Help Center

Creating Your Account

1. Click "Register" in the top navigation
2. Enter your email address and create a secure password
3. Verify your email address
4. Complete your profile with basic information
5. You're automatically set up as a seller! You can immediately start buying and selling.

Understanding the Platform

Bharath Surplus is a comprehensive auction marketplace where you can both buy and sell items. As a registered user, you have full access to:

• Buying: Bid on auctions, use Buy It Now, watchlist items
• Selling: Create listings, manage auctions, respond to want ads
• Want Ads: Post what you're looking for, find matching items
• Dashboard: Track your activity, sales, and performance

Finding Items

• Use the search bar to find specific items
• Browse categories on the homepage
• Check "Trending" and "New Arrivals" sections
• Use filters to narrow down results

Placing Bids

1. Click on an item to view details
2. Review the current bid and time remaining
3. Enter your bid amount (must be higher than current bid)
4. Confirm your bid
5. You'll be notified if someone outbids you

Winning and Payment

• If you win, you'll receive an email notification
• Complete payment within 24 hours
• We support Cash on Delivery (COD) for most items
• Track your order in "My Orders" section

What are Buy Requests?

Buy Requests are a reverse marketplace feature where you post what you're looking for, and sellers respond with matching items. Perfect for finding specific items, room sharing, flatmates, or anything you need!

Creating a Buy Request

1. Click "Buy Requests" in the navigation
2. Click "Post Buy Request" button
3. Write a clear title describing what you need
4. Add detailed description with your requirements
5. Set your budget range (min and max price)
6. Choose your location (country, state, district)
7. Select category and condition preference
8. Set expiration date (default 30 days)
9. Mark as urgent if needed
10. Publish your want ad

Responding to Buy Requests

1. Browse buy requests on the Buy Requests page
2. Click on a buy request that matches your items
3. Click "Respond to Buyer" button
4. Write a message describing your matching item
5. Include your offered price if applicable
6. Submit your response
7. Wait for buyer to review and respond

Buy Request Features

• Automatic Matching: System finds matching listings for you
• Location-Based: Find items in your preferred area
• Price Filtering: Set your budget range
• Category Selection: Choose from housing, electronics, furniture, etc.
• Sharing: Share buy requests on social media and messaging apps
• Premium Features: Featured buy requests and boosts for better visibility

Managing Your Buy Requests

• View all your buy requests in your profile
• See responses from interested sellers
• Mark buy requests as fulfilled when you find what you need
• Edit buy requests before they receive responses
• Extend expiration date if needed

Profile Settings

• Update your username and bio
• Set up your profile picture
• Update your location
• Manage notification preferences in Email Preferences

Note: To reset your password, use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page.

Address Management

Add and manage multiple addresses for easy checkout. You can set a default address for faster ordering.

Watchlist

Save items you're interested in to your watchlist. You'll receive notifications when the auction is ending.

Messaging & Communication

• Bidder-Seller Chat: Communicate directly with buyers or sellers
• Want Ad Responses: Message sellers who respond to your want ads
• Real-time Notifications: Get instant updates on bids, messages, and activity
• Email Notifications: Receive email summaries of important activities
• Premium Chat: Direct communication with support for premium features

Premium Plans

• Basic Seller (Free): 5 listings, 5 images per listing, 1 want ad, basic features
• Premium Seller (₹299/month): 20 listings, 15 images per listing, 3 want ads, analytics, priority support
• Pro Seller (₹599/month): Unlimited listings, 25 images per listing, unlimited want ads, bulk upload tools, advanced analytics
• Enterprise Seller (₹1299/month): All Pro features plus dedicated account manager and custom integrations

Individual Features

• Featured Listing: Highlight your item for better visibility
• Listing Boost: Increase visibility for 24 hours
• Want Ad Boost: Boost your want ad visibility for 24 hours
• Featured Want Ad: Feature your want ad for better visibility
• Analytics Upgrade: Detailed performance insights and metrics

Advanced Features (Pro Plan)

• Bulk Upload Tools: Upload multiple listings at once using CSV templates
• Advanced Analytics: Detailed insights into your performance and trends
• Priority Support: Faster response times for your queries
• Premium Chat: Direct communication with our support team

How to Upgrade

1. Click "Plans" in the navigation to compare all plans
2. Or navigate directly to the Upgrade page
3. Choose your plan or select individual premium features
4. Provide your contact phone number (required for verification)
5. Submit your upgrade request
6. Our team will contact you via phone/WhatsApp for payment details
7. Features activate immediately after payment confirmation
8. Track your request status at My Premium Requests

What is Bulk Upload?

Bulk Upload allows Pro plan subscribers to create multiple auction listings at once using CSV files. Instead of creating listings one-by-one, you can upload multiple listings in minutes!

Quick Start Guide

1. Navigate to Bulk Upload
2. Choose the right template:
   • Category-Specific Templates (Recommended) - Tailored for Electronics, Vehicles, Fashion, Property & Rentals, etc.
   • Generic Templates - For any category or when you need all fields
3. Click "Download CSV" to get a template file
4. Fill out the CSV with your listing data
5. Upload the completed CSV file
6. Review validation results and fix any errors
7. Click "Process Upload" to create your listings

CSV Field Reference

Required Fields:

• title: Listing title (5-200 characters)
• description: Item description (10-2000 characters)
• starting_price: Starting auction price (numbers only, no commas)
• category_id: Category number (see category list below)
• condition: new, like_new, excellent, good, fair, poor, for_parts

Optional Fields:

• buy_it_now_price: Buy now price (must be > starting_price)
• reserve_price: Minimum acceptable price
• bid_increment: Minimum bid increase (1-10000, default: 1)
• location: Item location in one of these formats:
  • Full Names: "City, State, Country" → Example: "Mumbai, Maharashtra, India"
  • Location Codes: "DIST_CODE, STATE_CODE, COUNTRY_CODE" → Example: "ERK, KL, IN"
  💡 Tip: Use location codes (e.g., "ERK, KL, IN") for faster processing. Download the complete location codes reference from the Bulk Upload page.
• images: Image URLs separated by | (pipe), e.g., url1|url2|url3
• start_time: Auction start (IST format: 2025-10-01T10:00)
• end_time: Auction end (IST format)

Category-Specific Fields:

NOW SUPPORTED: Category-specific fields are automatically converted to category details and displayed to buyers!

Example for Electronics: brand, model, color, warranty, power_source, dimensions

Example for Vehicles: make, model, year, fuel_type, transmission, mileage

Example for Property & Rentals: property_type, bedrooms, bathrooms, furnishing, amenities

Pro Tip: Use the category-specific templates for the best results. These include all relevant fields for each category.

Category IDs

Common Issues & Solutions

Example CSV

title,description,starting_price,category_id,condition,bid_increment,brand,model,start_time,end_time
"iPhone 14 Pro 256GB","Excellent condition with box",45000,1,excellent,500,Apple,iPhone 14 Pro,"2025-01-10T15:30","2025-01-17T15:30"
"Honda City 2020","Well maintained car",650000,4,good,5000,Honda,City VX,"2025-01-10T15:30","2025-01-17T15:30"
"Designer Jacket","Leather jacket size M",5000,90,excellent,200,Zara,Leather Biker,"2025-01-10T15:30","2025-01-17T15:30"

Limits & Quotas (Pro Plan)

• Max file size: 10MB
• Max items per upload: 2000
• Max concurrent sessions: 5
• Processing time: ~1-2 seconds per listing
• Category-specific field validation
• Automatic data type conversion

Educational Content

Our blog provides comprehensive guides, tips, and insights to help you succeed on BharatSurplus. Learn from experienced sellers and get the latest platform updates.

1. Visit the Blog section to read educational articles
2. Browse by category or use the search feature
3. Subscribe to get notified of new posts
4. Share helpful articles with other users

Featured Articles

• Complete Guide to Selling: From newbie to pro seller strategies
• Pricing Your Items: How to set competitive starting prices
• Photography Tips: Taking great photos that sell
• Category-Specific Guides: Tailored advice for different product types
• Bulk Upload Mastery: Advanced techniques for power sellers

Learning Resources

Our educational content is designed to help you:

• Improve Your Sales: Learn proven strategies from successful sellers
• Understand Features: Get detailed explanations of platform features
• Stay Updated: Learn about new features and improvements
• Build Your Business: Scale from casual selling to professional operations
• Troubleshoot Issues: Find solutions to common problems

Getting the Most from Our Blog

1. Read Regularly: Check back weekly for new content
2. Apply What You Learn: Try the tips and strategies in your own listings
3. Share Feedback: Let us know what topics you'd like to see covered
4. Connect with Authors: Many articles are written by successful sellers
5. Bookmark Favorites: Save articles for future reference

Accessing Your Dashboard

Your dashboard provides comprehensive insights into your marketplace activity, sales performance, and engagement metrics.

1. Click "Dashboard" in the main navigation
2. View your activity overview and key metrics
3. Switch between different tabs for detailed insights

Dashboard Features

• Overview Tab: Summary cards, performance metrics, recent activity
• Listings Tab: Detailed table of all your listings with metrics
• Activity Tab: Recent views, bids, and watchlist activity
• Buy Requests Tab: Your buy requests performance and responses
• Analytics: Views, bids, sales, and engagement tracking

Key Metrics Tracked

• Active Listings: Number of currently live listings
• Total Views: How many times your listings have been viewed
• Total Bids: Number of bids received across all listings
• Watchlist Additions: Items added to watchlists
• Completed Sales: Successfully sold items
• Revenue: Total earnings from sales
• Buy Request Responses: Responses to your buy requests

Profile Management

• My Profile: Update personal information, bio, location
• My Listings: Manage all your active and past listings
• Orders: Track all your purchases and sales
• Addresses: Manage shipping and billing addresses
• Messages: Communicate with buyers and sellers
• Email Preferences: Control notification settings

Common Issues

General Questions