Auctions

GVAC Auctions

GVAC hosts two annual auctions every year, one in Spring and one in Fall. Outside of the Spring and Fall auctions, mini auctions are held at the end of every club meeting and an annual Winter swap meet is held yearly.

Auction Location:
Home School Building Gymnasium
5625 Burlingame Ave.
Wyoming, MI 49509

GVAC Auction Seller's Form (click to download)
Blank Bag Labels (click to download)

Buy it Now Table

The buy it now table allows sellers to bring in fish to sell that they do not want to risk going for an amount lower than they believe they are worth. It also allows for the club to shorten the auction length while keeping the number of items sold up.

The buy it now table will run from 11am until 12:30pm. All items that are not sold by 12:30pm must be picked up by the seller before 1pm and will be recorded as a $0 sale. Unsold items not picked up by the seller before 1pm will be entered into the auction with no minimum bid and as the third color to be sold. (See Auction Rules 18 regarding Dry-goods)
Buy it now items are sold at a 70/30 split as standard auction items.
Each seller is allowed to put up to 10 items onto the buy it now table.
Bags on the buy it now table are to be labeled as a normal auction item and include; seller ID, bag number, scientific name, quantity, sex of the fish, seller name, and phone/email. A separate sticker with the price of the item should also be included. (Using a separate sticker for the price allows for it to be removed if it doesn’t sell and you want to put it into the auction.)
When the item is sold a bidder slip will be filled out. The bidder slip is then processed as a standard auction sale.

Buy it Now Selling example:
Patrick brings in 37 items for sale. He would like to have the maximum of 5 items put onto the buy it now table. He will receive 5 buy it now stickers, 8 priority stickers, 8 green stickers, 8 blue stickers, and 8 yellow stickers.
Patrick sells three of his buy it now items. He opts to have the one unsold item entered into the auction and one unsold item removed from the auction. A bidder slip for $0 is filled out for the item he is taking out of the auction. For the item that is being put into the auction; the buy it now sticker is removed and a sticker of the third color to be auctioned is added. The bag is then put onto the proper table and is treated as a standard auction item.

Buying from the Buy it Now table:
Buying from the Buy It Now table is easy. If you find an item that you would like to buy you need to let the person working the tableknow that you would like to buy it. They will fill out a bidder slip, put your bidder number on it and have you sign it. Once finished you are free to take your purchase. You will pay for your Buy It Now purchase when you check out and pay for the rest of the items you purchased.

Auction Rules

You do not have to be a club member to buy or sell.
Credit cards are accepted with a 2.75% charge to your card.
All items must be labeled with seller's name, phone number, seller id with item number, species name, quantity in bag and any other pertinent information (equipment must state whether it does or does not work).
"Pair" means one of each sex. "Mated Pair" means the pair has spawned with one another. "Trio" means one male and two females.
Proper fish bags must be used. Double bagging is recommended. Bags should contain 2/3 air and 1/3 water. Any bags that are unacceptable will be rebagged for a $1.00 fee for each item, deducted from the seller's proceeds.
There is a limit of 5 bags/items of any one color, type or variety per seller.
There is a 50 bag/item limit total per seller. For every 5 items, sellers will receive one red priority dot. The items with a red priority dot will sell first at the auction. It is the seller's choice which items to tag as red priority items. Seller will receive colored dots for the rest of his or her items. Color will be drawn at random to determine sell order after the red priority items.
Tables are broken down into subcategories (African cichlids, catfish, livebearers, etc.). Sellers are responsible for taking auction items to the check-in tables. Check-in will distribute items to the appropriate tables. No styros or coolers are allowed in the tables area.
No minimum bids will be accepted.
The auction committee reserves the right to reject any items not fit for sale.
There is a call-up system in place. Buyers may pay a service fee of $2.00 to bring any item up for immediate auction. The fee will not count toward payment of bid and is non-refundable. $2.00 cash will be collected fro buyer prior to the item being auctioned and does not guarantee the buyer paying the fee will win the bid for that item. The highest bid will wins the item. Any item may be called up after the priority items have been auctioned.
Any items that do not sell become the property of GVAC. Once an item is registered it cannot be removed from the auction without the auction committee's approval.
Neither GVAC or the Home School Building (nor any their representatives) will be held responsible for any items entered into this auction, nor for any personal injury incurred during the event.
The auctioneer had final say on any items sold for auction.
The selling price will be split 70/30 with the seller receiving 70% of the sale. GVAC will mail checks within two weeks. Members who wish to receive their checks prior to the next club meeting are requested to provide a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Seller pre-registration for the auction is accepted by contacting our treasurer at gvactreasurer@gmail.com
Species banned for sale at GVAC events due to regulation by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the DNR. The DNR Website - Invasive Species is here
NEW AS OF February 2024: In regards to dry goods: dry-goods will not be entered into the auction. The seller may however enter as many dry-goods (up to the maximum of 50 total items per seller) as they wish into the Buy it Now area. Any dry-goods items not claimed from the Buy it Now area by the end of the auction will be disposed of by GVAC.