Welcome to my Online Silent Auction

Welcome everyone. I appreciate you stopping by to take a look at my online silent auction. As most of you know by now, I am participating in the Breast Cancer 3 Day in the Twin Cities in August, 2009, which means that I have committed to walk 60 miles in 3 days. Yes, you might say that I am a little crazy but I do strongly believe in this cause and sometimes we have to do something out of the ordinary to get results. The Breast Cancer 3 Day is held to raise money for breast cancer research, treatment and education. All proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen and the National Philanthropic Trust. That’s where you and this auction come in.

The directions for placing a bid are listed below as well as the items that are available to be bid on. This auction resembles a “face to face” silent auction in that each of you will be able to see who is placing a bid and how much it is. Friendly competition is encouraged! Remember, the money will be going to a great cause and the highest bidder will win that item.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 25kajo@gmail.com

DIRECTIONS:
I am aware that some of you are probably much more familiar with the blog format than others might be. This has been my first experience with a blog and there has certainly been a learning curve while setting up this auction. Each item will have a comments section, which is where you will be placing your bids. BEWARE: Be sure to put in the information as requested to ensure that your bid will not be rejected or deleted. If the information that is needed is not provided your comments will be deleted and the bid prior to yours will become the active high bid.

To Place a Bid:
1. Scroll down through all the items and choose those that you wish to bid on.
2. Click on the item’s comments link which can be found at the end of the description of the item.
3. When you click on the comments link a new screen will come up.
4. The Leave your comment box will be found on the right hand side of the new screen. The order of the comments is from first to last so the last comment in the listing should be the highest bid. If there are several comments, it would be in your best interest to look through all of them to be sure that someone before you didn't mistakenly underbid. You want to make sure that your bid is indeed the highest.
5. Click in the Leave your comment box and enter the following information:

Your first and last name
Valid e-mail address
Amount of your bid (in US dollars)

It will look something like this:
Karen Johnson
25kajo@gmail.com
$150.00

Be aware that all of this information will be seen by others, this is a public blog and the information is not private! If you do not want your e-mail address to be seen by others I can suggest that you set up a free hotmail, yahoo, or gmail e-mail account. This is quick and easy to do. Use Google to find a website where you can set up a free e-mail account. Then come back here and start your bidding.
PLEASE DO NOT leave your phone number or your home address when you bid.
6. After leaving your comments scroll down and click on the bubble next to anonymous. This is necessary to publish your comments and submit your bid.
7. Click on publish your comment and your bid should post.
8. Look again at the comments section of the item to make sure that your bid has posted and to make sure that your bid is still the highest.

Remember to check on your bid often to determine if you have been outbid. I will not be able to contact anyone to let them know when they have been outbid. It is up to you to check back to see if you are still the highest bidder on the item of your choice. Please keep this website address handy so you can check in on the bidding periodically throughout the week.

Have Fun Bidding and Good Luck!

AFTER THE AUCTION
This auction will close on Monday, May 18th at 7:00 p.m. Central Time.

I will be notifying winners via e-mail (this is why I need your e-mail address when you place your bid).

You will have 48 hours to respond to my email with the information that I will be requesting. If I do not hear from you within 48 hours I will need to move on to the next highest bidder.

PAYMENT
Payment for your item will need to be made via credit card or check. Payment covers only your bid amount. I will take care of shipping or delivering the item to you. All items have FREE SHIPPING or FREE DELIVERY.

Paying by Credit Card
If you wish to pay by credit card, you can pay online on my secure 3 Day site or via a donation form. This is the type of information that I will discuss when I contact you regarding your winning bid.

Paying by Check
Payments are also accepted by check. I will discuss that option when I email you regarding your winning bid.


Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the dates for the auction?
The auction will open at 7:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, May 11th and close at 7:00 p.m. Central Time on Monday, May 18th.

2. How did you arrive at the value of each item?
The businesses that donated items (Caribou Coffee, North Links Golf Club etc.) quoted me the actual retail value of that item.

For the home made items, the estimated value was determined by cost of materials, time spent creating the item, and the market value of similar items found on sites such as eBay, etsy, and other craft sites.

3. How did you arrive at the Starting Bid?
All starting bids are approximately 25%-30% of the value of the item. For some of the lower cost items I may have gone a little higher. This is similar to how I have seen other silent auctions operate.

4. Why won’t I be notified if I am outbid?
I will be unable to keep track of the bids at all times and will not be able notify people when they are outbid. This auction will function much like a “face to face” silent auction where people have to keep checking the bid sheet to be sure that they are still the highest bidder. Please keep this website address handy so that you will remember to check on the bids periodically throughout the week.

5. Why do I need to leave my e-mail address in the comments section when I place my bid?
When the auction is over I will need to be able to contact the winner of each item. Your e-mail address seems to be the best way for me to do this. If you prefer, you can set up a free yahoo, hotmail or gmail e-mail account prior to bidding. Or, if you have a blogger ID, I will be able to reach you via your blog and you will not have to leave an email address.

6. I’ve looked over your items and am not interested in bidding on any of them. However, I’d like to support breast cancer research. Can I make a donation instead?
Absolutely! I’d be happy to accept donations. On the right hand side of the screen, toward the top, is a link to my 3 day website (Karen’s 3 day page) click on that and follow the directions for making a donation.

7. It looks like I am the first person to bid. Do I have to bid the minimum bid that is posted or can I start at a higher dollar amount?
You sure can start at a higher dollar amount! The minimum bid is the lowest bid that will be accepted for that item. You can start the bidding at that amount or at any amount higher than the posted minimum bid.

8. I like a pair of the Buy Now earrings but someone else has already purchased them. Do you have another pair like them that I can purchase?
I might have the stones or beads available to make another pair. Please email me at 25kajo@gmail.com and I will let you know.

9. I like the style of one of the Buy Now earrings but am not crazy about the color. Would you be able to make me a pair in the color of my choice?
I might be able to. Please email me at 25kajo@gmail.com and let me know what you have in mind and I will get back to you.

10. Do you make and sell any other beaded items besides earrings?
Yes, I also make beaded bracelets, necklaces, and bookmarks, (or “book thongs” as my sister-in-law calls them!). If you are interested in seeing any of these items or other earring styles, please email me at, yes, you guessed it, 25kajo@gmail.com.


Okay, Let the Bidding Begin!