KittyCatS! Community Forum

Hm, I didn't know auctioneers tell bluntly kitties are not good enough lately!
It makes sort of sense on the other hand I absolutely don't like a job in which I need to burn down an other's tender love and care and it is so subjective too.

Must be shocking for newcomers who are used to Addicts chat where every kitty gets the same amount of hooray's.

I think, and I always have done it that way, people should really breed for combinations they like.
Those kitties are often valued for their esthetics.
Maybe not by auctioneers, perhaps they look for the latest and the greatest even if it has one desired trait with a hyper recessive hidden, but there is certainly market for pretty.

I only dig up money if a new trait is pure and if I feel it is pretty and I can easily implement it in a line.
Or when a kitty is so gorgeous that I just urge it.
The latest and the greatest will be old news soon enough and only the fact that the trait is considerd pretty or not remains in peoples memory (also totally subjective ofcourse).
If it is not liked much the trait is doomed to dissapear by it's ultra recessive hidden.
Sadly many people tend to only love recessive while there are so many gorgeous traits on the dominant end..

I can't say no to a well bred pure new trait if I like it and I don't care if it is dominant or recessive I even slightly prefer dominant traits and to combine old furs with new traits.
I prefer that because soon the market will be bombed with the recessive to the point we have seen it more than enough.
Most people do not take the time to breed a trait pure as it cost more time and time is money.
By the time a pure trait is established it is old news again.
I always think those boxes sit good in my cattery till people have totally forgotten that trait even existed.
At those moments I used to have the buyers and for good lindens too.
It costs some patience though keeping a hold on your pure trait, what once was a hot trait, in a lovely combination.
I would not want to breed an other way though it is just not my game.

Nowadays I have so many boxes in my cattery but I am done with selling them on the market.
I purely breed for fun these days and only a very few kitties.
My kitty boxes I use to implement in other projects for which they are so useful.
I just so love these furballs and I blame the entire KC team wholeheartedly they've made these buggers so cute!

*Snuggles her new born for listening so well

(08-26-2015 05:11 AM)SaddasLB Resident Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-26-2015 04:47 AM)Lana Mathilde Wrote: [ -> ]I accidently sold a 9+1 scotty for 500 at my store the other day. That would have been a good auction cat, and i think the buyer has already left to the bahamas.

and don't exist 9+1 traits..

The 9+1 that Lana was refering to references size, its common practice to add a +1 to a cats description if its any size other than normal as many breeders regard size as an unofficial 10th trait. So yes for many breeders 9+1 DOES exist.

(08-27-2015 07:17 AM)Arwen Swordthain Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-26-2015 05:11 AM)SaddasLB Resident Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-26-2015 04:47 AM)Lana Mathilde Wrote: [ -> ]I accidently sold a 9+1 scotty for 500 at my store the other day. That would have been a good auction cat, and i think the buyer has already left to the bahamas.

and don't exist 9+1 traits..

The 9+1 that Lana was refering to references size, its common practice to add a +1 to a cats description if its any size other than normal as many breeders regard size as an unofficial 10th trait. So yes for many breeders 9+1 DOES exist.

Exactly!! I was about to say the same thing.

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On the issue of buying and setting up your panel in advance:

I was at an auction the other day where the auctioneer and SIM owner said she wanted people to start setting up 24 hours in advance! Beyond the fact that there are some daily auctions where you couldn't set up that far in advance, in my experience, that would increase the likelihood of people not being there when it was time for their panel to be called. I used to set up the night before, but was going through issues in RL that caused me to miss auctions where I was already set up! Which also meant that the panel couldn't be released to someone else and the auctioneer - and everyone else - was left wondering where I was. I also find that if I do grab a panel too soon for an elite auction, I might not have anything for it, and wind up IMing the auctioneer in advance to release it. So, I'm finding it best for me to go to auctions where I can buy a panel and set it up 1 1/2 to 3 or so hours beforehand - basically when I have a better idea of how my health and RL schedule are going that day, as well as knowing what I plan to go on it.

I know that a lot of KC auctions have boards to select your panel days or even a week in advance. Why not go the other way: Don't allow anyone to buy the panel until they are open and reset from the previous auction - or, for those that only happen a few times a week, not until 24 hours before the auction. Also, only allow one regular panel, and one special panel if you have them, per person at this time. That way people still have a chance of getting one once they have a good idea that they will be there. Yes, RL issues still come up - they always will - but you're a lot less likely to forget that you have a panel if you just went to get it.

Then, if the panel isn't set up, and any required notecard submitted, by an hour before the auction, release the empty panels, without refund, to whomever is there and wants one.

This has the effect of bringing people in just before the auction to set up their panel and then to grab another one if they want it. That gets their mind in auction-mode even if they have to leave, or go afk, for a bit to take care of last minute things before the auction.

Another idea is to have things like trivia or word unscrambler games during the hour before the auction, to get people there, chatting and excited. It does cost lindens, but if it brings people in, it can be worth it.

If I were an auctioneer I would be freaked out by the idea that I was going into an auction where I didn't know how many panels I was selling, and cats where I'd never seen the pedigree before. Once upon a time Liriel Garnet, who taught breeding at Kitty Kottage and used to keep the Saga charts, used to say that going to auctions was one of the best ways to learn how to read a pedigree. This was true in the way she ran auctions, because she would go through showns and hiddens meticulously. I would not say this today to a new breeder, because some auctioneers simply read the traits and do no analysis at all or do it minimally. I understand that different auctioneers have different styles and I'm okay with that. But I would also say that some auctioneers, who really do the pedigree work and go through it with the audience, are better for new breeders. If everybody in the audience is an oldbie or a middlebie, then fine, we probably don't need that, but I still think the auctioneer should know as much as can be reckoned about the cat on the panel.

I have never signed up for an auction if I didn't already have a cat in hand. I understand that for many people, they are signing up to sell cats, and they just put up the best cat they have at hand that they are willing to part with at the time. I'm not comfortable with this as a selling mechanism, personally, though I have done a version of it. Some people can pull it off, some can't, depends on the quality of their Catteries. It is part of why we see the same people at all the auctions.

(08-26-2015 10:36 PM)Kayleigh McMillan Wrote: [ -> ]Hm, I didn't know auctioneers tell bluntly kitties are not good enough lately!
It makes sort of sense on the other hand I absolutely don't like a job in which I need to burn down an other's tender love and care and it is so subjective too.

Must be shocking for newcomers who are used to Addicts chat where every kitty gets the same amount of hooray's.

I think, and I always have done it that way, people should really breed for combinations they like.
Those kitties are often valued for their esthetics.
Maybe not by auctioneers, perhaps they look for the latest and the greatest even if it has one desired trait with a hyper recessive hidden, but there is certainly market for pretty.

I only dig up money if a new trait is pure and if I feel it is pretty and I can easily implement it in a line.
Or when a kitty is so gorgeous that I just urge it.
The latest and the greatest will be old news soon enough and only the fact that the trait is considerd pretty or not remains in peoples memory (also totally subjective ofcourse).
If it is not liked much the trait is doomed to dissapear by it's ultra recessive hidden.
Sadly many people tend to only love recessive while there are so many gorgeous traits on the dominant end..

I can't say no to a well bred pure new trait if I like it and I don't care if it is dominant or recessive I even slightly prefer dominant traits and to combine old furs with new traits.
I prefer that because soon the market will be bombed with the recessive to the point we have seen it more than enough.
Most people do not take the time to breed a trait pure as it cost more time and time is money.
By the time a pure trait is established it is old news again.
I always think those boxes sit good in my cattery till people have totally forgotten that trait even existed.
At those moments I used to have the buyers and for good lindens too.
It costs some patience though keeping a hold on your pure trait, what once was a hot trait, in a lovely combination.
I would not want to breed an other way though it is just not my game.

Nowadays I have so many boxes in my cattery but I am done with selling them on the market.
I purely breed for fun these days and only a very few kitties.
My kitty boxes I use to implement in other projects for which they are so useful.
I just so love these furballs and I blame the entire KC team wholeheartedly they've made these buggers so cute!

*Snuggles her new born for listening so well

Yes Kay, auctioneers have been telling ppl if a kitty is good enough for a long time. Here's a little ancient history. lol Back in the day I had a kitty hiding bali flame. Hiders sold for at least 25k. (at least) The auctioneer was quite rude and left me an offline message that my kitty was a dud and that I needed something better to be in his auction. Someone explained the value of the kitty to him and with no apology, just an awkward, someone told me it's ok, said I could put the hider in. I really didn't want to, but I put the kitty in anyway. There were a number of new ppl at the auction that had no idea what the kitty was. The auctioneer said it hid things that it didn't and said that it was the shown fur, which it wasn't. I kept correcting him in open chat. It was a nightmare. It didn't sell, but worked out in my favor since I put it with a sibling that pulled all the traits I wanted it to have. And a surprise shade.

I am going to stop pussy footing around and just state facts. (I really try not to offend, but I do think there are things that need to be said)

Some ppl auctioneer because they have fun with it and enjoy helping others. That shows in the work they put into it. Some ppl just want to make a buck. If you don't know what you're doing and just want to make a buck, you should find another way to work in sl. If you really want to be competitive, be kinder and more respectful, put more of an effort into it, and most of all, enjoy what you're doing, that really does show.

The more you wave those jaw bones around, the more you hurt the business. The more you turn ppl off to the idea of putting kitties in auctions and the more fun you take out of them. Someone comes to you with a kitty they're proud of. Telling them it's a *dud and not worthy in a rude way, turns them off. Makes them feel stupid and leery of ever putting a kitty in an auction. And eventually that new person is going to learn how to breed and make kitties that ppl will fall over each other for. But you've made it hard for them to feel comfortable and confident enough to participate in an auction.

I am not a new person in the world of breeding, but I have to tell you, after some of the nightmares I've had with auctions and some auctioneers, it's made me leery and has turned me off to put one in.

If you feel you have to attack others for time slots, suck it up and find something else to do. When a time slot opens up, (because not everyone makes it) then give it a try when you're feeling less aggressive.

I've seen auctions that were full of newer ppl and their kitties. No one got rich, but all the kitties sold and everyone had a good time and learned. There can be two kinds of auctions. The ones for the elite kitties, and the ones for the fun kitties. Sometimes those fun kitties can have some nice surprises. Sometimes you can make friends and help them learn. That's what it should be about. Buying nice kitties, buying fun kitties, making friends and having fun.

Your idea Ms Magick, for selling panels at the last min would be great for fun auctions. But it wouldn't work for others, because the auctioneer needs time to do their job. Advertising, setting up displays, and so forth.

Auctions can be loads of fun. I was at one yesterday that was hysterical I sat in front of my comp laughing. I had storms moving through my area and the auctioneer had someone take my kitty just in case. I made until my kitty sold, gave the auctioneer her tip and *POOF* lightening. I made it back to get a panel for the next week. For me auctions are easier than searching sim after sim for the kitty I want, I can peruse the notices and sneak peeks, the forums and see what is there. I restocked my cattery this way when I came back and even purchased some that I just loved the look of. Now, i will admit my purchases have slowed down because I have my base lines all set, but there are some things that I am still looking for. Some are older traits (mostly eyes) that may not show up at an auction, so when i have time I do visit sims.

On the getting a panel and not showing up, that is just rude. Now if you were waiting on a box and it didn't have exactly what you were hoping, contact the auctioneer and back out, let him/her fill the panel with someone else. If RL gets in the way, again if you can let your auctioneer know, I mean come on it's not like your going to be sent to the principals office. Contests are a great way to bring people in. When The Borough was open they had costume contests, panel decor contests, themes...it was fun and people got very creative. Now sometimes they had a "cash" prize and others they would add time to your rental at the sim, or hand out various accessories. For me it was a great idea, as I always had fun and looked forward to auctions there. Now does that mean it would work everywhere...probably not. You have to find that one thing that will make people WANT to attend an auction. Auctions go for at least 90 min to 2 hours....the auctioneer is the entertainer. Make me laugh, keep me engaged. There will always be future sales, there will always be that kitty that should have sold for more, and we all know that we need to buy AND sell, but if I am having a good time I will always try to come back.

Times....ugh....we have battled auction times ever since I started KC. There was one point that there was an auction every hour of every day...craziness. I think there are actually fewer auctions now, and I honestly had a hard time finding one that I can attend with my RL schedule. As with most when I find a time slot that works, I stick with it, especially if the auctioneer is fun If an auction time is no longer working, it may be time to revamp it, change the time, or discontinue it. Does it suck when that happens, absolutely, but as with any business venture, it is a risk that is taken. So support the auctions, have fun, don't take it too seriously (because RL is serious enough thanks) and even though we would all like our kitties to sell for thousands...sometimes they just don't. Again it is a risk we all take when getting into a breedable.

(08-26-2015 05:11 AM)SaddasLB Resident Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-26-2015 04:47 AM)Lana Mathilde Wrote: [ -> ]I've been breeding for 8 months and going wayyy over budget on food and all, and I still don't feel confident enough to put my kitties into auction because I very rarely have a 9T cat. I have only a handful of 8T cats, but most of my cats are 6T or less including my fun sized. I accidently sold a 9+1 scotty for 500 at my store the other day. That would have been a good auction cat, and i think the buyer has already left to the bahamas.

I agree about the autions being elitist, but I use the term in a different way. I have never felt unwelcomed at an auction, nor has anyone been unkind, but there is a certain air of guitar shapes wait at the door.

So I encourage autioneers and event managers to mix it up with different themes, you can be creative. for example, auction a cat with the best hiding traits, all history included (more than the website pedigree) or auction only retired traits, or auction only genesis furs but all other traits allowed etc. you never know what someone is looking for, you can get rid of more cats and people can find cats they never could buy before.

don't matter if you have "just" a 6 trait.

it's not needed have a 9 trait cat always and only.

and don't exist 9+1 traits..

people should bring in auction, and in shops, beautiful cats, interesting cats, new/valuable/different traits.. cats forwhich they put a personal effort, other than buy two 9 traits cats and put them together whitout a sense.

the kittens will not pay your bills, except if you discover a very recessive trait and new, if sell thousands of cats and if you are the creator.

hunt for lindens means inflate the market, make cats (and efforts used to breed them) totally worthless, fill the shops of the same cats (who come from the same breeders)

my thought is: learn to breed cats. learn how breeding. learn to enjoy your efforts and your achievements. and then sell what you like. it does not matter if you have a few traits cat, it does not matter if it is not the last cat just discovered. it 'does not matter.
what matters is that you like it, that is "nice", that is "worked".

Thanks but we aren't really talking about what breeders like me should be doing, we were talking about what the auctions should be doing to attract more sales and more customers and to stop canceling so often.

that 9+1 was a 9 trait teacup

(08-27-2015 10:03 AM)Devilness Chant Wrote: [ -> ]Your idea Ms Magick, for selling panels at the last min would be great for fun auctions. But it wouldn't work for others, because the auctioneer needs time to do their job. Advertising, setting up displays, and so forth.

Good point! I was thinking about what I'd seen at auctions for other breedables, but the breeding for them is different.

And at some of the most fun auctions, you have to be a very knowledgeable buyer regarding things like hiddens and what is passable, because the auctioneer pretty much just reads what everyone can see.

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(08-27-2015 08:57 AM)Ivy Norsk Wrote: [ -> ]If I were an auctioneer I would be freaked out by the idea that I was going into an auction where I didn't know how many panels I was selling, and cats where I'd never seen the pedigree before. Once upon a time Liriel Garnet, who taught breeding at Kitty Kottage and used to keep the Saga charts, used to say that going to auctions was one of the best ways to learn how to read a pedigree. This was true in the way she ran auctions, because she would go through showns and hiddens meticulously. I would not say this today to a new breeder, because some auctioneers simply read the traits and do no analysis at all or do it minimally. I understand that different auctioneers have different styles and I'm okay with that. But I would also say that some auctioneers, who really do the pedigree work and go through it with the audience, are better for new breeders. If everybody in the audience is an oldbie or a middlebie, then fine, we probably don't need that, but I still think the auctioneer should know as much as can be reckoned about the cat on the panel.

*nods* I'd love to see more of this. You can really see the skill of the auctioneer when they start going through the hiddens and analyzing everything. I know I'd have to be pull up spreadsheet after spreadsheet, especially for all the traits in the middle. I have the feeling that they put in a lot more prep than I realized!

(09-01-2015 07:33 PM)Lana Mathilde Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks but we aren't really talking about what breeders like me should be doing, we were talking about what the auctions should be doing to attract more sales and more customers and to stop canceling so often.

that 9+1 was a 9 trait teacup

Devilness answered that perfectly.
Auctioneers often only want the best and kitties do not always listen so well why cancelations of panels are needed.
That perfectly covered the OP's question.

(08-26-2015 02:38 PM)Devilness Chant Wrote: [ -> ]Originally, auctions were meant to be elite. And I also don't mean this to be rude either.

It used to be we only had a few auctions a week. Auctions were meant to sell those new traits, special kitties, so forth. The ones you didn't find a lot of in shops. They were the elite kitties. That is why I said, there just aren't enough special kitties to go in so many auctions and not enough lindens to buy in all the auctions there are now.

So now, instead of a larger group of ppl going to an auction. Ppl have split off to certain ones. That's why you don't always get those big turn outs. Ppl not bothering to show up. The same ppl buying and selling each others kitties. Ppl like me that are just burnt out on the whole idea. And so forth.

Lana, Don't get discouraged. I've had some bad experiences, but there are nice auctioneers that will kindly tell you if they can sell your kitty or not. Don't take it personal and keep trying. A kitty doesn't have to be a 9t to be a worthy kitty. lol
I personally love both eye shapes and pupil sizes. Some don't like shades on kitties.
If you ask someone and they're a bit rude about it, ask someone else till you find that person that knows how to treat your feelings with respect. And when you find that kind person, ask them what they're looking for to sell in their auction. In the mean time, enjoy y.

Well thanks for the support. I'm not discouraged and I'm fine really. No one has ever been rude. I enjoy watching auctions but its not on my list of things to do yet.I'm still trying to create beautiful cats. I have a few and won't let them go. When I have a good breeding pair that gives me the one I want I want then I will auction them

Thanks