Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs )

The companies or individuals needing a product or service create "Request for Proposals" (RFPs). These are the buyers mentioned above. We refer to them as "Requesters". The sellers of such products and services are called "Bidders". (Only in RFP Auction formats)

After the RFP auction has ended, the "Requester" (buyer) then manually reviews all bids and conditions of all items plus the the "Bidder's" Profile (Mini Webpage), and manually selects the winning bidder. The winning bidder is notified by e-mail.

The winning bidder is determined by the RFP Requester.

The lowest bid is not always the winning bid.

• Requesters (Buyers): These are companies or individuals that purchase marine related products and services such as Insurance Companies, Private Boat Owners, Private Waterfront Home Owners, Marinas and Boat Manufacturers.

• Bidders (Sellers): These are companies or individuals that sell marine related products or services such as boatyards and shipyards, marine repair facilities, engine and equipment dealers, boat trailer manufacturers, boat towing companies, boat transporting companies and dock & sea wall companies.

• The Exchange Process: A Requester (buyer) sets up an RFP on MBx requesting bidders (sellers) to bid on product to purchase or a service to complete. A seller (bidder) then reviews the RFP and submits a bid with a conditional statement on each item in the RFP. All items in an RFP must have bids. All bids are sealed bids and presented to the requester after the RFP auction has ended. The requester then selects the bidder based upon, not only price, but logistics, qualifications, experience, capabilities and price.

Requester (Buyer)	Product and/or Service	Bidder (Sellers)
Marine Insurance Company	Repair a damaged boat	Boatyards
Marine Insurance Company	Replace a stolen inflatable dinghy	Inflatable Dinghy Dealers
Private Boat Owner	Repower / Repaint / Refit a yacht	Boatyards

The companies or individuals selling a product or service create "Forward Auctions". These are the sellers mentioned above. We now refer to them as "Requesters" that request buyers to buy their products or services. The buyers of such products and services are called "Bidders". (Only in Forward Auction formats.)

After the Forward Auction has ended, MBx names the winning bidder based solely upon the amount of the highest bid. Both the requester and the winning bidder are automatically notified by e-mail.

The winning bidder is determined solely by the amount of the highest bid.

• Bidders (Buyers): These are companies or individuals that buy marine related products such as boat salvage companies, cargo salvage companies and the public.

• Requesters (Sellers): These are companies or individuals that sell marine related products such as Insurance companies, Freight Consignee's, Shippers, Freight Forwarders, and the public.

• The Exchange Process: A Requester (Seller) sets up a forward auction to solicit the highest bid to purchase an item (boat or cargo). The highest bidder is the winning bidder.

See examples below:

• Recreational Boat Repair RFPs

• Damaged Vessel Auctions

• Private Owner Forward Auctions

• Commercial Vessel Repair RFPs

• Private Owner Repaint/Repower/Refit RFPs

• Damaged Cargo Sealed Bid Auctions

• Stolen Boat Notifications and Rewards

• Boat Trailer Repair/Replacement RFPs

• Vessel Towing RFPs (Wet)

• Boat Transporting RFPs (Dry)

• Dock & Seawall Installation/Repair RFPs

• Vessel Condition & Valuation Survey RFPs

1. All communication between our Auction Engine, Bidders and Requesters, is accomplished by e-mail. We have to make sure we have your correct e-mail address through a registration confirmation process.

2. Registration establishes a User Profile that many times determines the difference between one bidder and another when it comes to selection by the RFP Requester.

3. Registration provides us billing information to setup your account.

STEP 1 - Find the right registration form - Go to our registration page where you will find three (3) different type registration forms. Select the Registration Form that best describes the market segment you represent.

As a Requester, at the end of each auction, our billing software will automatically debit your account according to the commission schedule and featured and bold options you have selected. See our Pricing Page.

STEP 2 - Fill in the entire Registration Form including your correct e-mail address. - DONT' GUESS!  LOOK YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS UP IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT WHAT IT IS. Then after you enter it, double check to make sure it has been entered correctly. If your e-mail address is not correct, you will not receive our Welcome Letter with your confirmation code in it to finish your registration. Our whole bid information processing system is via e-mail.

STEP 3 - Confirm your registration - After filling out all the necessary information, you will get your User ID, Password and Confirmation Code in our Welcome Letter via e-mail within a few minutes.

• Get your e-mail and please write down your User ID, Password & Confirmation Code on a piece of paper for safe offline keeping.
• Read the instructions in Welcome Letter. Click on the link to our Confirmation Page or if your e-mail browser doesn't support hyperlinks, copy and paste it into your browser's address box or simply come back to this page and click on Confirmation
• Enter your User ID, Password & Confirmation Code and hit "Submit". That's all there is to it! You will see a response acknowledging that your registration has been confirmed.

Listing an Auction on is FREE

Bidders are not asked for their Credit Card during registration as there are NO Fees for Bidders. MBx provides this exchange service for Requesters and Bidders participate.

SSL Certificates

It is very important for you to protect yourself against unauthorized access to your password. Be sure to sign off before leaving a shared computer.

What do I do now?

2.  Absolute Forward Auctions - There is NO Transaction Fee for bidders and NO Listing Fee for Requesters! The highest bidder is the winning bidder at the end of the auction. The Requester is charged a transaction fee based upon the highest bid at the end of the auction.

3.  Reserve Price Forward Auctions - There is NO Transaction Fee for bidders and NO Listing Fee for Requesters! The highest bidder is the winning bidder only if the Requester's (seller's) reserve price as been met or exceeded. A Reserve Price Auction is an auction where the Requester (seller) sets a starting price that is below the lowest price they are willing to accept for that item and a Reserve Price, a price that must be met or exceeded to have a winning bid. No one but the seller knows what the Reserve Price is. All Reserve Price Auctions are clearly labeled with "Reserve Not Met Yet" until the reserve price has been met or exceeded. When the highest bid has met or exceeded the seller's reserve price, the auction then becomes a straight forward auction from that point on with no indication that it ever had a reserve price on it. If the reserve price is not met or exceeded, the seller is not obligated to sell the item to the highest bidder. Sellers set a low starting price with a reserve price to stimulate bidding on their auction.

Please fill in the form as detailed as possible, and remember that we highly recommend uploading photos with your items. You will have a chance to "Preview Your Listing" before starting your auction.

Go to Requester Services page and select the appropriate edit form.

Sellers of Boats ! Please note: We have given you the option of postponing the start of your auction for up to 7 days. Your boat will be displayed online immediately after you submit it for auction, but the system will NOT accept any bids until the pending auction becomes active. We did this for you to have time to advertise and field inquires before the auction starts. Your User ID will be displayed on your Auction Page for prospective bidders to contact you with questions and preview times. We also suggest that if you are currently displaying your boat with photos on another site somewhere on the Internet, that you link directly to that information in your description box. That will save you a lot of up-front inquires.

Example Link:

• A bid is considered a binding contract in most states, and sellers could take appropriate legal action if necessary.

• A Requester who repeatedly backs out of sales will lose his or her right to use this site.