Questions.
If yours is not here, mail [email protected] and I will answer it, then add it.
Is this real?
Yes. The machine is a real machine at a real price, the lid is the one I
carry every day, and every bid ever placed is listed publicly on the
history page, in order, with the amount.
Nothing on this site is a placeholder.
What exactly am I buying?
One marked zone on the lid, carrying your logo as a die-cut vinyl sticker,
for six months from the day it goes on. You also get the photograph of the
finished lid and every sighting photo your spot appears in, to use however
you like.
When is my card charged?
Only if you are still the top bid when the clock stops. Bidding saves your
card; it does not charge it and does not place a hold. If you are outbid,
you get an email and nothing else happens.
What if I win and my card fails?
You get an email with a link to pay by hand and
48 hours to use it. After that the
spot is offered to the next bidder down - offered, not charged: their bid
only goes through if they say yes again.
Can someone snipe it in the last second?
No. Any bid inside the final 10 minutes
pushes the finish line out by 10 minutes.
The auction ends when bidding actually stops.
What artwork should I send?
SVG is best - it cuts cleanly at any size. PNG at 1000 px or more on the
long edge also works. One colour or flat colours reproduce far better in
vinyl than gradients or photographs.
The lid is silver, so white and very light artwork vanishes on it - send
something dark or strongly coloured.
Square placements want a symbol rather than a long wordmark; the bid form
tells you which shape you are buying. I will tell you if your file will not
cut well before I print anything.
Can any brand bid?
Almost. I will not carry gambling, adult content, anything predatory in the
lending or crypto space, or anything I would be uncomfortable explaining to
the person sitting opposite me in a cafe. If I turn a bid down you are
refunded in full, immediately.
What if the laptop is stolen or replaced?
Your spot moves to the replacement machine at the same size and position,
at my cost, and the six months restart from the day the new sticker goes
on. If I stop carrying a laptop entirely, you get back the unused part of
your six months, pro rata.
What happens after six months?
The stickers come off and the lid goes back up for auction. Sponsors who
held a spot get first refusal at the closing price before bidding reopens.
Why not just buy the laptop?
I could. This is more interesting, it costs ten companies less than a week
of ads each, and it turns a purchase into something people can watch.
Slavi gets a machine; ten brands get six months on a surface
that goes everywhere a laptop goes.