These are the guidelines for the 2009 AIDS WALK AUCTION. The rules have changed slightly since last year, so if you participated last year, please read these guidelines. Everyone must understand the guidelines before posting bids on any auction items. Remember, that by posting a bid on any auction item, you are subject to these rules and guidelines, and that we reserve the right to refuse participation to those who do not comply.
1) Bidding opens on Sunday, April 19th, at approximately 10pm ET. Each item will have its own thread, and in the thread there will be a description of the item, and a picture of it. For Glitter Exclusive Items, once the thread is opened, everyone is welcomed and encouraged to bid by replying to the thread. To see the newest bids, you must refresh the page. Sometimes, when an auction is ending, you must constantly refresh the page if you want to win. The thread will be closed exactly one week later, at 10pm ET. Each day, new items will be added, and will remain open for one week.
2) Do NOT bid if you cannot pay the dollar amount you are bidding. Period. You CANNOT retract bids once you have made them, and we will absolutely not tolerate posts in the item threads that say, "whoops--nevermind, I don't want it!" Bid responsibly. DO NOT EDIT YOUR POSTS ONCE YOU HAVE POSTED THEM. THIS IS CONSIDERED BID TAMPERING, AND WILL DISQUALIFY YOU FROM ALL 2009 GLITTER FORUM AUCTIONS.
3) If you plan on bidding on an item, remember that we will be accepting payment through the team page ONLY. All winners must print a copy of their payment confirmation and mail that to us in order to receive their item. If you absolutely cannot pay via the team page, we will accept a money order in USD made out to AIDS WALK NY, and we will provide the address to send your payment confirmation or money order.
Remember, auction winners will agree to pay postage and shipping on their items. So keep that in mind when you bid, as well.
4) Glitter Exclusive auction threads in are for BIDDING ONLY. Let me repeat that. THREADS ARE FOR BIDDING ONLY. No chit-chat, no joking, no witty-banter. If you try to make chit-chat in an item thread, you WILL be restricted from the auction and warned by the administrator. Either list your dollar amount, or say "I bid (X-amount) of dollars." That's it. If you're not bidding, don't reply. It's as easy as that.
* Chit chat, brainstorming, side-line watching, commenting, and all of that, goes in the commenting thread posted at the top of the forum. This thread is always very active while the auction is going on, so remember to read back a few pages of posts and try not to repost old info.
5) All posts in threads are time-stamped, and all auctions will run according to Eastern
Standard time. (That is New York City time, for all you West Coasters!) The person who posts the highest bid FIRST (according to EST) will be the highest bidder. Time Stamps are visible on the post immediately after you send it to the forum.
So for example, if Poster X posts a bid of $50 at 9:53:47pm, and Poster Z comes in and posts the exact same bid amount ($50) at 9:54:47pm, Poster X still wins the auction when it closes at 10pm, (if no other last minute bids come in), because Poster X bid the $50 first. First call, first serve--just like on eBay. HOWEVER--and just to make this clear---if two posters bid at EXACTLY *EXACTLY* the same time, the winner will be the poster with the HIGHEST bid. Period. So basically, your best bet, if you really want something, is to keep refreshing the page during the last ten minutes of the auction, replying, replying, replying, and bid about $10 higher (or in odd amounts higher) than the previous bidder (don't even wait to see who bid what--just keep replying), to ensure that you don't accidentally post a tied bid with another poster. So with that in mind, if, say, the following occurs:
Poster X: 100
Poster Z: 120
Poster X: 130
Poster X: 140
Poster X: 150 (10pm)
Poster X will win the auction for $130. We will not count higher bids when the competition is YOURSELF, but remember, do NOT bid any amount you are not prepared to pay in the event that you win. NOTE: THIS CLAUSE ONLY APPLIES IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES BEFORE AN AUCTION CLOSES. BEFORE THAT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FULL AMOUNT OF ANY BID YOU POST, EVEN IF IT IS AGAINST YOURSELF.
However, keep this in mind as well: if Poster X posts a bid of $50 at 9:53:57pm, Poster Z can still come in at 9:59:59pm, and bid $51, and win the auction. Any bid that comes in after 10:00:00pm (and you can all see at what time each bid is posted, because the posts are time-stamped according to Invisionfree's timeclock) will NOT be counted.
6) BID ONLY IN FULL DOLLAR AMOUNTS. We know it's hard to part with that extra 75 cents to increase the bid, but we feel you can do it. This is why we've publicized this months in advance; save up!
Also, please understand that we here at Glitter have NO control over how high the bidding goes, and that the starting amount is only a jumping-off point. Dollar amounts vary from item to item.
7) While this auction doesn't require you to type in your full name when you bid, it DOES mean that the auction will not be blind. Meaning, people will be able to view your screen-name when you bid. Do NOT register with a new screen-name so that you can protect your "online anonymity." (AKA: to keep people from seeing your online identity on a fanclub board, buying wacky Kristin stuff at auction. Some unsolicited words of wisdom? You're already registered on a fanclub board. So chances are, you've likely already gone round the bend anyway, and we're all insane here. Nobody cares what you buy. Buy what makes you happy.)
On that note, do NOT register for a new screen-name to bid twice on an item. Your ISP is logged here, and your duplicate name WILL be deleted, and furthermore, you WILL be disqualified from the auction.
8) Before we close the thread, the auction winner will be announced in the thread by the Moderator. After the thread is closed, the winner must email the new KC Closet Auction email address within 24 hours of winning to claim their item(s). For reference, here is the email address:
KristinsClosetAuction@gmail.com
You must provide:
- Your message board screen name
- your full name
- your contact email address (if different from the address you're emailing from)
- full mailing address
-THE ITEM YOU WON
ALL AUCTION WINNERS WILL RECEIVE CONFIRMATION EMAILS WITHIN ONE WEEK OF THEIR AUCTION CLOSING. THIS EMAIL MAY BE SENT EN-MASSE, BCCed, SO BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR BULK MAIL SETTINGS, JUST IN CASE. YOU MUST REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AND ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THE AUCTION BEFORE SENDING IN YOUR CHECKS/MONEY ORDERS.
9) All the money from this auction goes to support AIDS WALK NY, which benefits GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis.) Gay Men Health's Crisis is the nation's oldest and most comprehensive AIDS service organization. The organization's 200 staff members and 6,600 dedicated volunteers provide services to more than 15,000 men, women, and children living with AIDS/HIV, and their families. Kristin is a big supporter of this charity, and we know she appreciates your continued love and support.
10) The only people inelligible to bid on Glitter Exclusive auction items are the Glitter staff, and unregistered guests. You MUST be a member to bid on the Glitter Exclusive auctions, and we will be cutting off registrations for the week of the auction. We will not be approving any new members while bidding is open.
I have a question. Sorry if htis is in the rules and I missed it, I really looked.
Is there going to be a password we will need to get into the threads on auction night like last year? thanks
Yes, for the forum-only auctions, we will have a password-protected forum like last year. We'll have more info on that is we get closer to the auction.