Help

Your first stop for help on pouncing.

Just heard about Pouncer?

How does it work?
Pouncer is a new competitive auction website based in Australia. We sell high demand name brand consumer goods for incredibly low prices. You could save hundreds of dollars on all kinds of items like a Nintendo Wii or a new laptop. When someone bids on an auction the price goes up by a set amount, typically 1 to 10 cents, and the timer goes up by a set amount typically 1 to 5 seconds.   You also have the option to use “Buy it Now” at any time during the auction and you can purchase the item for “Our Price” which is usually lower than RRP (recommended retail price) and representative of the price you would find that item if you were to buy it in a shop.

How do I join?
It is incredibly easy to join the Pouncer community, simply click on the Signup link and fill in a few details about yourself. When you finish you will get an email from Pouncer, click on the link in the email and you will be taken to the login page, once you are logged in you can buy a Pouncer Pack and get started.

What does it cost to bid?
The prices vary but the bigger the pack you choose the more you save on each bid. For current pricing please see our Pouncer Packs.

How is Pouncer different?
Pouncer is the only competitive auction site exclusive to Australia, this means when you bid on Pouncer you are only ever bidding against other people in Australia.  On other Auctions sites you might be bidding against someone in the UK or USA, and you might not even be bidding on the same item! We think that this is unfair and misleading. For this reason, Pouncer is restricted to Australian users and we only ship to addresses in Australia. We are also the only auction site based solely in Australia, our servers are here and our offices are here, we are an Australian company and governed by Australian laws - most importantly the Trade Practices Act.  You can be assured when you place a bid on Pouncer that you are placing a bid with an Australian company you can trust.

For more information about online auctions in Australia, visit the ACCC website.

Placing a bid

How does bidding work on Pouncer?
Before you can bid on Pouncer you need to purchase a Pouncer Pack. The smallest Pouncer Pack is 50 bids and the largest is 2500 bids. Once you buy a Pouncer Pack your account is credited and you can go to the home page and look for an auction to start bidding on. Simply click on the pounce! button and you will be the new high bidder. If you are the high bidder when the counter reaches zero you can buy the item for the final price listed.

What is a Pet-Pouncer?
A Pet-Pouncer is an automated bidding system that allows you to choose the price you want to start bidding on an item and the amount of times you would like to bid as well as the price at which you would like to stop bidding. This is helpful in that it means you can participate in an auction even if you are not at your computer. For more information go to Pet-Pouncer Help.

How do I buy bids?
Once you have registered on the site you can click purchase bids. Simply choose the size of the Pouncer Pack you would like to buy and click purchase, you will be taken to our Paypal payment Gateway. You do not need to have a Paypal account to buy bids you can use any major credit card. Once your payment has been processed you can go back to your account and within a few moments your bid balance will be updated to reflect your purchase. If you experience any issues you can contact us.

What payment methods do you accept?
We currently use Paypal exclusively as our payment gateway, this is for the protection of our users as all payments are encrypted and all credit card information is transmitted securely.

How do I find the auctions I am bidding on?
After logging in, your "My Pouncer" bar becomes visible at the top of the page. This has links to your bid balance, active pets, current auctions and won auctions. To see all auctions you have bid on recently, click the number following the "Bidding On:" label. Alternatively, the handy links at the top of this section labelled "My Pouncer" has a link to "Auctions".

Can I check how many bids I've used?
Your remaining bid balance is displayed in the "My Pouncer" bar on every page once you've logged in. Clicking this number will take you to your bid history. You can also view your bid history here.

Where can I see how many bids I’ve placed on an auction?
Once you've logged in, the individual auction pages show both the number of bids you've placed and any pet-pouncers you may have running. These individual auction pages can be viewed by clicking either an auction's title or its thumbnail.

I placed my bid but I am not the high bidder, what happened?
Pouncer auctions are very fast paced and if many people are bidding on a single item you may be outbid very quickly. Go to the individual auction page (by clicking the auction's title) to see the recent bid history.

Where can I check my Pet-Pouncers?
Your active Pet-Pouncers are displayed in the "My Pouncer" bar on every page once you've logged in. Clicking on this number will take you to the list of all Pet-Pouncers you have running. Alternatively there is a link to "Pet-Pouncers" in the My Pouncers section of the handy links above.

Where can I see who’s bidding on an auction?
Clicking on an auction's title will take you to the individual auction page. On the right is a list of the recent bids placed. 

Auctions

I was the high bidder when the timer hit zero what should I do?
Any auctions you've won are displayed in the "My Pouncer" bar on every page once you've logged in. Clicking this number or selecting the "Won Auctions" option from the My Pouncer section in the handy links above will take you to the area where you can pay for auctions you've won.

Is there more than one type of auction?
Typically our auctions increment in price by 1, 2, 5, 10, 15 or 20 cents and extend by 1, 2 or 5 seconds for every bid placed. Some auctions use different values and these are visible both on the auctions list (in the bottom left of the auction box) and in the auction view page, under The Pounce Effect. We will be adding to these auction types to make sure that there is always something new and exciting on Pouncer.

Why is there a price with a line through it?
This price represents the retail price of the item set by the manufacturer.

What is Buy it Now?
Buy it Now is a feature on select auctions where any unsuccessful bidder can convert their used bids into a credit on the value of the item and buy it outright. This can only be performed once the auction has closed, and only once per user. NOTE: The user who wins the auction cannot use the Buy It Now functionality - with the sole exception of Pouncer Packs. The winner of a Pouncer Pack auction may use Buy It Now.

How is my bid value calculated?
Each user has their own unique bid value. It is calculated from the total (ex GST) that you’ve spent on Pouncer Packs divided by your total bid credits. This includes money spent on winning Pouncer Packs in auctions and from Buy It Now on the packs.  

What is “Our Price”?
This is the price you will pay if you decide to use Buy it Now.  It is what is usually referred to as the street price of an item, which means the price you would find it at an average shop or online retailer.  It is generally lower than the RRP (recommended retail price) though on some high demand items - we are looking at you Apple - it will be equal to RRP as the street price is never less than RRP.

How does an auction end?
An auction will end when the timer runs out, this happens as long as no new bids are placed before the timer hits zero.

What is a Newbie auction?
This auction can only be won by someone who has won less than 2 auctions - with the exception of Pouncer Packs, Bombs and Multipliers. Winning one or more Pouncer Packs, Bombs or Multipliers does NOT invalidate a user from winning the Newbie auction. This is the place to go for our new users so they can get a feel for how auctions work, and have much a much better chance of Pouncing on a great deal!

What is the weekly win limit?
Currently, Pouncer implements a limit of 5 auction wins over any 7 day period. These wins do NOT include Pouncer Packs, Bombs or Multipliers. These wins do NOT include Buy it Now purchases.
Please Note: This may change at any time as per the Terms of Use.

What is a Blitz?
A Blitz is an auction that limits each user to a certain number of bids. Once the user has used their allocation, they can no longer bid on the auction. It's all about the strategy!

What is a Pouncer Bomb?
A Pouncer Bomb is an auction that awards the winner a certain number of bids - between 10 and 50. All bids are refunded after completion of the auction. Bombs appear randomly throughout the day, and don't last long. If you see one, get in quick!

What is a Pouncer Vote?
A Pouncer Vote is a special type of auction that allows users to vote for their choice of auction. Each user gets a single vote and cannot change their vote once it is cast. Users can also vote as to whether the auction will allow Pet-Pouncers or not. Appoximately two hours before the auction is due to end, the votes are tallied and the auction changes to reflect the highest voted option. In the case of a tie, the option will be determined at random.

What are Sponsored Auctions?
Sponsored auctions are a special type of auction on Pouncer, which are both free to bid on and free to win. In order to earn bids, users can RSVP up to two hours before the auction is due to end. To further their bid tally, users can fill out a brief sponsor survey. Bids used in the sponsored auctions do NOT affect your Pouncer bid balance. Winning a sponsored auction WILL count towards a user's weekly win limit.

What are Pack Multipliers?
Pack Multipliers are special auctions that grant the winner a bonus on the next outright pack purchase. Bonuses can range from 30% to 150%. For example, a 50% bonus on a Super Pack with 500 bids would mean an extra 250 bids. Users cannot defer, transfer or combine multipliers - they are automatically applied to pack purchases, one at a time, in the order they have been won. Multipliers are only for outright pack purchases, and do not apply to packs won as auctions or purchased Buy It Now. Each user can only have one active mutliplier at a time; until a pack is bought, the user cannot bid on another multiplier.

Shipping

What are the shipping charges?
Delivery is free Australia-wide for the winner of each auction on Pouncer.  If you choose to Buy it Now shipping will be added to the final price, this is a flat rate and is visible on the individual auction page.

Shipping time
Items will be shipped out as soon as possible once payment is received. All items will be shipped out within two weeks of payment being received, we are working with our suppliers to speed this time up and will have an announcement about shipping times soon. At that time tracking information will be emailed to your registered email address so you can track your item.

I have not received my tracking information yet, where can I get it?
If you haven't got your tracking email yet, please contact us immediately.

Returns

The item I just received seems to be faulty what can I do?
All items we sell are covered by their respective manufacturers' warranties.   As a retailer we are responsible within the Trade Practices Act to offer a remedy directly to each customer on a case-by-case basis. In most cases dealing directly with the manufacturer to resolve a technical problem will be the fastest and easiest method for the customer, if this is not feasible we will be more than happy to resolve any issues with the manufacturer ourselves.  Excellent customer service is our goal and you can rest assured that we will work tirelessly to resolve any issues that might arise both before and after you purchase an item on Pouncer.

Do you accept returns?
As per Australian law we do not accept returns unless the item is defective or was misrepresented.  However, customer service is our number one priority so we will make every effort to resolve any problems you may have in a prompt manner.

What if the item has not been sent yet, can I get a refund?
As long as the item has not shipped you can get a refund by requesting one from us via the contact form.  The refund will be for the amount paid for the item the value of bids used will not be refunded.

Account Management

Can I change my password?
Yes just select the Change Password option from the "My Pouncer" section in the handy links above.

Can I change my username?
No your username is permanent.

I forgot my password what can I do?
On the login page there is a link to reset your password.

I forgot my username what can I do?
On the login page there is a link to reset your password. If you click this you will receive an email at your registered email address with your username and a new password.

Can I unsubscribe from the newsletter?
Yes just uncheck the box on your user profile page by selecting the "Profile" option from the My Pouncer section in the handy links above. If you want to subscribe again just check the same box.

Can I change my contact information?
Yes manage your billing and shipping addresses via the "Addresses" option from the My Pouncer section in the handy links above.

Can I change my name?
Yes you can edit your name by going into your Profile.

How many bids do I have left?
Your remaining bids are listed in the "My Pouncer" bar on every page once you've logged in as well as in your dashboard.

How do I check to see if I won an auction?
Go to your won auctions page via the link in the "My Pouncer" bar, or by selecting the "Won Auctions" option from the My Pouncer section in the handy links above.

How do I delete my account?
To delete your account, please fill out the contact form with your request.

Can I change my email address?
Yes in your "Profile".

How long do my free bids last?
Free bids are valid for one year just like purchased bids.

Payment Methods

How do I pay for bids?
Once you have registered on the site you can go to your dashboard and choose to purchase bids. Choose the Pouncer Pack that you want to buy and you will be directed to our paypal payment gateway.

How do I pay for items?
When you win an auction you will receive an email and your "Won Auctions" will reflect this. In your Won Auctions area you can pay via our Paypal payment gateway.

Why Paypal?
By using Paypal we can accept all major credit cards and our customers can be assured that their sensitive information is being handled securely at all times.

Technical Issues

What software and hardware do I need to use Pouncer?
Pouncer supports Mac OS X, Linux and Windows operating systems. Browsers supported are Internet Explorer 6 and above, Safari 3 and above, Firefox 2.0 and above, Google Chrome and Opera 9 and above (the site is particularly fast using Opera, give it a try!).  Javascript must be enabled to use this service.

What happens to the auctions during system downtime?
If the site is down for scheduled maintenance we will pause all auctions and notify all bidders when the auctions are restarted.  In the event of a major outage all bids will be refunded and the auctions will be restarted.  This will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.