Raleigh Aquarium Society

 Where: Raleigh Ramada Inn

• Location: Raleigh Ramada Inn by Wyndham at 1520 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607

• Rooms: (919) 832 - 4100 or (844) 204 - 9930; www.ramadaraleigh.com. A special room rate of $82/night is available through Friday, March 10. Use the Group Code “RAS2023” when making reservations to get the special rate.

• Directions: Ramada Inn (Google Maps)

WHEN: Sunday March 26, 2023

Item check-in and registration runs from 9:00-10:00 am, auction begins at 10.  
PLEASE COME EARLY to so we won’t have a traffic jam at 10:00 .

What is happening?

The Raleigh Aquarium Society will sponsor its first large auction of the year on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at the Raleigh Ramada Inn near the fair grounds. On-site registration begins at 9:00am and the auction formally starts at 10:00am. Anyone may buy or sell items related to the aquarist hobby, including fish, invertebrates, or plants. For this auction, dry goods (such as tanks, stands, lights, hoods, filters, pumps, heaters, dry food, equipment, supplies, literature, etc.) will not be permitted (please note this process change!). Participants (buyers or sellers) do not have to be RAS members to attend. Registration is free for current RAS members or members of any aquarium club (proof required), but non-members must pay a $5.00 registration fee at the door. Buyers and sellers can enroll at any time before the auction using the on-line tool at www.mygroupauctions.com. If not done in advance or if you have additional last-minute items to register, PLEASE COME EARLY to register on-site. Help will be provided. Look for the "RAS 2023 Spring Auction" tab at www.mygroupauctions.com.

MY GROUP AUCTIONS – Registration Instructions: (please read and do this first!)

Visit http://www.mygroupauctions.com/

1. Create a user account (your email and choose a password).

2. Click "Prepare" > "Club Affiliations" > "Add Affiliation" > Raleigh Aquarium Society.

3. Click "Prepare" > "Add Auction Items" or "Preview Auction Items".

4. Select an upcoming auction.

5. Enter your items or preview other sellers' items. We urge sellers to add pictures for their items.

6. After the auction, view lists and prices of everything you bought and sold.

Rules for Sellers:

1. Any person wishing to sell items must complete all registration documents and agree to the terms of the auction. Use www.MyGroupAuctions.com to pre-register your items and print labels to minimize the morning traffic jam at the registration table (information on this is given above).

2. Live items must be properly bagged and of suitable size to maintain water quality throughout the duration of the auction (several hours). Proper fish bags must be used. Ziploc bags may be used only for dry items or plants, not fish (fish in Ziploc bags will be removed from the auction). Very large fish must be in a bucket. Fish must be bagged with the ample air and water proportions (1/3 water, 2/3 air). Do not overcrowd your fish. Multiple bags may be joined together as one item if necessary. For dry goods, we encourage bulking small items into 1 larger sale due to space restrictions.

3. RAS may re-bag items as necessary and will charge sellers a $1.00 re-bagging fee.

4. The Auction Chairman or Auctioneer has the right to remove any item from the auction that is incorrectly bagged, appears sick or diseased, or otherwise deemed unsellable.

5. Priority stickers can be purchased for $1.00 each (3 stickers are given free to every club member whether buyer or seller). There is a limited number of priority stickers sold and they are available at the registration table. You can put priority stickers on any item at the auction.

6. NOT APPLICABLE FOR THIS AUCTION!!! - No dry goods allowed!!!- Tanks and dry goods items will be put into a separate auction in a separate area. If any Buyer or Seller wishes them to be sold as part of the main auction, they may purchase a priority sticker and move the item into the main auction. Silent Auction items are to be priced with a minimum $1.00 bid and go up in $1.00 increments. Priority stickers are placed on the item, not the auction sheet. NOT APPLICABLE FOR THIS AUCTION!!!

7. Once an item is registered, it may not be withdrawn (except by the Auction Chairman). The Auction Chairman has the right to request that small single dollar items be consolidated into a single lot. The dry goods auction ends at around 3:00pm, with item pick-up to be done within the hour.

8. Sellers have the right to put a minimum bid on any of their items. This must be clearly labelled, or the item may be sold under a minimum price. Minimum bids must be at least $5.00.

9. Sellers may remove the minimum bid or their items with approval from the Auction Chairman.

10. Any item not claimed at the end of the auction becomes the property of RAS.

11. The first dollar of EVERY SALE will go to RAS. After the first dollar, the Seller will receive 70% of the balance (for RAS members) or 60% of the balance (for non RAS members). For example, if you sell an item for $11, a RAS member would get $7.00 and a non-member would get $6.00.

12. No payments are made on the day of the auction! Checks are mailed out promptly in full by the RAS treasurer after each auction. Ensure that all your registration information (name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.) is correct. Although every effort is made to ensure prompt payment, RAS is not responsible for mail delays or incorrect/illegible seller information.

13. RAS claims no responsibility for any item entered in the auction or any personal injury that might result during the auction or on the auction site.

14. In all cases, decisions made by the Auctioneer and Auction Chairman is final on any dispute.