Registering to use Vintage Auction Galleries is very quick and simple, and uses an email confirmation process to avoid fraudulent or spam sign-ups.

1. Start by going to the home page of your auction site and clicking on the register link on the navigation bar:

2. Enter your details into the registration form ( note: Date of birth must be entered in the format DDMMYY, with no other characters):

3. Click on the Register button at the bottom of the form to complete your registration. You will now be sent a confirmation email.

4. Check your email for the Vintage Auction Galleries confirmation email. When you receive this, click on the link it contains to complete the registration process:

5. You can now login to Vintage Auction Galleries auction site and begin buying and selling auction items:

After logging in, you will be taken to the Members' Area. This gives you access to all of the main functionality of the auction system and to a list of item categories, showing you how many items are for sale in each one: The main areas of functionality in the members' area are:

Messaging - send and receive private messages about auction items

Bidding - this section gives you an overview of your current auction activity:

§ Current Bids

§ Won Items

§ Invoices Received

§ Watched Items

§ Favourite Stores

Selling - Manage your selling activities

Reputation - view the feedback you have given and received for each item you have bought and sold

Bulk - access PHP Pro Bid's bulk listing software. This enables you to prepare multiple listings offline before uploading them all at once

About Me - create your own "About Me" page, to enable other members to find out a little more about you and your interests

My Store - setup and configure your own "stores" - a private shop where only your items are listed

Wanted Ads - view your current and closed Wanted Ads and create new Wanted Ads

My Account - view and modify your account details and carry out other administrative tasks

The messaging section of the Members' Area allows you to read, delete and reply to all the messages you have sent and received: Click on Received or Sent to see a list of your messages. To read a message, simply click on the "To" or "From" user id and the message will load for you: To delete a message, click on the Delete link to the side of the message you want to delete.

Sending Messages

You can send private and public messages to sellers from all item listings.

1. Scroll down the listing until you find the Ask Seller A Question section:

2. Type in the question you would like to ask the seller, and select whether you want it to be private or public (visible to other users):

3. Click Submit to send the message. You can see all of your sent and received messages in your Members' Area, under Messaging:

The Bidding section provides you with an overview of all the items you have bid on lists items you have won, outstanding invoices and items you are watching. The Bidding section also provides access to your Favourite Stores list.

Managing & Placing Bids

At the heart of your auction experience is bidding on items you'd like to buy. PHP Pro Bid allows you to purchase items in several ways:

Standard bidding

Proxy Bidding

Make an Offer

Buy Out

See detailed examples for each type of bidding option elsewhere in the HELP menu.

Standard bidding

Standard bidding is the most common way to bid on an item, and is exactly the same as the process used in real-world auction rooms. You bid the minimum amount needed to outbid the current high bidder.

A Proxy bid means that you bid an amount that is higher than necessary. The auction software will raise your actual bid to the minimum necessary, but will remember your maximum. If someone else comes along and tries to outbid you, the auction software will automatically place additional bids on your behalf up to the value of your proxy bid. This means you can stay on top of the bidding without having to be near a computer. Here's how you do it:

1. Find the item you'd like to bid on - either by browsing the categories down the left of your screen, or by using the search box just below the navigation bar:

2. To place a bid, enter your chosen amount into the "Place Bid" field in the item listing: Click the Place Bid button to continue.

3. The bid confirmation screen will display the minimum bid needed (standard bid) and will allow you to adjust your bid accordingly:

a. If you wish to place a standard bid, adjust your bid to match the Minimum Bid value shown

b. If you wish to place a proxy bid, enter your maximum bid into the Your Bid field

4. You will now see confirmation that you are the high bidder or a message telling you that you have been outbid, or that you bid is below the reserve price. You can place as many bids as you want on an item.

Making An Offer

Some sellers allow potential buyers to make an offer to buy their items, to avoid having to wait for the auction to finish. If a seller is open to offers, you will see a logo like this in the item listing: The Make Offer section of the listing also contains information about the price range in which offers can be made.

1. If you would like to make an offer, click on the icon.

2. On the Make Offer page, enter the amount you would like to offer (Remember - your offer must be in the price range specified):

3. Click Proceed to continue and your offer will be confirmed and submitted to the seller.

Swap Offers

Instead of monetary offers, some sellers will accept Swap Offers - offers of an item of appropriate value in exchange for the item being sold. The swap offer process works in a very similar way to the standard Make Offer process.

1. If the seller of the item you are interested in accepts Swap Offers, you will see an entry like this in the item listing:

2. Click on the Make An Offer link and enter a description of the swap you are proposing:

3. Click Proceed and you will see a confirmation message confirming that your swap offer has been passed to the seller.

Buy Out (Buy Now)

Some sellers allow items to be purchased instantly at a fixed price, regardless of any auction bidding that has taken place. This feature is called Buy Out. You will see this logo in item listings offering the Buy Out facility. The Buy Out price will be stated directly below the Buy Out logo.

1. To purchase an item with Buy Out, click on the Buy Out logo:

2. You will be taken to a confirmation page showing the Buy Out price, postage costs and payment methods for the item:

Click Proceed if you are happy to continue.

3. Your purchase will now be confirmed and you will be able to pay the seller's invoice:

Won Items

The Won Items section allows you to see all of your recent purchases and bids at a glance:

Recently-purchased items are then individually listed with their payment status:

When you are ready to pay for the item, simply click on Pay With Direct Payment:

This will take you to a payment screen enabling you to choose you preferred payment method and make an instant payment for your item: Once you have completed the payment, the payment status for the item will be updated in the Won Items table - for example:

Invoices Received

The Bidding section of the Members' Area also allows buyers to see all of their current invoices:

Watched Items

If you would like to track the progress of an auction without bidding on it, you can choose to watch the item.

1. In every item listing, you will see a Watch This Item link - like this: To add an item to your Watched Items list, simply click on this link:

2. To view your Watched Items list, go to the Watched Items section of the Members' Area:

Favourite Stores

Vintage Auction Galleries allows users to operate their own stores within the auction site. Selecting a store as a favourite allows you quick and easy access to it directly from your Members' Area, without having to search for it.

1. To access a complete list of stores or to search the store directory, click on the stores link in the navigation bar:

2. At the top of each store's home page, there is an Add To Favourites link. Click this to add this store to your Favourite Stores: To see a list of all of your favourite stores, go to Members' Area / Bidding / Favourite Stores:

Listing An Item For Sale

Here's a step-by-step guide to listing an item for sale by auction, offer or buy out. Most steps are the same for all types of listing.

1. Start by clicking on the Sell link on the main navigation bar:

2. Choose whether you would like the item listed on the main auction site, in your shop only (if you have one) or in both locations. Note that shop-only items will only be visible to visitors to your store.

3. Choose a main category for your item. The active category list is indicated by an orange border - each time you select a category, a list of appropriate sub-categories will be displayed until no further detail is possible. Simply click on a category to select it: Once the category has been finalized, the Next Step button will be highlighted:

4. You may select an additional category for your item if you wish. Some items fit naturally into more than one category, and having an additional category can help more users find your item.

5. You now need to specify the Item Details. Once you have done this, click Next Step to continue:

Field Name	Description
Choose Listing Type	In most circumstances a full listing is more suitable. If you find that many of the options you are offered are not relevant, try a quick listing.
Item Title		Enter a title for your item. This will be displayed in category listings and search results.
Description		Enter a description of your item. Generally, the more detail you can provide, the better.
Main Category		This confirms your choice of main listing category.
Additional Category		This confirms your choice of additional listing category (if any).
Voucher Settings		Include any voucher codes you may have in this field. Otherwise it should be left blank.

6. The next stage is to configure the settings for your item:

Field Name	Description
Auction Type	Choose between standard (listing one item) and Dutch (listing multiple, identical items)
Currency	Choose the currency you wish to use
Quantity	Specify how many items you are selling
Auction Starts At	Specify the starting bid for your auction
Enable Reserve	If you would like a reserve price, check this box. A reserve price prevents an item selling below a certain price, regardless of how much the final bid is for.
Reserve Price	Enter the reserve price if applicable
Buy Out price	A Buy Out price enables bidders to buy your item instantly - without having to wait for the auction to end.
Offer Range	If you are willing to accept offers for your item, specify the price range you are prepared to consider.
Bid Increment	This controls how much more each bid is than the previous bid. In most circumstances the default choice will be suitable.
Item Featuring	This allows you to promote your item more widely - choose any combination of featuring you would like.
Start Time	Allows you to choose to start your auction now, or at a later time.
End Time	Choose the duration of your auction - from a standard range of options or by specifying a specific future date.
Private Auction	If you would like to hide user ids of bidders from other users, select a private auction. Bidders' user ids will still be visible to you, the seller.
Accept Swap Offers	Indicate whether you are prepared to swap your item for a suitable alternative.
Member of Group	If you are a member of a listed group, select it here. If not, disregard this section.

Item Condition	Use the drop-down menu to specify the condition of your item. Add any specific comments into the text field above.
Images	Upload up to three images of the item you are listing. Files can be uploaded from your computer or from another website.
Media	Upload a video file of your item. Files can be uploaded from your computer or from another website.
Auto Relist	Enable the automatic relisting of your item. You can choose to have it relisted only in the case it does not sell and can specify how many times it will be automatically relisted.
Location	Confirm the location details of your item. By default, this will be set to be the same location your user is registered at.

7. The next step is to specify shipping and payment details for your item.

a. Shipping & Payment Details Specify whether the buyer or seller should pay for postage. Specify the postage and insurance costs. Indicate whether you will post the item overseas.

b. Direct Payment Check the box next to each of the direct payment methods that you will accept.

c. Offline Payment Check the box next to each of the offline payment methods that you will accept. Note that you, the buyer, should be equipped to handle these payment methods yourself.

8. Preview your listing - see how it will look to buyers and make any changes necessary using the Previous Step button. You can also choose to Save As Draft - this will save your listing and allow you to return to it later. If you are happy with the listing, press the List button to publish the listing. You will then see a message confirming that it has been accepted and informing you of the fee for the listing:

Managing Your Selling Items

You can manage all of your selling items from the Selling section of the Members' Area:

Open

The open view shows all of the items you currently have listed in active auctions: The Selling Totals section provides a simple summary of the number of items at each selling status, and the Open Auctions table below lists each item currently being sold. You can sort the items Open Auctions table by clicking on the arrowheads by each column heading.

Items With Bids/Offers

The Items With Bids/Offers view shows all the items you are currently selling that have bids of offers on them: The Selling Totals table provides an at-a-glance view of all your selling activity.

Scheduled

The Scheduled view shows all the auction listings you currently have scheduled to start: The Selling Totals table provides an at-a-glance view of all your selling activity.

Closed

The Closed view shows all of your closed auction listings: The Selling Totals table provides an at-a-glance view of all your selling activity.

Drafts

The Drafts view shows all of your saved draft auction listings:

The Selling Totals table provides an at-a-glance view of all your selling activity.

Sold

The Sold view shows all of your sold auction items: The Selling Totals table provides an at-a-glance view of all your selling activity.

Invoices Sent

The Invoices Sent view shows all of your current sent invoices: The Selling Totals table provides an at-a-glance view of all your selling activity.

Fees Calculator

The Fees Calculator allows you to calculate the listing fees for an item before you create the listing:

Simply select the fees that will apply to your listing and click Proceed. Note that this calculator excludes the selling price fee as this is variable and depends on the selling price.

Prefilled Fields

Regular sellers may find that they have certain fields that always require the same data to be entered into them. The Prefilled Fields page allows this information to be saved and automatically populated into your auction listings.

Field Name	Description
Item Title	The title for your auction listing
Description	Enter any common text that appears in all your item descriptions into this field.
Duration	If your auctions always have the same duration, you can specify it here.
Private Auction	If you always run private auctions, check this box.
Swap Offers	Reputation Your reputation provides an indicator of how much trading you have done on the auction site and allows other buyers and sellers to get an idea of your trustworthiness and experience. For each transaction that takes place, the buyer and seller can award each other a star rating from 1 to 5: - Very poor - Your reputation is reduced by 1 - Poor - Your reputation is reduced by 1 - Neutral - no change to your reputation - Good - Your reputation is increased by 1 - Excellent - Your reputation is increased by 1 Wherever a user id appears, the reputation for that user is also shown: Click on the reputation to see full details of that user's reputation. Viewing Your Reputation You can see full details of your reputation and the comments you have received in the Members' Area of the auction site: Leaving Comments For Other Users Leaving comments for other people is a simple process. 1. After you have completed a transaction, go to your Members' Area, and click on the Reputation link: 2. Click on the Sent link, and you will see a list of auctions for which you need to leave comments. To leave a comment, click on the Proceed link at the right of the screen: 3. Select a suitable star rating - from 1 to 5, and enter any comments you would like to make into the comments field. When you are finished, click on Leave Comments to store your comments and rating: 4. If you now return to the auction item, you will be able to click on the other user's reputation and see your comments in their reputation information: Bulk Listings This section allows you to download vintage Auction Gallerie’s bulk listing software, PaxBulk. You should refer to the help documentation that comes with this application for more details on how to use this tool. About Me The About Me facility enables users to provide a little information about themselves to other users. For business users, this might be information about their business and a link to their own website. Personal users might want to provide some information on their hobbies and interests - especially if they are the main reason for their auction activities. You can set up an About Me page like this: 1. Click on the About Me link in the Members' Area: 2. Enable the About Me page: 3. Enter some suitable information into the text field. Use the toolbar at the top of the text area to format your text: You can also include hyperlinks - just click on the symbol and enter the target URL and the link text. 4. When you have finished, click on the Proceed button to save your About Me page: My Store The Vintage Auction Galleries auction system allows sellers to operate their own private Stores. They can customize the appearance of the store and the categories used within it and include detailed information about their business and their stock. By default, a user's store subscription is disabled - as most users will not have any use for a store. Enabling stores is simple and instant and provides users with a choice of four levels of store: Basic Store - up to 50 items, $9.95 per 30 days Medium Store - up to 100 items, $17.95 per 30 days Advanced Store - up to 500 items, $29.95 per 30 days Expert Store - up to 1,000 items, $49.95 per 30 days Apart from the number of items that can be stocked, there are no other differences between the store types. Setting Up A Store - Subscription Setup 1. To get started with stores, go to the My Store section of the Members' Area and select Subscription Setup 2. At the top, you will see a summary of your store subscription status, showing subscription payment dates and the number of items presently listed. If you have not had a store before, the Store Status will be Disabled. 3. To setup a store, ensure the Enable Store check box is checked: 4. Select the type of store you wish to operate: 5. Click Proceed to activate the store and confirm your choices: Your store is now ready for use, although you should probably consider adding some further information to it using the Main Settings, Store Pages and Custom Categories sections, which are explained below. Main Settings The Main Settings section allows you to customize your store and provide information about the kind of items you offer for sale. There are five fields you can populate (all are optional): Field Description Store Name The name of your store Store Description A description of your store - the kind of items you sell, your trading history, your business, etc This can be formatted and include links to other sites. Store Meta Keywords You should enter relevant keywords for your store here - words that people might search for if they were looking for the kind of items you sell. Separate each keyword (or phrase) with a comma. Store Logo If you have a logo you would like displayed with your store listing, you can upload it here using the Browse and Upload buttons. You can also use a graphics file from another website by entering its URL into the Enter URL field and then clicking Upload. Store Designs Choose from a number of alternative store designs, to help make your store more distinctive. Store Pages The Store Pages section allows you to provide additional information about your store, including details of your special offers and shipping information. All of these sections can be updated at any point and changes made will immediately be applied to your store. Field Description Number of Store Featured Items Specify how many of your store's items you would like to highlight as "feature" items at the top of your store's home page. Number of Ending Soon Store Items All store items are listed for a fixed length of time. Specify how many "ending soon" items you would like highlighting in the Ending Soon section on the store home page. Number of Recently-Listed Store Items