Hunt Talk Auction! **$4,705** Raised By Hunt Talk Members For "Wildlife Deserve Better!"

[Djfan]

Thanks for doing this. I didn't win, as you rich kids out bid me every time, but I am glad it happened.

Next time, give us a heads up in advance. I would love do donate 25 custom tied flies in a box.

 

[Sytes]

Thanks for doing this. I didn't win, as you rich kids out bid me every time, but I am glad it happened.

Next time, give us a heads up in advance. I would love do donate 25 custom tied flies in a box.

This was a last minute, I had time off from work, random opportunity to assist the Wildlife Deserves Better. I agree - this would be a great hit if this was a planned event. I think your flies would be another epic adventure of enjoyable bids!

 

[Sytes]

New page UPDATE:

All runner up donations were completed. This brought the entire donation total to: $4,705!

Anyone able to touch base with @HSi-ESi and / or @Clarq ?
If so, please give them a heads up their donation confirmations are due by 2400 this evening, eastern time. After that time, it routes to the next highest bidder for the option to win the bid at the current highest bid value.
Or, if you know the person, you're welcome to act on his/her behalf if you know they'll pay you back - If so, PM @Sytes the donation confirmation for the total of his/her winning bids.

 

[MtsPSU]

New page UPDATE:

All runner up donations were completed. This brought the entire donation total to: $4,705!

Anyone able to touch base with @HSi-ESi , @Clarq , and / or @MtsPSU ?
If so, please give them a heads up their donation confirmations are due by 2400 this evening, eastern time. After that time, it routes to the next highest bidder for the option to win the bid at the current highest bid value.
Or, if you know the person, you're welcome to act on his/her behalf if you know they'll pay you back - If so, PM @Sytes the donation confirmation for the total of his/her winning bids.

View attachment 346357

16A is completed. Thank you for coordinating the effort Sytes.


Cheers!

Mark

 

[elkduds]

New page UPDATE:

All runner up donations were completed. This brought the entire donation total to: $4,705!

Anyone able to touch base with @HSi-ESi and / or @Clarq ?
If so, please give them a heads up their donation confirmations are due by 2400 this evening, eastern time. After that time, it routes to the next highest bidder for the option to win the bid at the current highest bid value.
Or, if you know the person, you're welcome to act on his/her behalf if you know they'll pay you back - If so, PM @Sytes the donation confirmation for the total of his/her winning bids.

View attachment 346360

Many thanks for creating and running this. It was fun and well done.

 

[Sytes]

2300 eastern. at 2400 the open lined items are offered to the next highest bidder at current bid value.

**Note: Winning bids must submit a copy / screen-print of the emailed donation receipt to @Sytes . Winning bidder of multiple items may provide a single emailed receipt for the total of all won bids. I will group PM you with the seller(s) for the two of you to arrange shipping.

If no donation receipt is received, an offer at the original winning bid value is presented to the next earliest posted highest bidder with 24 hours to submit donation receipt. If the next highest bidder messages no interest or does not submit donation on/before time allotted, item is removed from further consideration.

EDIT UPDATE:

Next highest bidders placed on open lines and PM'd for option to accept at original winning bid value. Offer available until 2400 this evening.

 

[Clarq]

New page UPDATE:

All runner up donations were completed. This brought the entire donation total to: $4,705!

Anyone able to touch base with @HSi-ESi and / or @Clarq ?

Sent you a PM. Everything was in on time, not sure what's going on. Reach out with questions.

 

[Sytes]

Sent you a PM. Everything was in on time, not sure what's going on. Reach out with questions.

I apologize Clarq and to all. Clarq is 100% correct, Clarq sent a pm with the donations made for his lines.

 

[cahunter805]

How did I miss this!!! Huge thanks to everyone involved. If there is another one setup I’d be happy to donate something.

 

[LuketheDog]

To everybody who participated in this wild little brainstorm, and especially @Sytes for all his organization effort, this was absolutely awesome, well done everybody!

 

[Sytes]

I'll close out this thread with the conclusion of bid winners and open it for evaluation, considerations, tweaks / adjustment thoughts to dial in this process. All bid winners and runner up members donated. It bumped up a fraction more due to my error with @Clarq . Crisis averted and thankful / appreciative for a few member's tolerance. Behind the scenes it went relatively smooth with a few PM confused settings that I confused further - ultimately all on the same page.
This was an off the cuff thought as I had annual leave "use it or lose it" time and a sore throat. Basically, time on my hands unable to go out and play - figured what the heck? I'll see if Randy will permit - great!

Onward. A bit of foundation building blocks. Obvious with the current need for $ for Colorado's "No on 127" though concerned it may be a bit too late. Turns out, a valuable push for funds.
Momentum needed to present auction potential. Encouragement for people to donate. @Big Fin hopped in with his line of Gerber knives, RMEF stepped up with a fantastic Eberlestock backpack, a thread for people interested ( https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/hunt-talk-member-auction-donations-for-colorados-no-on-127.326532/ ), and then yes, some begging PM's that were instantly answered with a "Sure! Let me see what I have!". The more people in, the more momentum gained.
That's the background.

A bit of an after action report for what worked and did not for future auctions online. Be rough, be tough, though be constructive. I'll toss on my flame retardant fire-suit.
1. The rules operated well. (Post #1 and 2) I can over think and in this case, it's helpful to avoid "what if's".

• Ultimately, the goal is to raise $ so I would change the format that leads to an item withdrawn from further consideration.
• The time frame would be better served before general hunting seasons. The opportunity to use items for an upcoming hunt would inspire more interest.
• People need time for the duration of the bidding. I think the three days worked out reasonably well.
• Member join dates: Set as six months prior. We know the fiasco with scams, bots, etc. Reducing the chance some scam is pulled (false donations, shipping value scam, Yes on 127 people winning bids then not paying, etc. I felt for @Schutzhund as it appears a stand up person though I believe overall, it worked to reduce potential mishaps.I create enough alone! Haha!
• Time frame to complete auction. This one was pinched to maximize the donations flowing in knowing it was in the final stretch. Looking back with time, maybe increase it? I believe in this setting during hunting, this was a bit challenging for some though they overcame. I fear that is where I lost @HSi-ESi . Always enjoy his posts though I imagine he was hunting and didn't realize the close donation timeframe. Sorry buddy. However, for sake of getting the $ in with Nov 5th looming, I felt it vital to press for a 24 hour time frame. Thinking on this further, had it not been hunting season, I think 24 hours is adaquate to move the process along. Had this not been a rush for funds, and during hunt season, it may have been fine to have dues collected by Monday eve.
• Regarding times: for me, feeling ill and wrapping up at 12:30 am (0030) eastern, where work has me temp stationed in the eastern time zone, Nyquil as my drink of choice, that was a bit rough. I think a closing bid time for eastern maybe 10pm (2200)?
• Layout for the bids. I felt too many bids and it may be too much to handle especially when this was off the cuff, how do I do this to make that work thought process. I felt comfortable working the the 30+ items.
• Keeping items grouped per person kept it organized and keeping it within the first page (twenty posts on my computer) made it simple to reference the items available.
• Time to collect donations. I believe this was open for three days. I had PMs from people who wanted to offer items though unable to within the time frame so we lost several item that would have added some great fun value - knowing those involved. Maybe a two week notice?
• Format for bid accuracy. Excel, excel, excel - This worked fantastic for transparent bidding. @ignorethefringes helped with PMs of missed bids and / or updates. It was VERY helpful having two sets of eyes! Thank you! The post # works great for timing of bid placement. I'd like to have the first post of each page with an excel sheet and reference all bids on that sheet then update the first post of the next page with another excel sheet though that's a crap shoot so, it worked as best as possible. Whomever ( @Forkyfinder ?) suggested listing the incremental bids - that was a huge relief on bidding. I don't think the date of bid was really necessary - the post # performed that job.
• Here's where it became a challenge: Bid winners and organization. I would strongly recommend any future auctions have an excel dedicated to donations and bid winners to monitor and ensure the specific item is linked to the specific winner. I did not create an excel. I worked off the PM's though what I found was I was inundated with PM's! discussions, questions, requests, etc. I tried to "star" the donation PMs and this, I believe led to me archiving @Clarq 's donation thus when reviewing PMs for donations, I did not have his visible. An excel sheet with a means to note the title of the PM with donation or something along that line would reduce potential issues. Also, I confused myself and shared incorrect info in a couple PM's where, had I had an excel listing the items, I believe my focus would be dialed in on the specifics. This is a definite MUST!
• Lastly, two screens, time, and many open tabs editing like crazy.

Anyhow, overall, this went very smooth *luckily, considering the various aspects to close this out as a SUCCESS due to the amazing donations by so many members and members stepping up to the plat to donate money to a cause such as this one - the fun facotr! @Ben Lamb and his pottery skills! The ability to own a personally, well crafted, usable item is fantastic! @VikingsGuy for not only sharing an amazing scope though his fun throttling of pottery bids! We need some candy bars for donation sake or something along this line! Humor and light hearted banted made this a great auction! Many people played a great factor in this success! Thanks to all as @LuketheDog shared among others before him, great all around auction for a great cause!

Thanks again for tolerating my little blunders here and there and for keeping this fun, as @Hunting Wife shared, everyone followed the rules for bidding, etc and I think this was instrumental towards it's success!

To end: $4,746 raised and all confirmed donated! Great all around!



And for chits n grins, my desk food:


Second bottle. I feel better.

Best to all!

 

[ignorethefringes]

I have thoughts that I'll put down when I'm in front of a computer again. But overall I agree with your thoughts. Huge success all things considered.

One quick thing to consider, keep the first post reserved for a regularly updated spreadsheet listing item, bid increment, leading bidder, and current bid. The other details (post number, etc.) could be hidden before posting as it isn't necessarily relevant to new bidders. That would allow folks to quickly check the first page for the items they are following to see if they've been outbid.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I thought the length of time for the auction to be open was about right. Not so long that people lose interest, get busy, or forget about it. Short enough to maintain excitement and enthusiasm. I agree having it outside of hunting season might mean more people available to participate.

I thought the quantity of items offered was about right. It wasn’t an overwhelming list that was hard to keep track of and not so many options that it spreads bids thin, if you know what I mean. But there was something for everyone. The variety, both in items and values, was great.

Perhaps a designated co-auctioneer would be helpful next time, since you found the second set of eyes helpful? Not sure. But you did great @Sytes, especially for being high on cold meds

 

[HSi-ESi]

@Sytes Dang it - I was out of the computer / wifi for a bit and didn't follow the donation rules. Big apology - but it looks like @BackofBeyond covered and made it work. I'll PM Sytes as well.

 

[Sytes]

@Sytes Dang it - I was out of the computer / wifi for a bit and didn't follow the donation rules. Big apology - but it looks like @BackofBeyond covered and made it work. I'll PM Sytes as well.

Kinda figured something had you away. Thanks for supporting the process. After all, you brought Wildlife Deserves Better another $50 via @BackofBeyond

Thanks though and appreciate your understanding. Always have a bit of concern for reaction to such.

Thought I would add, HSi-ESi pm'd a donation my way to Wildlife Deserves Better and because of his donation, we broke through $4,750!

Our total donated for this setting: $4,846!

Edit: Google continuous pranking my comments.

 

[Schutzhund]

Bravo, well done @Sytes . You put a lot of hard work into this and your passion shines through with the results.

I look forward to more community events similar to this that raise funds and awareness for pertinent issues that surface to the point of public opinion and intervention: the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly.

I had fun watching the progress and camaraderie among your group from the sidelines. The funds you all raised was truly impressive and is a valuable contribution to saying NO to 127.

 

[Big Fin]

Great work, guys. Thanks so much, Charles. It is an amazing effort with such short notice. I'm just back in town and leave again on Thursday, but before I leave I will get the prizes mailed to the winners of items I donated.

Thanks to all of you who helped raise this money and raise awareness.

 

[noharleyyet]

Great work, guys. Thanks so much, Charles. It is an amazing effort with such short notice. I'm just back in town and leave again on Thursday, but before I leave I will get the prizes mailed to the winners of items I donated.

Thanks to all of you who helped raise this money and raise awareness.

Thanks for letting us use your house . . .

 

[npaden]

Thanks to Sytes for running it and to all who donated items for the auction! Almost $5,000 raised in just a few days.

Felt good to participate and maybe some day I will actually get to use the bear fence I won. Jabber was super gracious and covered shipping although I did offer to pay. Hopefully the money will help enough to get a No on 127!

 

[ignorethefringes]

I have thoughts that I'll put down when I'm in front of a computer again. But overall I agree with your thoughts. Huge success all things considered.

One quick thing to consider, keep the first post reserved for a regularly updated spreadsheet listing item, bid increment, leading bidder, and current bid. The other details (post number, etc.) could be hidden before posting as it isn't necessarily relevant to new bidders. That would allow folks to quickly check the first page for the items they are following to see if they've been outbid.

A few high level thoughts:

• As you stated, the primary goal is to raise money. For this purpose, I think starting bids might need to be closer to current value. When starting too low, it's easy to get in the mindset of "getting a deal" rather than raising money. I think @VikingsGuy? pointed this out when trying to remind us that it wasn't a garage sale, but for a purpose. Maybe this means every item has a reserve somewhere north of 50% of value?
• The 3 days of bidding was a reasonable amount of time. But there is no reason it has to be midnight to midnight. It'd be just as well served starting at 10pm EST on a Thursday and ending at 10pm EST on Sunday. More people would still be awake as bidding winds down and could drive some last minute bid wars.
• Items with personal touches are awesome. I vote that @Ben Lamb makes a whole HT collection to go up for the next. Maybe give each piece an insider nickname like, "Big Hank" or "The Chili Disaster."
• I didn't personally like the style of 5A, 5B, etc. and would have preferred simply 1, 2, 3, etc. I understand the grouping was by person donating, but that can be organized via spreadsheet separately. For whatever reason, I found it easy to remember the number I was tracking but kept forgetting the letter.
• Related to the above, I think you're best served by two spreadsheets, one for public posting and one for tracking. They can be tied together via formula though for simplicity's sake. The publicly posted spreadsheet can be really streamlined/simple and regularly posted. This also solves the bid winner/seller/confirmed donation problem as you can just add a few columns to track that information that wouldn't be posted publicly.
• It could be worth outlining an updated spreadsheet schedule just to people have clarity. Something like, "Hey the spreadsheet on page 1 will be updated every 3 hours, beginning at 10am and ending at 10pm. In between updates, it is your responsibility to track any other bids and make sure your bid is higher than the last."

I'd be happy to assist in the future if you're looking to delegate tasks which is probably ultimately going to be a biggest help. The excel sheet can be a living, shared spreadsheet via Google, OneDrive, Box, etc. That way you can get help tracking donations in the lead up, bids during, confirmed donations after, and connecting winners/donors finally. Break that task up into a few people and you have some extra eyes helping you out.