Victorian Cichlid Society Inc - Fish & Aquarium Equipment Auction Rules Page

1. Reserve Price/Buyer's Premium:

1.1 The marked Reserve Price (if any) is to include the Society’s commission of 20%.

1.2 Any item without a reserve price marked on it will be auctioned as if there is no reserve.

1.3 A Buyer's Premium of 10% is payable on all sales.

2. Scrutineers:

2.1 Official Scrutineers shall be appointed by the Committee and empowered to remove substandard fish or accessories from sale.

3. Care of Goods:

3.1 All items come under the care and control of the scrutineers upon delivery.

3.2 There will be no access to any item unless, under special circumstances, the scrutineers permit such access.

4. Eligibility of Goods for sale:

4.1 At the discretion of the Auction Committee, the sale of non-aquarium-related items may be deferred until all aquarium-related items are processed.

4.2 First boxes shall be auctioned, where practicable, in order of arrival. Second boxes shall be auctioned thereafter, followed by third boxes, and so on.

4.3 No more than four (4) lots of the same item may be offered by any vendor.

4.4 Hybrid fishes are not to be offered for sale.

5. Packing Standards:

5.1 At the discretion of the scrutineers, a fee will be charged for re-bagging necessitated by obvious poor or inappropriate bagging.

5.2 Uninsulated cardboard boxes are not allowed for fish.

5.3 Fish are to be packed in closed foam/insulated boxes with the completed Auction Form/s.

6. Accounts:

PAYMENT IS CASH-ONLY, AT THE "FALL OF THE HAMMER".

6.1 Auction staff ONLY will be permitted to run accounts. They must make arrangements with the Accounts Clerk before the Auction begins and settle immediately after the Auction.

7. Marking of Items:

7.1 All lots are to be clearly marked as to contents and reserve, if any, consistent with the Auction Form.

7.2 Any item without a reserve price marked on it will be auctioned as if there is no reserve.

7.3 Second-hand equipment not marked “working” will be treated as if it is “not working”.

8. Vendor Eligibility:

8.1 Except for donations, only Financial Members of the Victorian Cichlid Society Inc (VCS) are eligible to submit goods/livestock for auction.

8.2 An Auction-only membership can be purchased for $25. This is deemed as an Associate Membership, with no voting rights and is valid for a single Auction only.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Using these rules and as much diligence as can reasonably be expected, the Society does its best to ensure that goods and livestock are as-described at the time of sale.
Vendors are required to observe the rules and use common sense and honesty in presenting goods/livestock for sale.
Buyers are responsible for the welfare of livestock once they take possession, so it is very important to check purchases carefully, as soon as they are received. If a problem is observed with goods or livestock at this point, the scrutineers should be contacted immediately. The Society can cancel sales during the course of the auction, where considered reasonable, but will accept no responsibility whatsoever for goods or livestock once the vendors have left the auction premises.
Like all rules, the above are subject to change. Ideally, changes made here will be also be notified on the social forums prior to the auction, but it is recommended to check here before an auction.