Types of Events

This is an all day event that is held on a Sunday. We sell food tickets for $1. 1 ticket for a drink, 2 tickets for a slice of pizza. You have to make sure you stay for the whole thing. You never know what deals will come towards the end. Buyer’s Rules: Any person wishing to bid on items in the auction are required to register and obtain a bidder’s number. Both members and non-members are allowed to register for the auction. Bids will only be accepted by holding your bidder placard up with your bidder’s number visible. This allows for quicker recognition of bids and improved flow for the auction. Bid increments will be set at the auctioneers discretion. Only full dollar amount bids are accepted. Minimum bids are $2. All purchases must be paid for before any item leaves the room in which the auction is held. Bidding on an item is a contract to buy. Do not bid if you do not intend to pay. All Sales Are Final. Auction items may be inspected prior to the auction and during designated breaks. Once you take possession of the item it is your responsibility. All items are sold "as is, where is" with all faults, known and unknown. Please inspect any items you are interested in thoroughly to your satisfaction before purchasing anything. Once the auctioneer announces an item sold, ownership immediately transfers to the winning bidder. Sellers give no guarantee or warranty on anything in the auction. AAAA is not responsible for diseased/dead fish or faulty equipment. You may check out at the payment tables at any time. However, it can take several minutes for items to be available in the system immediately after an item has been auctioned. ​ Seller’s Rules: Any person wishing to sell items must complete all registration documents and agree to the terms of the auction to get a seller/bidder number. Use pre-registration for your items so you can minimize the morning traffic jam at the registration table All bags must be labeled with the seller’s number and bag number as well as the scientific and common names, sex (if known), and number of specimens in the bag. For example, Seller 239 would label their 5th item as: 239-05  6 Male Red Mickey Mouse Platys Xiphophorus maculatus Items must be fully registered BEFORE they are placed on the viewing tables. Items cannot be removed from the auction once they have been placed on the viewing tables until they have been auctioned off without the express permission of the Auction Chair. The first $1 on each bag sale goes to the club. The seller will receive the following split for their items sold. Supporting Member: 70% of the sale price Non-member: 50% of the sale price Sellers are not permitted to credit purchases against sales. Sellers are allowed 7 bags per species to enter into the auction. (See Question 5 in the FAQ for information on exemptions) Live items must be properly bagged and of suitable size to maintain water quality throughout the duration of the auction. Proper fish bags must be used. Ziploc bags may not be used for any wet items. Fish in Ziploc bags will be removed from the auction. Very large fish must be in a bucket, not a bag. Fish must be bagged with ample air and water (about 1/3 water, 2/3 air). Do not overcrowd your fish. Multiple bags may be joined together as one item if necessary.  AAAA may re-bag items as necessary and will charge sellers a $1.00 re-bagging fee which will be taken off the price received for the item. The Auction Chairperson has the right to remove any item from the auction that is incorrectly bagged, appears sick, diseased, or deceased, or is otherwise deemed unsellable. The Auction Chairperson has the right to combine bags of the same species from the same seller into a single lot at their discretion. All unsold items that remain unclaimed at the end of the auction will become the property of AAAA and as such will be combined into lots and auctioned off as a donation. No seller payments will be given on the day of the auction. The AAAA treasurer will mail checks out in a timely fashion after the auction. Ensure that your registration information (name, address, telephone number, e-mail address) is correct. Although every effort will be made to ensure timely payments, AAAA is not responsible for delays due to incorrect seller information. Any lots offered for donations should be presented to the Auction Chairman, Donations Chairman, or given to the representative at the Membership Information Table. They will be labeled 999 for general donations or vendors can receive a unique donation number for tracking purposes. Species on the Federal or State restricted species lists will not be permitted for sale. ​ General Rules: The Auction Staff of AAAA will determine the order in which items will be auctioned. Priority stickers for $2. Bags with priority stickers will be brought from viewing tables by staff to the final processing area, and placed in line before any non-priority bags that were in the queue to start the process. Exceptions will be made for donation items or to better improve the flow of the auction and bids on the items.  The AAAA Auction is for freshwater fish, inverts, aquatic plants, and live food cultures only. AAAA  accepts cash, credit or debit cards, and PayPal.  Any decisions regarding exceptions to the auction rules are made at the sole discretion of the Auction Chairperson. All decisions by the Auction Chairperson are final. Violations of any of these rules can result in you being asked to leave the auction, being barred from further auctions, or being removed from the association roles. AAAA claims no responsibility for any item entered in the auction or any personal injury that might occur during the auction or on the auction site. The auction committee, AAAA, and the auction site shall not be held liable for any accidents, theft, or losses that occur during the course of the auction. AAAA, its auction staff or committee, nor the venue where the auction is being held will be responsible for the security of your items once purchased. Buyers should ensure that they are able to take proper care of livestock and have transportation arrangements for larger items. ​ FAQs: Q1: How do I get a buyer/bidder or seller number? A1: Register online before the event at the Club Events forum post or at one of the computers at the registration table during the event. Q2: Can I set a minimum bid for auction items? A2: Only buy getting one of the Reserve stickers for your item. Q3: Are there any special terms to be used when labeling bags? A3: All information listed in the Seller’s Rules #2 above is required. Any special requirements for the fish/plants can also be included on the label. In addition the following terms should be, but are not required to be used: Pair: 1 Male and 1 Female Mated/Proven Pair: Male and Female pair that have successfully produced fry together. Trio: 1 male and 2 females Reverse Trio: 1 female and 2 males Colony: Mix of males and females of any ratio. However, bag must include at least 1 of each sex. Adult: Sexually mature Juvenile: Not yet sexually mature Fry: Under 2 months old Q4: Why did my bags of fish get sold as 1 item? A4: The Auction Chairperson has the right to combine bags of fish into a single lot when the number of fish per bag are low or number of bags submitted to high. Q5: Why am I restricted on the number of bags I can bring to the auction? A5: Large quantities of the same fish can depress the price of the fish for yourself as well as other sellers. In addition it can cause a poor flow to the auction making for a less entertaining event. If you have a fish that you feel you could sell more than 7 lots of without depressing the market you can email the Auction Chairperson at auctions@atlfishclub.com to ask for an exemption. Q6: What should I do when I get the fish home? A6: Please remember to properly acclimate your fish and plants when you get home. It is strongly recommend that all new fish be quarantined for a minimum of 2 weeks in a separate aquarium before introduction into any community or established aquarium. Please, be a responsible aquarist; never release any fish or aquatic plants into the wild. The AAAA Auction Committee retains the right to amend any and all of the above rules as needed and without notice.