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Auction details
Sanfam
I like clocks.
in Zocalo v2.0
I'm lazy right now (heh...), so I just copied and pasted this into here, but take a peek, tell me what you think:
[quote]
[02:21] Sanfam: But now, how would we go about auctioning off the other goods on FO?
[02:21] Sanfam: IRC?
[02:22] Biggles: i think the best way would either be a moderated IRC chatroom or a moderated thread. moderated thread might be better as then people dont have to all be up at the same time.
[02:22] Sanfam: ok
[02:24] Biggles: actually, better idea:
start an auction forum. one thread per item. heavily moderated (as in bids only nothing else). i can moderate it for you if you like.
when we're done, close up the forum. open again when necessary.
[02:25] Sanfam: We could have it set up such that items are up for auction for a week
[02:25] Sanfam: what would be a good time?
[02:25] Sanfam: 5 days, a week, 10 days, two weeks, 20?
[02:26] Sanfam: at the very least, we know who we can trust, so... :D
[02:26] Sanfam: we have a head start there
[02:27] Biggles: i say 1 week. we'll give plenty of notice in every forum we have about it so people know it will be there and how it'll work.
then, the auction will run for a week. make the forum, start the required threads, then open it up to all. after 7 days, close it and the winning bid gets it.
if people dont pay (dont ship till you get the money), then the next person gets option, and so forth[/quote]
Comments?
[quote]
[02:21] Sanfam: But now, how would we go about auctioning off the other goods on FO?
[02:21] Sanfam: IRC?
[02:22] Biggles: i think the best way would either be a moderated IRC chatroom or a moderated thread. moderated thread might be better as then people dont have to all be up at the same time.
[02:22] Sanfam: ok
[02:24] Biggles: actually, better idea:
start an auction forum. one thread per item. heavily moderated (as in bids only nothing else). i can moderate it for you if you like.
when we're done, close up the forum. open again when necessary.
[02:25] Sanfam: We could have it set up such that items are up for auction for a week
[02:25] Sanfam: what would be a good time?
[02:25] Sanfam: 5 days, a week, 10 days, two weeks, 20?
[02:26] Sanfam: at the very least, we know who we can trust, so... :D
[02:26] Sanfam: we have a head start there
[02:27] Biggles: i say 1 week. we'll give plenty of notice in every forum we have about it so people know it will be there and how it'll work.
then, the auction will run for a week. make the forum, start the required threads, then open it up to all. after 7 days, close it and the winning bid gets it.
if people dont pay (dont ship till you get the money), then the next person gets option, and so forth[/quote]
Comments?
Comments
;)
I know on EBay that 3 days usually isn't long enough for a decent auction. 5 - 10 days are usually the best... more towards 10...
:)
5pmGMT, Person A lives in the +0 timezone, person B in the +10 timezone. A can bid until the end, but B's time then is 3 am, and staying up that long could be a problem for some people ;)
but as i said, i don't see an easy way (that wouldn involve some heavy coding) of solving this, so i'll just shut my mouth :)
We could always emulate ebay's autobid thing. Post Sanfam or me a max limit and we'll bid for you or something.
[B]Ebay has the same problem anyway. :)
We could always emulate ebay's autobid thing. Post Sanfam or me a max limit and we'll bid for you or something. [/B][/QUOTE]
yep, i was talking about an autolimit. though sending you guys something would work too... :)
[quote] [i] Originally posted by Aggamemnon[/i]
[b]why not just use ebay?[/b][/quote]
i think it's so that it's "exclusive" to Firstones-members
[20:26] Biggles: yeah. ebay is possible, but like i said to jack, then you might make more money but the items will probably go to some random collector who doesnt even care about b5
[20:26] Sanfam: yeah
[20:26] Sanfam: Also on big emphasis right now is the community aspect of FirstOnes
[20:26] Sanfam: eBay would destroy that.
[20:26] Biggles: exactly.
[B]There's no way of holding a private auction at ebay? Otherwise you'll have to run it yourselves. [/B][/QUOTE]
Nope.
I think an eBay auction would work just fine. The way it'd have to be done is:
1) Create a new FO ebay account.
2) Templatize the auctions to include a very clear disclaimer that a high bid from a non-FO member will be rejected, setting the cutoff FO forum join date at the day before auction start.
3) Upon successful completion of an auction, winning bidder would include his/her FO user name and some form of verification as part of the payment info (in paypal payment comments, via email once the auction has completed, etc).
4) Winning bidder's info is validated and the payment is either accepted or rejected based on the results. If the identity cannot be verified, the item will go to the verifiable FO member with the highest bid on that item -- this should help us avoid the need to relist items.
Private auction description:
Private Auctions
Strictly hush, hush—use this auction to protect a buyer's privacy.
* Bidders' email addresses won't show up on the item or bidding-history screens.
* When the auction is over, only the seller will know who bought the item.
* This option can't be used with Dutch Auctions.
Auction forum, closed unless auction is going on, and an announcement thread in each forum.
[B]P.S. We could use eBay's Private Auction feature for this, so that each bidder's identity can be verified in order for the bid to be counted.[/B][/QUOTE]
That's not how private auctions work on eBay.
A private auction simply means that bidders' identities are hidden from each other.
[B]A private auction simply means that bidders' identities are hidden from each other. [/B][/QUOTE]
But if people can't see who wins the auction, and only the seller does, we can use that to 'filter' winning bidders until we find the top bidder who is an FO member.
There's definitely a way to make our auctions work on eBay, the only drawback is their listing commission charge.
And... about time zones, well...
You have to get up early in the morning on Ebay just as much as you would on the forums to make sure someone doesn't SNIPE your bid at the last moment...
So, I don't really see a problem. In fact why not start the auction with the cut off time planned at a comfortable time for most everybody concerned...
:)
[B]So, you lost on the kleenex used by Dr. Dre? [/B][/QUOTE]
:confused:
[B]:confused: [/B][/QUOTE]
Weird Al. Never mind.
[B]But if people can't see who wins the auction, and only the seller does, we can use that to 'filter' winning bidders until we find the top bidder who is an FO member.[/B][/QUOTE]
No, you can't do that.
Well, technically, you can, but it would generate a lot of complaints from bidders who actually won, but were refused by the seller simply because they weren't members of the FO community.
Imagine being someone who wins an eBay auction, and then told you didn't win because you're not part of some community.
[B]No, you can't do that.
Well, technically, you can, but it would generate a lot of complaints from bidders who actually won, but were refused by the seller simply because they weren't members of the FO community.
Imagine being someone who wins an eBay auction, and then told you didn't win because you're not part of some community. [/B][/QUOTE]
I was thinking that as long as we make it clear in the auction description that it's restricted to FO members only, it would be ok. However, I suppose this is a moot point since I seem to be the only eBay proponent, so never mind, a forum-based auction will be fine too. :)
I guess the question of return on the auction must be asked...
Should we focus on the best possible $ bid or sacrifice a little and keep it within our community.
Let's remember why we are doing this, before we make our votes. To support the costs to run this joint...
;)
I am not against either, just pointing out why we are discussing it.
I have a few more things I am willing to donate to the auction, but I have to consider the fact that a lot of us here don't have a lot of money, or have credit card setups to get it through.
Are we really the best choice for an auction?
Something to think about anyway...