Have you always wanted to try an auction? We're "New" Friendly!

[Aphielle Resident]

Hi there! I'm Aphie and I'm a KittyCats auctioneer at the ScratchNPost. I greatly enjoy meeting new people and introducing them to the auction experience. My auction panels for Friday @ 4PM are free! If you're intimidated by auctions or don't really understand how they work, keep on reading and I'll tell you all about mine! Other auctioneers may have different set ups or rules, so you will need to ask or look for one of their rule cards in their auction areas, but the listing below is how my Friday @ 4 Auction works. This is very detailed because some people want to know ALL of the details before they try something, and I want everyone to feel comfy at my auctions!

Auction Location is Here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Th...231/214/22

How to Reserve your Panel:

When you get to the auction area, you will see a scene similar to this:



Some of the boxes will have already been "purchased" for 0 L, but some may still be available. Find a box that someone hasn't already purchased, and purchase it for 0L. That will be your auction panel for that coming Friday, and you can set up as soon as you want. You will need to be set up by Wednesday at noon. If no auction panels seem to be available, join the wait list by clicking "Join" on the wait list board that looks like this:



I will scan the wait list for people new to my auctions and give up to two special panels (see the S1 & S2 panels in the first picture) per week to new people who would like to join but missed out on purchasing a regular panel. The rest of the "wait list" will be called in first come first serve order if people who "purchased" panels fail to set up their kitties by Wednesday at Noon.

You can pick your box up and take it home with you as a reminder of when the auction is and which panel you are on. I will know the panel belongs to you by my transaction history.

Important Tips & Rules

Sorry, but every auction has them and this is to keep things fair, fun and profitable for both buyers and sellers It may seem like a lot at first, but it's not that bad. These rules are fairly standard at most auctions and become second nature after you've done a couple auctions.

1. Make sure your kitty is not set for sale when you set up
2. Make sure inworld pedigree is enabled. This allows people at the auction (including myself) to be able to see the pedigree of the kitty and this step is very important. You can do this by going to your kitty's pedigree link and making sure the box is checked in the top right hand corner as pictured


If you don't want to have to worry about doing this all of the time, you can set it up so that your pedigrees are always enabled by going to the "My Account" tab after you log in to the kittycats.ws website and making sure the bottom two boxes are checked. It's important to note that this will only work for kitties that are birthed from this point forward, you will have to manually click the box as above for older kitties that you've already birthed.

3. Don't duplicate a fur of someone who has already set up unless your kitty is the opposite sex.
4. You must have bred the kitty that you put up for sale. This means you had to have owned both of the parents and birthed the kitty. The kitty should not be a cookie cutter duplicate of cats you purchased from someone else, meaning they should have some different traits from their purchased parents.
5. Your kitty will need to be in place by Wednesday at Noon or you will forfeit your panel to someone on the wait list.
6. There should only be one kitty on a panel unless they are twins or full siblings (meaning they had the same mother AND father). This is because it is a lot of extra work to read and study extra pedigrees.
7. Don't BID on a kitty at a kittycats auction unless you are prepared to buy the kitty. Backing out of a bid is very frowned upon and can even get you banned from some auctions. Make sure you understand which panel is being auctioned and that you are able to purchase the kitty before you bid.
8. Bring a kitty that you're proud of and represents your breeding skills and style. In other words, don't bring a kitty to an auction that you'd otherwise menagerie...if it's not something you feel is worth keeping, then likely others won't feel it's worth buying. These should be your best cats that you can bear to part with.


I'm all set up, now what?

I will IM you at some point to ask you for your starting bid, or you can just IM me and let me know. Then, all you need to do is show up to the auction by 4PM, sit and have a chat in text with us until I get on voice to auction the kitties. When auctioning starts, I will be in voice as the auctioneer and patrons will comment and bid in text in local chat. If you are hearing impaired, please let me know so I can be sure to list the panel number that we are currently on in local chat. I also always post the current bid I'm looking for in local chat. I, unfortunately, am not able to type out all of the description I am giving about the kitties, but you will be able to look at their pedigrees.

When I auction your kitty, I will start with the start bid you gave me. People will bid on the kitty until I call the auction down with a 3, 2, 1. Once I say "sold", you will set your kitty for sale for the winning bid and the person that won the auction will purchase it from you. It is standard that if your kitty is sold, to tip the auctioneer 10% of the sale price. If your kitty doesn't sell, there is no obligation to tip, so there's nothing to lose

It is good etiquette to be present for the entire auction. Just as you want people to be there when the auctioneer is selling your kitty, others want people to be there as well. Of course, we all understand that sometimes things come up, but frequently leaving as soon as your kitty is sold is frowned upon. It is also good etiquette to try to purchase a kitty from someone else when you can. We can't ALWAYS buy at every auction and people understand that, but remember that people can't buy your kitties if they're never selling theirs We like to support each other as a community.

Bring Friends! Kittycats and Kittycats auctions are a great community experience. They're enjoyable, and it's a great way to introduce your friends to kittycats. It will get them asking questions and likely they'll fall in love with kittycats too! And that's all there is to it!

FAQs

These are questions that I'm frequently asked.

How do I know if my kittycat is "good enough" to auction?

That is a tough question, as a lot of times it simply depends on if there's a buyer for what you're selling. Many times people will just shop for a certain eye or certain tail where the other traits just fit with the project they're working on. Other times, people collect a certain trait, some people like to chase the most recessive things, while others are looking for new traits. If you have worked hard on a line to bring out "pure" traits in your kitties...those are highly sought after cats. Great breeding is much appreciated in the auction arena. Most auctioneers are more than happy to take a look at kitties you're thinking about auctioning and help you pick one. A great way to learn what sells is to attend auctions. I think you'd be surprised that many kitties with older traits, as long as they are bred well, sell great. I do give people a little outline of what *I* consider an auction worthy cat, but others will have different opinions. These are some suggestions I give people with the same question at my auctions, but they are only suggestions.

Suggestions:
Example 1: Solidly bred and useful. A cat that holds dominant or mid level traits but has been bred carefully can be very useful.
Example 2: At least 7T with at least one or two "hot traits". These "hot traits" are usually something fairly recessive, but could be a newer trait that's more dominant.
Example 3: The kitty, regardless of the number of traits, shows or is a proven hider of a new, highly sought after trait.
Example 4: It's so purrrrrrrty! Or it's so Big or Small! Everyone loves matchy matchy, well-traited kitties or well-traited special sized kitties. While some kitties, such as Megas and teacups, don't always have to be as well-traited as normal sized cats to sell, they should still have something desirable (see above) about them.

How do I know what my start bid should be?

This is also a tough call, and a personal call. The best suggestion I can give is to set the kitty as low as you're willing to part with it, but not so low that you'll be disappointed if it sells for that amount. You also learn the rough "value" of your kitty by attending auctions and seeing the prices that others are setting for their cats. Usually the only time I will guide someone with setting a start bid is if I think they are valuing it exceptionally higher or exceptionally lower than its value (I won't be starting an auction for a brand new, highly sought trait for 500 lindens).

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask, either here or IM me in world! I really hope to see you at my auctions!

[Aphielle Resident]

The regular panels are all taken for this Friday, but I still have a special panel available for someone new! Just hit the join button on the wait list and I will contact you!

[Aphielle Resident]

Panels Available!