Silent Auction Rules
By bidding at the Silent Auction or through an automatic bid, each bidder
agrees to these Auction Rules.
If your bid is designated the top bid, it constitutes a legal contract and you
must purchase the item.
All sales are final. No exchanges or refunds on auction items are permitted.
Everything will be sold as is. Please carefully read any specifications and
restrictions. Please note expiration dates.
Retail values assigned to items being auctioned are estimates and are not
warranted by the school for tax purposes or for general value.
Some items have been assigned a “Buy it Now” price. These prices often
exceed the item’s estimated monetary value, but guarantee that the first
person placing the “Buy it Now” bid is the winning bidder.
At the time of purchase, buyer waives any claims for liability against either
the school or the donor of property or services, and neither the school nor the
donor is responsible for any personal injuries or damages to property that
may result from utilization of property or services sold.
Unless otherwise specified, dates and times are to be arranged at the mutual
convenience of the donor and buyer.
We prefer all silent auction items must to be paid-in-full by cash, check or
credit card and removed from the auction site by at check out on Saturday,
May 12, 2012. However, if you must leave the grounds before check out,
please let an auction committee member know and to coordinate payment
and pick-up no later than Tuesday May 14, 2012.
Silent Auction
Bidding Procedures
The Silent Auction begins at the Advance Bidding Night reception on
Friday May 11th (7:30 PM - 9:30 PM). It re-opens at the Spring Fair on
Saturday, May 12th at 12:00 Noon. Its closing, at approximately 3:15 PM,
will be announced by loudspeaker 30 minutes in advance.
Each Silent Auction item will have a bid sheet with a preprinted starting bid.
To place a bid, simply write your name, phone number and the amount you
wish to bid in the designated space. Please write neatly. You do not have to
limit your bid to the minimum increment; you may skip ahead to any higher
amount you are willing to bid. Please note: some items have a “Buy It
Now” price. This price exceeds the value of the item, but ensures the first
person making such a bid will be the winning bidder.
Scratching of bids is not allowed. Once a bid has been properly entered on a
bid sheet, it becomes a valid and binding bid.
Bids entered after the closing of the Auction will be disallowed. An
Auction Committee member will disqualify the bid of any person who
attempts to block others who wish to bid on the same item or items adjacent
to it. If a bid is disqualified, the preceding bid will be honored.
The highest bid at the close of the Silent Auction wins. Successful bids will
be posted at the time of check-out. All payments for Silent Auction items
must be made at the check-out area.
If you or your friends and family are not able to attend the close of the Silent
Auction,“Automatic Bidding”will be allowed. Here is how it works: Secure
an Automatic Bidding Form (available in this booklet or at the auction).
Complete the form indicating the relevant item #, your maximum bid, and
the incremental amount by which you would increase your bid. Register
your form at the bar inside the library. A bell will be available to signal an
auction committee member to time-stamp the bid. Throughout the auction, a
committee member will monitor the items marked for automatic bids no less
than every 10 minutes, entering a new incremental bid when appropriate. If
identical Automatic Bidding instructions are received, the first form
registered will take precedence. In the final minutes of the auction a
committee member will be present at each item for which an Automatic Bid
exists.
The Blind Auction
Rather than a traditional live auction, we are offering the treasured
keepsakes created by each classroom, through a blind auction (also
known as a first-price sealed-bid auction).
The How: A minimum bid is established for each item. A sealed
bidding box with a slot will accompany each item and substitute for
the traditional silent auction bid sheet. Bidders will write their name,
phone number, and the highest amount they are willing to pay for the
treasured keepsake, on the available bidding forms. The bidding form
is deposited into the bidding box. No bidder will know the amount
bid by any other bidder (hence the name “blind” auction). You may
bid more than once if you decide to increase your bid amount. The
highest-price bid from any given bidder will be the bid that is counted.
At the designated end-time for each auction item, the box will be
opened. Bids will be reviewed by an auction committee member
(who has not bid on the relevant item). The highest-price bid will win
the keepsake. In the event of a tie, the matching highest-price bids
will be placed in a hat and a bystander will draw for the winning bid.
Please note, bids need not be even amounts. You can bid $1,001 or
$554 in an attempt to avoid a tie.
The when: Blind auction bidding can be done at the Advance Bidding
Reception on Friday May 11th through the designated end-time for
each auction item on Saturday May 12th. We have staggered the end
times for each item, in the event that winning or losing a given blind
auction item may affect a person’s bid for other blind or silent auction
items. Designated end-times are: Mrs. Brunetti 2:15; Mrs. Nellis
2:20; Mrs. Meyers 2:25; Mrs. A-0 2:30; and Mrs. Perez 2:35.
Winners will be announced as soon as they are determined. If you, or
a family member, are interested in bidding on a keepsake but are
unable to attend the Advance Bidding Reception and are unable to get
to the fair before the designated end-time, you may submit a sealed
bid through the school office. To do so, use the Blind Auction
Bidding Form available in the back of the auction booklet. Fold the
form. Place it in a sealed envelope. On the front of the envelope
write Sealed Bid, Attention Kimberly Morrison, your name and the
name of the teacher whose class created the keepsake. If you fail to
indicate the teacher, we will not know how to count your bid.