Wednesday, 2 October 2013

An Auction Fundraiser With No Sound

By Angel Dudley


In every household, there will be at least one or two sports buffs who have a game or players they never miss to watch in action. Others have a collection of cards, such as baseball cards, signed posters, bats, shoes, vests and other sports equipment that has been worn by sports idols. This is why sports-related items are a good choice of items to put up for an auction fundraiser, especially one that is being held to raise funds.

The way silent auctions work is that things are done silently as the term implies. This is because the auctioneer is replaced by slips of paper on which prospective buyers put down their bids for the items they are interested in. They also note down their names so that the auctioneer will know who was won the bid for an item at the end of an auction.

Very few would not want to own one of the latest Smart phones and some designer items. The ladies in particular would definitely put up a good silent fight for some designer label clothes and accessories like shoes and clothes. Items like designer perfumes, skin care products and cosmetics should also get a good response in terms of bids.

This goes on until towards the end of the auction. Before it closes, the auctioneer will sound a warning to bidders that the auction is coming to an end. This is done to give bidders some time to make their final bids. After the period of time allocated for this is over, say 10 minutes, the auction is declared closed. The auctioneer then refers to the slips of paper to see who the highest bidders for each item are and the name of the bidders. These are announced and those who have won bids are required to pay for the items before they leave.

If interested, a bidder then places their bid on an item on the net. On the site, bidders can also see details like opening and closing time. For auctioneers who add on items every day, closing dates for individual items will be shown.

If you are trying to raise funds for a charity, try and get these high end items as donations before you resort to going out to buy them. One way to do this is to contact designers offices directly. You can send off e-mails to them, explaining your mission to them. Most designers are big on charity and you should find ready assistance in terms of donations.

Sports-related equipment and tickets to sports events are another option. The key to get tickets to major games or to games and events that would otherwise be difficult to get. Try and get most wanted seats as well which would be front row seats or VIP seats. Start at ticketing offices, explaining your mission to them and even inviting them to the event.

Be careful about how you dispatch payment for auction fundraiser items as well. The web has opened up countless opportunities but it has also made way for less than honest people. It is very easy for anyone located anywhere to set up a silent auction website, invite bids and ask for payment, perhaps with the promise of having them delivered for an additional cost. Payment will be requested online. If you are bidding on a well-known site, then you can do so but for little known sites, ask if you can pay as you collect the item.




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