Live Auctions on the Front Page....
 

I have been thinking about trying something but want to solicit feedback before I do it :). It could add some flavor and a little excitement to the forum. But maybe I am off base. It wouldn't be the first time.

I am considering allowing live auction threads on the front page. But to do them there has to be some parameters so as not to inundate the front page. Here is a start ....

Pre War card
$1000 minimum value?
$100 starting price and no reserve?
5 day limit?

I am possibly willing to give it a try first just to see what it does.....
Maybe I am off base but if someone has a 1k-2k card, what are the chances it falls through the cracks? It's just an idea.....?
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I like the idea in general.
I've seen lots of Facebook pages for other collectibles that have an interesting auction format.

The auction ends 24hrs after the last bid instead of at a set time where sniping and confusion over times zones, end time, etc can complicate things.

So everyone gets a chance to bid at their pace and the sniping is eliminated allowing for more back and forth.

Just an idea.
I like the minimum value requirement so it doesn't get overcrowded.

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Man, people can’t remember the name rule or realize WW2 ended in 1945. Those rules are way too complicated. 🤪

Perhaps:
- run 1 auction per week
- auction starts on Monday night and ends Sunday night
- auction thread is pinned at the top of the home page

You manage the waiting list for future potential auction submittals - no one goes twice till everyone had a chance to go once?

Awesome idea Leon.

Couple of thoughts

- Minimum start price of $100 seems like a good place as still allows for some cards that are not well above a lot of budgets

- I also like the idea of if no bids after xxx amount of time then lot is closed

Good thoughts so far by everyone.
I don't think there is any way that a 100 dollar card makes the cut. Maybe 500 but not less. That would be way too many cards. And the cards HAVE to sell and they will with a low enough starting bid and a high enough value. I don't want any cards doing this live auction to not sell.
Limiting to maybe 2 open at a time...or even just 1 is a thought...
Keep the thoughts coming....

and yes, Ed, we can say it will be for WWII cards and older :)

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I think it is a terrific idea and might give the bid AH's something to think about. But I wonder how you are going to cover your costs by hosting it. A 20% buyers' premium might be discouraging to a lot of folks.

No, no, no. This is not any threat to any auction house. I don't want to make anything off of it. There will be no fees to do it. But I will need to approve them first to try to avoid any bad situations.
I just want to have fun and make the board a better place.
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Leon, I think this is a noble idea. At the very least, it is something different for the cadre of pre-War collectors (us) who grow weary of Ebay, PWCC and certain AH's, who will certainly take notice if you choose to bring this to fruition.

i think its a great idea...have a sticky at the top of the page to keep it front and center...but I agree there should be a min value...maybe 500 or it can alternate from week to week.

Maybe build up valuewise from the beginning of the month(cheaper cards) to the end of the month(bigger value?)

just ideas.

I think it's a great idea. In general, I'd love to see more auction activity on here.

It sounds like since these auctions would only be relatively higher value cards ($500 or possibly $1000) I would just have to watch from the sidelines. Perhaps once a month a lower value card (maybe $50 to $200 value) could be auctioned just to reach out to a wider swath of our member base (the ones with thinner collecting wallets).

Brian

I also like the idea as a newish guy on the board. I am appreciative to have picked up a few items already on the BST, so anything that add to the type of items to see and possibly buy is a bonus.

I am open to lower priced ones too but I would want them to sell. And since I will be approving them we won't get overrun.....

We tried something similar a few years back, and it seemed to be well-received. Worth bringing it back anyways.

Hi

I like the idea and the "rules" may need to evolve after you run the auction a few times and see how it works and as people provide feedback both positive or constructive.

Anything to make it easy, fun, and get people involved I am sure many of us are happy to try.

Thanks

I used to like bocabirdman's live auctions of lower-priced card lots, I even won a few. I like the idea of a few less than $100. And I like that you will be the decider as to what makes the cut.

The current BST section works fine for me and I am not a pre-war collector, so I'd only be an observer. So, my opinion isn't all that important. But, it would be fun if there were unique or quirky items occasionally that might not meet the dollar threshold. Since you are seeing yourself in a gatekeeper role, you might also want to consider promoting things in the current auction thread that catch your fancy.

I really enjoyed the threads from a few years ago of "list a card you would sell for $500" and "list a card you would sell for $1000" Those were fun.

They WERE fun but except for a few gimmees on the front end there weren't a lot of deals made, I don't think. Maybe a few...
And as stated, I am open to some lower valued items too.

I am leaning towards giving it a try. Maybe a 5 day auction? because in this case I think 7 would be too long?
..and the last day pin it to the top for more eyes?

If this adds some more liveliness to the forum it won't be a bad thing. We will see...
Keep the ideas rolling....and thanks again.

Maybe people could take the same $1000 cards from 2 years ago and now offer to sell them for $15,000. Like on eBay. :eek:

Leon, when you say "on the front page", I assume that it would still be members-only, right?

I like the idea but I think the current live auctions could be cleaned up if there was a way to filter out closed auctions. There's only about 7 live auctions there are the moment, but it's not easy to tell that's the case.

Some piggy backing...

Pinned to the top (always) for visibility and interaction
Maybe two a week, (one prewar, one not) ending on Sun at noon, extended bidding ends if no one bids in 54 min?
Selection curated by Leon, using his empathic talents to consider the po' folk amongst us occasionally
Hopefully item is non-graded or "fun"/unusual
Owner writes up description with a preface by Leon on why he chose it
Owner willing to accept no reserve with a low starting bid

Sounds like fun, regardless!

I think it's worth a shot.

I like DeerTick's idea of two a week with one pre-war and one post-war. Maybe have a min value of ~$1k for pre-war and ~$250 for postwar. Five days, and as someone said above, 24 (or XX) hours after the last bid, minimizing sniping and 3:00 AM end times.

Finally, if a card does not sell, the member auctioning the card doesn't get another turn on the front page for six months. Tired of seeing the same cards on BST listed and bumped for months waiting for someone with cash to burn.

And one last thing I need some help with. Strictly speaking, pre-war should be before WWII started (you can't be pre-war if the war is raging) and post-war should be after it ended. So what are the in-between years?? :o

What did I tell you? People just don’t understand that the main page is for PREWAR cards. Meaning prior or equal to Sept 2, 1945.

Sorry, Ed. Just got too excited. :D
My shortcut for the past 6 years lands on the Vintage Memorabilia page. :o

Put a big colorful box or something at the top of the main page in the white rectangular space above the words "Vintage Links" and "Old Cardboard" that says "Go to our NEW Net54 Vintage Auction or something like that.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

It will also help advertise the B/S/T page

+1 let's do it

I am going to put one up in a little while. Haven't had my 2nd cup of coffee yet.

I think our auction section isn’t utilized enough. I used to go there often but not so much anymore (because most of the times it’s all “junk” there). I love this idea.

Is it possible to have it both on main page and the BST auction page? If somehow possible I think that would attract more eyes to the BST auction page.

Brian

Just call it the

”Luckey Premier Auction”

On the main page

Threads can be copied to other sections, however, with a little thought I don't think we want that. It needs to be sequential in one thread because its' winner is based on that thread. Not a bad idea...

And no Frank, it's not any premier auction LOL....but thanks for the promotional idea. I might use it in the future. It has that swavee and deboner sound to it. ;)
These threads could be fun...we will see.

Hi Ed
 

Hi Ed, the US declared war on Japan on Dec 8, 1941, so pre-war would be Dec 7, 1941 and earlier. :)

This argument is why the name of this specific part of the forum, and it's definition, was changed to WWII and Older. So any day before Sept 2nd 1945.
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How will the auction end ? Clock ?, reset clock for 1 minute after each bid after the deadline ? etc. I wish ebay would add time after each bid instead of just ending.

There is a clock on the forum. When that clock reaches 931pm CST on the final night, the auction is over. This forum isn't auction software so we are doing it in a rudimentary fashion.
No extended bidding. no overtime. (unfortunately)
It's timed and then ends. :cool:
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Lol
 

I hadn't even noticed that the forum name was changed to WWII and older, not Pre-War, so the Sept 2nd, 1945 is correct. My apologies.

Leon,

Just let the auction end when you receive the first self-addressed stamped envelope from a legitimate bidder. Problem solved.:cool:

Sounds fun and LMK when it goes live.

its live!

I liked the idea of 24 hours after last bid but the 1st auction looks like a hard stop time.

I'm a big fan of that format as well.

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Great idea! Could see this becoming a must see weekly auction!

Sniping is bad on eBay , but at least you know it’s coming and can adjust for it by upping your bid into the close , etc . Plus you place a blind bid so chances are you pay much less. Maybe staying the obvious but we don’t have these luxuries on net54. Someone can put in a bid for $2001 on that Cobb at 930 and take it down

I'm not bidding on the Cobb but I like this idea already.

The auction should be pinned at the top of the page. Both as clear advertisement (Not everyone visits the site every day) and so it doesn't get lost.

They will be pinned a day or two at the end, is my thinking. I don't really like things pinned to the top as most other forums do. That said these live auctions are a little different. We will see how it goes and I am not opposed to change for the better.
I also think bumping a live auction thread if it leaves the front page is fine. There is a decent bid in that first auction going now, so it could hit the 2nd page.

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