account” area.

Q. Why do I get a warning message that my selected username is invalid?
A. Every user must select a username for their account. The username can only contain letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens. We recommend replacing all [spaces] with either an underscore or hyphen.
Incorrect: MY Username
Correct: MY-Username
Correct: MY_Username

Or, it says that the username selected is already in use.

Usernames are unique. Two users cannot share the same username. If you get a notice during registration that your username is already in use, you will need to select a different username.

Q. Why does it say that my email address is already in use?
A. If you get a notice that your email address is already in use when creating an account, which means that you have already created an account with us at some point. If you do not remember your login information, please enter your email address into the forgotten password form and you will be able to reset your password and log in to your account.