Faqs
Deals for Buddies Help Centre
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything buyers, sellers and marketplace users need to know about auctions, credits, invoices, shipping, reserve prices, ratings, payouts and account management.
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Help Centre
Getting Started
Basic information about Deals for Buddies and how the marketplace works.
Deals for Buddies is an online auction marketplace where buyers bid on items and sellers list auction-only products. Buyers manage bids, wins, invoices and deliveries from the buyer dashboard. Sellers manage listings, credits, sold items, tracking and payouts from the seller dashboard.
Yes. Deals for Buddies is built around auction listings. The platform does not use normal Buy Now listings for auction items.
Yes. You need an account to bid, sell, generate invoices, pay invoices, upload tracking, request payouts and leave ratings.
Yes. The same account can use buyer and seller features. Seller features may require verification and listing credits.
After logging in, your buyer dashboard is available from the My Account area. It includes auction wins, invoices, notifications, deliveries, ratings, profile details and payment history.
The seller dashboard is available inside your account area. It includes seller overview, verification, bank details, sell an item, bulk upload, credits, listings, sold items, balance, payouts and ratings.
Deals for Buddies is designed around South African payments, shipping rules and marketplace use.
Only bid if you intend to complete the purchase, and only list items you are able to deliver. Bids, invoices, ratings and payouts are all connected to your account history.
Buyer Dashboard
Buyer FAQ
Help for bidding, winning auctions, invoices, payments and buyer dashboard sections.
Open the auction page, enter your bid amount and submit the bid. The bid must meet the minimum bid rules and any required bid increment.
No. You must be logged in before placing a bid.
No. Bids are binding. Only place a bid if you are prepared to pay if you win.
If you are already the leading bidder, the system prevents you from bidding against yourself. You can bid again after another user outbids you, unless a proxy bidding rule applies.
No. Sellers are blocked from bidding on their own auction listings.
You are no longer the leading bidder. You may place another bid while the auction is still open.
Won items show in the Auction Dashboard or Wins area of your buyer dashboard. Items where the reserve price was not met do not show as buyer wins.
It means you won the item but no invoice has been generated yet. Click Generate Invoice to create an invoice immediately.
Yes. Won items can be invoiced automatically according to the admin invoice cycle setting, or you can generate an invoice manually.
Yes. Use Combine Invoices to merge unpaid invoices and pending wins into one invoice with one recalculated shipping fee.
Go to the Invoices section in your buyer dashboard. After generating or combining invoices, the system should redirect you directly to the invoices area for payment.
Yes. Shipping is added to your invoice based on the combined item weight and the admin shipping table.
Yes. Buyers pay a 10% buyer commission on the auction item amount. Shipping is separate.
Seller Marketplace
Seller FAQ
Help for seller verification, listing items, bulk upload, credits, sold items and seller account tools.
Use the seller dashboard and complete any required verification steps. You may need to add seller details and bank details before payout requests can be processed.
Go to Sell an Item, complete the listing details, save the draft, check the listing, and then click List Now when it is ready to go live.
No. Credits are not deducted while the auction is still a draft. Credits are deducted only when the auction is listed live.
Yes. Draft auctions can be edited, removed or changed before they are listed live.
No. Once an auction is live and credits are deducted, the listing is locked to protect bidding fairness.
The system checks your credits, deducts the required credits, publishes the auction, sends the live listing email and locks the listing from further seller edits.
Yes. Bulk uploaded items are saved as drafts first. The same credit rules apply when those drafts are listed live.
You should add a clear title, description, category, opening bid, bid increment, closing time, item condition, quantity, item weight and any reserve price if needed.
Item weight is used to calculate shipping when the buyer generates or combines invoices.
Yes. If you add a reserve price, the auction must meet or exceed that reserve before it is considered sold.
Yes. The seller receives an Auction Approved & Live email when the auction is successfully listed.
Sold items appear in the seller dashboard under Sold Items, usually grouped by buyer invoice where applicable.
Buyer delivery details should display after payment is received, so sellers can arrange delivery and upload tracking.
Payout requests depend on the marketplace rules. Sellers normally need the sale to be paid and delivery/tracking details submitted before payout can be requested.
Seller Credits
Credits FAQ
How listing credits are bought, allocated and deducted.
Listing credits are used by sellers to publish auction listings on Deals for Buddies.
A normal live auction listing uses one credit.
Yes. A featured auction uses an additional credit, so it may use two credits in total.
Credits are deducted when the seller clicks List Now and the auction goes live. Draft listings do not deduct credits.
No. Bulk uploaded items are drafts first. Credits are deducted only when those items are listed live.
Yes. Admin can manually allocate credits to a seller account.
Yes. Sellers receive an email when credits are purchased, manually allocated by admin or adjusted by the system.
You will need to buy credits or have credits allocated before publishing more live auctions.
Auction Listings
Auction FAQ
How auction statuses, bidding, closing and categories work.
An active auction is live and accepting bids.
An upcoming auction has been scheduled but has not started yet.
A closing soon auction is close to its end time and may appear in closing soon sections.
A hot auction is an auction with higher activity or bidding interest.
The system checks the highest bid, reserve price and auction rules. If requirements are met, the auction becomes sold. If reserve is not met, it is not sold.
Yes. If there are no valid bids or the reserve price is not met, the auction does not produce a sale.
If bidding happens near the end of an auction, the system may extend the closing time according to the auction soft-close rules.
Yes. Category counts should update when auctions are listed, closed, deleted or no longer active.
Closed, deleted, draft or inactive auctions may no longer count as active listings in that category.
If quantity is enabled for a listing, invoice and dashboard calculations should use the correct quantity and line total.
Deleted auctions should be removed from active listing areas and category counts should update accordingly.
If watchlist features are enabled in the dashboard, buyers can save auctions to view later.
Reserve Auctions
Reserve Price FAQ
How reserve price auctions behave when the minimum price is or is not reached.
A reserve price is the minimum amount the seller is willing to accept for the auction item.
If a reserve price is set, the single auction Auction Details area should state that it is a Reserve Auction.
If the highest valid bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, the auction can close as sold.
The auction is not sold. No winner should be saved, no invoice should be created and no seller payout should be generated for that item.
No. If reserve is not met, the item should not display as a won item in the buyer dashboard.
Yes. Both buyer and seller should receive a message or notification stating Reserve Price Not Met.
No. If there is no sale, there is no buyer commission, seller commission, invoice or payout for that auction.
Buyer Invoices
Invoices FAQ
How invoices are generated, combined, calculated and paid.
An invoice can be created automatically by the invoice cycle or manually when the buyer clicks Generate Invoice Now.
The invoice cycle controls how often the system automatically generates invoices for buyer wins. Admin can set 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 7 days or a custom number of days.
Generate Invoice Now allows the buyer to create an invoice immediately instead of waiting for the automatic cycle.
Combine Invoices merges unpaid invoices and pending wins into one invoice, then recalculates the combined item total, commission and shipping.
After generating or combining invoices, the buyer should be redirected to the Invoices section for payment.
Pending won items that have not yet been invoiced should show Generate Invoice instead of Waiting for invoice.
Yes. Combine Invoices should merge all eligible unpaid invoices and pending wins for the buyer into one payment invoice.
Yes. The combined invoice should add the weight from all included items and calculate shipping from the admin weight shipping table.
Yes. Buyer commission is calculated from the combined auction item totals, while shipping remains separate.
Yes. Shipping is added to the invoice based on the combined item weight and current admin shipping rules.
Existing invoices should keep their saved totals. New invoices and newly combined invoices should use the current admin settings.
Admin invoice tools may allow reviewing, editing, saving, resending or deleting invoices depending on admin permissions and marketplace rules.
The invoice is marked paid, buyer payment history updates, seller sold items can move forward and seller payout rules can continue.
Weight Shipping
Shipping FAQ
How item weights and admin shipping bands control invoice shipping.
Shipping is calculated from the total combined weight of all items included on the invoice.
The system uses the admin Automated Invoice Cycle & Weight Shipping table as the single source of truth.
Yes. Admin can change weight-from, weight-to and shipping cost values. New invoices should use the updated table.
No. Shipping should use only the admin configured table. If no matching band exists, the system should not guess a shipping amount.
The seller should add an accurate weight. Missing weight can prevent correct shipping calculation and may require admin review.
The system adds all item weights together and then finds the matching weight band in the admin shipping table.
No. Existing generated invoices should keep their saved shipping amount. Future invoices use the latest admin settings.
Shipping is paid by the buyer for delivery and should be handled according to the marketplace shipping and payout rules. It is separate from the auction item price.
Buyer and seller commission should be calculated on the auction item amount, not on shipping, unless the admin changes marketplace rules.
PayFast Payments
Payments FAQ
How buyers pay invoices and sellers buy listing credits.
Buyers pay invoices through the payment option provided in the invoice dashboard, usually PayFast.
The intended flow is direct PayFast payment for auction invoices and seller credit purchases, not normal WooCommerce checkout pages.
The invoice is marked paid and the buyer returns to the account/dashboard area.
The invoice remains unpaid and the buyer can try payment again from the invoice section.
Yes. Seller credit packages should redirect to PayFast and allocate credits after payment is confirmed.
Yes. Buyers and sellers should receive payment-related confirmations where the email system is enabled.
Buyers can view payment history in the buyer dashboard. Sellers can view credit purchase and payout history in the seller dashboard.
Marketplace Commission
Commission FAQ
How buyer premium and seller commission are calculated.
Yes. The buyer pays a 10% buyer commission on the auction item amount.
Yes. A 10% seller commission is deducted from the seller payout.
Yes. Admin receives the 10% buyer commission and the 10% seller commission.
If an item sells for R1,000 and shipping is R99, the buyer pays R1,000 + R100 buyer commission + R99 shipping. The seller payout starts from R1,000 minus R100 seller commission. Admin earns R200 commission total.
No. Commission should apply to the auction item amount. Shipping is separate.
No. If reserve is not met, the auction is not sold and commission should not be created.
Admin reporting and payout screens should show commission amounts so marketplace revenue can be reviewed clearly.
User Reputation
Ratings FAQ
How buyer and seller ratings affect account reputation.
Buyers and sellers can rate each other after eligible auction transactions.
Yes. Ratings can include comments so users can explain their experience.
A positive rating increases the rating score by 1 point.
A negative rating decreases the rating score by 2 points.
The maximum rating percentage is 100%.
After saving a rating, the user should return to the Ratings page in the dashboard, not to an incorrect seller-area URL.
Yes. Admin can remove ratings if needed for moderation or correction.
Seller ratings can display near the seller username on auction pages and in seller reputation areas.
Tracking & Delivery
Delivery FAQ
How delivery details, waybills and tracking are handled.
Sellers arrange delivery and upload courier tracking details according to the marketplace delivery rules.
Sellers should upload the courier name, tracking number or waybill number, and tracking URL where available.
Tracking details appear in the buyer delivery or paid orders section after the seller submits the tracking information.
No. The seller uploads tracking after arranging delivery. The platform records and displays the tracking information.
If multiple paid items are on one invoice for the same buyer, the seller may submit one courier name, waybill and tracking link for that invoice group.
Tracking confirms that the seller has moved the order into delivery. It may be required before the seller can request payout.
Seller Money
Payouts FAQ
How seller balances, payout requests and admin payout review work.
Sellers can request payout after the required sale, payment and delivery/tracking rules have been completed.
Seller payout is based on the final auction item amount minus the seller commission, with any shipping handling following the marketplace payout rules.
Yes. A 10% seller commission is deducted from the seller payout.
No. Sellers request payout and admin processes the payout.
Sellers add bank details in the Bank Details section of the seller dashboard.
Yes. Admin payout records should show the exact invoice and item details related to the payout request.
The gross sale amount is reduced by seller commission and may be adjusted according to invoice/payment/delivery rules.
It means admin has handled the seller payout and marked the request as processed.
Yes. Sellers and admin should be able to review payout-related history through the dashboard/admin tools.
Login & Profile
Account FAQ
Help for login, logout, passwords, dashboards and profile settings.
Use the custom Login page on Deals for Buddies.
Use the Lost Password page to reset your password.
Incorrect or missing password attempts should redirect to the Lost Password page.
Successful login should take you to your buyer dashboard area.
Use the Logout option in your account/dashboard menu. It should end your session and return you to the correct public page.
Use the My Profile section of your dashboard to manage profile details.
Buyer delivery details are managed from the relevant profile, invoice or delivery sections where available.
Important auction, invoice, credit, payment, tracking, rating and payout notices are sent by email.
Marketplace Help
Support & Rules FAQ
Common support questions, marketplace rules and what information to provide.
Use the contact or support options listed on the website and include as much detail as possible.
Include your username, auction title, invoice number, payment reference, screenshots and a clear description of the issue.
Contact support with the seller username, auction link, invoice number and reason for the report.
Contact support with the buyer username, auction or invoice details and a clear explanation of the problem.
Yes. Bids are binding once placed. Do not bid unless you are prepared to pay if you win.
Yes. Accounts may be suspended for abuse, fraudulent activity, unpaid invoices, listing rule violations or other marketplace policy breaches.
No. Sellers must only list allowed items and comply with marketplace rules and applicable law.
Yes. Admin may remove ratings, listings or content where needed for moderation, policy enforcement or correction.
Review the invoice items, buyer commission, shipping amount and total payable before proceeding to payment.
