Der Hammerstein is designed in such a way that it should feel familiar, the lay out and functionality similar to other mainstream auction platforms.
Logging in & registering
Before you can take advantage of the specimens on offer it is necessary to register. It only takes a few minutes to get set up and once done, you are able to bid on any item that interests you.
If you are registered but have forgotten your password, follow the link at the bottom of this page to reset your password.
Bidding
The process of bidding is more or less, self-explanatory. Enter a value that you are comfortable with in the text field and hit ‘place bid’. Der Hammerstein will apply your bid and if it exceeds the maximum bid of the previous bidder, you will become the highest bidder and will be in line to win the item, assuming you are not out bid.
It’s worth noting that the last few minutes of an auction can be chaotic so it’s worth placing a high bid earlier. The price may rise but you stand a better chance of securing the specimen than if you wait until the last second to bid.
If you are outbid during the auction proceedings, you will receive an e-mail notification to let you know, inviting you to place another bid.
Reserves
Like a real, live auction Der Hammstein allows dealers to use reserves. The reserve is implemented as a minimum sales value and is generally a degree higher than the start price, although it should be lower than a buy it now price. A reserve remains hidden until it is met to engage users and encourage them to bid. If a user bids but the reserve is not met, the bid value goes up to the users maximum bid, however the reserve remains unmet. The User can then choose to bid again or another user can bid and try to meet the reserve. It is also a useful tool for sellers, giving them an insight into what the customers are looking to pay for an item. Should the item fail to reach its reserve, the seller may still decide to offer the item to the customer at that price so don't be afraid to bid on an item with a reserve.
Buy It now
The buy it now price gives bidders the option to end the auction early and buy the specimen outright without the risk of missing out at the last minute. The buy it now is only available while there are no bids so as soon as someone has placed a bid, the item cannot be bought using buy it now.
Winning an item
Congratulations, you’ve won the auction! It’s always a great feeling winning a specimen, especially if it’s a great one. After you’ve won an item, the seller will be notified that they should send an invoice. You should receive this relatively quickly but don’t worry too much if it takes a day or two before you are invoiced; the dealers auction has just finished and they may have tens of items to invoice which can take a little time.
The invoice will arrive to you electronically with details of shipping as well as the payment method. If you choose to pay using PayPal, a link will be available taking you directly to the merchants Paypal invoice where you will be able to review, leave a short message and pay. Then its job done; sit back and wait for your specimen to arrive.
If the dealer offers alternative payment methods, you may need to contact them directly to make payment. For your security, we do not recommend un-secure payment methods such as cash on collection. If you chose to pay using an alternative method, Der Hammerstein will be unable to support any issues that may arise during this transaction.
Setting up automatic notifications
Many mineral collectors have decided to focus their collections on specimens that fulfil specific criteria. This specialisation means that collectors frequently search for the same items over and over again. To simplify this, Der Hammerstein allows collectors to apply keywords to their profile in order to receive notifications when an item that contains the keyword is added.
Keyword notifications are activated within the account admin section of your profile by locating the keyword field at the top of this page. Once your keyword is entered, strike the return key to add the item to your notification list. There is no limit to the number of keywords you add however, it is worth remembering that if you add a commonly used word, you will get a large number of notifications so try to be specific.
To remove a notification, simply select the ‘X’ to the right of the keyword and you will no longer receive notifications for that particular keyword.