Welcome to the 2016 Terraforums NASC Benefit Auction!
In order to participate in the 2016 NASC auction, you are REQUIRED to read the Rules below for both listing and bidding. By making any posts in the Auction Forum, for either donations of items or bids on items, you acknowledge that you have fully read and understand these rules and you represent your agreement to the terms set forth for this auction. Failing to uphold either end of a post-auction transaction will result in exclusion from future auctions. Participation in the NASC Auction is entirely voluntary and will be taken as an acceptance of all rules and procedures.
LISTING PERIOD: Saturday April 2nd, through Saturday, April 16, 2016 closing at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (10:00 p.m. EST).
The actual opening and closing of the Auction forum will be as close as possible to the actual times, but may not be exact, as it is done manually. However, VALID listings and bids will go by the post time stamp (i.e., a bid that is entered past 7 p.m. PST on April 16 will NOT be valid even if the Auction Forum is still open for posting.)
You may post a listing (donation) at any time throughout the 2-week auction period. All items are open for bidding during the entire duration of the open auction. High bidder at the ENDING TIME of the auction is the winner.
AUCTION IS OPEN TO: The general public! You do not have to be a registered TerraForums member to donate (list) an item or bid (for purchase) on an item.
If you bid as a Guest, you MUST provide contact information in your bid post(s). Guest bids without contact information will be voided. You are welcome to join TerraForums... we are happy to have you!
WHAT CAN BE LISTED FOR AUCTION? The auction is open to any legal item, CP or non-CP related. Anything that may bring donations ($$$!) is acceptable. Examples include CPs, non-CP plants, seeds, artwork, gardening tools, T-shirts, lights, pots, CDs, books, non-perishable food items, activities (like tours), autographs, gift certificates, etc. BE CREATIVE! We need items and bids! But please only donate or bid if you can uphold and follow through with your end of the transaction. This auction operates on an "honor system" so please be HONORABLE about your donations and bids.
Weapons, chemicals or any items that have the potential for causing harm are NOT allowed. Illegal goods of any kind are NOT allowed. If you are unsure, ask one of the NASC officers. (Please note that you should not list S. alabamensis, S. jonesii, or S. oreophila for auction, even if you limit bidding to in your state due to the possibility of those plants traveling outside of your state during the mailing process).
FOLLOW THE LAW: The lister (donor) and buyer (bidder) are responsible for making sure that all laws and regulations are strictly adhered to in their exchange. This includes, but is not limited to, interstate transfer laws, phytosanitary laws and CITES rules for plant material. Any item offered within a boundary must be clearly stated and must still follow all rules for transfer with those regions (e.g., if an item is offered in Canada to only Canadians, the lister and winner must still adhere to all rules of LEGAL transfer of plant material within those regions.) A lister has the right to refuse foreign bids (for example, list an item as U.S. only). NASC will take no responsibility for any repercussions that result from not following the law.
LISTING AN ITEM: Anyone can donate (list) an item for auction, including non-TerraForums members! Each item donated will be listed as an individual TOPIC under the NASC Auction Forum. All bids for that item will be posted in that thread. "Dutch" auctions are not allowed; each item must be listed individually. Any Dutches listed will be deleted by a Mod and the lister notified.
Each lister (donor) must include the following information in their opening topic:
1) Opening bid amount
2) Item description
3) Who is to pay for shipping (seller or buyer) and at least a fair guesstimate on the amount so there are no "surprises" with shipping fees
4) If its U.S. shipping only or if you will ship internationally
5) If there are any boundary limitations (e.g. an item listed in Canada for only Canadian bidders)
6) Some form of contact info (PM or email) so the winning bidder can contact you about shipping addresses and fees
All listings must have an opening bid price. Minimum opening bid is $2 but opening bid can be higher. This will be used in lieu of reserves to ensure no item sells for an unreasonably low price. Please keep opening bids below what you consider the value of the item to be. "Bargain hunting" encourages bidding.
Example listing: "Up for auction is one pack of 20 Byblis seeds harvested Jan. 2015; opening bid $2. I am paying for shipping; US bidders only. My email contact is xyz@abc.com".
You are encouraged to post a photo of your item. If no photo is available, please provide a DETAILED description of your item (species, size, age, condition, etc.). If you'd like to make an "estimated value" on your item, you can but keep it fair and reasonable. Please keep an eye on your listing(s) in case a bidder has questions for you.
BIDDING ON AN ITEM: All bids will be placed within the topic for each item; the thread following that topic (item) will be all bids posted and pertaining to that one item. *All amounts are in WHOLE U.S. DOLLARS.
BID INCREMENTS:
Please keep bids to WHOLE dollar amounts (no cents).
Bidding increments will be based on current high bid
If the current high bid is between:
- $2-$19 you may place a bid no lower than $1 above the current bid
- $20-$49 you may place a bid no lower than $2 above the current bid
- $50 + you may place a bid no lower than $5 above the current bid
Bids higher than these minimums may be placed at any time.
For example: There is a Nepenthes listed; its current high bid is $5. You must bid AT LEAST $1 more (total $6 bid), but you can bid HIGHER (in even dollars). The Nepenthes bidding goes up to $20; you can bid $22 or higher (in $2 increments); the Nepenthes reaches $50; you can bid $55 or higher in $5 increments.
NOTE: If you do not understand bid increments, please contact me (Mark Todd) or another NASC officer. We must have bid increments so people don't outbid by a few pennies.
**No bids (posts) can be edited and changed once posted; contact a moderator if you need to make a change on your listing. You may bid as often as you wish. No bids will be valid past stated auction ending time.
IF YOU WIN AN AUCTION: Winner is high bidder at auction close at 7:00 p.m. PST (10:00 p.m. EST) April 16, 2016 Winner should contact the lister/donor within three days to make shipping arrangements. Payment for the ITEM WON will go directly to Carol Hoerman,Treasurer for the NASC (see payment methods and address above); please do NOT send ITEM payment to the seller! But DO remit any shipping fees directly to the seller. Once Carol has received payment for an item, she will notify one of the forum moderators, who will then notify the donor (and copy the bidder) that s/he can ship the item; the donor should have received shipping fees by this time. Donor has 14 days to ship the item once NASC has received payment.
PAYMENT FOR A WON ITEM: Payment can be made by personal check, money order, cashier's check or Paypal. Make your checks out to North American Sarracenia Conservancy. Please email Carol Hoerman for her mailing address at treasurer@nasarracenia.org.
Paypal to treasurer@nasarracenia.org as "Goods, other". Please make sure you use the "note" function and title it "AUCTION" along with ALL other pertinent information listed below...so Carol and the moderators will know what payments are auction related and for which items/seller.
***VERY IMPORTANT***
When you send in your payment, you MUST include the following information:
1) Your real first and last name
2) Your TerraForums ID (if a member)
3) Phone number and email address *just in case* we need to contact you
4) A full list of EACH Item you won and are paying for
b) Ending bid (price) of EACH item
c) The FORUM name or email of the donor (so they can be notified to ship!)
Any "mystery payments" (no identifiers) will be refused by NASC and returned to the sender.
SHIPPING FEES: The LISTER (DONOR) will choose who pays the shipping on their item. He/she may offer to pay shipping OR require the bidder to pay shipping costs; this information MUST be disclosed in the listing information so the bidder knows prior to bidding who will pay the costs. Shipping fees (as accurate as possible) and/or restrictions should be clearly posted in the listing (item topic); shipping costs can be estimated. Seller/donor should take all care possible to ensure their item is well packed and will arrive in good shape.
PAYMENT/SHIPPING POLICY: No item will be shipped until payment has been received. Each winner will have 30 days from the close of auction to remit payment to NASC and any shipping fees to the donor (seller). Items must be shipped to winners within 14 days of receipt of payment. If item payments are not received within the 30 day time allowance, the bid is voided and the next highest bidder will be offered the item at their highest bid. The same time allotments apply to each new high bidder if previous bids have been voided. Insurance will be at the request and expense of the buyer. The same 30 day time allowance applies for shipping fees sent to the donor as well. If you fail to send shipping fees to the donor within this time frame, your bid is voided, any payment sent to NASC will be refunded and the next highest bidder will be offered the item at their highest bid.
TerraForums Moderators reserve the right to remove any inappropriate listings, comments or bids. We also reserve the right to disallow any individual from participating in the auction if they are disruptive or disrespectful of others on the forum.
If you have any questions, please contact Carol Hoerman by email at treasurer@nasarracenia.org, or any of the TerraForum moderators.
GOOD FAITH: All items listed (donated) in this auction are perceived by NASC as donations in good faith that the transaction will be completed by both donor and winning bidder. We ask that all donors do their utmost to satisfy the winning recipients with their item. If, after a reasonable amount of time and effort, the transaction cannot be completed, NASC will REFUND all monies donated in any failed transaction.
This is a charity event for a good cause so SERIOUS BIDDERS ONLY!
Help make this auction run smoothly by following the rules, being responsible and being a good sport.
PLEASE!
*No Deadbeat Listers! If you can't follow through on delivering your item (donation) in a timely manner, please don't put up a listing! Please don't offer material you don't have (e.g. "I will have seeds in a couple of weeks"). Make sure you have the time to monitor your auction listings, pack and ship what you donate.
*No Deadbeat Bidders! Bid only if you will pay for what you win AND for any shipping costs.
THANK YOU AND HAVE FUN!
FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):
-What are the Bid Increments, and why are they important?
Bid increments are used in order to prevent people outbidding by just a penny or few pennies. This helps make tracking bids easier and reduces the number of bids (i.e., doesn't take 100 bids to advance $1), especially frivolous bids. It is standard in both auction houses and on-line auctions. Please keep your bids within the increment level for the current item price or a moderator will void your bid. More information on bid increments can be found in the auction rules post.
Please keep bids to WHOLE dollar amounts (no cents).
Bidding increments will be based on current high bid.
If the current high bid is between:
- $2-$19, you may place a bid no lower than $1 above the current bid
- $20-$49, you may place a bid no lower than $2 above the current bid
- $50 + , you may place a bid no lower than $5 above the current bid
Bids higher than these minimums may be placed at any time. If you see any bids not following the rules, notify a moderator please. If you do not understand this bidding rule, please ask.
-Can I post CITES-restricted material, ship internationally, etc.?
The lister (donor) and buyer (bidder) are responsible for making sure that all laws and regulations are strictly adhered to in their exchange. This includes, but is not limited to, interstate transfer laws, phytosanitary laws and CITES rules for plant material. Any item offered within a boundary must be clearly stated and must still follow all rules for transfer with those regions (e.g., if an item is offered in Canada to only Canadians, the lister and winner must still adhere to all rules of LEGAL transfer of plant material within those regions.) A lister has the right to refuse foreign bids (for example, list an item as U.S. only). NASC will take no responsibility for any repercussions that result from not following the law.
-I donated items to the auction. Can I deduct the value of those items from my taxes?
Yes! One of the benefits of being a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit is that NASC can accept tax-deductible donations. Donors whose items total greater than $75 will receive a disclosure statement, so we will need your mailing address. We recommend speaking to your tax preparer for more information.
-I won and paid for items from the auction. Can I deduct that money from my taxes?
No, because you received goods in exchange for your monetary donation.
-I have a $50 budget for the auction, and I see 5 items that I want to win. Should I bid $20 on each of them and hope that I win one or two?
Don’t make this mistake! What if you win all of the auctions but can’t pay the money you promised? If you default on your auctions, you will not be allowed to participate in any NASC auctions in the future.
NOTE: These rules and regulations were used with permission from Carol Hoerman, NASC Treasurer
Thank you For Participating in the 2016 TerraForums Auction!