Now let’s discuss this “silent auction”.

We weren’t given numbers to maintain anonymity.

We were asked to wear a name tag. We were asked to write our name on the bid sheet which made it easy for other bidders to identify the person they were bidding against for an item.

It was very clickish. I didn’t feel welcomed. The rules were on the door which was open when we got there. They were also at  shoulder level so you just walked by and didn’t even notice. No brochures or a greeter handing our brochures or reminding guests to read the rules to make sure that new participants knew that  bids couldn’t begin until a specific time.  

At auctions end, people got nasty. I was bidding on an item and a lady rushed up to me very aggressively saying, “That’s mine! My daughter only wanted two things. I’m the one bidding on that.”  I was like “Okay…if you want it that bad,” shrugged and went back to see if there were any new bids on other items I wanted. After I walked away, my friend Jana( who has more metal in her than a toaster on crack) was physically body checked away from a swift they were bidding on by this lady.

Had I been there to witness this, I probably would be in jail for assault cause I would have shoved her away from Jana. Then the woman stood there hovering writing her name very slowly while we waited for the bell to ring so no one else could write down a bid. 

Afterwards we gathered the items we’d won and then had to search high and low for the people selling it to pay them. 

There was only one bright light during this fiasco. The young lady who was destashing fiber for her trip to Illinois…we are so glad we met you. We took our purchases back to the mill that night and either pin drafted it or exploded barbie…lol…threw a bunch of it into the picker to blend it.

Tips: Silent auction pass out numbers to bidders.

No one should have a name tag.

Have one check out area. Save the tickets that show the item, the seller, the wining bid, take the money from winners.

After your guest leave have the cashier separate the tickets per seller and total their sales and divvy up the money that way. 

or better yet…..Have a guild Stash Buster like the Tidewater Knitting Guild does. Where you can sell stash items to each other. Then after your guild stash buster have a silent auction for the fiber public–guild members can’t participate. You had your chance. 

Also use your website. Post the rules there and provide a downloadable/printable copy. FYI not many people use google sites unless you point a domain name to it. Make a duplicate site at Blogger or WordPress and it will increase your visibility. Just my two cents worth.  Much success to you in the future. https://sites.google.com/site/clothoshandspinners/