Auction Rules

• Registration for both Buyers and Sellers begins at 10:00 am. Registration for Sellers ends at 1:30 pm.

• Auction begins at Noon.

• Bids will be in dollar increments.

• $3 EXPRESS BIDS: After 12 pm, buyers/sellers may pay a $3 cash fee to have the item auctioned off immediately during the auction. NAR (New & Rare) items are excluded from Express Bids.

• Any items not claimed or left behind become the property of SMAS.

• NO PRIVATE SALES. NO RESALE OF PURCHASED AUCTION ITEMS. Please know what you’re bidding on before bidding, as all sales are final. Buyer Beware. SMAS does not guarantee any item and is not responsible for any loss or accidents.

• SMAS reserves the right to refuse sale of obviously sick/deformed fish, fish that are too small/young, or fish/plants/invertebrates regulated by the state of MI.

​

Bidder Rules

• All Bidders wishing to set up a Tab MUST register. A valid driver’s license or acceptable photo ID is required to be held by SMAS until the Tab is paid in full.

• You will be given a Bidder Number, which must be written on every winning item slip and initialed by the Bidder.

• If you are paying cash when winning each item, there is no need to register for a Tab and Bidder Number. (You can still fill out a registration form to ensure that you get notifications for future auction events.)

• Accounts must be paid in full before you leave the auction.

• Payment Options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card. SMAS reserves the right to refuse a check for any reason. $50 fee for bounced checks. There will be a 3% charge for credit card payments due to the charges that the club incurs for the processing

• Should a Bidder leave the auction without paying for their Tab, SMAS reserves the right to recover said charges, up to and including court costs, lawyer fees, and legal prosecution. This information will be shared with other clubs.

• When checking out, please make sure you have your ID before leaving, as this can happen.

​

Seller’s Rules

• All sellers MUST register BEFORE taking your items to the “Check In” tables.

• Beginning with the March 2025 auction sellers may set a minimum bid on higher value items (e.g. high end plecos, rare fish) - there will be a $3 surcharge for a minimum bid. If you do a minimum bid item and it does not sell and you chose not to have it sold for a lesser amount the item will be returned to you however the $3 fee must be paid. 

• A 3-Color Dot system will be used to assure a fair mix of different items, provided at check in - color order will be posted at check in

• For Members, split is 75% to the seller and 25% to SMAS. For Non-Members, split is 70% to the seller and 30% to SMAS. For bags that sell for $1, the split is 0% seller, 100% SMAS.

• Auction items may consist of Fish, Plants, and Invertebrates. NO HYBRIDIZED SPECIES ALLOWED OR SPECIES PURPOSELY BRED WITH DEFORMITIES. We reserve the right to reject any bag for these reasons.

• Bags and items are to be labeled with a numeric/ alphanumeric numbering system (e.g., 123-1, 123-2).

• When registering online for pre-registration or checking in, a number will be assigned to you — this number will also be your bidder number for purchases.

• All bags containing water MUST BE DOUBLE BAGGED and fairly firm, no exceptions. Strongly recommend that the second bag be placed in the opposite direction, to help eliminate corners and pinch points that trap fish.

• All mature cichlids over 3 inches are to be bagged separately, to help avoid aggression during transport.

• All bags MUST HAVE A LABEL, either printed or neatly hand-written. No bags will be accepted that use sharpie or magic markers directly on the bag as a label. NO EXCEPTIONS. Labels can be placed between bags to avoid water damage or covered with clear tape. Labels can be printed directly from the pre-registration page.

• If pre-registering, the default label printed is acceptable with the information printed. If not pre-registered, labels should include:

  • Your Name (separately from an email address)

  • Phone Number and Email Address

  • Scientific name of Fish

  • Common Name (if applicable)

  • Actual number of fish in bag (to expedite the check-in process)

  • Bag numbers/seller ID will be printed at check-in.

• Sellers MUST bring items to be auctioned off to the “Check In” tables. Do not place bags and items on any colored tables directly — auction staff will do so. Any issues spotted will be addressed at that time.

• Sellers are limited (per household) to 5 BAGS OF ANY SPECIES OR COLOR/FIN TYPE OR ITEM TYPE. This will be enforced! Extra bags/items will NOT be sold. A maximum of 50 bags per Seller.

• Appropriate terminology:

• PAIR: 1 male, 1 female of the same species.

• MATED PAIR: A pair that has spawned.

• TRIO: 1 male, 2 females of the same species.

• REVERSE TRIO: 2 males, 1 female of the same species.

• All fish MUST be housed in tropical fish bags/buckets. NO Ziplocs, Baggies, twist ties, zip ties, or buckets without lids. Bags should be appropriately filled and inflated. Large fish should be placed in buckets with a lid to prevent spillage.

• $3 RE-BAGGING FEE for fish improperly bagged or bags that leak and need to be re-bagged during the auction.

• Sellers may not remove items placed in the auction after they have been checked in.

• Seller’s proceeds check will be mailed to the address given to SMAS at the registration table, usually about 2 weeks after the auction there will be a 1 dollar charge for check mailings.

• Auction sellers who stay until the end can receive payment at the end of the auction if choosen. 

 

• Southeastern Michigan Aquarium Society reserves the right to modify auction rules.