FAQ
- Q: What is BuildingSurplus.com?
- Q: Does it cost anything?
- Q: Why do you ask for my phone number?
- Q: How can I post on the BuildingSurplus forum?
- Q: What's the image gallery for?
- Q: How do I post an image?
- Q: I'm not sure where to post my item - where should X go?
- Q: I just signed up for a new account, but when I try to log in it says that my account has been blocked! How do I fix this?
- Q: I'm not sure how old/what model/manufacturer/etc my product is. What should I put into the infofield?
- Q: I have a great, relevant article I'd like to submit to BuildingSurplus.com. How do I go about doing this?
- Q: Help, I'm getting too many results when I search for a product!
- Q: I have several items to sell - what's the most effective way for me to do this?
- Q: My Profile says that all my items are "Pending", why is it saying this and how can I get them posted?
Q: What is BuildingSurplus.com?
A: BuildingSurplus.com is a large user-driven marketplace where people can buy & sell new or used construction supplies. Suppliers and wholesalers post the listings, buyers use our website to find what they need and then contact the seller either via email or by phone. The rest of the transaction, such as delivery/pickup and method of payment, is left for the buyer and the seller to work out between themselves.
Q: Does it cost anything?
A: No! BuildingSurplus.com offers its service completely free of charge to both buyers and sellers; there are no fees incurred by BuildingSurplus.
Q: Why do you ask for my phone number?
A: Inputting a phone number is NOT a requirement for signing up - it's completely optional. We've added the option to add your phone number so that buyers and sellers might have a faster, easier way to communicate with one another. If you input your phone number, it will appear on your item postings. We do not share your personal information with anyone. Please check our Privacy Policy for more details.
Q: How can I post on the BuildingSurplus forum?
A: Simply create a BuildingSurplus.com account and you'll be able to post on our forums by simply logging in to your account.
Q: What's the image gallery for?
A: It's a place where members of the BuildingSurplus community can view and rate other member's images.
Q: How do I post an image?
A: To post an image, simply go to the gallery, click on "Upload Your Photo", then click the "Browse..." button and locate the image you want to share, fill in a brief description and you're done!
Q: I'm not sure where to post my item - where should X go?
A: If you can't find a category that your item fits under, select "Suggest a Category", which will always be the bottom subcategory choice when posting an item. Fill out the form and submit it for us to review; if we like your category and think it fits with the site, we'll add it!
Q: I just signed up for a new account, but when I try to log in it says that my account has been blocked! How do I fix this?
A: If you just signed up and your account is locked, the most likely reason is because you haven't yet clicked on the link in your confirmation email that was sent to you when you created your account. Be sure to check your junk/spam folder if you don't receive our email within 15 minutes. Once you click the confirmation link in the email, your account will be enabled!
Q: I'm not sure how old/what model/manufacturer/etc my product is. What should I put into the infofield?
A: If you ever aren't sure of what to put into a field when posting an item to Building Surplus, just select the appropriate option where applicable (such as "Not sure" or "Other") or else simply leave it blank. The info fields on our product posting page are to help buyers narrow down their selections and quickly assess if it's the product they're looking for - other than essential information, nothing additional is required.
Q: I have a great, relevent article I'd like to submit to BuildingSurplus.com. How do I go about doing this?
A: First off, you'll need to have a Building Surplus user account if you don't already. Next, login and navigate to our Forum; once there, go to the User-Submitted Articles forum. Post your article there. A BuildingSurplus administrator will check it over to decide if it's approved or not; if approved, it could end up syndicated in our article database!
Q: Help, I'm getting too many results when I search for a product!
A: BuildingSurplus.com offers several different methods to refine your search. First, try narrowing down your keywords - for example, search for "new green widget" instead of "widget". Another way to narrow down your search results is to only search within the categories you think you're most likely to find what you're looking for. All of these options can be found by going to our Advanced Search (link needed) page.
Q: I have several items to sell - what's the most effective way for me to do this?
A: You'll want to give each item its own listing except when you have several identical items. This increases the odds that someone will stumble upon your posting in their searches. To do this, after you fill in the information for your first item, instead of clicking "Post" click "Next Item". This will put your item into "Pending" and allow you to post more items. You can do this as many times as you want; on your final item, click on "Post" instead of "Next Item" and all of your pending items will then be posted.
Q: My Profile says that all my items are "Pending", why is it saying this and how can I get them posted?
A: This can sometimes occur when you're posting multiple items. If you click "Next Item" when posting, your listing gets put under "Pending Items" while you create your additional listings. When you've entered all of the items you'd like posted, you then click the "Finish" button and they'll all be live. If you do wind up having pending items, simply go click on "My Profile", select the items you'd like to go live from the list of pending items and then click the "Post Ads/Renew" button. Your ads will now be activated.
