Frequently Asked Questions

BreakAuctions is a micro-auction platform where you can score premium products — electronics, watches, sneakers, gift cards, and more — for a fraction of the retail price. Each auction has a fixed number of spots at a set price. You buy one or more spots, and when all spots sell out (or the timer expires), a spot number is drawn at random. If you hold the drawn spot, you claim the prize and we ship it to you for free.

Yes. BreakAuctions is a legally operated prize competition platform. Every draw uses Random.org, a certified true random number generator powered by atmospheric noise — the same technology used for scientific research. All draw results are publicly logged with the Random.org request ID so anyone can independently verify the outcome. We also publish every claim on our Winners page for full transparency.

No. BreakAuctions is a prize competition, not a lottery and not gambling. There is always a free entry route — no purchase is necessary to enter (see our free-entry option), and free entries have the same chance of winning as any other. In addition, selected winners must correctly answer a mathematical skill-testing question before a prize is awarded. Because entry is free and an element of skill is required, it is a competition rather than a lottery.

Every competition has a genuine free entry route — no purchase necessary. You can enter for free online using the free-entry option on any competition, or by mail. Full instructions are on our free-entry page at /free-entry. Free entries have exactly the same chance of winning as paid entries.

Yes. Selected winners must correctly answer a mathematical skill-testing question, unaided, before the prize is awarded. This skill element is a mandatory part of every BreakAuctions competition.

BreakAuctions competitions are open to residents of Canada who are at least 19 years old, excluding residents of Quebec, and void where prohibited by law.

Yes. You need a free BreakAuctions account to purchase spots. Signing up takes under 30 seconds — you can register with your email and a password, or use Google sign-in for one-click access. Your account lets you track your entries, view your spot numbers, and claim prizes if your spot is drawn.

Absolutely. Creating a BreakAuctions account is 100% free and always will be. You only pay when you choose to enter an auction by purchasing spots. There are no subscription fees, no hidden charges, and no membership tiers.

BreakAuctions competitions are open to residents of Canada who are at least 19 years old, excluding residents of Quebec, and void where prohibited by law. You must be 19+ to participate. Please check your local laws before entering. We ship prizes across Canada and internationally where permitted.

Browse the active auctions on our homepage, click on one you like, choose how many spots you want (1 to 100 per transaction), and proceed to checkout. Once your payment is confirmed, your spot numbers are instantly and permanently assigned to your account. You can see them on the auction page and in your account dashboard.

Yes! You can take up to 100 entries per transaction, and there's no limit on the number of transactions. Holding more entries increases your chances proportionally — for example, if a competition has 200 total entries and you hold 10, you have a 5% chance of being drawn. Each entry has an equal chance of being selected.

Spot numbers are assigned sequentially in the order payments are confirmed. When you purchase 3 spots, you get the next 3 available numbers (e.g., spots #45, #46, #47). This process is atomic — meaning the database locks the auction during assignment to prevent duplicate or overlapping spot numbers. Your spots are guaranteed unique.

No. Spot numbers are assigned automatically to ensure fairness and prevent manipulation. Every spot has an exactly equal probability of being drawn, regardless of its number. The sequential assignment system is transparent — you can see all entries and their spot numbers in real time on each auction page.

If a competition has a countdown timer and it expires before all entries are taken, the competition is cancelled and all paid entrants receive a full refund automatically to their original card via Stripe. If there's no timer, the competition stays open until every entry is taken.

Yes. Every auction page shows a live feed of the most recent entries, including the username and number of spots purchased. This transparency lets you verify that real people are entering and that spot counts match up. After the draw, the full entry list is available for verification.

We accept credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) processed securely through Stripe. All charges are in Canadian dollars (CAD). Remember that you can also take part using the free entry route, with no purchase necessary.

Yes. Card payments are processed by Stripe, a PCI Level 1 certified payment processor — the highest level of security in the payments industry. We never see or store your card details. Our site is protected with HSTS, encrypted connections, and security headers that block clickjacking and XSS attacks.

At checkout, enter your credit or debit card details (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and confirm. Payment is processed securely by Stripe and, once confirmed, your entries are assigned to your account automatically. There is no purchase necessary to enter — a free entry route is always available.

If your card payment is declined or not completed, no entries are assigned and you won't be charged. You can try again with another card, or use the free entry route. If you believe you were charged but your entries weren't assigned, contact our support team with your order ID and we'll resolve it promptly.

All prices on BreakAuctions are in Canadian dollars (CAD). We're a proudly Canadian company based in Canada. If you're entering from the U.S. or another country, your bank or card provider will convert the charge to your local currency at the current exchange rate.

No. The entry price you see is the total price you pay, in Canadian dollars (CAD). There are no service fees, processing fees, or platform surcharges added at checkout.

Yes. After your payment is confirmed, you'll receive a confirmation email with your order details, spot numbers, auction name, and amount paid. You can also view all your orders and entries in your account dashboard at any time.

The drawn spot is chosen using Random.org, a certified true random number generator. Unlike software-based pseudo-random generators, Random.org uses atmospheric noise — natural radio signals from the atmosphere — to produce genuinely unpredictable numbers. This is the same technology trusted by scientific research institutions and regulators worldwide.

No. The called number is generated by Random.org, an independent third-party service that we do not control. Every draw is logged with the Random.org request ID and the complete API response. This data is stored in our public draw logs, and anyone can cross-reference the request ID with Random.org's records to verify the result was not tampered with.

A draw is triggered when one of two conditions is met: (1) all spots in the auction are sold, or (2) the auction's countdown timer expires (if one is set). Once triggered, the draw runs automatically, the Random.org number is generated, and the called spot is determined — usually within minutes. The spot holder is notified immediately by email.

It's not a typo — "provably fair" means the system is designed so that anyone can independently verify the outcome wasn't manipulated. A regular draw says "trust us, we picked a random number." A provably fair draw says "here's the random number, here's where it came from, here's the math — check it yourself." At BreakAuctions, every draw comes with a Random.org request ID — a receipt from an independent, certified random number service. You can take that ID and verify directly with Random.org that the number we used is genuine. We can't change it, fake it, or run it twice. The proof is built into the system.

In the rare event that Random.org is unreachable, we fall back to Node.js's cryptographic random number generator (crypto.randomBytes) using rejection sampling to ensure unbiased results. This fallback is also cryptographically secure. The draw result will indicate whether the primary (Random.org) or fallback method was used, and both are logged for full transparency.

All past draws are visible on our Winners page, which shows the auction, the spot holder, called spot number, and draw date. Admins can also view the full draw audit trail including the Random.org request ID. If you want to verify a specific draw, contact us and we'll provide the Random.org reference data.

Our auctions feature premium products including the latest electronics (MacBooks, iPhones, gaming consoles), luxury watches, limited-edition sneakers, designer fashion, gift cards, and exclusive experiences. Every product is brand new, authentic, and fully described on the auction page with its retail value.

When your spot is drawn, you'll receive an email notification with a link to your prize claim page. Click the link (or go to your Account page) and submit your shipping information: full name, address, phone number, and any delivery notes. Our team processes claims within 24 hours of submission.

Physical prizes are shipped within 5 business days of your claim submission. Digital prizes (gift cards, software licenses, etc.) are delivered within 24 hours, usually much faster. We provide tracking numbers for all physical shipments so you can follow your prize every step of the way.

Yes! We ship to the U.S. and have many American customers. Shipping to the U.S. typically takes 5-10 business days. Please note that all prices on BreakAuctions are listed in Canadian dollars (CAD). Import duties or customs fees, if applicable, are the responsibility of the prize claimant.

Yes, we ship worldwide. International shipping times vary by destination but typically take 7-14 business days. Import duties or customs fees, if applicable, are the responsibility of the prize claimant. We declare the full retail value of all prizes on customs forms as required by law.

All prizes are insured during shipping. If your prize arrives damaged, contact us immediately with photos of the damage and packaging. We'll file an insurance claim and either replace the item or refund the entry value at our discretion. We pack all items securely to minimize this risk.

Yes. Prize claimants have 30 days from the draw date to submit their claim. After 30 days, unclaimed prizes may be forfeited. We send multiple email reminders before the deadline. If you have extenuating circumstances, contact our support team and we'll work with you.

Once your payment is confirmed and spots are assigned, entries are generally non-refundable. This is because your spot numbers are locked into the draw pool and removing them would affect the fairness of the auction for other participants. However, if an auction is cancelled by BreakAuctions (e.g., the timer expires before all spots sell), you'll receive a full automatic refund.

If BreakAuctions cancels a competition, all paid orders are refunded automatically. Card payments are refunded directly to your original payment method via Stripe — typically within 5-10 business days.

Card refunds (Stripe) typically appear on your statement within 5-10 business days, depending on your bank. Some banks may take up to 14 days.

This is rare but can happen if there's a delay in payment confirmation. First, check your Account page — spots may appear within a few minutes as the payment processes. If spots still aren't showing after 15 minutes, contact our support team with your order ID (found in your confirmation email or account dashboard). We'll investigate and resolve it promptly.

Click "Forgot password?" on the Sign In page and enter your email address. You'll receive a password reset link within a few minutes. Click the link, enter your new password (minimum 8 characters), and you're set. The reset link expires after 24 hours for security.

Usernames are set during registration and are currently not changeable through the UI. If you need to update your username, contact our support team and we'll assist you. Usernames must be unique across the platform.

We take data protection seriously. Your account data is stored in Supabase with row-level security policies that ensure you can only access your own data. Passwords are hashed and salted — we never store plaintext passwords. Payment data is handled by Stripe (we never see your card numbers). All connections use HTTPS with HSTS preloading. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

We collect your email, username, and (if your spot is drawn) your shipping address. We also store your auction entries, order history, and payment references (but not card numbers). We use this data solely to operate the platform, process your entries, and ship your prizes. We do not sell your data to third parties. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Yes. Contact our support team to request account deletion. We'll remove your personal data from our systems within 30 days, in compliance with applicable data protection regulations. Note that anonymous records of completed draws and entries may be retained for audit and fairness verification purposes.

Your chances are simple and transparent: the number of entries you hold divided by the total entries in the competition. If you hold 5 entries in a competition with 200 total entries, your chance is 5/200 = 2.5%. If you hold 50 entries, your chance rises to 25%. Every entry has an equal chance — there are no weighted entries or VIP advantages. Entries obtained through the free entry route have exactly the same chance of winning as any other.

The draw is purely random, so nothing can guarantee a specific outcome. Your chance is determined only by how many entries you hold relative to the total number of entries. Some people prefer competitions with fewer total entries for a higher chance per entry. Remember that you can always take part using the free entry route, which carries the same chance of winning. Only ever enter within a budget you are comfortable with.

When a competition closes, the winning entry is chosen using Random.org, a certified true random number generator powered by atmospheric noise. Every draw is publicly logged with the Random.org request ID and the full API response, so anyone can independently verify the outcome — this is what we mean by a provably fair draw. The holder of the selected entry is then contacted and must correctly answer a mathematical skill-testing question, unaided, before the prize is awarded.

Yes! Every completed competition produces exactly one winner, and all claims are displayed on our Winners page with the winner's username, the prize, and the selected entry number. We also send draw-complete notifications to all participants so everyone knows the outcome.