The on-line bidding program allows you to enter two amounts. The first is the bid you are making now (probably the stated minimum bid or slightly more than the last bid made). The second (the Hidden Max Bid) is the highest bid you would be willing to pay. If these amounts are the same, then someone else can outbid you and your bid would no longer be recognized. But if you enter a higher Hidden Max amount, and someone tries to outbid you, your bid will be automatically increased by a pre-set increment, as long as this does not exceed your “Hidden Max Price”.  In order to outbid you, the other person will need to bid more than your Hidden Max. (Because your Max Price is hidden, the other person will not know what it is. Therefore, she would have to keep on bidding until she exceeds your max and her bid is accepted.)

Example:

You are bidding on a Ceramic Dragon. The minimum price bid is $15, and you see that no one has bid on this yet. You write $15 next to Bid Price Ea and $15 next to Hidden Max Price Ea. If no one else bids, you have bought the dragon for $15. If someone bids $20, your bid is no longer valid, unless you come back and bid again (as you would do when we have an in-person auction). But if you originally bid $15 next to Bid Price Ea and $30 next to Hidden Max Price Ea, and the next bidder bids $17 (as the pre-set increment is $2), she will be told that someone has automatically outbid her. As she bid $17, your automatic bid would be $19. She can then give up or she can bid again. This could continue until she bids more than $30, and her bid will be accepted. If she does not change her bid, then her bid is saved in the program memory but your automatic bid of $19 is the current one. If she bids $35 (more than your Hidden Max), then your bid is no longer valid and she will pay $35 (or more if outbid).

If you do not want your bid to increase automatically, enter the same amount for Bid

EXPLANATION OF PRE-SET INCREMENT:  The program has been set so that a bid must be increased by a given amount or more. For example, if the last bid was $25, and the pre-set increment is $5, then you must bid at least $30. Higher priced items have larger pre-set increments. The increments have been set as follows:

• Price is below $10: Pre-set Increment is $1
• Price from $10 to $24: Pre-set increment is $2
• Price from $25 to $99: Pre-set increment is $5
• Price from $100 to $249: Pre-set increment is $10
• Price is $250 or above: Pre-set increment is $25

If the price has been bid up to a higher price bracket, then the required increment will also increase.

Why was my bid not accepted?

The auction software calculates the minimum bid and winning bidders based on several factors:  the amount of the bid, the pre-set increment, the number of places requested, and which bid was placed first. When you try to place your bid, it must still be higher than the unseen bid in the memory.

In addition to this, someone may have placed an acceptable bid, but he has also given a higher “Hidden Max.” (See discussion above). The program will also inform you that you have been outbid and will tell you what you must bid to be accepted.

The software logic can be a little confusing (and mysterious), but in either of the above cases, note that the program will tell you what your minimum bid is, after you have entered your first bid.

Due to the idiosyncrasies of the software system, you may be outbid and your bid is no longer valid. But based on future bids, someone else’s bids may become invalid and yours is again valid, even though you have not bid again! We urge you to check the item shortly before the end of the auction to see which of your bids are valid. Your bid will be listed as “You” under the item description.

If the website tells you there is an “Internal Error,” try returning to the item to see if it shows that your bid was accepted. (This is an unexplained quirk.)

8. Next to Qty leave this at 1 (if this is a single-buyer item).
9. Next to Bid Price ea, write the amount that you wish to bid for this item. Make sure it is higher than the highest bid already made (see previous screen). Also see information below about Pre-set increments.
10. Next to Hidden Max Price ea, write the highest price you would be willing to pay if others are bidding on this item.
11. Check the information you have entered to be sure that it is what you want to do. Then click on Save.
12. This takes you to the next screen which will tell you if your bid is accepted. If it is too low, it will then tell you what your minimum bid would be.
13. Note: Because the Hidden Max amount is hidden, you will not know immediately what the original bidder has given as a “Hidden Max.” But when you enter your bid, you may be told that your bid must be higher.
14. Also, the program has pre-set increments for the bidding increase, based on the price of the item. If the pre-set increment requires a bid which is higher than the amount you have entered, the program will tell you what the minimum bid will be, but it only tells you this after you have tried to enter your bid. So pay close attention to the message you get after you enter your bid so you can go back and enter a higher bid if necessary.
15. If you come back later, you can check to see if you have been outbid. If your bid is still the winning bid, it will be listed as “You.” If you have been outbid, it will show “Others” and show what that person has bid. (You will not know who it is.)

WARNING:  Once you have entered your bid, you cannot withdraw it!   So be SURE you want to bid on an item before clicking on SAVE.

If Event Allows More Than One Buyer (Description lists Qty 2 or more) Instruction Lines 16- 19

16. Read Instruction Lines 1-15 above.
17. If an item (such as a Dinner or Party) is designed for more than one winning bidder, things are slightly more complicated, and may be confusing until you get used to it. The box below the description will show how many bids have been accepted for this item. Enter the quantity you want to buy next to Qty and price you want to bid for each item or place. (Example: A quantity of 2 with price $15 means you will pay $30.) The bidding price must be at least the minimum stated in the description. Enter a Hidden Max Bid if you want to (See explanation above.) Then click on Save.
18. This takes you to the next screen which will tell you if your bid is accepted. If it is too low, it will then tell you what your minimum bid would be.
19. IMPORTANT: The program will register only one bid per person. If you bid on an item a second time, the new bid will replace and cancel your first one. If you want to have two places in an event, you should make sure your initial bid is for two. For example:

You bid for one place at a party at $10. Later you decide to take a friend. By this time, the minimum bid has increased to $21. If you enter one bid at $21, it will erase your first bid and you still only have one place. But if you enter a bid for two places at $21, you will have two places, but they will both be at $21. If you must add an extra person after your initial bid, we suggest that bid be placed under a different name. (Log out and log in as another person, using that person’s name and paddle number.)

And, again: Once you have entered your bid, you cannot withdraw it!

If you are having inexplicable problems with the bidding process, try logging out and logging in again.

Questions?

We hope these instructions have helped. We know this bidding process is different from an in-person auction and may be confusing, but the Auction Committee is here to help if you need it. If you have questions, contact the Auction Committee at auction AT tvuuc.org. You can also email an Auction Volunteer on Saturday, Dec 7th from 6:00 to 9 pm during the final bidding.

After the Auction

After the auction closes at 9:00 pm on December 7th, you can see which of your bids have been accepted. After you have logged into the Auction website with your phone number and PIN, on any page in the auction website, click on My Statement at the top of the page. This will list all items you have won and will be charged for. You can then pay for your purchases in one of the following ways:

• Go to the TVUUC website and find the Give Menu. Click on Give Today. Enter the amount you owe. On the Fund line, choose the Auction. Under Memo write your Bidder Number. Continue for further payment instructions.
• Write a check to TVUUC for the amount owed. On the memo line, write “Auction Bidder # [Your Bidder Number]. Check can be mailed or brought to TVUUC.

If you have bought an item in the Food Delivered category, make arrangements directly with the Donor of the item to pick up the item or have it delivered to you.

NOTE: We are asking Donors of Food items in the Food Delivered Category NOT to bring them to the church to be picked up unless you have made specific arrangements to meet them there, as we do not want food items sitting in the church for several days.