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CollectFair's frequently asked questions

Helping you to buy, sell and display your antiques and collectables


Frequently asked questions

About CollectFair

  1. What does CollectFair do?
  2. How do my antiques and collectables fit in?
  3. Who can use CollectFair?
  4. Can a small business put a page on CollectFair?
  5. What is a "stall"?
  6. What is a "stallname"?
  7. Can I have more than one stall?
  8. What can I display on my CollectFair stall?
  9. Will I lose out because people jump between my pages and other parts of CollectFair?

Computer questions

  1. Do I have to be a computer expert?
  2. Do I get a new email account when I sign-up?
  3. What kind of computer do I need?
  4. Do I need a digital camera?
  5. Will displaying my pages bring me lots of "junk" email?
  6. Do I always have to update my pages from the same computer?
  7. How do I speed up pages in Internet Explorer?
  8. I'm getting a strange error when trying to do something on CollectFair. What can I do?

Costs and features

  1. How much does it cost?
  2. Can I try it free without committing myself?
  3. What are the restrictions on Guest stalls?
  4. How long will my pages stay on the Internet for?
  5. How many items can I display?
  6. What are data transfer limits?
  7. Will there be banner adverts on my pages?
  8. How often can I update my pages?
  9. Can I buy additional features once I have got started?
  10. How do I set up a free Trial Stall?
  11. How do I chat in the forums?

Registering a domain name

  1. What is a domain name?
  2. Why would I want or need a domain name?
  3. Which name should I choose?
  4. What if the name I want is already taken?
  5. How much does it cost?
  6. I've registered a name, why isn't it working?
  7. I've changed my mind, can I change my domain name?
  8. I've searched Google, and my name isn't there yet! What's wrong?
  9. The link you sent me in an email has ':80' at the end of it. What's wrong?


Answers 1

About CollectFair

  1. What does CollectFair do?

    CollectFair brings together antiques and collectables information from many different people. It includes items for sale, items required, and information pages about the items and collections that people love. People write their own pages by filling in simple forms on the CollectFair web site. They choose the categories in which the information will be stored, and can update it as often as they want. People looking to buy, sell or read about antiques and collectables can then find each other through the CollectFair website. CollectFair itself does not buy or sell antiques or collectables.

    Think of CollectFair as an antiques and collectables "shop window".

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  2. How do my antiques and collectables fit in?

    Using CollectFair you can display your antiques or collectables, or to give people information about your services & expertise. To do this you need to (1) join CollectFair and (2) set up a "stall". Just like a stall at an antiques or collectables fair, this is your space to buy, sell and display things, and to make contacts. Prices start from just £24.99 per year. Set-up a Trial stall free to see how the system works.

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  3. Who can use CollectFair?

    Anyone can use CollectFair. It is especially designed for people who know a web site could help them in their hobby or business, but don't want the hassle of setting one up for themselves. Even if you do have your own web site, a "stall" on CollectFair could provide useful new visitors. The CollectFair categories are designed so that visitors can find as much information as possible about their interests.

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  4. Can a small business put a page on CollectFair?

    Yes! This is absolutely fine. See the question above for more ideas about how a stall could be used.

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  5. What is a "stall"?

    When you create your own pages on CollectFair they are grouped together as your "stall". This is just like a stall at an antiques or collectors fair. It is your space to buy, sell and display things, and to make contacts.

    When someone visits your stall, they will find a list (a menu) of all the pages on your stall, together with links showing which categories your stall is listed in.

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  6. What is a "stallname"?

    Your stall has to have a name so that you people can find it! The name makes the internet address at which people can find your CollectFair pages.

    The stallname must be a word of between 4 and 20 characters (a-z) or numbers (0-9). It cannot contain any spaces, punctuation or strange characters.

    If you chose "bighitrecords" as your stallname, people would be able to find your pages at these internet addresses:

    http://www.collectfair.co.uk/bighitrecords
    http://bighitrecords.collectfair.co.uk

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  7. Can I have more than one stall?

    Yes! There is no problem with each member of CollectFair setting up several stalls, each with their own name. However, each member may only have one free Trial or Guest Stall.

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  8. What can I display on my CollectFair stall?

    You can display almost anything on your stall. See the Terms & Conditions for an explanation of what you cannot display, and what the procedure is if someone complains about the content of your stall.

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  9. Will I lose out because people jump between my pages and other parts of CollectFair?

    No! We believe that people moving about between the different parts of CollectFair is to everyones benefit. It is just like an Antiques Centre offering more variety for browsers than does a single shop.

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Answers 2

Computer questions

  1. Do I have to be a computer expert?

    No! CollectFair is designed to make it as easy as possible to get your information onto the internet.

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  2. Do I get a new email account when I sign-up?

    CollectFair does not currently give you an email account. If people contact you through your pages, the message will be forwarded to your existing email address which you enter when you become a member.

    Possible future services will include offering email accounts, forwarding messages to your mobile phone as text messages, or forwarding to a fax. If you are interested in these services, please contact us.

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  3. What kind of computer do I need?

    If you can browse the web with your computer, it should work with CollectFair. You do not need a very powerful machine.

    Windows, Mac and Linux are supported.

    Supported web browsers include Internet Explorer 4 or above, Netscape, Mozilla, and Opera.

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  4. Do I need a digital camera?

    If you want pictures on your CollectFair pages you need to either take conventional pictures and scan them in, or use a digital camera.

    Pictures should be in JPEG, PNG or GIF formats. If you have them in JPEG or PNG format you can re-size them online. JPEG is generally the best for photos, and is the format most digital cameras save pictures in.

    Pictures up to 5 mega-pixles in size can be uploaded, but you will find it quicker to upload them if you can set your camera to take smaller pictures.

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  5. Will displaying my pages bring me lots of "junk" email?

    To allow people to contact you CollectFair will forward you messages entered by people viewing your pages. You can then decide if you want to reply or not.

    CollectFair does not put your email address on any public pages, so you shouldn't get any junk email.

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  6. Do I always have to update my pages from the same computer?

    No! The whole CollectFair system is based on the internet. There is nothing to install on your computer, so you can sign-in from where ever you like.

    This means you can update your pages from home, work, college, a friends place or an internet cafe.

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  7. How do I speed up pages in Internet Explorer?

    Go to the Internet Options page, which is under the Tools menu. In the "Temporary Internet Files" section click Settings. Set "Check for newer versions of stored pages" to "Automatically".

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  8. I'm getting a strange error when trying to do something on CollectFair. What can I do?

    Make a note of the precise error you are receiving and send the details along with exactly what you were doing at that time (use the Contact page) and we'll have a look at the problem for you.

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Answers 3

Costs and features

  1. How much does it cost?

    Click for full details of features & prices.

    There are no fees for buying or selling items through CollectFair.

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  2. Can I try it free without committing myself?

    Yes! You can create a 30 day Trial Stall for free to try out CollectFair. Trial stalls have the basic features of our paid stalls, but are limited to a single page and are designed to let you try out the system. Free Guest stalls with adverts placed on them are not available to new members after August 2008.

    Use a Trial Stall to try CollectFair without committing yourself. Try out different page layouts, and find out about uploading pictures, without spending any money.

    Trial stalls lasts for 30 days, after which you can upgrade to an unrestricted stall with multiple pages and many additional features.

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  3. What are the restrictions on Guest stalls?

    To be listed by searches on the CollectFair search page, a guest stall must have been updated within the last three months. Other stalls are not limited in this way.

    Guest stalls will usually not be eligible to appear in the Featured stalls list on the front page of CollectFair.

    Guest stalls which appear to have been abandoned by their creators (for example, their owner doesn't respond to email) may be removed from the CollectFair site.

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  4. How long will my pages stay on the Internet for?

    Pages go live on the internet for 1 year, and will stay there if you renew before the end of the year. You can update them any time you like, as often as you like.

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  5. How many items can I display?

    You are not restricted in the number of items you can list on your pages. The number of pictures is limited by the available storage, and the data transfer limits for your stall. The Basic Stall package includes enough storage for over 100 6"x4" colour pictures stored in JPEG format.

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  6. What are data transfer limits?

    Each time someone looks at the pages of your stall, information (data) is transfered to them from CollectFair. CollectFair maintains a record of how much data is transfered each month for your stall.

    The different stall types available on CollectFair have different limits for the amount of data transfer that can take place each month. If you receive an email telling you that your stall has exceeded its limit you may need to upgrade to a higher level stall type.

    A good way of minimising data transfer is to use fewer and smaller pictures on your pages. If possible, use JPEG picture format rather than GIF or PNG, because they use less data for many photographs. This will allow you to have lots of visitors, even with one of the lower cost stalls.

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  7. Will there be banner adverts on my pages?

    No! There will be no banner adverts or pop-ups on your pages, but Guest pages will have small box adverts placed on their left side. Non-guest stalls will not have these adverts. CollectFair may place adverts on other pages (e.g. the search, browse, forum or front pages). If you are interested in advertising in these places, please contact us.

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  8. How often can I update my pages?

    You can update your pages as often as you like.

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  9. Can I buy additional features once I have got started?

    Yes! Features and prices are described here. It's no problem to upgrade your stall again after you first move from a Guest stall to one of the paid options. At the time of upgrade, you will be credited with the unused period remaining on your current stall, and this will reduce the cost of the upgrade. The upgraded stall will then run for a year from the day of upgrade. Other additions such as domain names, or extra data transfer capacity can also be added to your stall after you've got started.

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  10. How do I set up a free Trial Stall?

    First you need to Join CollectFair - this is free!

    Next you need to sign-in, and click "Set up a new stall" on the first page you see after signing-in.

    You can also do this from the "My CollectFair" page which is available from the top menu after you sign in.

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  11. How do I chat in the forums?

    You can read the forums without registering, but to post messages there you need to Join CollectFair - this is free!

    Next you need to sign-in, and click "Forums" on the first page you see after signing-in, or at any time on the top menu bar.

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Answers 4

Registering a domain name

  1. What is a domain name?

    A 'domain name' is part of the name you type into your internet browser when you want to find a website. For example, the main CollectFair site can be found at 'www.collectfair.co.uk', of which 'collectfair.co.uk' is the domain name.

    Email addresses also use the domain name after the @ symbol. When you write an email the domain name tells your computer which organisation to send the email to.

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  2. Why would I want or need a domain name?

    Using a domain name can give your pages on CollectFair a more memorable or easier to remember name, thereby helping people to find you. Using a domain name allows your pages to appear as a "stand-alone" website, as well as a standard CollectFair stall. Adding a domain name to your CollectFair stall is is one of the easiest ways to create your own professional quality website. Find out more here.

    In addition, if you register a domain name you can send and receive email with addresses ending in '@domain.name.co.uk'.

    If you choose not to add a domain name to your stall you can still give people the web address of your pages in the form 'www.collectfair.co.uk/mystall' where 'mystall' is the name of your stall.

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  3. Which name should I choose?

    You can try to register your company or trading name, but in many cases there will be other businesses with similar names, so the one you want may be registered already. Alternatively, try a name related to your main interest, such as 'teapots.co.uk'. The best solution is to search names and try some different ideas until you find a domain name not already registered. When you are signed-in to CollectFair click here to search for a name.

    Generally, short names will be easier for your potential visitors to remember. Names with hyphens can be difficult for people to remember.

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  4. What if the name I want is already taken?

    Try alternative endings, for example, '.co.uk' rather than '.com'. Try alternatives such as 'theteapotshop.co.uk' rather than 'teapots.co.uk'. You can use the name search page to help you find a name that suits what you do.

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  5. How much does it cost?

    Click for full details of features & prices.

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  6. I've registered a name, why isn't it working?

    After you buy a name CollectFair will proceed to officially register it for you. After we register the name it can take around 24 hours to become visible to everyone on the internet. During this time your browser will say "Page Not Found", or could direct you to a search hints page when you try to reach your new domain.

    Usually this is not a problem, and the pages will be found after 24 hours or so. However, it is best not to bookmark or store the name in your browser at this stage, since the browser can get stuck showing the address as "Not Found" even after the page does become available. Remove bookmarks, restart your browser, or restart your computer if this problem seems to be happening.

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  7. I've changed my mind, can I change my domain name?

    When a domain name is registered it cannot be changed, and the money cannot be returned. This is the same whoever you register a name with, it's not just a CollectFair policy. The only option if you change your mind or make a mistake, is to buy another name.

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  8. I've searched Google, and my name isn't there yet! What's wrong?

    Google can take many weeks to start listing newly registered names. Each 'stand-alone' website created through CollectFair is linked back to your existing pages on CollectFair to help Google and your other visitors find your new site. This will help to get your new name listed as soon as possible.

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  9. The link you sent me in an email has ':80' at the end of it. What's wrong?

    Some email reading programs add this to the end of links displayed in an email. Its addition is to ensure that clicking the link just opens a web page, and doesn't carry out any malicious or fraudulent action. The ':80' is not part of your new domain name, and can be ignored. You don't need to include this part when you tell people the new name for your website.

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