Frequently Asked Questions

When you complete your registration, you'll be able to add items to your watchlist and receive notifications, bid on our auctions, make purchases within The Shop, and track your item and experience redemptions from your account. By joining Charitybuzz, you're unlocking access to remarkable experiences, unique collectibles, unforgettable travel and more, all while supporting thousands of charities around the world.

Get ready to live well and give well with Charitybuzz.

To begin, click REGISTER on the log-in screen. Then add your contact, payment, billing and shipping information to your account, and create a username and password. Your username will be displayed any time you place a bid. Once you've completed registration, you're ready to bid on auctions, buy instantly in The Shop, "watch" items that interest you, and modify your account settings whenever you want!

Questions? Email cs@charitybuzz.com or call Customer Service at (212) 243-3900.

There is no cost to join Charitybuzz. Your payment method on file is charged when you win an auction lot or make a purchase.

Please note Charitybuzz does validate your credit card with a $1 authorization, which should fall off your account within 72 hours. The $1 authorization does not imply a purchase has been made or attempted, and there are no further pending charges as a result of the validation.

Charitybuzz adheres to the PCI Data Security Standard set of requirements, which includes security policies and their enforcement, system and network architecture, software design, and monitoring and testing. Our transactions are conducted via SSL encrypted channel, and payment and personally identifiable information is never sent in plain unencrypted text. Transaction information is stored in a secure and encrypted manner. Our employees have access to your name and contact information, but no one has access to your payment information.

Our online auctions are open to all registered customers, with all bidding taking place on the Charitybuzz platform. You'll see the closing date and countdown of time remaining on each item page. You're welcome to bid on as many auctions as you'd like simultaneously. Once you start bidding, you'll be notified whenever you are outbid, as well as when the auction is nearing its scheduled closing. When an auction closes, the high bidder receives an email confirming the exciting news that they've won. Winning bids are final and charged to the winner's payment method on file, along with applicable fees and taxes. A portion of each auction Hammer Price (high bid) benefits a charitable organization, so simply by participating in a Charitybuzz auction, you're helping charities earn more.

First, make sure you're logged into your Charitybuzz account. To add your favorite items and experiences to your Watchlist, click the heart icon on the auction lot image, or select "Add to Watchlist" from the item detail page. To view your Watchlist, visit the "My Bids" section of your Charitybuzz account. We'll email you notifications about auctions on your Watchlist, so you don't miss out on something you really want!

The Max Bid feature is a great option if you don't have time to monitor an auction, and know the maximum amount you are willing to pay for a particular lot. When you set a Max Bid, our system will automatically place bids on your behalf, up to the Max Bid you set for that auction. Your Max Bid is not displayed publicly, and you won't bid up to that amount unless other users place competing bids. Here's an example of how it works.

- A Charitybuzz auction has a current bid of $0. The minimum bid is $500.
- Jake places and confirms a Max Bid of $1000. Jake's bid is displayed as $500. The next minimum bid is $550.
- Isabella places a bid of $550, but she is automatically notified onscreen that her bid was not accepted, because it did not exceed the Max Bid placed by a previous bidder (Jake).
- Jake's bid is automatically increased to $650.
- If no other bids are placed, Jake is the winner at $650.
- If another bidder overtakes Jake's $1000 max bid, Jake will receive an outbid notice via email, and an alert will appear near his name on the top right corner of the Charitybuzz website.

Don't hesitate to reach out to our team at cs@charitybuzz.com with any questions about setting a Max Bid!

A Reserve Bid is the minimum price requested by a Seller that an auction lot must reach in order to be won. Reserve Bids are optional, and are found most commonly in art, vehicle, and other high-value auction categories. You'll notice when an auction lot has a Reserve Bid because the current winning bidder for the lot will be listed as "Reserve Bid Not Met."

No, bids cannot be retracted. All bids placed on the Charitybuzz website are legally binding (more in our Terms). If you are the winning bidder, you enter into a legal contract to purchase the item and become the buyer of the item/experience. We are strict about adhering to this rule to maintain the integrity of our auctions, and we suggest you consider each bid carefully.

The most exciting part of many auctions is the closing, and we often see people jump in to bid in the last few minutes of an auction. In cases when a bid is placed during the final 10 minutes before an auction's designated close time, the close time is extended by an additional 10 minutes from when that last bid is placed – this allows bidders a chance to "stay in the race" and compete for something they really want. As long as people keep bidding, the time keeps being extended in 10 minute increments.

Buyer's premium is a charge paid by the auction winner, in addition to the auction Hammer Price. Lower than the average across auction houses worldwide, the Charitybuzz buyer's premium helps us continually improve the auction experience for both our charity partners and our customers. Buyer’s premiums on Charitybuzz currently range from 15%–20%, based on the final Hammer Price of the auction lot. Buyer’s premium rates are as follows:

20% on winning bids up to $50,000
15% on winning bids above $50,000

We introduced the cost calculator to help bidders see what your end cost might be factoring in your bid amount and the fixed fees that would be associated with winning the auction, such as our buyer’s premium. This way you can make the most informed decision possible when it comes to your bid! You’ll see a prompt to “Try our Cost Calculator” right underneath the bid box on each auction page. Click there, then in the cost calculator, you’ll be able to enter a potential bid amount and instantly see an estimation of your fixed fees if you were to win the auction.

Please note variable fees like tax and shipping do not always apply to an auction lot – specific information about shipping charges can be found in the “Shipping and Redemptions” tab of any auction lot page.

The Shop is our curated, buy-now boutique featuring instant access to epic adventures and memorable events, uncommon gifts and collectibles, even celebrity encounters. The Shop provides you the opportunity to buy listed items immediately, complementing our auctions.

As with all Charitybuzz purchases, sales within The Shop generate vital funds for our charity beneficiaries. Each item detail page within The Shop features an "About the Charity" section with more information about the respective beneficiary.

To purchase within The Shop, select the quantity of the item, click the Add to Cart button, and check out to complete your order! If you purchase an experience, you'll receive an email from us soon after that includes contact information and next steps to redeem it.

"Charitybuzz Access" is our private, membership-based concierge service that fulfills your specific bespoke requests, and offers special experiences and items to purchase directly. The sky is the limit with Charitybuzz Access. You can purchase something for yourself and your family, as a gift, or even to reward your team or secure new business. We've brought dreams like this to life, and so much more:

Private meeting with a CEO, lunch with a celebrity, VIP concert tickets with backstage/meet-and-greet access, walk-on roles in movies/TV shows, meet an athlete at a sporting event, internships, movie/TV set visits, tickets to film premieres, fashion show tickets, VIP tour of luxury car factory, tour of a Fortune 500 company.

As with all Charitybuzz purchases, a portion of each Access deal benefits a charitable organization. When a charity provides the experience, 75%-80% of the Net Proceeds goes to that organization, and in other cases, a designated percentage of at least 3% ends up with a benefitting organization – all of which will be disclosed clearly prior to your purchase decision. Every custom experience will include an agreed-upon contract that outlines the terms and details of the deal.

To get started, email VIP@charitybuzz.com or give us a call, tell us what you've been dreaming up, and we'll do the rest. Make sure to know your budget and communicate those guidelines up front, as well as any other important parameters. Our dedicated concierge team will research your request for 2-4 weeks, and keep you updated throughout the process. Price and availability will vary across dates, locations, types of experiences, and other factors. After all, no two dreams are exactly alike.

Sales tax will be charged on your hammer price, shipping charges, and buyer premium charges per the applicable state law(s). Sales tax is considered a destination tax. The percentage value of tax charged may vary based on the applicable city, county and state, as determined by your shipping address on file for any shipped items. It also may be affected by the confirmed location of any experiences. According to the respective state laws, Charitybuzz will automatically use your billing address as a destination if no shipping address is specified in your account. In this case, sales tax will be charged based on the billing address associated with the primary form of payment registered on your account.

100% of Net Proceeds (as defined in our Terms) for purchases on Charitybuzz goes to the Pledgeling Foundation, a nationally registered 501(c)(3) public charity, who then grants the funds, less fees, to the benefiting organization disclosed on the item page. If the Hammer Price you paid exceeds fair market value of the item or experience, that difference may be considered tax deductible. Fair market value generally is considered the amount for which it typically is available for retail purchase in the marketplace. Any “Estimate” listed for any item is a best-guess prediction of the anticipated selling price and not a representation of fair market value. Your purchase receipt will include the fair market value of your item or experience.

Please note that we're not tax experts and can't provide tax advice – consult a tax professional to determine potential deductibility of your purchase.

You can reset your password by clicking here on the log in screen. If you have any problems, email cs@charitybuzz.com and we will gladly reset your password for you.

Charitybuzz contributes a portion of every purchase to a charitable organization. For donated items, the benefiting organization listed on the item page generally receives 80% of Net Proceeds (Hammer Price minus payment processing fees). When an item is not donated, but sourced by Charitybuzz, we donate a minimum of 10% of Charitybuzz proceeds for the purchase to the charity listed on the item page.

For all purchases, 100% of Net Proceeds goes to the Pledgeling Foundation, a nationally registered 501(c)(3) public charity, who then grants the funds, less fees, to the benefiting organization disclosed on the item page.

Each item detail page outlines the shipping and handling costs in a tab called "Shipping & Redemption," and we email redemption information to the buyer, as every Charitybuzz purchase is unique. The terms for the item you purchase may indicate special delivery instructions or geographic limits. Please see below for standard Charitybuzz shipping guidelines, and don't hesitate to reach out to shipping@charitybuzz.com with questions.

- A handling fee of $9.95 for non-tangible items may apply.
- The shipping charge for hard copies of tickets and certificates is $14.95 to $24.95.
- The minimum shipping charge for merchandise is $24.95, with the average shipping charge being $59.95. Charges for some items are based on factors including, but not limited to: oversized packaging, physical weight, fragile packaging, warehousing fees, shipping location, customs fees, and additional insurance. Additional shipping fees may appear as a separate charge after the final cost has been determined.
- Shipments outside the U.S. are subject to additional shipping and customs fees.
- Tickets, certificates and merchandise are typically shipped via professional carrier, with signature required, unless otherwise specified. Merchandise is insured for the total purchase price.
- In some cases, tickets will be left at the venue's "Will Call" window under the customer's name.

We want to make sure your item arrives safely and quickly! We ship merchandise, travel certificates and hard copies of tickets via FedEx as promptly as possible after a credit card has been charged, and share that shipping information with you. For delivery of high-value physical items, we use professional shipping services and work closely with you to arrange a convenient delivery date. Charitybuzz insures tangible items for the full value of the winning bid or purchase price.

For non-tangible items, we email customers details redemption instructions for experiences and any necessary redemption certificates in electronic format. If you do need a hard copy, it's no problem, just let us know.

After your purchase, you will receive an email from us with next steps for coordinating the experience, including an introduction to your main point-of-contact for redemption. We care greatly about our customers' experiences and always want to do what we can to assist, so please copy cs@charitybuzz.com on your redemption email correspondence in case there's anything we can help with. At any point throughout the process, please reach out to our Customer Service team with questions: cs@charitybuzz.com or (212) 243-3900. You can also see the status of your experience redemptions when you're logged into your Charitybuzz account, at the "Redeem" tab.

As the experts in the ecommerce-for-good space, Charitybuzz has worked with more than 4,500 non-profit organizations across the globe, from small, one-person teams, to international chapter enterprises. We want to help you achieve your goals and unlock new, unrestricted funding. To learn more, please visit Charitybuzz.com /Partners, email us at partnerships@charitybuzz.com or call 646-998-6177 between 9AM – 6PM ET.

Partnering with Charitybuzz is a streamlined, effective way to get your once-in-a-lifetime experiences and rare, collectible or unique items in front of affluent, engaged buyers. We often work with celebrities and brands on their fundraising campaigns, and with vendors and other types of partners. To get started and learn more, reach out to partnerships@charitybuzz.com.

When we work with charity partners to auction or sell items that were donated, we ensure at least 80% of the Net Proceeds from auctions or buy-now sales (as defined in our Terms) goes to that benefitting organization. Charitybuzz generally takes a 20% service fee for nonprofit sales through our platform. There is no up-front fee for nonprofits to partner with Charitybuzz. Learn more about our partnership benefits and structure at Charitybuzz.com /Partners.