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Auction

The auction form now available for download (173KB .pdf), in case you have lots of things to sell and would like to fill it in in advance.

The RPG auction is a staple of the BRS cons. It is an opportunity for members to simultaneously prune and expand their gaming libraries. Unwanted games seeking new homes and rare out-of-print gaming books jostle with signed copies of new books, manuscript copies, and other memorabilia for the attention of the connoisseur. Prices vary according to the audience's interest, from a couple of pounds upwards to tens of pounds. (A copy of the Ringworld RPG sold for seventy pounds at one previous convention.) A 10% commission is charged on all items sold at the auction - the money raised from this commission will be used to support future BRScons and Unicons.

For would-be sellers, the auction procedure is quite simple.

• First, decide what items of your library you wish to part with. Bring these items to the convention!
• Secondly, complete an auction lot form for each item or group of items. For related items, it may make sense to bundle them into a single lot as this will usually increase their value. If you are feeling enthusiastic, you can download auction forms from our website, print them off and complete them in advance. Do remember to decide what commission rate you wish to assign to the convention (10% is the minimum), and if the item is to have a reserve price, note that as well. Write legibly - our auctioneers and our clerk need to be able to read your forms easily. Do not fill in the lot number - we will do that.
• Thirdly, hand the items for auctioning, plus auction forms, into the committee at the front desk by the end of Saturday. We will then securely store the items until the auction.
• Fourthly, attend the auction as there may be items you wish to bid on yourself!

At the auction, our auctioneers will proceed through the lots in whatever order they or the committee deems most sensible. The auctioneers will suggest an opening bid for each lot and seek a bidder willing to meet that price. Members may then bid against each other - the winner will be the person who bids the highest amount.

Winning bidders should pay for and collect their winnings from the main convention desk after the end of the auction. Cheques (made payable to Constitution) may be accepted if a member is deemed to be in good standing with the community, usually by being known to multiple attendees.

Sellers of items should also come to the main convention desk at the end of the auction in order to collect the money due to them (minus commission fees). If you cannot collect your money for some reason, we will post you a cheque after the convention.

Convention members who wish to auction items other than games should contact the committee regarding their suitability and effective placement in the auction order to attract appropriate interest.