Occasionally I get emails asking me to help complete an auction. I find that the rules give too much wiggle room. so, helped by the folks of the VC, we've modified the rule about concluding transactions and the speed with which this is supposed to happen. Tim will be updating the rule, but, as a heads up, here's what it looks like:
Reasonable Promptness
SOR has a wonderful communications interface, both through the membership database and through the invoicing function. We encourage buyers and sellers to use these to communicate. Even better, the interface can be viewed by the buyer, seller, and the webmaster, providing proof of sending, reading, and receipt.
6a) Sellers must send invoices or otherwise notify buyers within 5 calendar days. Other arrangements can be made, including offers to combine lots or notices that the seller will be away during a given period, but communication must be generated.
6b) buyers must send payment for winning bids within 5 days of receiving invoice. Buyers who have not received an invoice within the 5 days should contact the seller, using both email and the SOR messaging system
6c) buyers who are paying through the mail should communicate to the sellers by email and/or the SOR messaging system when payment has been sent. Sellers should contact the buyer when payment has been received and when purchases have been mailed to the buyer. If no payment has been received within 14 days it is the responsibility of the seller to contact the buyer.
6d) Sellers and buyers may request alternatives to this, such as delays in invoicing, waiting to pay until another lot closes, etc. Unless mutually agreed in writing by both parties, these alternatives are not valid, and no assumption should be made by either party that the other agrees to alternative arrangements.
6e) in the interest of clarity and to determine that email is properly working, it is a useful, and polite, exercise to acknowledge receipt of invoices and received lots as well as receipt of payment.
6f) it is the responsibility of both parties, buyer and seller, to communicate with one another. Buyers who have not received an invoice within the 5 days should contact the seller; sellers who have received neither payment nor reply within 5 days should try again, using both email and the SOR messaging system.
6g) if there is a failure to complete a transaction, either party may contact the auctioneer. Please provide copies of correspondence, name of buyer (or seller), the lots and their descriptions, total value (exclusive of postage) involved, date(s) of sale, and any other information that’s useful to the auctioneer in resolving a potential problem.
6h) stuff happens: emails fail, people change addresses and forget to update records, hospital stays, vacations creep up, etc. This is to say that a single occurrence is forgivable, and once rectified, forgiven. Multiple occurrences will result in a participant’s loss of auction privileges.
If you have any questions about this, or just want to discuss, either use this former or contact me off line.
David the auctioneer
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 28 Oct 2011 05:05:45pm
re: Respond promptly and be proactive about concluding auction transactions
The rule sounds reasonable and common sense, in fact, common courtesy to me.
One thing that I would add is bold print to the clause "... and no assumption should be made by either party that the other agrees to alternative arrangements. ...."
Most sellers I have dealt with over the years are quite amenable to accomodating reasonable needs but it would be foolish to assume they agree and it is so simple to use the magic of e-mails these days to explain and ascertain that an imagined agreement is in fact something mutually agreed upon.
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re: Respond promptly and be proactive about concluding auction transactions
thanks Charlie; you are right; often problems are nothing more than unstated assumptions and/or, like Strother Martin's Captain "a failure to communicate." Both sides need to keep this latter in mind
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re: Respond promptly and be proactive about concluding auction transactions
Yo, dudes! I take cruises a couple of of times a year. And many of us old geezers get ill more than once. So, I don't think a one shot deal on stuff happening is quite kosher.
When I do, I try to post notice when I'm going to be gone(which I recently did, BTW.) As for illness, that isn't particularly predictable. (Actually, I think I posted notice that I wasn't well, when I wasn't well last spring) Also, perhaps a vacation status setting like Bidstart has might be good idea, if you are going to start getting regulatory. I think a slight modification would be appropriate. Seems to me we're getting a little federal governmenty here. just my opinion.
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