Winter Auction Rules

Here’s what you need to know about the OCA’s winter auction:

OCA Winter Auction Rules

1. This is a Cichlid, Catfish, Aquatic Plant, and quality dry goods auction only. No other fish will be auctioned. If you bring anything else, they will be accepted as donations to the OCA’s Jim Smith Fund. Known hybrids will not be accepted, with the exceptions of aquarium strains of Aulonocara, Symphysodon and Ancistrus.
2. Bags can be labeled with labels or permanent marker. Put all the information close together on the bag. Include lot number, scientific name, common name, morph, and/or location, number and sex as appropriate. “Pair” means male and female, “trio” means male and 2 females, “reverse trio” means 2 males and 1 female. Groups marked as breeders must have produced viable fry. Include your name and phone number somewhere on the bag. Among other things, this shows you are confident in the quality of your offering.
3. Each item gets a lot number. Choose 3 letters as your seller code, and assign each bag a number, so lot numbers will read “ABC-01”, “ABC-02”, etc. Put this entire number on the bag, very close to the description of the fish or plant.
4. The auction begins at 11:00 AM, and registration times are 10:00 AM ‘til noon.  After 12:00 PM, items can be accepted at the discretion of the OCA staff, but their items will be given a black sticker, and will be auctioned after all red, blue, green and yellow bags have been sold. There is no preregistration.
5. Before check-in, colored stickers must be affixed to all bags. When you register for the auction, you will be given stickers in 4 colors, to be attached to your items as you choose. Based on a random drawing minutes before the start of the auction, items of one color will be auctioned first. Subsequent colors will be drawn when needed. Once the auction begins, the stickers for the 1^st color auctioned will no longer be given out. After affixing your stickers, take your items to the Check-In table.
6. You are required to submit a Seller Sheet listing your information and each of your bags of fish, when checking in. To download: https://www.ohiocichlid.com/user/files/seller-sheet.pdf
7. There is a 5-bag limit per species/color morph. Please be aware that the check-in procedure will validate all limits.
8. There is a 60-bag limit per family.
9. Items in the auction can be “Expressed” for $3, starting at 12:00 PM.To have items of any color auctioned within minutes, visit the registration table and purchase Express stickers. Take the stickers to one of our staff working near the tables and indicate which item you want Expressed.

10. All fish to be auctioned must be in suitable quality bags, with no leaks at check-in. No zip-loc bags or similar low-quality bags will be accepted. Fish that are not bagged properly and bags that develop leaks will be rebagged at the discretion of the OCA staff, and a $3 rebagging fee will be charged to the seller.

11. Fish smaller than 1” TL will not be accepted. Exceptions will be made for small-growing species such as Apistos and shell-dwellers.

12. No sick or deformed fish will be accepted. If such fish are found upon check-in, they will not be accepted. If found after being checked in, they will not be sold, at the discretion of the OCA staff.

13. All sales are final. Buyer beware!

14. No item may be removed from the auction once it has been registered.

15. The split: 70% goes to the seller, and 30% to the club (75/25 for OCA members). For any item that sells for $1 or goes unsold, $1 will be subtracted from the payout amount.

16. All buyers must register, get a bidder number and run a tab. Before leaving, you can pay with cash, check (ID required) or credit card.

17. All repeated items may be sold at the previous high bid at the auctioneer’s discretion. The highest bidder has first choice, and previous bidders have subsequent choices.

18. Any unclaimed items at the end of the auction will become the property of the Ohio Cichlid Association.

 We hope you can join us!