Auction Info

Our annual Giant Auction will be on

[date]

at [venue]

[venue address]

Everyone is welcome! An OVAS club membership is not required to attend the auction as buyer or seller and admission is free.

 

Location Info:
  • Parking: There is free parking at the venue.
  • Accessibility: There is an accessible entrance with a ramp at the [front/rear/side] of the building.

 

Item Registration:
  • Pre-Registration: The pre-registration deadline is 4:00 PM on [Friday before the auction] via the online registration portal, https://ovas.ca/auction/index.php.  If you have issues registering items, please contact the Auction Chair as soon as possible at auctions@ovas.ca.
    • If you register at least 75% of your items before the early registration date [], you will receive bonus raffle tickets.

*** Registration is entirely closed between the end of pre-registration and the beginning of in-person registration. ***

  • In-Person Registration: In-person registration starts at 9:00 AM on the day of the auction. No items will be accepted after 10:30 AM.

*** In-person registration is a last resort meant to deal with technical issues. OVAS does not have the time or resources to handle a large number of in-person registrations. Please pre-register your items. ***

  • Registration Requirements: Please provide the following information for each item you register as part of the registration process.
    • Item description
    • For hardware only, new or used.
    • Minimum bid, if you wish to designate a higher bid than the default minimum of $1.
    • Donation (optional). Proceeds from the item are donated to OVAS. OVAS receives 100% commission for this item.
    • Priority: Items marked Priority are auctioned first for an additional fee, assessed at the end of the auction.

 

Auction Schedule:
  • Viewing: Doors open at 9:00 AM for viewing and in-person registration.
  • Start Time: The auction starts at 11:00 AM sharp.
  • Breaks: There will be 15-minute breaks every 90 minutes or so depending on auction progress.
  • Lunch: We will break at around 12:00 pm for lunch. Chips, cookies, hotdogs and drinks will be available for sale with all proceeds going back to the club.
  • Closing: The auction will close once the last item is auctioned off. The duration will depend on the number of items registered. In the past years we finished around 4-5pm.
  • Vendor Payout: Please allow 20 minutes of sales verification time and 15 minutes of processing time after closing, after which we will pay out the vendors.

 

General Auction Information:
  • Table Assignment: All items will be assigned a random table number during registration. The priority items are all auctioned first, followed by the other tables in a random order drawn at the beginning of the event.
  • Labels: OVAS will provide labels for all registered items with the information provided by the vendor. The vendor will confirm the correctness of the labels and can provide additional information if desired. Please make sure the label is clearly visible and affixed properly. Vendors will then hand the labeled items to the OVAS volunteers to be placed on the proper table in the viewing area. Once an item is registered and placed on the table it cannot be removed.

*** If a vendor registers an item that they have not brought to the auction, they must bring the item’s label back to the auction chair so that the item can be removed from the system. Failure to do this results in unsold item fees for the vendor. ***

  • Bidding and Payment: We encourage everyone to keep their arms and bidding numbers raised if they intend to bid on an item to speed up the auction. The highest bidder will win the bid. Any won bid must be claimed and paid immediately by the bidder. We accept cash and card payments. There is no ATM on site.
  • Permitted Items: This is an aquatic auction for fresh and saltwater livestock like fish, plants, and invertebrates (snails, corals, shrimp, mollusk, etc…) as well as aquatic dry goods in new or used good condition. However the following items are not permitted at the auction and will be automatically removed from the auction list.
    • Used heaters and air pumps
    • Used light bulbs of any kind
    • Used airline tubing
    • Plastic plants
    • Invasive aquatic plants (e.g., Brazilian elodea, Eurasian Water-Milfoil, Hydrilla, etc…). For a complete list, please refer to this link.
    • Native fish, protected species, and illegal species
    • Opened or expired foods and medications
  • Item Limits: The maximum number for identical items is three. Please group your items accordingly. Identical items past the third will be automatically marked as donations to OVAS. Each vendor is allowed to register a maximum of 100 items.
  • Vendor Commissions: There are three rates of commissions.
    • All pre-registered items will be charged a 25% commission.
    • Items registered after the pre-registration deadline by OVAS club members will be charged a 32.5% commission. NO EXCEPTIONS.
    • Items registered after the pre-registration deadline by non-OVAS club members will be charged a 40% commission. NO EXCEPTIONS.
  • Handling Charges: OVAS will keep a handling charge for any unsold or missing items.
    • $1.00 for any regular listed item that did not sell.
    • 10% of the minimum bid indicated for any unsold item with a minimum bid higher than $20.
    • Vendors are allowed a maximum of five missing items or 10% of total items registered, whichever is higher. Once this threshold is reached, a handling fee of $1.00 per missing item is assessed. Please return any item label that is not being used immediately to avoid this fee! This rule is meant to overcome excessive registrations.
    • Any unsold item must be claimed by the owner at the end of the auction. Unclaimed items will become the property of OVAS.
  • Item Packaging: All live items must be packaged appropriately. Fish bags are preferred. Closed glass jars are accepted but should be avoided due to the risk of broken glass. Plastic buckets may be used for bigger live items. Any bag/container must be sized appropriately. Clearly diseased or deformed live items will not be accepted. OVAS reserves the right to refuse any live item that is not properly packaged. Please refer to the bagging instructions on our website.
    • A bagging station will be available for emergencies at the cost of $1 per bag, paid toward the club.

 

Item Catalogue:

A printed list of all pre-registered items will be available for purchase for $2, cash only, at the treasurer’s station. This list will not include items registered on-site.

 

Door Prizes and Raffles:
  • Tickets: Anyone can purchase door prize tickets for a chance to win an item donated by one of our generous sponsors. Door prizes and raffles will be drawn throughout the auction.
  • Pre-Registration Benefits: Vendors will receive one free door prize ticket for every 10 registered items. If you register at least 75% of your items before the early registration date [] you will receive two additional door tickets.

 

Vendor Payout:
  • Vendors will be paid out in cash at after the close of the auction as described on the schedule.
  • f you are not able to stay until the end of the auction or otherwise desire etransfer payment instead of cash payment, please advise the auction chair before leaving. You will receive payment by e-transfer at an Email address or phone number of your choice within 14 days.