FAQ

Email support hours are from 8-5 ET M-F and 10-3 Saturday.

You may also call our support line at (833) 781-6242 and leave us a message. 

Please allow up to 24 Hours for a response.

Please include the auction number when referencing an auction

The auction number can be found in the address window of your browser.  For an iOS device, simply tap the in the address window and the number will be revealed. In this example, the auction number is 3012.  It can also be found on the lower left hand side of each auction listing, below the item image.

TinBids is an easy-to-use style auction site designed from the ground up with pipe collectors and Tobacco enthusiasts in mind.

TinBids functions like other traditional auction sites.  TinBids brings Buyers and Sellers together and the Items offered for sale are provided by our users.  The highest bid at the end of the auction wins.  “Buy it Now” and “Reserve” options are available for sellers.

No. Setting up a user account is free of charge!

TinBids is an auction site for the pipe collector and enthusiast. Items you may list for auction include pipes, lighters, pipe accessories and, of course, pipe tobacco.

Vape and cannabis products are prohibited for sale on TinBids.  Home vacuum sealed bags and home sealed mason jarred tobaccos, are not permitted at this time, due to the fact the contents cannot be verified. Cigars are not permitted for sale at this time, due to quality control concerns.

TinBids requires all users to be at least 21 years of age.  You will be asked to acknowledge you are at least 21 years old when you set up your account.

Simple. When your item sells, we will send you your money minus our fees and commissions.  A 99-cent listing fee and an 18.5% commission will be assessed at the time the item sells.  Please see our terms and conditions for further details.

No. The listing fee and commission are only assessed if your item sells.

Yes. You may relist your item as many times as desired until it sells.

If your items does not sell, you can use the “relist” button to quickly relist it.  Go to your “my ended auctions” and select the auction you would like to relist.  You will need to upload the photos separately

Monies are distributed once we have confirmation that the item has been delivered to the buyer. Once we have confirmed receipt of delivery, the buyer has 3 business days to accept the item.  If the buyer has made no claim against the item, payment will be made to the seller, once the 3 business day window has ended. This rule applies to domestic shipping only. International shipments will be processed after 5 business days of confirmation of shipping.

As per our terms and conditions, all sales are final. The exception to this rule would be if the item was grossly misrepresented by the seller and not as described.  Buyers have 3 days after delivery confirmation, to accept an item they have purchased. After that period, the sale is considered final.

If your item was delivered to you and was not as described, i.e. “sealed tin” and it was not sealed, you should contact us within 3 days of receipt of the item.  If it is determined that your claim is valid, we will ask you to return the item to us for a refund and we will contact the seller of the item for resolution.

This is how we will pay you.  When your item sells, we will send your payment to your PayPal account.

You will receive an automatic email notification from TinBids indicating that your item has sold, followed up by an email from us that your payment has been received.

Buyers are expected to make payment for auctions they’ve won within 4 days. If no payment is received after 4 days, the seller has the right to cancel the sale and relist the item.

Our labels will work on plain packaging as well.  If your item, such as a 100g tin will not fit into a small flat rate box, you may use a plain package that will accommodate the item.  The shipping cost will not change.

In the event a buyer does not pay for the item they have won, we will send an email to them reminding them to complete the sale.  If they still have not paid after 4 days, the seller may at their discretion relist the item as a new auction or cancel the transaction and retain the item.  The non paying buyers’ account will be flagged and subject to suspension or cancelation for non-payment. 

Non paying buyers will receive a “last call” email alerting them to pay for the item they’ve won.   If no payment is received within 24 hours, the auction should be considered void.  The non paying buyers account will be flagged and the buyer will be notified via email that their account is subject to suspension.  A second offense will trigger suspension or cancelation of the non paying buyers account. Non paying buyers will not be tolerated on TinBids.

Shipping charges are paid by the buyer at the conclusion of the auction.  The shipping cost is displayed on the active listing.

The seller sets the shipping level based upon the item(s) being sold at the time the auction is listed. Prices are set by the U.S. Postal Service. International shipping varies by country. Contact us at support@tinbids.com if you have questions or would like an estimate on an item you are interested in.

No. TinBids is an open marketplace with international members.  The shipping is paid for by the buyer and international labels are provided to sellers by TinBids, so there is no difference between shipping domestically or internationally.

Yes, we will gladly refund any unused shipping. Simply email us at support@tinbids.com and request a refund. We will verify the postage attached to the items purchased and refund any that is unused.

We cannot refund shipping charges on postage that has been generated and processed.

Yes.  When the auction ends, the seller will have the option to print a shipping label.

The shipping rates are an estimate for the benefit of the buyers, you may use the shipping labels provided on plain packaging if your item will not fit into a small box. The USPS will make any adjustment needed.

The G or P designation on the shipping label means “ground” or “priority”.  Priority labels can be used in conjunction with USPS flat rate, priority boxes.

No. The USPS will not accept an international parcel in a flat rate box.  International shipments should be packaged in plain, non USPS boxes.

Sellers are solely responsible for ensuring their items are sent to the proper buyers of their item.  TinBids provides the appropriate shipping label for said item but bears no responsibility whatsoever, for mispackaged items.  We will gladly work with the parties involved but no resolution is assured or guaranteed.

We accept all major credit cards for payment on auctions won.  PayPal cannot be used to pay for items because of their tobacco policy

Unfortunately, no.  If you reside in Washington, Utah, South Dakota, Maine, Vermont, Hawaii or Arkansas, tobacco products cannot be shipped to you.  Therefore, you are not permitted to bid on tobacco products on this site.  However, you may bid on non tobacco products, such as pipes and accessories.

Sellers have 7 days to ship your items to you.  We set this time to factor in credit card processing procedures, usually however that time is less than 7 days.

Yes, we can contact the seller on your behalf and make that request.  Please note, that the seller may not always be able to accommodate that request.

TinBids has no claim on any parcel.  We are only able to provide you with a tracking number.  The recipient must contact the delivery service to determine the status of any shipment.

You may not cancel a bid after you have won an item.  Placing a bid is a binding contract to purchase the item, as outlined under our Terms and Conditions.

You may cancel an auction by contacting us at support@tinbids.com and make that request.  Please state the reason for the cancellation, so that we may properly categorize it.

In the event that the bidding on a “Buy It Now” auction exceeds the buy it now price, that option will become unavailable and the auction will revert to a standard bidding auction, the high bidder is the winner of the item.

Items containing tobacco must be consigned to TinBids in order to be listed for sale.  All other items, such as pipes for example, do not need to be consigned.

Our process is simple.  Consigning an item with us works just like listing any other item, the exception being, you will be prompted to give TinBids permission to sell your item for you under our consignment umbrella.  Potential buyers will see your item listed as a “TinBids Consignment”.

No. Consignments only apply to tobacco products.

No. You retain the item in your possession and are responsible for shipping it to the buyer.

Yes, absolutely.  The return address will display TinBids as the shipper.

Yes, international shipping is available to most countries. The buyer is responsible for complying with customs and local regulations.

Listing items for sale from non US sellers is not supported at this time. This is due to a limitation with the shipping software. However, solutions are being explored to accommodate international sellers as a future enhancement to TinBids. Stay tuned!

Some countries have shipping restrictions which are imposed by the USPS. If you are getting that message, then your buyer lives in one of those countries. We will provide a shipping label for you complete with customs declaration and actual shipping cost. Just drop us an email at support@tinbids.com and we’ll forward the label to you

No, consignment items ship directly from the sellers who list them.

We can remove an auction for you at your request, should you decide you do not wish to sell your item.

Sellers are free to market their items as they deem necessary. Sellers are required to describe the item as accurately as possible in order to give potential buyers as much detail as possible. Stock photography, i.e. images of similar items taken off the internet, are not permitted. Sellers must post photos of the actual item(s) they are selling.

That option may not always be possible.  The items on TinBids are user-generated, so while one seller may have several items up for auction, another may only have a single item up for auction.  If you have questions about the possibility of shipping multiple items you wish to bid on, please contact us at support@tinbids.com and we can look that up for you.

We designed TinBids so that users cannot place unintentional bids. After a bid amount is entered, Buyers must twice confirm their bid before it is entered. The final confirmation alerts buyers that bids may not be retracted once placed. Placing a bid is a binding contract between Sellers and Buyers, bids may not be retracted once placed.

Aside from issues signing up for the site, support is available to registered users ONLY. We established this policy to better serve our clientele.

A user account may be suspended or canceled for the following reasons.

1. A buyer failed to pay for an item they have won
2. A seller refused to ship an item they have sold and was paid for.
3. A user who exhibited behavior, that TinBids in its own discretion, has deemed to pose a risk to the site.
4. Any violation of our terms and conditions which could pose harm or risk to TinBids

You may send an email to compliance@tinbids.com with your username and email to appeal your suspension.  We will review all facts and respond to you via email.

An auction may be removed without warning if any of the following conditions apply:

1. A tobacco product was not properly consigned to TinBids for sale
2. The auction violated any portion of our terms and conditions
3. The auction presented a potential risk to TinBids, our partners or users

We reserve the right to convert improperly listed tobacco products to a consignment sale.

Sellers may choose to set a reserve price for items that have a specific value and do not wish to sell that item for less than that amount.  Additionally, they may wish to encourage bidding by not revealing what that price is like on a “Buy It Now” auction.