silent auctions

[phorbesie]

so...i'm doing one...

i'll have a sheet with the item description with the item, the value, and then a sheet where you put your name, phone, and bid.

is there anything else you need to do besides that? haven't done this before. do you write in a minimum bid or no?

thanks

[bradm]

Are all the bids written on the same sheet of paper? I thought that a silent auction had each bid submitted separately (and secretly) on its own sheet of paper.

Aloha,

Brad

[phorbesie]

oh...

i was thinking it was like a list. so one person would write 20$ say and then if someone wants to bid more than that they do so on the next line. no?

[Ms Zimmy]

Yeah, having tickets where people fill them out and drop them in a sealed box. That sort of thing.

No one knows what others are bidding..so you open the box at the end of the night and find the highest bidder and they win.

Good work H

Edited June 6, 2008 by Guest

[phorbesie]

wha? never seen that type. i'm gonna do it the other way, sorry hehehe

it seems like you'd get more money out of it my way.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

don't forget to put a blindfold on the person before they write down their bid

[Davey Boy 2.0]

wha? never seen that type. i'm gonna do it the other way, sorry hehehe

it seems like you'd get more money out of it my way.

this just in, phorbesie's a money grabbing sellout

are you auctioning gift certificates to Pizza Hut or something?!?!?

[bradm]

OK, you know I was going to do this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_auction#Other_auction_terminology

Silent auction: This is often a variant of an English auction, where bids are written on a sheet of paper, and at the predetermined end of the auction, the highest listed bidder wins the prize. This auction variant is often used in charity events, and many items may be auctioned simultaneously. Participants submit bids normally on paper, near the item. Other variations of this type of auction may include sealed bids. The highest bidder pays the price he or she submitted.

It sounds like a basic silent auction works the way phorbesie envisioned it: each bid is visible by all the other bidders, but there's no auctioneer and nobody shouts out bids. My version would be the sealed-bid silent auction.

Aloha,

Brad

[Davey Boy 2.0]

([/purple])

[bradm]

wha? never seen that type. i'm gonna do it the other way, sorry hehehe

it seems like you'd get more money out of it my way.

Not necessarily. Since nobody knows what anybody else is bidding, each bidder has to make a guess at what a reasonable bid is, and there might be a bidder whose guess is higher than what an open competitive bidding process would get to.

(I'd also be concerned with having a piece of paper with names, phone numbers, and dollar amounts sitting there open to anyone who wants to look at it.)

Aloha,

Brad

[phorbesie]

(I'd also be concerned with having a piece of paper with names, phone numbers, and dollar amounts sitting there open to anyone who wants to look at it.)

why?

that's kinda the point. so-and-so bid X dollars you see, so if you want the prize you have to bid more than that.

i'm not trying to be difficult... sorry. i just hadn't seen it any other way. and i figure if everyone drops something in the secret box and they all bid near the same amount, it isn't competitive at all.

[phorbesie]

hopefully all the deals will be sealed before the night is done, but i thought the phone #s would be good in case the winner has to leave before it's over.

[bradm]

My concern (and it's a mild one, I admit) has more to do with maintaining the privacy of the bidders than ensuring there are high bids.

Aloha,

Brad

[dancingbear]

i'd figure you would raise more money having open bidding..ie. i can see what the other person bid.

great work organizing by the way!

[backbacon]

I'd say you do it the way you're thinking, ph. Min bids are a good idea too.

[bouche]

silent auctions are alot of fun. you just need a piece of paper with what you have suggested, including a retail value and a minimum bid.

Minto does one at their xmas parties and I always have fun browsing. I got the first box set of seinfeld (when it came out) for about 40 bucks under the retail price.

however, as the auctioneer, how are you going to ensure that you get paid? You need to have various methods of payment. The auctions that I participated in allowed the use of mastercard. I don't think you'll be able to set that up though.

There is likely a risk of drunken people bidding and then taking off, forgetting and not even leaving contact info or even real info.

There is probably a process to go to the next highest bid, if someone flakes out that evening.

I remember seeing the retail value on a card, a starting bid, and then an incremental value (different depending on the item) and columns for bid amount, name, and phone number. if that helps.

[Ms.Huxtable]

I think you're on the right track Heather. I'd recommend that you have a fairly early(ish) end time of the silent auction to avoid the problem of people taking off without paying. Don't leave it too late and ensure people pay at the time of the auction's end not at the end of the evening so all the money hasn't been spent on beer and shooters and you're not stuck with inventory all night. It should change hands early.

Call me if you need help Heather. You know I'm there if you need me.

[Basher]

Heather, all silent auctions I have seen are done the way you proposed. There is also typically a "starting bid" prefilled in the first box.

[phorbesie]

thanks for the info folks. mike and sharon, the problems you've proposed seem like ones i am surely going to run into! hopefully it will all work out though.

thanks

[Birdy]

I've run a lot of silent auctions in my day. I would suggest a minimum starting bid (something the lot you're offering is reasonably worth, maybe a little less) and then having a minimum bidding increment. Ie, if I bid $100, the next guy has to bid at least ten more dollars to get the next bid. That way you avoid having the 'one-uppers' trying to steal the lot for $101.