Suggestion for Auctions

[leeaboo]

Hey guys! I hope this was the right place to post this. Forgive me if I'm overstepping; I just became active in this site not too long ago and I'm still figuring things out here. This is just a somewhat strange instance I've noticed often and I was just wondering if it was a simply less of a deal on TBT than other forums.

One thing I've recently noticed is that there is no rule about people withdrawing their bids from auctions. I generally wouldn't comment in this, but there seems to be a lot of it happening, especially in the VT Plaza. And I can imagine that it's gotta be frustrating for the auctioneers. This is the only website where I've seen no rule about this (most places generally have a no-withdraw rule but under special circumstances the auctioneer and bidder can sort things out of the bidder changed their mind). As a bidder myself, I similarity find it frustrating when someone makes too high a big (out of my pay zone) and then the next day withdraws it by the time I've come to terms that I cannot afford the item. By preventing other people to potentially snag the big and/or putting false hope in the auctioneer, I just think that withdrawing bids is a pretty lame thing to do!

Thoughts on this? I understand it's never been a huge point of conflict (at least with what I've seen) but I think that perhaps auctions would run a little smoother with a rule like this. Thanks!

 

[Blizzard]

These rules are part of the answers to auctions which can be found in the Villager Trading Plaza as a stickied note. Recently I've been involved in several auctions where bidding goes back and forth then the person I outbid pulls out. The seller had no idea what to do as this caused the selling price to go up. I paid full amount, but it is way past time for someone to make rules more clear as to bidding in auctions.

The main thing, if you hold an auction, do not leave anything to chance. State as many rules as you can. Good luck.
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Auctions in Re-Tail, TBT Marketplace, and Villager Trading Plaza
When hosting an auction for your items or moving villagers, you must follow through with the sale unless you explicitly stated that the auction results are subject to be changed. Otherwise, the auction winner may give the host negative feedback for failing to complete the sale. The auction winner may also receive negative feedback if he or she fails to follow through with the purchase. Include as many rules with your auction as you feel fit, such as starting bid price, time limit, and bidding increments.

Auctions
Our auction guidelines apply to auctions of items and villagers in Animal Crossing, as well as auctions in TBT Marketplace. They are designed to keep auctions fair for both buyers and sellers, yet also give auctioneers freedom to create their own rules.

Rules for an auction must be clearly set and followed by both the bidder and auctioneer. As an auctioneer, if you wish to reserve special rights, please specify your reason for doing so in your original post before bidding begins. Otherwise, the auction should follow the default rules listed below.

Bidders are subject to accept all rules posted by the auctioneer. If a bidder disagrees with special rights reserved by the auctioneer, he or she should not participate.
Auctioneers may only accept bids that are posted in the auction thread. No PM or VM bids may be accepted.
Auctions posted on The Bell Tree should not also be made on another site. Not only does this waste the bidders' time, they should not be required to check another site for bidding purposes.
Increasing or decreasing auction time is not allowed by default. It is considered a special right and must be reserved in the auctioneer's original post before bidding begins.
The last person to bid on an auction within the scope of its rules and time limits is the winner. Auctioneers cannot choose another winner even if someone else makes a better offer after it ends.
Auctioneers are expected to see their auctions through to the end. Unless valid reasoning is provided, an auction cannot be canceled. Otherwise, the auction winner may give the host negative feedback for failing to complete the sale.
Winners are obligated to complete the purchase after they are determined to be the winner. If he or she backs out of the transaction, the auctioneer may leave negative feedback.

 

[toastia]

I think it's a good suggestion personally.

 

[RiceBunny]

To be honest it's a gray zone. On one side I can understand why some people would want to enforce the "no retracting bid" thing, but on the other hand I can see why it wouldn't be fair. I've retracted my bid before(early on in the auction) and it was never an issue. I feel like it's mainly an issue towards the end. I've seen people retract their bid right towards the end of the auction and that's just wrong. I don't feel like this should be a rule enforced by the TBT forum, but a rule that should be made and rightfully enforced by the auctioneer. Whenever I hold an auction, I always make sure I say you're not allowed to retract your bid towards the end of the auction, so bid with confidence. I feel like that's a more fair thing to do for both sides.