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BidPoints: The Official Rules for Auctions in U.S. Currency
(Updated 20:00 PDT September 20, 2001)
This page contains complete rules regarding payment for eSnipe services for auctions using U.S. currency.
For auctions using non-U.S. currency, please see eSnipe
Free and Fee Services for non-U.S. Auctions
- For auction wins up to $24.99 in US$, the fee is 25 BidPoints.
- For auction wins of $25-$1,000 in US$, the fee is 1%, rounded down to the nearest penny. So if you win an item for $500 on eBay, the eSnipe fee is $5.
- For auction wins of $1,000 and over in US$, the fee is a flat $10. If you buy a house for $350,000, the eSnipe fee is still just $10.
- Foreign auctions: All auction wins for items demoninated in non-US currency are charged a flat $1 fee, regardless of closing price.
- Dutch Auction wins are charged a flat $1 fee, regardless of quantity, currency, or winning price.
- To pay for eSnipe fees, you purchase BidPointsSM. Each BidPoint costs 1 cent and pays for $1 of the final auction fee. So a fee of 25 BidPoints costs 25 cents. A fee of 500 BidPoints costs
$5. You can pay even less by purchasing BidPoints in large quantities--the
more BidPoints you buy at once, the less they cost.
- You must buy at least $5 worth of BidPoints if you pay electronically, or $20 if you pay by mail using money order or check.
- Mailed-in payments must be drawn on a U.S. bank and denominated in U.S. dollars.
- You need not purchase BidPoints until you win an item. eSnipe reserves the right to discontinue service to users who have a negative balance and who have not purchased any BidPoints.
- eSnipe reserves the right to relax its payment rules for selected users.
- New users will get unlimited use of eSnipe for a period of 2 weeks. Starting 2 weeks from the time you join, any new bids placed will be subject to auction fees (BidPoint charges). After that trial period expires standard auction fees will apply.
Introducing BidPointsSM
eSnipe are charged using a micropayment system called BidPoints. Each BidPoint costs 1 cent and pays for $1 of the final auction price only if you win.
If you don’t win, there's no charge. You buy BidPoints at the rate of 1 BidPoint per $1 of the auction closing amount (normally called the “auction win” here), rounded down to the nearest
BidPoint. If you hate this whole BidPoints thing, don't worry.
It's all handled automatically, and you can see your balance
easily. If you take the time to learn about BidPoints you'll find that they
can save you money over and above the 1% if you buy in bulk.
Effective September 11, 2001, if you win an auction item for $24.99 or less, the fee is 25 BidPoints (just 25 cents). If the auction win is $25 or more you will be charged 1 BidPoint per dollar, rounded down to the nearest BidPoint. So a $25 purchase will cost
25 BidPoints, a purchase between $25.01-$25.99 will cost 25
BidPoints, a purchase of $27 will cost 27 BidPoints, and so on.
Using BidPoints allows eSnipe to keep costs down by minimizing
transaction fees for credit cards and electronic checks, to issue
refunds quickly, and to offer promotions from time to time.
| Winning Bid |
BidPoints Required |
Your Cost |
| $0-$24.99 |
25 BidPoints |
$.25 |
| $25-$1,000 |
1 BidPoint per $1 of each item won |
$.25-$10 |
| $1,000 and up |
1000 BidPoints per item won—never more! |
$10 maximum |
| Dutch Auctions |
100 BidPoints per auction win (any quantity) |
$1 |
Purchasing BidPoints
You do not need to purchase BidPoints until you win an auction. (You can purchase them instantly using PayPal or a credit card.) After you have won your first auction, you must purchase BidPoints before you can use eSnipe again. eSnipe reserves the right to discontinue service to users who have a negative balance and who have not purchased any BidPoints.
You pay for auction wins with BidPoints, as shown in the chart below. Buy in bulk and save!
| BidPoints |
Cost |
Winning Auctions |
| 500 |
$5.00 |
$500 |
| 750 |
$7.50 |
$750 |
| 1,000 |
$10.00 |
$1,000 |
| 1,500 |
$15.00 |
$1,500 |
| 2,000 |
$20.00 |
$2,000 |
| 2,500 |
$25.00 |
$2,500 |
| 3,000 |
$30.00 |
$3,000 |
| 5,000 |
$47.50
(5% Discount!) |
$5,000
($250 free!) |
| 10,000 |
$93
(7% Discount!) |
$10,000
($700 free!) |
| 20,000 |
$180
(10% Discount!) |
$20,000
($1,000 free!) |
BidPoints are flexible. 10,000 BidPoints can pay for 10 big
wins, 400 small wins, or anything in between.
You can buy BidPoints and pay for auctions using PayPal, Visa,
MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Diner's club.
Payments are made on a secure server at either PayPal or Bank of
America.
Money orders and checks can be used for a minimum purchase of
$20.
If you're a member of eSnipe, here's how to buy BidPoints:
- Log in at the eSnipe home page.
- Click Purchase BidPoints on
the navigation bar.
- Select a payment method.
- Choose the amount of BidPoints you wish to buy under
"First Select Amount".
- If you choose one of the credit card logos, you'll be
taken to the Bank of America's secure server. We do not
store any credit card information.
There is no way to purchase our services by sending email to
PayPal. This is for your security. Using our form automatically
sends additional identifying order information along to PayPal so
that we can credit your account properly.
Special Services and Dutch Auctions
As eSnipe adds features, new fees may be added for those special services.
Dutch auctions are a special service. The cost for winning any Dutch auction is 100 BidPoints, regardless of currency, the winning price or quantity. Currently Dutch auctions are the only special service for which eSnipe charges.
Refunding BidPoints
BidPoints are refundable if you terminate your eSnipe
membership, and are refunded as shown in the table above. There
is a $2 processing fee for refunds in case of membership
termination.
BidPoints stay active as long as you do
BidPoints don’t expire as long as you remain an active
user. An active user is defined as anyone who has logged on to
the eSnipe site within the last year. If a year passes and you
don’t log on, 3 attempts will be made to contact you by
email over a period of a month. If at that time you cannot be
reached, the BidPoints will expire.
eBay services not fully supported
Currently eSnipe works with any auction available to all
members through the main www.ebay.com
site by item number, and eBay Motors. We are still working on
support for the following services.
- Specialty eBay sites such as eBay Premier, Mature
Audiences, Half.com, Butterfields, and eBay Disney
- Multiple snipes (where you can place more than one snipe
on the same item)
Promotional BidPoints
From time to time eSnipe will sell BidPoints at a steep
discount or even give them away for promotional purposes. These
are called Promotional BidPoints and they are not subject to a
refund.
Money-Back guarantee
You are never charged a percentage fee unless a snipe is
successful, although Special Service fees may apply. eSnipe has a
30-day money-back guarantee: If you are unsatisfied with any
eSnipe services you have paid for, you may contact eSnipe for a
full refund.
Examples
Here are some typical examples of eSnipe usage and how much
they would cost should you win the auction. If you place a bid in
any amount and lose, there is no charge.
Before September 11, 2001, If you win an item for $.01-24.99, there is no charge. Starting September 11, 2001, if you win an item for $.01-24.99 the cost is 25 BidPoints, or $.25.
If you win an item for $25, the cost is 25 BidPoints, or no more
than $.25.
If you win an item for $110, the cost is 110 BidPoints or $1.10.
If you win a car on eBay Motors for $17,000 the cost is still
just 1,000 BidPoints or $10 maximum.
If you win an item for anywhere between $25.01 and $25.99
inclusive, the cost is 25 BidPoints.
If you place the highest bid in a reserve auction but do not win,
there is no charge.
If you win 10 items in a Dutch auction for $3 each for a total of
$30, the cost is 100 BidPoints or $1. Dutch auctions are
considered a special service and carry a flat fee of 100 BidPoints.
If you win 1 item in a Dutch auction for $2, the cost is 100
BidPoints or $1. Dutch auctions are considered a special service.
If you win 4 items for $25 each, the cost is 100 BidPoints or $1
total. If you paid for it with BidPoints bought in bulk (5,000 or
more) that amount would actually be $.95 or less, depending on the current discount for BidPoints in bulk.
If you win an item for $1,000, the cost is 1,000 BidPoints or $10
maximum. If you win an item for more than $1,000, the cost is
still 1,000 BidPoints.
Questions?
If you're still puzzled, see our BidPoints FAQ
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