Help & faq

Buy
Sell
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About InstantFinder

Buy
1. Account Information
  1. How do I create an account with InstantFinder?
    1. Click register and provide the needed information. You will receive a confirmation email with an activation link. Click the activation link.
  2. Can I use my email id instead of username to sign in?
    1. Yes.
  3. What if I forget my username or password?
    1. You can request a new password by entering your email ID on the login page.
  4. Can I delete my account with InstantFinder?
    1. Yes, use the basic settings link on your account page.
  5. Can I change my email id associated with InstantFinder account?
    1. Yes, use the basic settings link on your account page.
  6. Can I change my username?
    1. No, username cannot be changed.
  7. How do I change my password?
    1. Use the change password link on your account page.
  8. Can I receive notification on my mobile?
    1. Yes, use the notification settings link in your account page to provide your cell phone number and service provider.
2. Buying process
  1. How do I purchase an item on InstantFinder?
    1. Step 1 - Choose an item to buy. Your shopping cart will display the selected item. Continue shopping if you want multiple items, and choose the other items.
    2. Step 2 - You can enter the quantity of the item and calculate the shipping fee. To update this information, use the update cart button.
    3. Step 3 - Enter your billing information. For your security, we do not save your billing information, so it needs to be entered each time.
    4. Step 4 - When done, click checkout in the shopping cart area.
    5. Step 5 - Finally click on confirm and buy buttons. Pay using all major credit cards or by PayPal.
  2. What if I have some questions to the seller?
    1. Click the contact us link from the store page or the product page.
    2. InstantFinder encourages our sellers to integrate their Facebook business pages into their store pages, on the right hand side of the image of an item. With this, buyers can view posts and comments related to the product. Buyers who are Facebook users can also leave a comment or ask a question by liking the seller’s page. They don’t have to leave the seller’s InstantFinder page to do so.
    3. You may also look at the feedback received by the seller by clicking on the feedback link on the right hand side under the seller information.
  3. How do I ensure the credibility of the seller?
    1. You can look at the feedback received by the seller by clicking the feedback link on the product or store page. Seller feedback is 100% user-generated.
  4. Can I use the video chat to talk directly to the seller?
    1. Yes, if the seller is online, you can click the chat link from a product, ad or store page. You may use the video chat to see the product.
3. Payment process
  1. Where do I find the shipping charges?
    1. You can find the shipping charges – domestic or international - below the item image.
    2. When you choose to buy an item, you will also see a link to calculate shipping charges. You may choose normal or fast delivery.
    3. Remember to check if the seller ships internationally before proceeding with payment.
  2. Does InstantFinder support my currency?
    1. We support all major currencies. Click on the currency symbol in the product page and change it to your preferred currency to see the product price in that currency.
  3. How secure is my payment options?
    1. Your payment is fully secured and safe. We do not store your credit card or PayPal payment details. We use GeoTrust SSL to communicate your credit card and PayPal details to our credit card payment processor. To ensure that communications between your browser and InstantFinder’s servers are private and secure, we use GeoTrust SSL certificates with 256-bit encryption. This provides the highest level of encryption and security possible. To learn more, visit https://smarticon.geotrust.com/smarticonprofile?Referer=http://instantfinder.com.
  4. Where do I check the status of my order?
    1. The order status link on the your account page can be used to check the status of your order.
  5. What buyer protection plans does InstantFinder have?
    1. We encourage buyers and sellers to resolve disputes on their own, as this is most effective. If it cannot be resolved in this manner, a buyer should contact PayPal or his Credit Card company, depending on payment method. View information on buyer protection. InstantFinder will bar buyers or sellers with more than three disputes from using its site.
4. Buyer protection
  1. What if I have not received an item on time?
    1. Depending on the shipping method, items shipped domestically can take up to 10-14 days to arrive. Internationally shipped items can take up to 21 days.
    2. Here are few steps you can initiate to resolve the issue.
      1. (i) Contact the seller to see the status of your order. On every item you purchase on InstantFinder, you have an option to contact the seller from the order status page; use this option see their response.
      2. (ii) If you do not get a response from the seller after emailing them, or if the item does not arrive after 14 days (domestic shipment) and 21 days (international shipment), inform InstantFinder Customer Support. InstantFinder will reach the seller in parallel and will monitor the process.
      3. (iii) If the issue remains unsolved, you have two options.
        - File a claim with PayPal. If you have made your purchase through your PayPal account, you may initiate a claim for refund with PayPal. You should claim within 45 days of your purchase. Read more about PayPal protection plan here.
        - File a claim with your Credit card Company. If you have made your purchase using a Credit card, you may apply for a chargeback with them. Please contact your Credit card Company for more information.
  2. How does a resolution process work?
    1. (i) If the product is in transit, obtain the tracking number from the seller and check with the shipper.
    2. (ii) If you have not received the item, and seller cannot provide proof of shipment, seller should give you a refund. If seller does not agree, contact PayPal or your Credit Card company, and notify InstantFinder.
    3. (iii) If seller promises a refund and you do not receive it, contact PayPal or your Credit Card company, and notify InstantFinder.
    4. (iv) Buyer may choose to receive replacement item(s). If you do not receive a replacement, contact PayPal or your Credit Card company, and notify InstantFinder.
  3. What if the item received is damaged or not similar to the one described?
    1. Here are few steps you can take if you are dissatisfied by the condition of the item you received.
      1. (i) Contact the seller with your concerns on the condition of the item. Most sellers will be happy to replace an item if it is their fault, or negotiate a suitable compromise if there is disagreement on the source of the fault.
      2. (ii) If you think seller changed the description of the item after selling it to you, notify InstantFinder.
      3. (iii) If the issue remains unsolved after these efforts, you have the following two options.
        - File a claim with PayPal. If you have made your purchase through your PayPal account, you may initiate a claim for refund with PayPal. You should claim within 45 days of your purchase. See PayPal protection plan.
        - File a claim with your Credit card Company. If you have made your purchase using a credit card, you may claim for a chargeback with them. Please contact your credit card company for more information.
  4. How does a resolution process work in case of an item damaged or not as described in the listing?
    1. You have the following options to settle the issue
      1. (i) You can work out a partial refund for the item that is damaged or not similar to the one described, while keeping the item.
      2. (ii) You can ship the item back to the seller and get a refund according to the seller's refund policy.
      3. (iii) You can opt for a replacement item with consent of seller.
  5. Who will pay the shipping charges, if I am sending a product back?
    1. It is customary for the buyer to pay for return shipping unless the seller sent the wrong item.
  6. How do you ensure a refund in case of a damaged or unsatisfactory product that is shipped back?
    1. Your refund amount and methods depend on your closure with the seller. A seller will normally remit the refund through the same payment method you used to pay for the item. If you have not received a refund within the timeframe agreed to, contact PayPal or your Credit Card company, and notify InstantFinder.
5. Feedback process
  1. How do I leave my feedback on the purchase?
    1. You will receive an email to provide feedback right after you change your order status to "Received" from the order status page. Also, if the seller integrated his store with his/her Facebook account, you can use the seller’s integrated Facebook account page to leave feedback.
Sell
1. Fee/commission
  1. As a seller, do I have to pay for an online store on InstantFinder?
    1. No, InstantFinder offers free online stores for everyone. You can list an unlimited number of items in your online store.
  2. What is the catch? How does InstantFinder make money?
    1. There is simply no charge for the store on InstantFinder. We charge you 2.99% of the final price only when you sell an item.
  3. Does this 2.99% of the final price include PayPal fee?
    1. No. PayPal fee are charged separately, which varies according to PayPal’s policies. Please visit here to know more about PayPal fees.
2. Create a store
  1. How do I start as a seller on InstantFinder?
    1. You need to sign up as a seller using the register link on in the top left of any page. Every member is allocated a free store
  2. Where do I list my items for sale?
    1. After logging in, go to "Add items for sale to your online store" in the member area.
  3. What basic information do i need to start a store?
    1. Store name – Your store name must be your business name. It should not be the name of the store owner.
    2. Store logo – A logo of your business must be uploaded to your store.
  4. What are the mandatory links on my store? What information should i provide?
    1. About us – You must state the nature of your business, when established, and other details that provide credibility.
    2. Store policies – Your store policies must include
      1. A privacy policy which specifies on how you would collect, store and use your buyer’s personal and financial information if collected.
      2. A refund policy which specifies how you would handle requests for refund and disputes.
    3. Customer service – You must include your business address and telephone number. This page contains an option to contact you through email. While InstantFinder needs your email address, you may elect to not display it to buyers.
    4. Feedback page – You don’t need to add any information to this page. However, the feedback will help improve the quality of your business.
3. Upload items
  1. What information are mandatory when uploading items to my store?
    1. The following information must be included in every item that you display on your InstantFinder store.
      1. Title of your item – The title must be clear, short and informative. You may include the brand or the product ID. Ensure that your item title does not exceed 70 characters.
      2. Description – Provide maximum details about your item in your description. Be sure to cover what a user would want to know. Ensure that the information relates to your product, not to its promotion.
      3. Region – You must choose the country where you are located.
      4. Price – You have the option to display price with or without discount. For items sold in bulk quantities, the price for the lowest purchasable quantity must be included.
      5. Discount – If you wish to offer a discount, please enter the discount in percentage.
      6. Quantity /Availability – Specify the number of items available.
      7. Wholesale pricing – Provide the details of your wholesale pricing.
      8. Store keeping unit (SKU) number – Provide the Store keeping unit (SKU) number.
      9. Condition – You must include the condition of your item. Item condition can be new, used or refurbished.
    2. Category & SEO details
      1. Category – If you wish to change the category or find a more specific category, change it here.
      2. Enter keywords – Enter search keywords in comma separated format. This data will be used by search engines. Specify exact or equivalent keywords to describe what you are advertising. We highly recommend you to use Google keyword tool to identify the most searched keywords.
      3. Meta description – Enter short description about your product, this data will be used by search engines
    3. Shipping details
      1. Be sure to specify the shipping charges. You may choose to ship free. If you charge, specify shipping charges for domestic and international locations. You may also specify charges for fast and normal delivery.
    4. Google attributes – InstantFinder submits all your items to Google. Google has made some of the following information mandatory to include the products in Google product search. Please note that we will only be able to submit those products that are updated with the following information to Google product search. You must choose the attribute from the dropdown to suit your product as Google has different requirements for different categories.
      1. GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) – This is mandatory for all items except custom made goods and apparel & accessories. If you are providing Brand and MPN, you may not submit this data.
      2. Brand – This is mandatory for all items except books, media and custom made goods. You may not submit this if you are to provide GTIN and MPN
      3. Manufacturer Part Number (MPN) – This is mandatory for all items except books, media and custom made goods. You may not submit this if you are to provide GTIN and brand.
      4. Manufacturer – This is not mandatory but we recommend you to add this data if available.
      5. Color – his is mandatory for all apparel items that target US. If you have multi color items, please use Color1/color2/color3 style.
      6. Size – This is mandatory for all apparel items that target US. For more information refer, http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1347943
      7. Gender – This is mandatory for all apparel items that target US. Possible values are 'male', 'female' and 'unisex'.
      8. Age group – This is mandatory for all apparel items that target US. Possible values are 'Kids' and 'Adults'.
      9. Shipping weight – This is required only if you specify a shipping rule based on shipping weight. The only accepted values are lb, pound, oz, ounce, g, gram, kg, kilogram.
      10. Google product category – This is mandatory for Apparel and Accessories', 'Media', and 'Software' categories, and are in feeds which target the US, UK, Germany, France, or Japan. Please refer http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1705911 for Google product taxonomy.
    5. Pictures and Slideshows
      1. You can upload 5 images of your item. Ensure that you upload different images for a better browsing experience for the buyer.
      2. Do not resize your images. Please upload images of 500 x 500 pixels.
      3. Ensure that images are clear.
      4. Respect copyrights.
      5. Upload a YouTube video of your item. Videos enhance user experience.
      6. You may also upload a slideshow.
  2. I have an eBay store, can I import the store over to InstantFinder?
    1. Yes, you can import your store over to InstantFinder from eBay, Amazon, or etsy. If you do not have a large number of items, it is better to upload products manually to your InstantFinder store as you can upload bigger images, optimize your products for search engines, and especially make it look beautiful to your buyers.
    2. You can also use our .csv bulk upload feature to upload your store item list using a comma-separated-value format file.
  3. Can I import the shipping & handling fee from ebay?
    1. At present we do not have an option to import the shipping and handling fee from eBay. However, sellers can manually input a common shipping fee for all their items while importing items from eBay.
    2. Sellers can also use their "Bulk editor" option from http://instantfinder.com/bulk-operations.php?action=shipping to apply a common shipping fee for all or some of their listings.
  4. How many images can I upload?
    1. You can upload up to five images for each of your products. You can include an unlimited number of images if hosted elsewhere.
  5. Can I upload videos to my store? How many videos?
    1. You can embed videos hosted on YouTube into your listing.
  6. Can I use my own video links?
    1. No. We do this to ensure that videos do not objectionable content, and are safe.
  7. Can I use slideshows of products in my store?
    1. You can embed slideshows hosted on Slide or Rockyou to your listing.
  8. How do I receive payments from the buyers?
    1. As a seller, you can update your PayPal account with InstantFinder to receive payment from buyers. You can update your PayPal account by going to the store settings in the member area.
  9. What kind of payment options you provide?
    1. Currently we support payment using PayPal, Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express.
  10. How do you manage feedback or comments from sellers?
    1. You will receive an email to provide feedback right after you change your order status to “Received” from the order status page. Also, if the seller integrated his store with his/her Facebook account, you can use the integrated Facebook account page of sellers to leave a feedback.
    2. We, using the integrated social media plugin from Facebook, give you an option to integrate your face book business page onto your store on InstantFinder.
    3. By integrating face book onto your store on InstantFinder, you are tapping into millions of Facebook users across the world.
  11. Where do I enter the shipping fee?
    1. When you add a product to your store, you will be prompted to add the shipping fees. Please ensure you specify the domestic and international shipping charges separately.
  12. Can I edit the shipping charges?
    1. Yes, you can edit all product related information by going to the bulk operations link in the member area
4. Promote your item
  1. How can I promote my item on InstantFinder?
    1. InstantFinder offers various features to promote your items through Search engine optimization, social media marketing and embedding your products to other sites.
    2. As you may understand, Search engine optimization, social media optimization and other viral features needs to start from the basic listing that you upload to your stores.
    3. Due to large number items from different sellers, InstantFinder is not able to edit each listing for better search engine presence.
    4. Here are few things that you must do while listing your product in your InstantFinder store.
      1. Know the keywords which are used to find your products through search engines. You can just use Google’s keyword tool to find them out.
      2. Find out one to three keywords for each item.
      3. Develop your product description, title and keywords list around these keywords.
      4. Do not just write the technical name of your product as its title. Please ensure that you use the exact keyword as the title or it’s a part of the title.
      5. You can give a complete description of the product in the description column.
    5. Try to explain things around these keywords for better search engine rankings.
    6. Images
      1. Use high quality images of your products on your stores. These images make a difference between you and your competitor.
      2. Make sure you have 5 different images of the same product.
      3. We can accommodate an image size of 500 x 500. Use the real estate to the maximum benefit.
      4. Make sure you have a logo uploaded to the store. If you do not have a logo, please upload your own photo. Buyers feel more comfortable buying from a person they can see. This results in high confidence among buyers, which increases sales.
  2. Customize your store on InstantFinder
    1. You can write about your business and its specific strengths.
    2. You can also customize pages like About Us, Customer Service, and Feedback in your store setting page.
  3. Use Social Media to promote your store
    1. Integrate your face book business page onto stores and item pages to engage your customers who are on social media.
    2. Make sure you post your offers, discounts and new products on to your business page.
    3. InstantFinder calls on buyers to use your Facebook business page as a place to get customer support, discuss and clarify.
5. Facebook Integration
  1. What options do I have to promote my InstantFinder store on Facebook?
    1. InstantFinder offers various features to promote your items on Facebook.
    2. You can integrate your Facebook page (not the personal profile) onto your InstantFinder Store.
    3. You can start a storeFront on your Facebook page and display your items to millions of Facebook users. Its free and simple.
  2. Here are the steps to integrate your Facebook page onto your store and start a Storefront on your Facebook page(?)
    1. Sign into your InstantFinder account. Click on Facebook integration on the left hand side of your member page.
    2. See the steps to display your storefront on Facebook. Click Start here.
    3. Like InstantFinder’s Facebook page and click Continue.
    4. Allow Facebook to run the application on your Facebook page.
    5. Update your Facebook page ID. Note that you will not be able to update the ID of your personal profile. If you do not have a page for your business on Facebook, create one here.
    6. Click “continue” or edit the page ID.
    7. To Display your InstantFinder store on your Facebook page, click “Add InstantFinder store to your Facebook page”.
    8. Click on “Add to Mmy Ppage” link on the left hand side of the Facebook page.
    9. Select which page you wish to add InstantFinder to.
    10. Here is one of the InstantFinder storefronts on Facebook.
    11. Choose to automate postings to your Facebook page when new items are added or when items are sold on your store by checking on the boxes as below.
  3. How do I make the storefront as my default Facebook landing page?
    1. After completing the Facebook storefront integration steps, visit “Edit page” on top right hand side of your Facebook page and choose the default landing tab as “Shop now”.
6. Orders & Payments
  1. When will I get paid?
    1. When a buyer pays, you get paid immediately. InstantFinder's 2.99% fee is automatically deducted from your PayPal account. You can check your PayPal account to see that your transaction has been posted.
  2. As a seller, do I have any other mode of payment options like direct payment or check?
    1. No, you will be paid only through your PayPal account.
  3. What seller protection plans do you have?
    1. Sellers are paid directly by the buyer. In case of any disputes over quality, quantity or delivery, it is in your (seller's) interest to resolve the issue with the buyer. If the buyer disagrees and pursues the dispute with PayPal or its credit card company, you may be subject to a chargeback from PayPal or your credit card company. If you cannot resolve a matter and think the buyer was unreasonable, send us an explanation. Instantfinder will bar buyers with more than three disputes from its site (see buyer protection above.)
  4. I want payments directly to my account from the buyer? Can I do that?
    1. Payments are directly made to the seller.
  5. How do I accept international orders in multiple currencies?
    1. If you support international orders and shipments and if you wish to accept orders in multiple currencies please add the required currency support to your Paypal account. Please follow these steps.
7. Store maintenance
  1. How do I remove an item from my store?
    1. Login to your account, find manage store items under the tab "for running a store". From the list of all your items, you can delete the desired item.
  2. How do I edit descriptions, titles, keywords and images of an existing item in my sotre?
    1. Login to your account, find manage store items under the tab "for running a store". From the list of all your items, you can edit titles, description, keywords and images of the desired item. Existing images can be deleted and new ones can be added
  3. How do I add a new to item to my store?
    1. Login to your account, find add store items under the tab "for running a store". You would be prompted to choose a category and add item under the appropriate one.
  4. How do I choose the right category?
    1. In order to gain the maximum exposure for your products, you need to choose the subcategories appropriately. Therefore, please consider subcategories before you list your item under a major category.
  5. How can i update a large number of items?
    1. Sellers can use our "Bulk editor using csv formatted file" option from http://instantfinder.com/bulk-csv-editor.php?mode=update. Using this option seller can download a CSV formatted file for all their existing items. Then they can edit that CSV file and upload it back. This is a very convenient way to update a large number of items.
  6. How can I add a large number of items to my store?
    1. To add a large number of items, sellers can use our "Bulk csv upload" option from http://instantfinder.com/bulk-csv-editor.php.
  7. How can I change the status of a large number of items as "sold out"?
    1. To change a large number of items as "sold out", use http://instantfinder.com/bulk-operations.php?action=sold.
  8. How do I promote my items using the integrated Facebook page of my business?
    1. Facebook and other social media empower you to sell through referrals. You need to make it attractive enough to like the page. We have designed this Facebook application to use it as a customer service page, so that it increases the credibility and instant answers can be given to queries. Click here to get started.
  9. How often do I need to renew the store?
    1. Currently, the store owners do not need to renew the stores.
8. Promotions with InstantFinder
  1. Offer discount codes – coming up.
  2. Promote discount codes – coming up
9. How do I calculate the profit with InstantFinder?
  1. Profit comparison calculator
  2. How do I use the profit comparison calculator?
    1. Enter the final sale price of your item and its shipping fee to see what profit you make on InstantFinder, eBay and Amazon.
  3. How do I compare the fee of different stores with that of InstantFinder?
    1. Enter the final sale price of your item and its shipping fee to see what fee you are charged on InstantFinder, eBay and Amazon.
Advertise
1. Am I charged for posting ads?
  1. No, there is no charge.
2. Do I need a separate account to post free ads?
  1. InstantFinder offers the freedom to buy, sell and advertise for all its users through a single account. You do not need to have separate accounts to buy, sell and advertise.
3. How many ads can I post?
  1. Unlimited.
4. How do I upload ads?
  1. In your account, you can find post ads under the tab "Post Ads". You can choose appropriate categories to post your ad as prompted
About InstantFinder
1. About us page.
2. Don't find what are looking for? Contact us now.

Help & faq

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