Rocky Mountain Cichlid Association Auction Rules as of February 2002 The Rocky Mountain Cichlid Association (RMCA) auction will start at 11:00 am. The doors to the auction room will be opened at 9:00 am for sellers to register auction and ‘quick sale’ (QS) items. Bidder viewing of items to be auctioned will begin at 10:00 am and continue until the auction starts. Bidders will not be allowed to browse through the auction tables while items are being auctioned. The RMCA is not responsible for dead/diseased fish or faulty equipment.
The RMCA auction will consist of ONLY cichlids, scavengers (catfish/invertebrates), plants, 100% donations, and new dry good items. All used items will be sold from the QS tables. For example, an unopened container of food may be auctioned while food that has been bagged from a larger source will go to the QS tables. Medicines generally should be considered QS items and must be within the expected life date. Aquariums (tanks) and stands are a special category and should be brought to the attention of the auction committee. In general, tanks 10 gal or less will be QS items and larger tanks and stands will be auctioned. The auction committee will be the final authority on which items are auctioned and which go to the QS tables.
The auction will be conducted by table number. Auction tables are numbered from 0 to 9. The table numbers will be randomly selected for the order of auctioning. During the viewing and at breaks bidders can bring items to the auctioneer table to be auctioned out of sequence. There is a $2.00 fee to get an item auctioned out of sequence. There is no implied guarantee that a bidder bringing an item forward will be the ultimate successful bidder. The first dollar of any item sold (either from the auction or the QS table will go to the RMCA. Sellers who are RMCA members in good standing will receive 80% of the remaining sale price. Sellers who are members of the RMCA not in good standing will receive 60% of the remaining sale price. Nonmembers will receive 50% of the remaining sale price. In good standing is defined as participation in at least one RMCA activity in addition to the auction.
SELLER AUCTION RULES
Sellers are limited to no more than forty (40) items to be auctioned with no more than four (4) bags of the same species or color morph. For example, you could bring four (4) bags of P. Zebra ‘red dorsal’ and four bags of P. Zebra ‘Chilumba’. You can not bring four bags of P. Zebra ‘red dorsal’ adults and four bags of P. Zebra ‘red dorsal’ fry.
Sellers must complete all auction forms and turn them in to the check in/check out table if they expect to receive payment. The seller code (usually the sellers initials), item number, and description of the item (including how many if fish) must be identified on the item to be sold. A separate tag, writing on the bag, pasting a tag on the bag, etc can be used for this. If the identification is incomplete or washes off there is a good chance you will not be paid for that item. The item number must match the sellers auction form given to the check in/check out table.
Sellers are responsible for placing their items on the proper table. The last number of your auction item corresponds to the table where it should be placed. For example, items numbered 9, 19, 29, and 39 would all be placed on table 9. It is important that sellers place the items to be auctioned on the proper table before the auction starts. Items that arrive after their table has been sold will be placed on the last table to be auctioned. After items have been placed on the tables and the sellers auction form turned in, items cannot be removed from the tables without express approval of the auction committee.
Fish to be auctioned must be a minimum of 3/4-inch overall length, i.e., length from the nose to the tip of the tail. Fish should be double bagged or in 3-mil bags. There will be a $1.00 rebagging fee for any bags that need rebagging. Zip lock or other bags of this type will not be accepted for auction. You may place as many fish as you want in a bag but remember they must survive in the bag for longer that the length of the auction. Fish must be healthy and correctly identified.
Fish that are crossbred, deformed, sick, or dead will not be auctioned. Any items deemed inappropriate may be rejected by the auction committee and returned to the seller or otherwise disposed of.
The RCMA does not honor requests for minimum bids at our auctions. If you have entered a minimum bid in MyGroupAuctions, the RMCA will ignore it when that items comes up for bid.
If as a seller you are insistent upon getting that price, you may:
- Withdraw the item from the auction before it comes up for bid and choose another venue to try and sell it (privately, Aquabid, Facebook Market, etc.)
- Bid the item up yourself to either get the item to your minimum bid or win the item back (but you still pay the first dollar and the 20% to the club)
QUICK SALE TABLE
The QS table has two main purposes. First, it allows the seller to indicate the price he expects to receive for the item. This may be higher than the item would go for at auction since the bid price for used items can be quite low. Second, it will reduce the length of time the auction runs. There will be a limit of forty (40) items per seller at the QS tables.
Items suitable for the QS tables are used equipment, opened food, medications, gravel and rock, leaker tanks, magazines, etc. No fish will be allowed on the QS table. The seller must prepare an auction form and tag each item in an identical manner as described for fish with the addition that “quick sale” must be identified and the expected price must be on the tag.
For example, a bag of food would be identified with the sellers’ code, quick sale (QS) code, item number, description, and price. The tag would read “ABC-QS- 12, 8 ounce spirulina flake, $14.00.”
QS table items can be purchased as soon as they are put on the QS tables. This may be prior to the start of the auction. The QS table monitor will complete the sale form and turn it in to the check in/check out table. Once items have been placed on the QS tables the seller can not remove them until the first price reduction. The QS table monitor must receive the complete tag for any item removed by the seller.
Quick sale items will be reduced in price per the following schedule. The QS table monitor is responsible for calculating the final sale price.
10% off original price at 2:00 p.m.
20% off original price at 3:00 p.m.
30% off original price at 4:00 p.m.
50% off original price at 5:00 p.m.
The auction committee has the authority to place 100% donations on the QS tables (following the directions herein) and, with the consent of the seller, remove items from the QS tables and auction them. After the fish auction is complete the auction committee will determine if any QS items left could be auctioned. If the seller is not present it is assumed that permission to auction was given. The seller must pick up any QS items remaining after the auction or they become property of the RMCA.
BIDDER AUCTION RULES
A bidder number is required to purchase items in the auction or from the QS tables. Bidder numbers are free after the proper identification forms are filled out and turned in to the check in/check out table. The bidder number must be shown when bidding on or purchasing an item. On check out the bidder number must be turned in to the check in/check out table. A new bidder number must be obtained if a person has checked out but sees another item they want. Bidders are expected to pay by cash, check, or debit/credit card when checking out.
Items purchased may not be removed from the auction room before they are paid for.