To find the shipping & handling cost of an item, click on the item image to view the auction details. Scroll down all the way to the bottom of the page to see the shipping price. Every item has a different shipping price, depending upon its size and weight. Items are shipped via UPS unless otherwise stated.

Shipping can take up to 15 business days depending on your location, but usually it takes much less. Most items are shipped via UPS ground from the East Coast.

We utilize a variety of stores and vendors to supply the items on our site. All of our auctioned items are brand new, unopened, and in 100% factory condition.

We purchase thousands of gift cards from our vendors every week to fulfill the gift cards won by our users. All of our gift cards are brand new and guaranteed to have the stated amount on them. Visa and American Express card activation fees are paid by BidCactus; this does not affect the value of the card. The auction details page may list some of the gift card terms and conditions, but for an accurate and complete listing, always go directly to the website of the gift card brand.

You must have both a billing and shipping address within the U.S. in order to use the site. Please note that if you live in Alaska or Hawaii, there will be additional shipping charges on items you win.

We recommend that you click on the How BidCactus Works link at the top of our home page. This will give you detailed instructions of how to use our site and tips on how to increase your chances of winning. Also, our FAQs (frequently asked questions) may answer many of the things you may be unsure about. Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-BID-8711 if you are still not sure how to use our site. We would be happy to assist you! Live customer service is available Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST.

Despite the fact that many of our items are auctioned off for a few pennies, BidCactus does operate at a profit. We base profit not only on an item’s final auction price, but also the number of bids placed over the course of the auction. (Bids are purchased by users at a cost of 75 cents per bid). We do lose money on some auctions, but it’s balanced out by the more successful auctions.

We are a 100% legitimate auction site operating out of Westport, Connecticut, and a verified PayPal and Authorize.net merchant. Approximately 2,000 items are auctioned on BidCactus each week, and we guarantee that these products are shipped to you brand new, un-opened and in factory condition.

BidCactus has been reviewed by several independent penny auction review sites such as PennyAuctionWatch.com. We also encourage our auction winners to post a review of us on YouTube, so you’ll find a lot of videos about us there. You can also check out our Facebook page (Facebook.com/bidcactus). We welcome you to read user comments and join in the discussions about our site!

If you are a new user, we strongly recommend that you click on the “How Bidcactus Works” and “FAQs” links at the top of our home page. These pages explain the rules, and have a lot of tips and strategies that may increase your user experience. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to email or give us a call at 1-800-BID-8711. Live customer service is available Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST.

All bidders on our site are actual, live customers in various parts of the country. We do not and have never used bots or shill bidders. We are currently working with an independent audit company to certify this statement. We are the number one auction site in the US in terms of traffic and customer service. Please check out PennyAuctionTraffic.com to independently assess our popularity. Our Terms and Condiditions also clearly state that BidCactus employees are not allowed to participate in auctions.

BidCactus rules state that players are limited to 6 wins per day (3 items plus 3 Bidpacks or Gift Certificates), with a maximum of 30 wins in 30 days. Our system automatically locks users out of bidding after they have reached their win limit; at that point, they can only observe the site or pay for items won.

Keep in mind that some users on the site regularly hit their win limits each day. We have some very enthusiastic “regulars” on the site, however our system does ensure that win limits are enforced and no one player dominates the wins.

An auction ends when the auction clock reaches zero AND when people stop bidding on an item (more about auction clocks below). Our auctions are completely interest driven; some may go on for hours while others will end after only a few bids. It often depends on the website traffic and the popularity of the item up for auction.

A note about the auction clocks. When an auction is posted on the site, it is given an initial auction clock time (such as 15 minutes, or 2 hours). However, as you probably noticed by watching the site, some of the auction clocks get close to zero and then increase again. When the auction is “in the zone” – that is, when there are less than two minutes remaining on the auction clock – any bid placed will increase the clock by 10-30 seconds. The reason for the time increase is to give other users a chance to respond and bid again if they wish (similar to the way an auctioneer in a live auction says “going, going, GONE”). If nobody else bids when the clock says “GONE”, the auction will end.

We recommend that new users read the rules, observe the site for a while and watch several auctions end to get a feel for how and when to bid.

Keep in mind that our auction clocks work a little differently than other auction sites out there.

When an auction is “in the zone” – that is, when there are less than two minutes remaining on the auction clock – any bid placed will increase the clock by 10-30 seconds. The reason for the time increase is to give other users a chance to respond and bid again if they wish (similar to the way an auctioneer in a live auction says “going, going, GONE”). This also prevents auction sniping, when a single user bids at the last possible second, giving other people no chance to outbid them.

Our auctions are completely interest driven; some may go on for hours while others will end after only a few bids. It often depends on the website traffic and the popularity of the item up for auction. The auction ends when people stop bidding on an item (either because they decide not to bid anymore, or run out of bids, etc.) and the auction clock reaches zero.

BidCactus has approximately 250 – 300 auctions ending on any given day. Details of recently ended auctions can be found on the left side of our home page. Also, read the above FAQs for more information regarding auction clocks.

The final auction price is what the auction winner pays for an item. Whatever the auction price is when the final winning bid is placed is considered the final auction price. For example, if an auction ends at $0.43, the winner pays $0.43 to get the item (plus shipping & handling, and CT state tax if applicable).

You purchase bids up front at a cost of $0.75 each. So when you’re bidding on an auction, you have to keep in mind that each bid is costing you $0.75. This should be part of your auction strategy.

However, since bids are pre-purchased, we’re not actually charging you each time you place a bid on an auction. The bids are already paid for.

Note that once you place a bid on an auction it is considered “used” and will not be returned to your account, whether you win the auction or not.

You purchase bids up front at a cost of $0.75 each. You won’t ever be charged during an auction unless you run low on bids and decide to purchase another Bidpack. The only time your card will ever be charged is when you go through a check-out screen; you are in complete control of what you purchase.

Note that once you place a bid on an auction it is considered “used” and will not be returned to your account, whether you win the auction or not.

To get started on our site, you must first purchase bids for your Cactus Account. Then you can bid on auctions.

We also auction off Bidpacks or Gift Certificates in various denominations. If you win a Bidpack, bids will be credited to your account once you check it out of your cart.

Both purchased bids and auctioned bids can be used to bid on any live auction on our site.

Any bid placed during an auction is considered “used” and will not be returned to your account, whether you win the auction or not. This is an inherent feature of our site and is explained in the site rules, Terms and Conditions and FAQs.

We do this for two reasons. The first is that it eliminates inflated auction prices that would occur if users knew they would have nothing to risk if they lost. A non-refundable bid means that each bidder has a stake in the auction, and is not likely to make trivial bids. Second, this policy is what allows us to offer items at such low auction end prices. The amount of bids we collect during an auction covers the cost of the item for us.

Each bid you place can only be for the designated amount of $0.01 or $0.10 (the majority of our auctions are $0.01 auctions). You cannot place a bid for a larger amount.

The password retrieval system is completely automated. If you go to the top of our home page, next to the Username / Password boxes, there is a green button with an arrow. Click on it, and it will give you options for retrieving your password.

Make sure that Caps Lock is off and your username and password are typed correctly. If there are any spaces or capital letters in your login, please make sure that you are entering them correctly.

If you are still unable to log in, try using our password retrieval system. If you go to the top of the BidCactus home page, next to the Username / Password boxes, there is a green button with an arrow. Click on it, and it will give you options for retrieving your password.

Have you been shamelessly bragging about your BidCactus wins to all of your friends? Convinced a friend to come use our site? You could be the proud owner of 5 free bids. Here’s how it works:

Email info@bidcactus.com and tell us the first & last name of the friend you referred, plus their email address. Your friend must have created an account AND purchased bids in order for you to get credit. After verification, we’ll credit your account with 5 bids.

We know you're happy that it's Friday. So are we. So happy that if you buy a 50 Bidpack between the hours posted on the site's banner we'll automatically throw in 5 bonus bids to kick start your weekend!