Joining Trendy Deals takes about three minutes from first click to first bid. Before you begin, have an Australian delivery address ready, a strong password in mind, and an Australian-issued Visa, Mastercard or Amex on hand for membership activation. Membership is not available to overseas residents, because our shipping and verification are built specifically for the Australian market.

Create your free account

Click Sign up in the top right of any Trendy Deals page. Enter your full name, email address and a password that is at least ten characters long. Confirm your email by clicking the verification link we send you. Unverified accounts cannot activate membership or bid.

Activate your annual membership

Once your email is verified, click Activate membership from your account dashboard and complete the $24 payment. Activation is instant. You will receive a welcome email and a tax invoice for your records.

Finish your profile

Before your first win, open Account > Profile and fill in your shipping address, preferred contact number and delivery instructions. Accurate details are important because we use them the moment an auction closes in your favour, and any parcel delays caused by incorrect details are not covered by our free shipping guarantee.

Membership is the only thing you ever pay Trendy Deals for access. There are no per-bid charges, no buyer premiums and no commission on wins. The $24 annual fee also works as a verification gate, confirming that every bidder is a real Australian with a real payment method, which keeps the auction room free of bots and throwaway accounts.

What your $24 covers for the next 12 months

• Unlimited access to every live auction on the site
• Unlimited bids across every category, with no per-bid fee
• Tracked domestic shipping included on every win
• Priority support replies from our Victoria-based team
• Early access to featured lots before they open publicly
• An itemised annual tax invoice stored in your account

Renewals

Your membership runs for 365 days from activation. We send a reminder email 14 days before renewal, a second reminder 3 days before, and a final receipt on the day. If you do nothing, membership auto-renews on the same card for another $24 and another full 12 months of access. You can switch renewal off at any time under Account > Membership > Auto-renew.

Pausing or cancelling

You can cancel any time. Cancelling stops auto-renewal but leaves your existing membership active until the end of the paid period, so you can keep bidding until the last day. Memberships are non-refundable once activated.

Every Trendy Deals auction is a timed, online, ascending-price auction. Each lot has a clear start time, a clear end time shown in your local Australian time zone, and a minimum bid that is visible from the moment it opens.

Bidding increments

Bids are accepted in set increments that grow with the current price. This keeps auctions moving and prevents one-cent bid wars.

Proxy bidding

When you place a bid, you enter the maximum you are willing to pay, not the next increment. Our system then bids on your behalf, raising your active bid by the smallest legal increment only when someone else bids against you. It will never exceed your cap. This means you can set your true maximum once, step away from the screen, and let the system defend your position automatically.

Anti-sniping: the auto-extension rule

If a bid is placed in the final 60 seconds of an auction, the closing time is extended by 2 minutes. This rule repeats until a full 2 minutes pass with no new bids. Sniping a lot in the last second does not work on Trendy Deals, because there is always time to respond.

Reserves and minimum bids

Most lots run without a hidden reserve. The opening bid is the true minimum we will accept, and if it is met, the item sells. A small number of very high-value lots carry a reserve, which is always clearly marked on the listing. If the reserve is not met, the lot does not sell and no winner is declared.

The first bid is the hardest. Everything after that feels second nature. Follow these six steps exactly the first time and you will see how simple the platform is to use.

1

Sign in to your verified account

Click Sign in at the top right and enter your email and password. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, confirm the 6-digit code from your authenticator app. You must have an active membership to bid, so if your status shows Inactive, activate it before continuing.

2

Open the Live Auctions page

From the main menu, click Live Auctions. You will see every lot that is currently open, each one showing its photo, current price, time remaining and number of active bidders. Use the category filter on the left to narrow the list to Holidays, Tools, Jewellery, Designer, Appliances or 4x4.

3

Open the auction page and read the listing

Click any lot to open its full auction page. Read the item description, scroll through every photo, check the condition notes, and review the estimated delivery window for your postcode. Every listing includes the brand, the model, the condition grade (new, refurbished or used) and any accessories that are included or excluded.

4

Enter your maximum bid

In the bid box, type the maximum total you would genuinely be happy to pay for this item. This is not what you want to pay right now, it is the highest number you would still feel good about seeing on the final invoice. Our proxy engine will only use what is needed to keep you in the lead, so setting a higher cap does not mean you will pay a higher price.

5

Confirm and watch the auction

Click Place Bid. You will see a confirmation modal listing your maximum and the current leading bid. Click Confirm to commit. All bids on Trendy Deals are binding once confirmed, so double-check the amount before you press it. Your status will update to You are the highest bidder if your cap beats the current price.

6

Stay in the game, or win outright

If someone outbids your cap, we send an email and on-site notification within seconds so you can decide whether to raise your maximum. If nobody beats your cap before the timer ends, you win. You will receive a winner confirmation email with your payment link within one minute of the auction closing.

The members who consistently win good value on Trendy Deals tend to follow the same habits. You do not need to be glued to your screen. You do need to be honest with yourself about the number.

Set your true maximum, once

The single biggest mistake new bidders make is treating the bid box like a live negotiation, raising by one increment at a time. That signals to the proxy engine and to other bidders that you are at the edge of your budget, which encourages people to bid you up. Enter your real ceiling the first time and trust the proxy.

Watch the final two minutes

Because of our auto-extension rule, the real action happens in the last two minutes. Open the auction page in that window and refresh notifications, because late bids can and do come in. The proxy engine will still defend your cap automatically, but being present means you can make a fast decision to raise if the item is one you really want.

Know when to walk away

If the price climbs past your true maximum, let it go. There is always another auction. Chasing a win above your ceiling is how people end up regretting an otherwise great platform. Set the cap, accept the outcome, move to the next lot.

Bid etiquette

• Do not retract bids. Bids on Trendy Deals are binding.
• Do not create multiple accounts. One person equals one account.
• Do not coordinate with other bidders to push prices up or down.
• Do not contact other bidders outside the platform.

When the hammer falls, your auction status flips to Won, and an automated email hits your inbox within 60 seconds. From that point, payment is quick and entirely digital.

What the winner email contains

• The auction title, lot ID and your final hammer price
• A secure Shopify checkout link that pre-fills the winning amount plus GST
• Your estimated dispatch window for your suburb
• A summary of our returns and damage-in-transit cover
• A link to download your tax invoice once payment clears

Payment window

Payment is due within 48 hours of the auction closing. Paying within an hour is normal, and it moves you to the top of the dispatch queue. If you need a little longer, reply to the winner email before the 48 hours are up and our team will extend the window where we reasonably can.

Accepted payment methods

• Visa, Mastercard and American Express issued in Australia
• Apple Pay and Google Pay on supported devices
• Shop Pay and PayPal for members who have those enabled
• Direct bank transfer by arrangement for lots above $2,500

If payment is not completed

Unpaid wins receive an automatic reminder at 24 hours and again at 40 hours. After 48 hours, unpaid lots are forfeited, a non-payment note is added to the account, and the lot is offered to the next highest bidder at their maximum. Members who forfeit three wins in a 12-month period have their accounts suspended and their $24 membership is non-refundable.

Every winning bid on Trendy Deals includes standard tracked shipping to any Australian address. Our dispatch team is based in Victoria, and we pack and ship in the order payments are received.

Dispatch timelines

Couriers we use

We work with Australia Post, StarTrack, Aramex and Allied Express, and select the best fit for the size of the item and your location. You do not choose the courier, but you do receive tracking the moment your item is scanned for the first time.

Tracking your parcel

When your label is generated, you will receive a dispatch email containing your tracking number, a direct link to the courier's tracking page, and a link back to the order in your Trendy Deals account. All tracking events are also mirrored inside the order page under Account > Orders > Track.

Large and oversized freight

For items such as full 4x4 bull bars, large whitegoods, or multi-box touring kits, we use specialist freight couriers that call ahead to book a delivery window. If your address has restrictions, such as a narrow street, a high-rise loading dock, a strata building or a rural depot-only address, please add the details to your profile so the courier can plan accordingly.

Delayed or missing parcels

If tracking shows no movement for 5 business days, or if the parcel has been marked delivered but you have not received it, email us with your order number and we will open a trace with the courier the same day. In the rare case a parcel is lost in transit, we either refund in full or source a like-for-like replacement if one is available.

International delivery

Trendy Deals ships only within Australia. We do not currently deliver to New Zealand, the Pacific Islands or anywhere outside Australia.

Auctions on Trendy Deals are binding sales, so returns are not available for change of mind. We do, however, stand fully behind the condition and description of every item we ship.

What you are covered for

• Items that arrive damaged in transit
• Items that are materially different from the listing description
• Items that are faulty on first use and not repairable under the stated warranty
• Wrong items sent in error by our warehouse

What you are not covered for

• Change of mind after a winning bid
• Items opened, used or modified beyond normal inspection
• Wear or damage caused after delivery
• Accessories or consumables the listing clearly stated were not included

How to lodge a return or claim

Email info@trendydeals.com.au within 7 days of delivery. Include your order number, a short description of the issue, and at least three clear photographs showing the item, the serial or model number where relevant, and the outer packaging. We reply within one business day with a prepaid return label or, where it is quicker, a replacement dispatch.

Refund timing

Once the returned item is received and inspected, refunds are processed within 2 business days. The funds typically appear on your card in a further 3 to 7 business days depending on your bank. We refund to the original payment method only.

Trendy Deals exists because traditional open-internet auctions are full of fake bidders. Our entire platform is engineered to keep the bidding honest and to make sure every winning price reflects real demand from real Australian buyers.

Who can bid

• Australian residents aged 18 and over
• Members with a verified email address
• Members with an active $24 membership paid via an Australian payment method

What we do behind the scenes

Every new account is matched against device fingerprints, signup patterns and known abuse signals. Duplicate accounts tied to the same person are merged or blocked. Sudden spikes in bidding activity from the same device, IP address or card are reviewed manually. None of this requires extra work from you, but it is why our auctions stay clean.

What we never do

• Trendy Deals staff do not place bids on our own auctions.
• We do not allow shill bidding from partners, suppliers or consignors.
• We do not share your email or phone with third parties for marketing.
• We do not store your full card number. Payment details are tokenised by our processor.

Two-factor authentication

You can turn on two-factor authentication under Account > Security. We support any standard authenticator app including Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, 1Password and Authy. Once enabled, each new sign-in requires a 6-digit code from your app.

Reporting suspicious behaviour

If you notice a bid pattern, a listing or a message that looks wrong, email info@trendydeals.com.au with the auction ID and a short note. Every report is read and actioned by a real person on our team, and confirmed abuse results in a permanent ban.

Most day-to-day account tasks are under Account in the top right. Here are the common ones, plus fixes for the issues we hear about most often.

Change your email, password or payment method

• Email: Account > Profile > Email. We send a verification link to the new address before the change takes effect.
• Password: Account > Security > Change password. Requires your current password plus a new one of at least ten characters.
• Payment method: Account > Payment methods > Add new. Old cards are retained for six months in case of refund reversals, then deleted.

Cancel your membership

Account > Membership > Auto-renew. Turning this off means your membership will not renew at the end of the current paid year. Your access continues until the last paid day.

Common issues and fixes

I cannot sign in. Check caps lock. Reset your password using the Forgot password link. If the reset email does not arrive within two minutes, check your spam and promotions folders. If you recently changed your email and did not confirm, the old address is still your login.

The Place Bid button is greyed out. Usually this means your membership is inactive, your email is unverified, or the auction has already ended. Check your membership status under Account > Membership. If it is active and the issue persists, refresh the page or sign out and back in.

I am not receiving any emails. Add info@trendydeals.com.au to your contacts, check spam, and confirm your email address is typed correctly under Account > Profile. Corporate email filters sometimes quarantine transactional messages, so a personal Gmail, Outlook or iCloud address is more reliable for auction notifications.

My bid did not register. Refresh the auction page. If the timer has already hit zero, the auction is closed and no new bids can be placed. If the timer is still running and the bid is not showing, sign out, sign back in and try again. If the issue repeats, email us with the auction ID and a screenshot.

My tracking has not moved in days. Tracking usually updates within 24 to 48 hours of the first scan, and weekend lulls are normal. If there is no movement for 5 business days, email us with the order number and we will open a trace with the courier.

I bought the wrong thing. Because auctions are binding, we cannot cancel a winning bid. However, if the mistake is obvious and the lot has not been dispatched yet, email us immediately and we will do our best to work something out on a case-by-case basis.