Time for some fundraising auctions. I'll run a few trials tonight. I'm sure I'll run into some things I've forgotten, so hopefully we can iron those bugs out tonight. I don't have a specific places setup for questions, so if anyone has a question feel free to post the question here
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/coops/391422-co-op-questions-suggestions.html.
I will use this thread to announce when an auction is posted, so subscribe to this thread and select to be immediately notified. The Auction will be posted in the Active CO-OP section and will be labeled as "AUCTION" in the title. All details will be included in each auction post.
Information concerning these auctions:
Fundraising auctions explained:
Items are donated to the fundraiser by members or suppliers. These items can be excess from store stock, CO-OP excess, or products no longer wanted by members. In situations where the member has expense out of pocket, a reserve price may be established to help recoup the loss. The funds over the reserve will be placed in a CO-OP recovery fund and used in some way to help members recover from failed CO-OPs. If you are a member with something you wish to sell in the Classifieds, I'd ask you consider allowing me to auction the item. Understand your reserve would need to be below retail or if it's a no longer produced item, we can discuss the reserve.
Auction items will be tested for functionality where able and described to the best of my ability. Any item unopened will not be opened for testing and will be sold as "New Unopened & Untested". Understand that all items are being sold as-is with no type of warranty of any kind. DOA items will be unfortunate but a possibility, so keep this in mind when placing your bid.
These auctions are available to all verified members, in the Active CO-OP section, and international shipping will be available. Please keep in mind that we will not be responsible for lost or seized shipments. Please bear this in mind when you consider bidding on an item. Members will be responsible for all shipping cost involved. For domestic shipping, Priority Flat Rate will be the default means of shipping. International shipping will require some coordination between myself and the winning member and the cost will be assessed at my earliest convenience. Understand that international shipping could be delayed by a couple days to a week, dependent upon my schedule.
There will be 2 types of auctions:
1. Blind Auctions - This thread will be closed to discussion and a link to a form where members will be allowed to post a bid will be provided. There will be an established length of time for this auction and once that time is reached, no more bids will be accepted. These bids will not be publicly accessible to the membership. Once the time period for the auction has expired, I will determine the highest bidder and they will be contacted with instructions on how to proceed with their purchase.
2. Live Auctions - When this auction is posted, an established length of time will be posted. Members will be allowed to post their live bid until the given length of time has expired, at which point the thread will be closed. Once the thread is closed, the highest bidder will be instructed as to how to proceed with their purchase.
Rules:
- By placing a bid, you understand you are entering into a binding agreement to pay the amount you post.
- All funds must be received within 5 days of being deemed the winning bidder. If you cannot fulfill your obligation, please do not bid.
- Winning bidder will be responsible for all shipping costs.
- Any winning bidder that fails to fulfill their obligation to purchase the winning item will be banned from any future auctions.
If you are a CO-OP host and have excess that you would like to donate or you're a member with items you would like to donate, please contact me via PM. Also, we would like to ask CO-OP host to consider adding an item or items to future CO-OPs to donate to this effort to raise money. In time we would like to be able to run these auctions fairly regular and use funds to donate to a determined charity.
As soon as these auctions get rolling, I will provide a spreadsheet available to all, showing the funds collected during each auction.
Keep in mind this is a new endeavor and may be some adjustments during the beginning. As things are updated I will post them here.
Auctions will begin around 8pm CST tonight. Subscribing to thread will be the best option if you'd like to be notified.