We are right in the middle of cuttings season. There are lots of people with fig trees that need to be pruned. Some of them would like to contribute to the hobby or just do something nice for another figger. But giving away tons of cuttings can get a little overbearing at times. So I've created a new category for giveaways. You may list giveaways for free. There are no listing fees but fees for listing upgrades still apply. Simply create as many listings as you have packages of cuttings and the previously daunting task is now quite simple.
02.01.18 11:15pm EST
figBid passed 300 users tonight! Awesome!
01.29.18 12:30am EST
I think I'm finally figuring out the messaging business. Have been receiving lots of messages between users. No big deal. I've been looking up addresses and forwarding. Was thinking it's because there were 'Contact Us' links prominently displayed on the home page. So the links were removed and I am still receiving messages. The problem comes from an automatically generated message that is sent from figBid to a buyer or seller when someone asks a question about a listing. The message is actually in the 'Messages' section of your figBid account and not the actual email itself. A little confusing and I promise it will run smoother, but for now I've put a note in the auto-generated email to not respond to the email and to view the message in your figBid account. Hopefully that clears it up.
01.22.18 8:00am EST
Lots of figgers grow other varieties of fruit and I've been getting a lot of requests to add a new category. We're in pruning season so decided to add Other Fruit (Non-Fig).
2018 Figgers Super Bowl Squares are being snapped up quickly. The pool is more than 50% sold out!
01.19.18 9:00pm EST
2018 Figgers Super Bowl Squares Pool is live! Click here and check out the listing. $10 to get in. Over $1000 in prizes. Good Luck!
01.15.18 8:00pm EST
Working with developer on a few small things tonight.
01.14.18 9:00am EST
Don't see too many changes from the update. I'll start a list of anything that I find and add to it if need be.
01.10.18 8:00am EST
A software update was completed last night. The site definitely had a little facelift and looks a lot cleaner now. The update mostly corrected some issues on our end. Going to go through everything to see if there are any major changes that should be reported.
01.05.18 1:30am EST
International users are now authorized to register, buy, bid on and purchase from US users. International users are not allowed to list live plants, plant material or cuttings for sale to US users. We're working hard to get this changed and make this part of a future update.
International shipping options have been added to the shipping drop-down menu and can be accessed when adding shipping options to your listing.
A few tips regarding sales to international users have been added to the Tips page.
01.02.18 11:00am EST
It's official... figBid has 200 unique users!
01.01.18 12:01am EST
Happy New Year!
figBid has had a steady flow of new users and listings. We're closing in on 200 users in just over 2 weeks of going live. That's great and I love that figgers are using the site! Thank you.
I've quietly increased the amound of pictures that can be added to a listing. You can now add four more pictures for a total of 10 pictures per listing! Glad to see some users taking advantage already. Pictures really help to sell an item. Rule of thumb is you can never have too many.
Every few days I receive an email with a suggestion for a site improvement. A few of the suggestions were minor and I was able to make the adjustments myself. Others are a little harder and will have to come with a future update. But I appreciate them all. figBid will be shaped for figgers and by figgers, so I want to remind everyone that you're welcome to email with suggestions any time.
The FAQ has been beefed up a little and I've added some instructions on messaging and leaving feedback for your buyer. A user made some suggestions regarding feedback and after analyzing the feedback system I had a sit-down with the software developer. So there should be some feedback improvements shortly. Working on getting this to flow a little better but some users are clicking the 'Contact Us' link on the bottom of the page to contact a buyer or seller. Please use the gear icon on the lising to contact the buyer or seller and not the 'Contact Us' link on the bottom of the page. Please read the FAQ regarding messaging.
Google is really picking us up! Searching for fig cuttings auctions and fig tree auctions brings us up on a first page hit! Very happy with the results.
Thanks for using the site everyone. Please have a safe, happy and healthy new year!
12.24.17 4:00pm EST
Merry Christmas Eve!
Early Christmas present for figBid. Can't believe we're ranking on Google already. figBid is a first page search hit, top 3 results for Fig cuttings auction. Very pleased!
Have been getting emails from new growers that they'd like to see the seller's USDA zone in the listing. I think it's a good idea.
12.23.17 12:00pm EST
Yet another figBid milestone today. Only took a week and we're ranking on Google! figBid is a first page hit for Fig Tree Auctions.
Many of you may be familiar with my guide for Buying Fig Trees and Cuttings from the Internet. I've taken it down from eBay, updated and added it here. Lots of useful info. Check it out.
12.22.17 7:00pm EST
Another figBid milestone today. Passed 100 auctions on the site. Nice work!
Added more detail regarding invoicing. Check out the update.
12.18.17 8:30pm EST
figBid is doing great! Thank you to everyone for using the site!
Everything is flowing very smoothly. There seems to be a slight learning curve when it comes to sellers adding shipping charges to listings. After typing in the shipping amount you must click the 'Add' button to the right. This will add the specific shipping method to your listing. More detailed instructions are in the FAQ.
12.16.17 11:59pm EST
Holy smokes! 100 users signed up. 54 live listings. Very good day for figgers!
12.16.17 7:45pm EST
BREAKING NEWS
FigBid had it's first scammer. Happy to report they were easily spotted and sent packing. No money was lost and no figs were harmed in the process. Thank you to those that played a part. Proud of everyone! A special milestone badge goes to the scammer for being the first to give it a good try.
12.16.17 12:00pm EST
I'd like to give a great big welcome to all the users that joined today. Wanted to add a page to the site that will keep users abreast of current events. Things change fast in the fig world and we have to stay on top of it.
Our first important milestone badge goes to user BrianM for having the first active listing in figBid history. Automatic HOF'er for sure. Thank you for listing and good luck! Jolly Tiger Cuttings
figBid's next milestone badge goes to user Davel for having the first successful sale in figBid history. Another automatic HOF'er. Thanks you for listing and congratulations on the sale! LSU Purple
So it's lunchtime here in NYC, we've been up for a little over 24 hours, and the new website is working great. Very few glitches to report. But the fantastic news is that 88 new users joined and there are 21 live auctions! Unbelievable! Far surpassed my expectations. Glad to have everyone on board.
The biggest issue right now is overseas members. As of now figBid will be for US users only. It's due to software constraints and the fix will probably require a 3rd party developer in the future. Part of the vision of figBid is to have a true worldwide open marketplace. I won't put that vision aside but will have to put it on the back burner right now. Sorry about that.