FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (F.A.Q.)

I did not receive the email to confirm my account, what should I do?

While we send the confirmation email immediately, it may take up to an hour for you to receive it (based on your provider). Also, please check your spam/junk mail folder for this email. Please set activity@municibid.com as a safe sender as this is the email address our system uses (for outbid notices, etc). If after an hour you still do not have the confirmation email, please contact us.

Why are there small charges on my credit Card?

Our credit card verification service places small amounts usually between $1.00 and $2.00 on your card to verify that it has funds on it. This amount is not captured and no funds are actually collected. These amounts will automatically delete in a few days. You might see this multiple times if there was an error registering.

Why is the website not taking my credit card information?

Most card errors are because the digits in the address and zip code do not exactly match what is on your billing statement. Please double check to see if there was an error. Also make sure you have selected a country and state. If you are still having issues please contact us.

What are the fee's to use municibid

Please visit our fee's page for information on our fee's.

Can the public bid on items?

Yes, anyone can bid on items. Some items do require special requirements for the winning bidder. Please refer to the items page for details.

I did not receive the email to confirm my account, what should I do?

While we send the confirmation email immediately, it may take up to an hour for you to receive it (based on your provider). Also, please check your spam/junk mail folder for this email. Please set activity@municibid.com as a safe sender as this is the email address our system uses (for outbid notices, etc). If after an hour you still do not have the confirmation email, please contact us.

Why is the website not taking my credit card information?

Most card errors are because the digits in the address and zip code do not exactly match what is on your billing statement. Please double check to see if there was an error. Also make sure you have selected a country and state. If you are still having issues please contact us.

Do I need a credit card to register?

No, you do not need a credit card to register. You will need a credit card if you want to bid on an item. The credit card is used to process the "Buyers Final Sale Fee" only. The payment for the actual item itself is made to the seller.

Why do I have to put in my credit card information again if I already did it before?

We require that users who have not logged in within 30 days re-enter their credit card information for security reasons.

I can't remember my login or password.

If you forget your login/password click the "Forgot your password? CLICK HERE!" link below the login boxes. You will be then taken to a screen where you need to enter the email address you used when you registered your account. If you do not receive an email from us within an hour please contact us.

I live outside the United States. Can I register?

Currently we only allow users from the United States and Canada.

If I win, what fee's will I have to pay?

Unless otherwise noted, a 8% Buyer's Final Sale Fee* (8% of the winning bid) will be charged directly to the winning bidder upon the close of each auction. (*Cities of Philadelphia & Boston have 5% Buyer's Final Sale Fee). You pay the selling agency directly (unless otherwise noted).

Example: if the winning bid is $1,000, a buyer's premium of 8% would be $80 (above the cost of the item). This fee will be collected upon the close of the auction automatically via the credit card you entered prior to placing the bid.

How will I know if I win an auction?

If you win an auction you will be notified by email. You can also look in the "highest bidder" section of the item you are bidding on.

I won my auction what's next?

You will receive an email from us letting you know you won the auction. The email will contain contact information for the seller. You should attempt to contact them to arrange pickup and payment.

What is Proxy Bidding?

An automatic method of bidding that increases your bid to the next lowest price when another user bids on the same item. Your bid is increased until your maximum bid amount is reached or the auction ends. The system will not allow you outbid yourself.

Why did the auction end later then the closing time?

Bids placed with less than 2 minutes will extend the auction for 2 minutes from the point of the last bid until no bids are received for the remaining time. This prevents "bid sniping",the process when a bid is placed at the last possible second to win the auction.

How do I ask the seller a question?

In every listing there is a "Questions" section where you can ask the Seller a question, or view previous questions from other users. Just click on the link "Ask the listing owner a question". When submitting a question to a Seller, the message gets sent directly to their email address on file. The Seller can respond by following the link in the email.

I need more information on the item then what is already listed.

If you would like more information on the item please contact the seller using the ask seller a question links in the listing. You can also see if there is contact information in the item description. Please do not ask us for more information on the item. We only have the information in the item description.

How do I know if an item has a reserve?

If an item has a reserve price set, you will see "reserve not met" or "reserve met" next to the current bid.

Can I pay my buyers fee by a method other than credit card?

At this time we only allow buyers fee's to be paid by credit card.

Why do I have to re-enter my credit card information after I already did it during registration?

To help enhance security, if you have not bid on an item for 30 days your credit card information will be erased. You can update your credit card information at anytime by going to Change Billing Info

Who can sell items on municibid?

To sell items on municibid you must be a local, county, or state government agency. We also allow schools, colleges, fire/police departments and any other agencies related to public service. Authorities (utilities, transportation, etc) can also sell. If you are not sure if you can sell, please contact us.

Do we still need to run a legal advertisement/notice?

municibid's policy is to not provide legal advice, so this is a question for your solicitor. We have some government agencies who continue to run a legal ad (pointing potential bidders to municibid) and some who do not.

Can we set the auction duration?

Yes. You choose the start and end dates and times. We recommend 14 days, this allows time for our marketing of your item to take affect.

Can we reject the final bid?

Yes, you reserve the right to reject any bids for any reason.

Can we set a reserve price?

Yes. However, unless you have done extensive research on the value of your item and you are absolutely not willing to sell the item for even a dollar less than the reserve price, than we recommend against setting a reserve price. We have found that many sellers are not aware of the true/fair market value of their items and therefore set unrealistic reserve prices (either too high, or too low). And remember, you have the right to reject any bids for any reason, even if you don't set a reserve. We believe in letting the open market determine the high bid, and then you decide whether to accept or reject the high bid.

Is there a cost for us to auction items on municibid?

No. There are no commissions, listing fees or any other charges to auction your items on municibid. municibid is completely free for government, you will never receive an invoice from us.

So, how does municibid make money?

We charge the winning bidder a 8% Buyer's Final Sale Fee (which is extremely competitive). The winning bidder pays this directly to us via credit card at the close of auction. They pay you directly for the item at the full amount of the winning bid. For example, if an auction ends with a high bid of $1,000, we charge the winning bidder $80, they pay you $1,000 for the item. If you reject the bid, we refund the bidder their buyer's premium immediately.

How does municibid market our items?

Part of the benefit of municibid is we market your items to bidders at no additional cost to you. We market your items using a variety of methods. At the very minimum: All items are posted to Craigslist, Google, Facebook, Twitter and several other social media websites. We also create a YouTube video of your items based on your item's photos and description, this is posted to YouTube, Vimeo and several other websites. For specific items, such as Heavy Equipment and Fire Apparatus, we advertise with industry specific media outlets such as Rock and Dirt and the First Responders Network. We also distribute press releases and attract media attention for those government agencies who use municibid to help increase efficiency and generating more non-tax revenue.

What if the winning bidder does not complete the transaction?

While rare, from time to time a bidder will not come forward and complete a transaction. We make it very clear that when a bidder places a bid, they are entering into a binding, legal agreement. We also make it very clear that we have a Zero Tolerance Policy for deadbeat bidders. Since we charge their credit card (which is required prior to bidding) the 8% buyer's final sale fee, they already have money on the table and this will not be returned if they default. They will also be banned from ever using municibid again in the future, and we have technology in place to make sure they do not try to register under a different alias.

If the winning bidder defaults, you may pursue legal action against the bidder, contact the second or third highest bidders (who will not be responsible for the 8% buyers final sale fee) to see if they are interested, or relist the item for auction. Please know this might occur in 1 out of every 100 or more auctions and we are doing everything we can to ensure this does not occur at all. In some cases we may also pursue legal action against the defaulting bidder.

What happens after an auction closes?

Immediately following the end of an auction you receive an two emails. One email will let you know that your auction ended either successfully or unsuccessfully. If your item ended successfully you will receive another email with an auction report attached. The auction report includes information on the winning bidder and all of the bids that came in.

We recommend that you contact the winning bidder immediately following the auction to arrange payment and pickup of the item.

How do I mark an item paid?

To mark an item paid. Click my account in the menu bar. Then go to "Sales" underneath the invoices heading. Then click on the "Mark Paid" button. If you do not have this option you must first create an invoice.

Can I put an item in two categories?

An item may only be placed in one category. If you are not sure what category would best fit your item, please contact us.