User:Tathar/Auction Terms

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These terms govern the use of any auction that I run on the Wurm official forums. I'll try to keep them simple enough to understand and still cover everything.

Contents

Example OP

Title: Supreme kitchen gun, 50 QL


(Picture of the item in inventory)

(Item description goes below picture)


Auction duration: 3 days

Starting bid: 5s

Minimum increase: 1s

Buyout: 25s (24 hour buyout time)

Runoff rule: Two bids placed in the last 12 hours of the auction will add 2 days runoff time to the auction duration. Only existing bidders from the normal auction time can place bids during runoff time.

Snipe protection: 4 hours

No auction reserve

Winner pays COD fee if mailed

Extra options: Discounted imping service up to 50 QL available at 10s reserve. Free imping service up to 50 QL and bundled full magazine of cleaning bullets available with buyout or at 30s reserve. Winner must pick up magazine at (my location) to claim it. Imping service has additional terms found in the auction terms link below.


(Auction timer goes here)

Additional auction terms and definitions found here: (Link to this page) If you have any questions about this auction, check that page first.

Happy bidding!

Decoding the OP

These terms spell out everything you may find on my auction threads' original posts. Refer to the example OP above for usage.

Auction Duration

This is how long the auction will last for after the auction thread is posted, barring any time extensions. See Runoff Time Rule and Snipe Protection for an explanation of the time extensions that may trigger.

Auction Timer

There will typically be an auction timer saying how long the auction is still running for, or how long ago the auction ended. I'll generally sync this up with the auction duration posted. If any time is added to the auction, ignore this.

Starting Bid

This is the minimum amount the first bid must be for. Pretty standard in an auction, but I've seen auctions without them.

Minimum Increase

Each bid after the starting bid must be higher than the previous valid bid by this amount or more. Standard even in auctions without starting bids.

Buyout

I usually offer a buyout for my auctions as an option for those who don't want to wait for the auction to play out. The buyout price is how much you have to pay if you claim a buyout, and if one is listed, the buyout time is how long after the auction starts that the buyout offer is valid for. Otherwise, the buyout offer is valid until the auction ends. The first bid on an auction can always be a buyout, even if buyout time expires.

Runoff Rule

This needs an explanation, since I don't know of anyone else who has used this before. A runoff rule is an extension of an auction's duration that can take effect if multiple bids take place towards the end of the auction, so that bidding war auctions have a chance to play out to their conclusion. During this extension, only existing bidders may post new bids, and all other bids placed are ignored. This encourages interested parties to bid early.

Runoff rules require two amounts of time to be established:

1. Trigger time: Two bids placed within this much time before the auction ends will trigger the runoff rule. Typical trigger time ranges from 8 to 24 hours.
2. Runoff time: When a runoff rule triggers, this is how much time is added to the end of the auction. Typical runoff time ranges from 1 to 3 days.

Runoff rules can only trigger once, but can be combined with snipe protection. When this happens, any snipe protection time added also bars new bidders from placing bids.

Snipe Protection

Snipe protection is an extension of an auction's duration that can take effect if someone bids shortly before the end of an auction. Snipe protection means that an auction can't end until a certain amount of time has passed after the last bid was placed. This is intended to prevent auction snipers from winning auctions before other bidders can respond. Snipe protection can trigger multiple times if bids are placed in quick succession, so this can also provide rapid bidding war auctions some protection from ending prematurely. Although 1-hour snipe protection is commonly used, I feel that 4 hours is the least amount of time that gives existing bidders a fair shot at raising their bids.

Some of my auctions use a variant of this rule that entirely prevents new bidders from placing bids within a certain amount of time before the end of the auction. This is generally spelled out on the auction thread itself if it applies.

Extra Options

Some of my auctions may include extra perks for the winner, such as free or discounted improvement services, bundled items, or free mailing costs. These extras come with their own terms separate from the auction itself, and accepting them is optional. Extras usually come with a reserve price that must be met before they become available, but the auction itself will never require a reserve price to be met.

Auction Reserves

I don't place reserve prices on my auctions, period. They just make the first few bids on each auction pointless, since they wouldn't result in a sale. I won't waste your time with these. Reserve prices for extra options are a different matter, however.

Delivery and Pickup

I don't offer delivery for auctioned items, due to the risk involved and my limited play time. If you are unable to pick up items you win, either arrange for someone to deliver the items from my location to yours, or opt for mailing via COD.

If you're picking up items you won, I need to be online to give them to you, or I need to put the items on my merchant for you to buy. My availability is limited due to my work schedule, so please check with me beforehand to arrange a pickup time. If I need to put the items on my merchant, there will be a 15% handling fee due to the cut that the merchant takes.

For items being mailed, the auction winner pays the COD fee unless otherwise noted.

Bidding Etiquette

While not rules themselves, following these guidelines will ensure a smooth, fair, and friendly auction takes place.

1. When bidding, please ensure that you have enough coin to cover your bid, or mention that the bid is conditional on checking whatever is preventing you from being sure. I'll give you up to 12 hours to check, but you'll have to let me know one way or the other by then.
2. If you have to retract a bid, please don't blank out what the bid was for. I need that information to adjust any later bids that were placed to outbid you.
3. Please try to avoid making bids that have to be invalidated. While everyone makes mistakes, I have to do a lot of repair work when invalid bids are placed.
4. If you spot an invalid bid before I do, please bring it up on the auction thread and explain why it's invalid. I'll check it myself as soon as I am able.
5. If a time extension triggers and you notice it before I do, please let everyone know about it and which rule the extension comes from.
6. If you're placing a bid during extended time, please mention this and specify what type of extension it is.
7. If it's not obvious already, I don't like to leave any ambiguity in how my auctions are run and governed. If you don't understand something about one of my auctions, please ask, and I'll give you an answer as soon as I can.

Extra Option Terms

These rules govern extra options I may offer in an auction. Any terms listed on the auction's thread take priority over what is listed here.

Free/Discounted Imping Service

Any extra options offering free or discounted improvement ("imping") service are offered with the following terms and limitations.

1. To claim the free or discounted service, you have to PM me a link to the auction thread and send the item to me at your cost after I verify the extra option is still valid.
2. The service only applies to the auctioned item or set. Any other items, including bundled extras, are not covered.
3. Only the original auction winner can redeem the free or discounted service. If the item ever has a different owner, the extra option becomes void.
4. I provide the improving service myself, so the maximum QL that the item can be improved to is whatever QL I'm capable of producing. If the auction thread indicates a lower QL in the terms than what I'm capable of, then the lower QL is what I will improve the item to.
5. If different terms are not stated, the extra option is limited to three improving sessions and expires after 90 days. If you claim a service session and I'm unavailable until after the extra option expires, I'll provide the service when I get back.
6. If I stop playing Wurm for more than a week or my premium time lapses for 24 hours or more, the expiration date for the extra option is extended by that many days.
7. I can buy back any outstanding improvement service extras at my option, in case I ever need to stop honoring service extras, stop providing the service in general, or retire from Wurm. The buyback price is a prorated refund, based on the number of sessions remaining, out of 10% of the auction price for free service, or out of 5% for discounted service. If I need to exercise this option, I will either post an announcement on the forums about it, or I will PM a notice to each affected auction winner. Those affected will then have three days to show proof of ownership of the relevant items and arrange for an in-person pickup of their prorated refund, or waive their right to any refund.

Bundled Items

Any extra options including bundled items offered to an auction winner are offered with the following terms and limitations.

1. If you want the bundled items, you have to say so in the auction thread before the auctioned item is delivered to you.
2. You have to pay any mailing fees for the bundled items, or pick them up at the same time as the auctioned item.
3. If you want me to send the bundled items to a different character than the one receiving the auctioned item, they have to be mailed at the receiver's expense. I won't arrange for separate pickup.

Free Shipping

Any extra options offering free shipping are offered with the following limitation.

1. Items covered must be mailed. I won't deliver the items or arrange for someone else to deliver them.

Bidder Protections

Auction bidders are granted certain protections against unfair, invalid, or fake bids. This section spells out what those protections are.

General Protections

1. Anyone may ask me to issue an announcement clarifying which bid is the leading bid, at any time while an auction is in progress. This is usually only necessary when one or more bids is believed to be fake or unfair, since invalid bids always result in an announcement being made.
2. I may add additional time to an auction if I believe that the smooth running of the auction was interrupted for any reason, so people have enough time to bid. Time can be added even if the original auction time has expired, so nobody technically wins an auction until I make an announcement declaring a winner.
3. If a bidder is suspected of placing a fake bid, I may require that bidder to show proof of their ability to cover their bid. Proof must be in the form of a screenshot, show enough coin between inventory and bank to cover the bid, and show a /time output confirming that the screenshot was taken after proof was asked for. Bidders unable to provide this proof have their bids invalidated, but adjustments are made at my discretion.
4. Bidders I don't want to do business with and bidders who post an abusive number of unfair, invalid, or fake bids will be barred from participating in my auctions. I don't want to have to resort to this.

Adjusted Bids

1. If a bidder has their bid adjusted due to unfair, invalid, or fake bids, their bid price is reduced to the adjusted price until they re-bid, to maintain a fair auction.
2. If an auction ends with any adjusted bid holders having original bids greater than the leading bid price, the leading bid is not necessarily the winner. A second auction lasting 24 hours must take place between the leading bidder and any outstanding adjusted bid holders to resolve the bid adjustments.
3. During the second auction, the first auction's leading bid becomes the starting bid. Qualifying adjusted bid holders must bid no less than their original bid prices to participate in the second auction, and there is no buyout offered. Runoff time and snipe protection can take effect in the second auction even if they took effect in the first auction, but are collectively capped at 24 hours of additional time. Otherwise, the second auction has the same terms as the first one, but with a limited set of eligible bidders.
4. There will be no further bid adjustments or third auctions run, in an effort to speed up the bidding process. Whoever wins the second auction will win the auction item.

In Case Of Emergency

These rules cover how an auction will proceed if things start going wrong. You can safely ignore these if you're tired of reading, since I'll always announce their effects in the auction if they apply.

Invalid Bids

1. I will make an announcement whenever I spot an invalid bid. Bidders are also encouraged to speak up when they believe a bid is invalid.
2. For each bid placed in response to the invalid bid before my announcement is made, the bid price is adjusted down by the invalid bid's price increase.
3. If the invalid bid has been clearly ignored by a bid placed after it, the ignoring bid does not need to be adjusted.
4. Adjusted bids have their own set of rules. Please see the Adjusted Bids section under Bidder Protections.

Shenanigans

1. If nothing else says how something should be done, I reserve the right to make an executive decision.
2. Executive decisions made will often come with a time extension of the auction due to the time spent without an answer.