Do Members Want Auctions?

[foresteronw]

So in the past auctions have not been allowed on CFT in the For Sale section but after some lengthy discussions we wanted to see what the general consensus on this is between all the members.

If this happens MODS WILL NOT MODERATE AUCTIONS. (wanted that to be clear ).

Keep in mind that there are a lot of pros and cons to auctions.

If its decided that we will do auctions we'll figure out some guidelines/rules and a method to incorporating it.

[elbowdeep]

I dont think it will be worth it. I have a feeling that people will start auctions and when it ends and the price isnt where they see fit they will not sell it.

I also see everyone trying to auction stuff instead of just straight out setting a price.

[Kwwilson0351]

I believe that members should beable to do auctions. At the same time there should be guide lines set. Such as having a reserve set for your item. Never put a starting price on there unless your willing to let it go for that price. There is also itrader to rate people so if they back out of the auctions on a regular basis then they can be dealt with.

[HulaMom]

I think if members want to auction off something then they should use a source like ebay, and just post a link to the auction. That way all the rules and regulations are taken care of all ready.

[Kwwilson0351]

That is a good idea. Thats if you wanna pay more than 90 bucks for a annual sales profile.

[VanGogh121]

No, this opens a whole new can of worms.
What if the Item is not as described? What if there was a possible trade?
How will you hold the seller and buyer accountable?
Impossible to moderate with this software, and I see it becoming a problem.
Hypothetical
The auction ends after agreeing to the price. The buyer finds out how far it is from Asheville to Wilmington and decides its not worth the drive for $15 button polyps.
what would you do then?


Now if you can incorporate auction software into the forums.
Have a Lawyer right up a a liability discloser and ensure every member agrees to it.
Then I would be all for it.
(Have you ever read E-bays? It's friggin huge)

Another concern, once you allow auctions you become the broker. There is a lot of liability for the broker of the deal.

Hypothetical.
Someone sells a Blue Ring Octopus on the board. The buyer gets bit and dies. Liability could fall on both the seller and the board that allowed it to be sold.

There is a reason, every other fish board does not allow it!

2 cents added
Rich

PS. from a liability stand point, I am amased you allow the vendors to do it.

[myrtlebeachbum]

Originally Posted by HulaMom

I think if members want to auction off something then they should use a source like ebay, and just post a link to the auction. That way all the rules and regulations are taken care of all ready.

1+ i feel like this is the way to go if your going to do that

[BRubble]

no to much of a hassle to do computer based (trust me).

Now on another note, do an auction at local meetings: Everyone is there in person you can inspect the item before purchase, it should generate some more club participation and pretty much is a fun time.

[eric d]

Elbowdeep... I have a feeling that people will start auctions and when it ends and the price isnt where they see fit they will not sell it.

+1 to this!!
If their isn't a set price for the item, I don't even view the rest of the post.

If auctions were allowed, your going to get people waiting till auction is almost up, then barely outbidding the highest bid. That's just going to lead to more problems.

I don't even look at the sponsor auctions because it just seems like a gimmicky way to sell an item. I do understand they pay for the privilege though.

[foresteronw]

Here is my two cents on it.

While I do see a few pros to it the cons vastly out weigh the pros.

• There is nothign stopping a member from editing their post to change the price that they bid. They could bid a price and at the end they could lower it or raise it and there is no way to prove that they did or didn't. There is also nothing stopping a seller from quoting that member's "price post" and changing the number.
• I've heard a lot of complaints about members "for sale" items getting buried because of the amount of bumps/new items/repeat listings in that section. Now if someone lists an auction they're going to want to do an auction for each individual item instead of multiple items in one sales post like we do now. This means items will get buried even faster.
• There will be nothing in place to monitor or regulate start/stop dates, reserves, etc. and since the mods will not be moderating auctions anyone taking place in the auction will be on their own.
• There could be a lot of bad blood started due to auctions because you could be bid sniped at the last second for a penny.
• You could lose a potential sale really easy if someone backs out of an auction.