HAS Auction

[PhishPhreek]

Re: HAS Auction

I just ballanced my checkbook and the check I wrote for the goodies I purchased has not been deposited yet......

If I'd known they weren't going to cash it, I could have bid a lot higher.

[cichlidsooner]

Re: HAS Auction

I wonder if that is good news or bad news?? Good for you, but bad for us who sold alot of fish and are waiting for the profits to be delivered. Sounds like it will be a few more days until the checks are sent out to the sellers, if checks that paid for items haven't been cash, that sucks!! Oh well just have to wait a little longer to order more fish.

[rrocket2002]

Re: HAS Auction

Same here.  The check I wrote has not hit the bank yet.  We could all volunteer some of our time to get that part of it going....right?

Raul

[marauder_77868]

Re: HAS Auction

The checks should be done on Wednesday. It takes awhile to go through 700 or so little slips of paper and organize them by both bidder and seller. There are inevitably mistakes on the auction tickets that have to be rectified against the seller sheets and at the speed that I was having to go, it's somewhat amazing that the writers, runners, and baggers were able to keep up as well as they did. I wish we had a system that could give credit or checks to the sellers on the spot. To be honest though, the other auctions that I participate in which do use a computer system seem to issue checks slower than we do.
--Charles

[tattoo]

Re: HAS Auction

keep up the good work CHARLES i dont mind waiting a while for my check it is just a good time the whole day as long as my wife doesnt call a get pissy why i am spending such a long time at a F@@@@@@ fish auction... anyway cant wait for the next one and the next one and so on....

[Anonapersona]

Re: HAS Auction

So, Charles, how much does one of those computer systems cost? There ought to be a ton of profits from the auctions to spend toward such a thing, with 25% of sales going to the club.

Just think of how much easier your job would be -- push a button and show the net sales per buyer, push another and get net sales per seller.

And so many fewer checks to process -- like half as many.

You really ought to put that up for a vote. Devote a large share of the profits from each auction toward buying that system.

I wonder how much sales might increase if sellers could use profits to buy that day???

[rrocket2002]

Re: HAS Auction

The catch to that is you would have to only accept cash or credit cards.  I'm sure HAS has to wait for checks made out to them to clear right now, though that should not hinder the Sellers prompt payment.

I've never really been to any kind of auction before and I really enjoyed this one.  I never thought to ask, I just had assumed that at the end of the day....payoff time.

How do other Auctions work?  Car Auctions?  I thought they had to show proof of funds or something to be able to bid.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the hard work that goes into this.

Raul

[Hanson77]

Re: HAS Auction

I don't think that they should have accepted checks anyway.  With the ability to right a hot check and it not be caught until after the fact really puts a liability on HAS to cover that cost somehow.  If they only accepted cash or credit cards, then you could have turnaround that day.  You could reconcile the day just like at a regular retail store or whatever.  I guarantee more folks would volunteer if you got your payout the same day.

[wvgdiscus]

Re: HAS Auction

There are people that spend like $500.00 to $600.00 at the auction. I dont think most people would be willing to carry that kind of money with them.
Credit cards on the other hand charge a fee & it takes a land line to process them. In which means installing a land line & having to pay for it for 12 months. When HAS would only use it 3 times a year.

[cichlidsooner]

Re: HAS Auction

And for the people that made 500 bucks, I would not want to leave with that much cash either.

As for the check deal, they got all the info they need to get that hot check dealt with. Believe me after my last deal with a guy in Dallas, I won't take a check from another person again, unless we know each other well enough where I don't have to wait 2 months to get paid.

By now, I figure by now I should be any honorary member of the HAS, enough so where I get a free bidder card as much $ they get to make off my fish and misc stuff and what I buy.

[Zulaab]

Re: HAS Auction

Regarding a computer.   You would not necessarily need the hardware.  Its more a question about the software.  Someone would need to make a database and simply run it at the auction, on a personal laptop or alike.
I don't know how big of a database you would need for an auction but I am thinking it cannot be more than a few 100k in size max.

Anyone here a programmer ?

[Hanson77]

Re: HAS Auction

Depending on what type database that you are referring too....that wouldn't be a big deal at all.

I also want to go on record here that I am not knocking any of the efforts exhausted by the gracious folks of the HAS.  I really appreciate the ability that you afforded all of us to reach a larger audience of people to sell our fish and things of the sort in the first place.  

The only thing that I am saying would that could have made the experience even better would have been to be able to spend my profits that day.  If this has been researched or taken into consideration and the conclusion was that it was just too labor intensive to make it work.....no big deal.

Thanks again.
-Michael

[szidlon]

Re: HAS Auction

Other auctions, whether antiques, vintage radios or other categories, that I have participated in, mail the sellers checks after all the accounting is done.  That has been the case whether I was just a seller or both a buyer and seller.  There are instances where the buyer skips and does not pay for or receive his/her items.  They have also charged not only seller premiums but in most cases a buyers premium of 10% as well.

[Cameo]

Re: HAS Auction

As a member of the HAS board, I can let you know that all ideas for the auction are very appreciated. It has been discussed several times whether or not to have a computer at the auction. One of the problems run up against was that no one could key in the items from the seller sheets fast enough. Who can key in over 700 items in an hour or less?  :)  Having the item description listed is also a plus.

Before anyone got credit that day on items sold, everyone would have to be checked out first. What if someone left w/o paying or didn't have enough money or the item broke/died and they no longer wanted it?
And let's see, the hall costs money, as do the raffle ticket tanks and some of the silent auction items.  HAS pays postage for the reminder postcards, not to mention the paper and toner. Oh, the newspaper ad is not cheap by any means. Flyers, vendor letters and postage, calculators, auction supplies. HAS really doesn't make that much money. They do it for the love of the hobby...and of course, getting to meet great folks like ya'll!

I hope this answered some of your questions. Keep ideas coming along. There is room for improvement in any process.
-- Marion

[Hanson77]

Re: HAS Auction

As it stands now.....what do you do if someone backs out on an item or it breaks or dies before they checkout???  

All of the other items that you listed are or should all paid for before the auction ever occurs so I can't see that being a factor on whether or not people could potentially use money that someone planned to spend on their items.  These cost factors should be the deciding factor as to what percentage you charge for each auction item unless the 25% was just an arbitrary number that seemed like a good figure.  

My thoughts on using money that you potentially made on items sold would be a fairly simple accounting balance sheet similar to the sheet that we were supposed to keep up with our sales on and turn in at the end only with purchased items included at the bottom or something.  A quick calculation of the sales less 25% fees - purchase prices + tax would give you a total for the day.  If there was a remaining balance owed to that seller then that check would be sent after the reconciliation was complete.

Once again....Just my two pennies.