Q:Where did you get these items?
A: Most of the items were donated by a very cool Sliders fan, Dyanna Aracena, so let's stand up and give her a hand. Other items may have been donated by other parties, or purchased by people putting on the convention.
Q:What will you do with the money
A: Take a nice long cruise to Aruba! :-D No seriously, don't think you're going to be forking over your hard earned dollars to a wasted cause. The profits made from this auction will go to one of two things:
Sliders Track at DragonCon '98: We are trying to get a Sliders Track(basically, a mini convention)added to this September's DragonCon(one of the largest sci-fi conventions in the country). If we are successful in getting the track added, all profits will go toward offsetting the costs of putting on the track.
Charity:If we are unsuccessful at getting a track added(but keep your fingers crossed that we will), the profits from the auction will be divided equally and donated in the names of the Sliders cast to the Peter Westbrook Foundation and the Starlight Foundation.
If you'd like to read more about these charities, go here.
Q:How can I bid on these items?
A:These items will be bid on in what is called a silent auction with a bit of a modification. Beginning on Friday, January 30, 1998, items will be up for bids. Simply select the item you wish to bid on, and submit your bid(see below for explanation of minimum bids). Normally, in a silent auction, bids are sealed until the end of the auction, therefore no bidder knows what the highest bid is until the end. However, in the interest of fairness, we have decided to periodically post the highest bids recieved to that point. We can't do it instantly, as we don't have the automation for that. So at various times through the day, we will be listing the highest bid to that point next to each item.
The bids will be posted at the following times(and no, I'm not a clock, so don't set your watch by me--just figure they'll be posted within the hour of the time listed):
Friday: Auction opens at 6PM EST(3PM Pacific).
I will *try* to update the bids periodically--I tried to use a set schedule, but that wasn't working. So you'll just have to keep checking...I'll try to update it periodically through the day..and at least by 12PM EST and 12:00AM EST each day .
Monday: Auction closes 12:00AM EST(9PM and -1 day Pacific)
If two bids for the same amount are recieved, earlier bids be the ones accepted(and we can tell by the clock on our email who mailed what first)
Q:What if someone forges my email?
A:Don't worry. Once we recieve your bid, you will recieve a confirmation email if you are the current highest bidder, telling you the item you bid on and the amount. If you do not wish to bid on the item, just reply to the email with the following subject line: Did Not Bid. Note: If you do not recieve an email, it means your bid was not the highest one on the item during that update period.
Q:What are my payment options
A: We ask that you pay via money order in US dollars. This way, we don't have to deal with converting money from other countries, and we do not have to cash/deposit your payment until we know which of our proposed options for the profits we will be using. That way, we won't mess up your checkbooks by making you wonder just when the heck we were planning on depositing your check! :-D
Q:What about shipping?
A: All items sold to US residents will be shipped Priority Mail, for which an additional $3.00 will be added to your final payment. All orders outside the US will be provided with a list of their shipping options and costs, from which they can select which method they would prefer and have the cost added to their total. Any insurance or extra shipping will be paid by the bidder. Items will be shipped once your payment has been recieved.
Q:What if someone doesn't pay?
A:If payment isn't recieved within a reasonable time(about a month), then the item will be offered to the next highest bidder. If they decline, the items will be returned to the person who donated them.
Q:What is a minimum price?
A: A minium price is the lowest bid which will be accepted for the items up for bid. This will insure that if we had to pay for an item, we will at least make back what we paid for it, and will also insure that items don't go for prices significantly less than they are worth.
Q: What are these E-Bay items?
A:Some of the items being auctioned off are not affliated with this convention(and therefore, their profits will not go to one of our profit options). However, in the interest of Sliders fans everywhere, we're linking to these items as well. All rules and regulations regarding EBay's auction applies to these items, and the Sliders Online Convention makes no claims as to the validity or quality of the EBay items.