Karma

What is Karma needed for?

1) We created Karma to make the bidding process fair. With Karma, everyone can claim as much as they give away. The more popular the items you give away, the more Karma you receive.

2) To make giving items away as easy as possible. The giver can only be contacted by one person: whoever offered the most Karma for the item.

 

How can I find out how much Karma I have?

Check your Karma balance in your profile. Red digits indicate Karma that you can use right now. Gray digits show Karma that is “frozen” in bids. To get there, tap the icon in the lower right corner of the screen.

 

How can I raise my Karma?

1. Give away stuff you don’t need! The more popular the items you give away, the more Karma you receive.

2. Share links with friends or use the “Invite friends” function. You will receive a bonus of +1 Karma for every new participant who installs the app via your link and successfully logs into it.

3. Support the GiveAway project and receive a bonus to your Karma for helping the project to develop. 

For convenience, please use the “Raise Karma” button in your profile.

 

Can I claim items without Karma?

Yes. Tap “Claim item” before anyone else. If no one else claims this item before the timer runs out, you will receive the item without using any Karma.

 

Why am I seeing a popup “Oops! Missing Karma”?

When you tapped on “Claim item”, you tried to offer the giver +1 Karma more than other participants had already offered. You saw this popup because you did not have enough Karma to beat their bid.

 

How can I transfer Karma to another user?

Karma is automatically transferred to the giver of an item when the winner taps on “Item received”. We recommend confirming receipt of an item when it is handed over, and also not forgetting to check if it corresponds to the description. Direct transferal of Karma outside of giving and receiving an item is prohibited. 

 

Claiming items

How can I claim an item?

Use the “Claim item” button to claim an item. In doing so, you will offer the giver +1 Karma more than other participants have already offered. If “Free” is written on the item, you will offer zero Karma.

The person who offers the most Karma before the timer runs out will receive the item.

After the timer runs out, the winner must message the giver to arrange for pick-up.

If an item receives a bid within the last 10 minutes, then the countdown starts from 9 minutes 59 seconds once again to give everyone the chance to re-bid

 

How is Karma used in bidding?

When you offer Karma for an item, that Karma is “frozen” until the timer runs out. If you win, the Karma will be transferred to the giver when the item is handed over. If you don’t manage to claim the item, then the Karma will be “unfrozen” once you refuse the item.

If someone offers a giver more Karma for an item after your bid, use the “Raise” button to continue competing for the item. In this case, you only need to add the deficit Karma, because a portion of your Karma is already “frozen” in the item. The amount of Karma being added will be shown on the confirmation screen. 

So that your Karma is not “frozen” for a long time, add items to “Favorites” (in the “Following” section). You will receive a notification 30 minutes before the timer runs out and can place a final bid for the item.

 

How many items can I claim for free?

You can place bids for 3–10 items indicated as “Free” each day. Your limit depends on the balance of available Karma in your profile:

• If your balance is greater or equal to 7 Karma, the limit is 10 bids per day. 
• If your balance is less than 7 Karma, then the limit is calculated according to the formula X + 3, where X is your balance.

For example, if you have zero Karma, then you can place bids for 3 items that are listed as “Free” each day; if you have 12 Karma, then the limit is 10 bids for “Free” items per day.

 

How can I contact the giver?

Only the winning bidder can contact the giver. The winner is determined automatically after the auction ends. A dialog box will appear so the winner can arrange for pick-up.

You can also ask givers questions about their items. Select the corresponding section in the top right corner of the item.

 

How can I delete my account with all the data?

Write to our support service support@giveaway.mobi "I want to delete my account with all the data" and we will do it for you. All your data will be deleted from the GiveAway application and its servers (including all the data you specify during the login and generated during the usage of the app).

The giver is not responding or doesn’t give the item away. What should I do?

Refuse the item, in order to unfreeze your Karma. The good news is that you won’t lose any Karma for this.

 

How can I refuse an item?

In order to refuse an item, you need to tap on “Refuse the item” either in the item itself, or at the top right of the dialog box.

 

How is an item handed over?

You hand an item over when you meet the giver at a pre-agreed place. When agreeing on a time and place to meet, the winner should be flexible to the item owner’s preferences. Usually, the item is picked up directly from the owner.

Reserve price

Reserve price is the minimum amount of Karma requested by the Giver for the item. This is an optional setting. The auction always starts with the Starting price, while the Reserve price is hidden from the participants. When the Reserve price is indicated and the current price has not reached it, the amount of Karma is displayed with an asterisk on the item. In case of winning the item below the Reserve price, the winner has the right to pick it up for the Reserve price or refuse within 8 hours. In case of winning the item for the Reserve Price, the winner takes the item for the current price.

 

Giving items away

How can I add an item?

To add an item, tap on “+” at the bottom of the screen. Select a category, and add a photo and description. Specify how urgently you want to give the item away, which will determine the length of the bid. Follow the rules that are outlined at the bottom of the screen when adding an item. It is important to honestly describe the details about the item you want to give away — remember that users know your item is used, because that is the whole point of GiveAway!

 

What does “urgency” affect?

How long the item will appear in the feed, and how long the bidding timer is, depends on the specified urgency. When the first person who wants the item taps on “Claim item”, a timer will start on the item. The countdown time can range from one hour to four days. It is dynamically calculated when the countdown starts, and depends on the selected urgency and time of day. For convenience, the timer never runs out during the night (in the giver’s time zone).

 

How does item bumping work?

If nobody is found within the specified time who wants an item that you have added,  from time to time, you can bump it to the top of the feed. And it’s free! The permitted frequency for bumping depends on the urgency that was specified when the item was added, and is equal to 1-9 days. The system calculates the required period by itself. To bump an item, you need to tap on the notification to go to the item. And then tap on “Bump listing” on the item itself. 

 

How does item location work?

If a user has allowed access to geolocation, then the system automatically adds the location to items when they are created. This is used so that others can see the distance to an item, and can also find out roughly where it is located (street, area). Its precise location is not disclosed.

The location of an item can also be specified manually when the item is added, if necessary. 

 

What kind of items can I give away?

You can give away any good-quality items that you don’t need, except for those that are prohibited by our rules. It is very important to describe the working condition of an item honestly.

 

The app cannot be used to give away:

- Anything that is prohibited according to law of the United States: people, drugs, weapons, etc.

- Anything that has an age restriction: alcohol, cigarettes, sex-related items, etc.

- Medicine, supplements, tablets, condoms, etc.

- Anything past its expiration date.

- Personal hygiene products: lipstick, shaving equipment, hairbrushes, etc.

- Discount cards, promotional cards, and other advertising materials.

- Items of an offensive nature.

 

Can my item be deleted?

The GiveAway team reserves the right to delete or edit an item without explanation. This usually occurs in cases where the rules have been broken. As a private and free community, the GiveAway team reserves the right to determine if an item is of an offensive nature at its own discretion.

 

What can result in a ban?

The GiveAway teamreserves the right to block access to the app to any user without explanation. This may occur in cases where the rules are broken or in cases of activity that causes harm to other participants or to the GiveAway team,  or if the dignity of our users is violated.

 

Can I add a request for an item to be given away?

Adding posts in order to seek items is currently forbidden. If you need something specific, log into the app more often and keep an eye on the feed. Use the search function to find the item you need more quickly.

 

Can I give away pets?

Yes, you can. When adding items that include pets, you must specify the “Pets” section. Publications seeking a new home for furry (or feathered, or scaled!) friends may only appear in the “Pets” section. Adding pets to other sections is strictly prohibited.

 

Can I request something in exchange for my item?

You can only give items away for free here. Requesting any payment or a trade of anything other than Karma for an item that you are giving away is forbidden, both in the description and in any personal conversations with the winner. Offenders will receive a ban without prior warning.

If more than one person is interested in your item, you will receive Karma for it, which you can use to claim other people’s interesting items for yourself. Cool, huh?

 

How much Karma do I get for an item?

If you have added an item, be prepared to give it away without receiving any Karma, as it might happen that only one person wants to claim it. If the item is an interesting one, and there are multiple people who want it, then you will receive as much Karma as they offer for it when they raise their bids.

Cancelling a trade and relisting an item in order to increase the Karma you receive from it is strictly prohibited.

 

The winner is not responding or does not want to pick up an item. What should I do?

Tap on “Re-award”. The last person who wanted the item will become the winner, or the system will suggest  that you relist the item if there was only one bid placed on it. 

 

How can I edit an item?

In order to edit an item, tap on “Edit” beneath the item or in the top right. If there is already someone who claimed the item, then you will not be able to edit it. But you can add more information to it.

 

How can I delete an item?

To delete an item, tap “Delete” at the top right of the screen. Deleting an item without reason and relisting it is strictly prohibited. Repeated violations may result in a ban.

 

General questions

 

How can I manage my subscription?

Please manage your subscription in the Subscriptions section of Google Play or App Store.m.

 

How can I report an item?

Select “Report” in the top right. Specify the issue from our list of forbidden items. A moderator will receive your message about the problem and will check the item.

 

How can I report a violation of the rules?

Select “Report” in the top right of the dialog with the violator or in the item itself. Describe the issue briefly but clearly. 

 

How can I switch to my city?

The app determines your location automatically and displays items that are nearby. In order to change the geo-filter for items, tap on the location icon in the top right. Select the required location on the map: search by city or select a location manually. You can also indicate a maximum distance from items that will be displayed in the feed.

 

Why am I seeing items that have already been given away?

Underneath the active items, we also show information about items that have already been given away, as well as who they were given to, so that people can see how the app works.

 

Why am I seeing items from other cities?

If there aren’t many items near you at any given time, you can view items in neighboring cities in the “Other cities” section.

 

Can I trust all givers of items?

We are trying to create conditions that are as transparent as possible, and a community of users who uphold our rules, but we cannot guarantee that givers will give away their items or otherwise behave within GiveAway’s values. To see if the giver is actually going to go through with the transaction, we recommend checking out how many and what sort of items this giver has already successfully given away and reviews he has got. This can also help you to identify newcomers — just because someone is new doesn’t mean they won’t come through, but look through their profile and use your best judgement. To do so, tap on the giver’s avatar.

You definitely can trust promotional items and verified participants. Their accounts are marked with a check mark. 

Never confirm receipt of an item until you have it in your hands. So you won’t lose anything and can simply refuse the item.

 

How can I see someone else’s items?

Tap on their avatar or on the “User’s other items” link, if they have active items. There, you will be able to see items that have already been given away by that user, as well as what they are giving away right now.

 

Sections

The “All” section displays all items that are being given away near you. New items appear at the top of the feed as soon as other users add them. 

If new items appear while you are scrolling through the feed, a “New items” button will appear at the top. Tap on it to refresh the feed and examine it from top to bottom once again.

You can set your maximum distance to items using the location filter at the top of the screen. The filter affects the items that are displayed in all sections. 

 

The “Interesting” section displays popular items that other participants are already interested in. Items appear at the top of the feed as soon as they have passed a predetermined threshold of popularity.

Popularity is calculated according to the following formula: amount of Karma being bid + number of additions to favorites.   

 

The “Best” section displays all popular items. The feed is sorted in descending order of popularity.

 

The “Urgent” section displays items for which the timer will soon run out, as well as items that are listed to be given away urgently. Because these bids go quickly, in this section, you can often find items for free or for a small amount of Karma.

 

Sections with category titles (“Appliances”, “Clothing”, and others) display all new items in the relevant category. New items appear at the top of the feed.

 

In the “Pets” feed you can find cats, dogs, and other little furry friends that are seeking a new home. Pets are not displayed in other sections. Products for pets should also be added to other categories.

 

Beneath the active items in all sections, you can view items that have already been given away. You can also see the name of the participant to whom the item was given. 

 

How can I delete my account with all the data?

Write to our support service support@giveaway.mobi "I want to delete my account with all the data" and we will do it for you. All your data will be deleted from the GiveAway application and its servers (including all the data you specify during the login and generated during the usage of the app).

 

What should I do if I have a problem?

Inform our support service support@giveaway.mobi of the details and we will try to help.

Thank you for making the world a better place with us! :)