• Why do I have to register?
• What are the benefits of registration?
• I registered and bid but didn't receive any confirmation emails. Why not?
• I'm having problems viewing pages. What's wrong?
• How do I search for and sort items?
• How can I get more information about items?
• Can I place bids before the bidding starts?
• Can I bid on more than one item?
• Why do I have to bid on a quantity of an item?
• Can I bid more than once on an item?
• Can I change or cancel my bid?
• Why is the amount entered as my bid not the same as the amount I submitted?
• How do I place a proxy bid?
• What is the Minimum Bid?
• Why is a credit card required to bid on some items?
• How do I know if I'm in the lead?
• Can I buy an item before bidding ends?
• How will I know if I've won?
• What are the advantages of paying for my bid online?
• I am the winning bidder on several items. Can I pay for them all at once?
• What methods of payment are accepted online?
• I don't want to pay for my item(s) online. What other options are available?
• Why are some items not available for payment online?
• Are taxes included in my bid or purchase price?
• I need a receipt for accounting purposes. Will I receive one?
• What do I do with the Item Certificate?
• I can't collect my item in person. What should I do?
• I misplaced my receipt/certificate. Can I reprint it?
• How do I know that my credit card information is secure?

You must register to participate in the SD Community Auction so that the Bidder Trust Committee can contact you at the close of bidding if you are a winning bidder, collect payment of your bid, and issue a certificate for collecting the item you bid on and won. Please read the auction platform privacy policy and The San Diego Union-Tribune privacy policy for information about how your personal information is protected.

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By registering and providing the correct contact information, including an email address, you will receive:

• Email confirmation of your registration.
• Email confirmation of all bids you place, for your records.
• Email notification if you are outbid by another bidder, to give you an opportunity to place another, higher bid, and remain an active bidder.
• Daily email updates with winning strategies, featured items and other important information.
• Special offers and promotions, such as coupons, from vendors whose items you bid on.
• Email and/or telephone notification if you are a winning bidder as soon as the bidding closes.
• Option to pay online for your winning bid and immediately receive a certificate.
• Personalized certificate for items you win and purchase, for quick and easy redemption.

You may have given an incorrect email address when you registered. Email addresses take the form: yourname@domain.com (e.g., johndoe@aol.com). You can verify the email address you provided by selecting Edit Profile from the menu after logging in and viewing the information in the email address field. If you make a change, or even if you don't, click the save changes button. This will cause another confirmation email to be sent, which you should check your mailbox for.

Some email clients may automatically place email from the auction site in folders other than your 'Inbox' (for example a Spam or Junk folder) by automatic filters you or your email client may have in place. Please check your folders for emails from the auction.

• This site works best on Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Microsoft Edge. If you have an earlier version of these browsers, you should upgrade to the most recent version.
• This website requires a web browser that supports and accepts 'cookies' (small pieces of information sent by this website and stored on your computer). Cookies are used to keep you connected to this site while you browse and bid. If you are having trouble using this website, it may be because your web browser is not configured to accept cookies.

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• You can browse through the categories to view all items in selected categories.
• You can search for a specific item by item number (e.g., 101).
• You can perform a keyword search by item name, item description, and vendor name.
• You can sort items by clicking on a column header in your search results. For example, to sort items by value, just click 'value' at the top of the search results. Clicking once sorts in ascending order; clicking again sorts in descending order.



All these search options are available on every page in the online marketplace site, and on the search page.

You can visit the sponsoring business to view and learn more about the item.

No, bids are not accepted until bidding starts. However, you may pre-register to receive your username. You may also browse the items placed in the SD Community Auction and visit the sponsoring business to view and learn more about the items.

Yes, you can bid on as many items as you wish. Each item is sold separately from every other item, so you have the opportunity to win each item you bid on. You can track your bids by clicking the View Bid History button after logging in.

Some items are available more than once. For example, if you see an item listed with a quantity of three, there are three of that item available in the SD Community Auction. When you place a bid, you can bid on just one of those items, or more than one, up to the quantity available. At the close of bidding, if you hold a high bid and have met the reserve level, the SD Community Auction will try to allocate as many items as you requested. For example, if there are three of an item available, and if the highest bidder requested only one of the item, and if you are the second highest bidder and requested two of the item, the highest bidder would receive one of the items and you would receive the remaining two. However, if you are the third highest bidder, and the first and second place bidders each requested one of the items, you would be offered only one of your two requested items.

With the proxy bidding system, once you place your Maximum Secret Bid, there is no need to place repeat bids on an item. The Bidder Trust Committee will place bids on your behalf to keep you in the lead, until your Maximum Secret Bid is reached. However, if you are outbid (another bidder places a higher Maximum Secret Bid) or you wish to increase your Maximum Secret Bid, you can place another bid on the item. You can track your bids by viewing your personal bid history on an item.

No, once a bid is placed it cannot be changed or canceled. If you wish to increase your Maximum Secret Bid, you may place another, higher bid, which supersedes your original Maximum Secret Bid.

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The online marketplace accepts your Maximum Secret Bid as a proxy bid, then places a bid on your behalf at the lowest amount required to make you the leading bidder. For example, if the current leading bid is $150 and you place a Maximum Secret Bid of $200, the online marketplace system will place a bid of $160 on your behalf ($10 over the current leading bid).

All bids you place are proxy bids. By placing a Maximum Secret Bid, you tell the online marketplace the most you are willing to pay for the item on which you bid. The SD Community Auction then places real bids on your behalf, in competition with other bidders, to try to win the item for you at the lowest possible price.

The minimum bid is the minimum amount the auction system will accept on the item at the time of your bid. Placing a bid for the minimum amount required DOES NOT ensure you will be a winning bidder. You must both meet or beat the reserve price on the item, and you must remain a leading bidder at the close of bidding, in order to win this item.

Some items require you to provide your credit card number as an expression of interest on your part in the item. When this occurs, your credit card is authorized with a $1 transaction. This is not a charge, only an authorization. You will only be required to do this once in this marketplace. Your credit card information is not retained.

Throughout the online marketplace website, you will see "Leading Bidder:" and a username (e.g. "Leading Bidder: KRB310") next to items. If you see your personal username, you know you're in the lead. If not, and if the current leading bid is greater than your Maximum Secret Bid, you may want to consider placing another, higher Maximum Secret Bid, to still try to win that item.

Some items may be available at a fixed price for immediate purchase, before bidding ends. The fixed price is displayed along with other item details. You may select the fixed price purchase option if available, to immediately purchase the item, up to the quantity available, at the fixed price. You will then either pay for your winning bid online at this auction site, or directly to the vendor of the item. Payment instructions will be displayed online and will be sent by email as confirmation when you make the fixed price purchase. In either case, you will take receipt of the item directly from the vendor.

The Bidder Trust Committee will email or phone you as soon as possible after bidding ends, if you hold a winning bid for any item in the SD Community Auction. You can also log in to the SD Community Auction website after the bidding ends and check if you are the winning bidder on any items — simply select the bid payment link in the menu to both check and pay online for items you've won.

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For most items, you will pay online at this website, or by telephone, with your credit card. Your payment is to The San Diego Union-Tribune, which is collecting the selling price on behalf of the business sponsoring the item. Your payment is due immediately after the close of the auction. As soon as your payment is complete, you will receive a certificate to redeem at the business which sponsored the item. For some items, such as automobiles and real estate, you will pay the vendor directly. Please read your winning bid email notice carefully for payment instructions.

By paying for your bid online with your credit card, you will immediately receive your item certificate, which you may redeem at the sponsoring business to collect the product or service.

No, you must pay for each item as a separate transaction in order to receive an item certificate for each item.

You can pay by credit card only. The following credit cards are accepted: MasterCard and Visa.

You can pay by credit card over the telephone. The phone number and hours of operation are in your winner notification email.

The sponsor of this online marketplace or the item vendor may require that payment be made in person for some or all items, particularly automobiles and real estate, where additional information is required from you or where the item must be registered or licensed.

Taxes, if applicable to the item, are not included in your bid. Taxes will be calculated and collected by the item vendor. In the case of gift certificates,taxes are collected on the value of the item towards which you apply the gift certificate at the time of the use of the gift certificate.

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Yes. After your credit card payment is processed and verified online, you will be presented with a web page suitable for printing as a receipt.

You should take the item certificate issued online after your payment is processed to the sponsoring business indicated on the certificate to redeem for your item. Please wait at least one day after receiving your certificate to allow time for the vendor to be notified and authorized to release the item to you.

After receiving your item certificate, you may contact the sponsoring business for information about alternative collection options, such as a delivery service. Any costs incurred are your responsibility.

Yes. After the close of the auction, log into the auction website and select the bid payment option, where you will see a list of winning articles that gives you the option of reprinting your receipt and certificate individually.

Your credit card information (name, card number, expiry date, and CVC) is secured through encryption during transmission using the https secure protocol from your web browser to our payment processor. A lock icon is displayed in the browser’s location field to the right of the URL. No credit card information is transmitted back to your web browser and your credit card information is not stored on the auction site's servers.