SitePoint Marketplace 2.0
Welcome to the SitePoint Marketplace 2.0!
Built on an entirely new architecture (the same one we used to build SitePoint Contests 2.0—now 99designs.com), and representing nearly a year of development, this is in many ways a whole new Marketplace.
We hope you’ll agree that the changes we’ve made to all aspects of the SitePoint Marketplace will help to make it a faster, safer, more enjoyable place to trade.
What’s New for Buyers
Here’s a quick run-down on the things that have changed for buyers in Marketplace 2.0:
User Profiles
The new, more informative user profile pages enable you to research the transaction history of a Marketplace 2.0 user you are considering doing business with.
Bid Acceptance
In Marketplace 2.0, auction holders have the option of reviewing your bids before they are accepted. On auctions where this option is in use, therefore, you may notice a delay between placing your bid and becoming the winning bidder.
If an auction holder does not want to do business with you, he or she may reject your bid.
Auction holders must accept or reject all bids within 72 hours. If the auction holder doesn’t accept your bid within this time, it will be automatically rejected so that you can get on with your life.
Conditional Bids
A major new feature of Marketplace 2.0 is support for conditional bids.
If the auction holder allows it, you can now specify conditions when placing a bid. The auction holder will review the conditions of your bid and decide whether or not to accept your bid with those conditions.
Obviously, the fewer conditions there are attached to a bid, the more attractive it will be to the auction holder.
Buy It Now
In Marketplace 2.0, the Buy It Now feature has been significantly enhanced.
If you place a Buy It Now bid, the auction is immediately ended and you are declared the winner. Buy It Now bids are always automatically accepted, and may not have conditions associated with them.
New in Marketplace 2.0, the Buy It Now price is only available for as long as the auction's reserve price has not been met. This saves you from losing an auction to a rival bidder jumping on the Buy It Now price rather than bidding against you fair and square.
Also new in Marketplace 2.0, auction holders have the option of restricting Buy It Now bids to users without significant negative feedback. See the ‘Auction Feedback’ below for more information.
Picking a Winner
Unlike the previous Marketplace, where the auction holder got to pick the winner of an auction, Marketplace 2.0 declares the winner automatically. If you place the highest accepted bid in an auction, you win.
Bids are Legally Binding
You are now legally bound to follow through with any bids you place.
This is a big one. In the previous Marketplace, bids were simply offers that you put on the table for the auction holder’s consideration. You could still back out afterward if you decided to. In Marketplace 2.0, bids are legally binding. Before you place a bid, be prepared to follow through should you win the auction.
Auctions are Legally Binding
By the same token, auctions are now legally binding too. Once an bidding on an auction exceeds the reserve price, the auction holder can no longer back out. He or she is legally bound to sell to the winning bidder.
Auction Feedback
Marketplace 2.0 introduces a two-way feedback system for auction holders and bidders, making it easier to tell if you’re dealing with a longstanding, trustworthy member of the Marketplace. At the end of an auction, both the winner and the seller are invited to give feedback about the other.
We hope you enjoy using the SitePoint Marketplace 2.0!
—Team SitePoint