The latest information on upcoming auctions, including date, time and location (if available), can be found on the front page.

Public welcome!!!!!

How we run an M.A.S. auction:

AUCTION RULES FOR
MINNESOTA AQUARIUM SOCIETY
"FISH & AQUARIUM AUCTION SALE"

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE TO SELLER FEES FOR NON-MAS MEMBERS LISTED BELOW.

MAS DOES NOT ALLOW the sales of plant and fish species considered invasive and therefore prohibited in Minnesota. The prohibited invasive species in Minnesota include the following and any hybrids, cultivars, or varieties of the species listed below:

• Aquatic Plants
  African oxygen weed (Lagarosiphon major)
  aquarium watermoss or giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta)
  Australian stone crop (Crassula helmsii)
  curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)*
  Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)*
  European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae)
  flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus)*
  hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)
  Indian swampweed (Hygrophila polysperma)
  purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria, Lythrum virgatum, or any variety, hybrid, or cultivar thereof)*
  water aloe or water soldiers (Stratiotes aloides)
  water chestnut (Trapa natans)
• Fish
  bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)
  black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)
  grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
  round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)*
  rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
  ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus)*
  sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)*
  silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
  white perch (Morone americana)*
  zander (Stizostedion lucioperca)

Seller Information

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN SELLER FEE FOR NON-MAS MEMBERS. EFFECTIVE WITH THE APRIL 2006 AUCTION NON-MAS MEMBERS WILLBE CHARGED 33.333% OF THE SELLING PRICE OF THEIR ITEMS. MAS-MEMBERS CHARGES WILL REMAIN AT 25%.

1. MAS will supply pre-printed bag labels with (1) SELLER NUMBER, (2) ITEM NUMBER, (3) SELLER NAME and (4) SELLER PHONE NUMBER to sellers who pre-register with Tom Gromek at 651-462-8223 by the Tuesday prior to the sale. You can still register to sell on Saturday, but then you have to write in your name and phone number. DO NOT USE OLD LABELS. The auction date is printed on the label.

2. ALL fish and plants must be labeled with (1) SPECIES NAME, (2) QUANTITY, and (3) SEX (if known). For equipment, say if it works leaks, or not. Keep in mind what you as a buyer would want to know.

3. Sellers are limited to 30 items per membership or per household. Don't order more labels that you will need. You will not be charged for labels. If you want more than 20 labels, you must ask for the extra 10. All items must be brought in personally by the seller unless pre-arranged with the Auction Chair.

4. No more than 4 bags of any species or color variety will be allowed from one seller. No more than two color varieties of any species will be allowed from one seller. Too many bags of the same color variety or species of fish just drive down the prices. Your bag labels will include an item registration sheet. Fill out one line for each auction item, listing the species of fish or plant in the bag, and please keep like items together by item number, so that we can check for compliance.

5. MAS reserves the right to refuse to sell an obviously sick or deformed fish. Destroy your culls, do not bring them to the sale! The public expects to find only quality fish at an MAS sale, don't disappoint them!

6. Take some time now to decide what you want to sell, then make a list so you don't forget anything. Make up labels in advance. Use waterproof ink and print clearly.

7. Use FISH bags -- NOT zip lock baggies. Fish in unacceptable bags will be re-bagged at the seller's expense for the safety of the fish. The re-bagging charge is $1.00. Fish bags are sold at the general meetings for $1/pack.

8. Cichlids that are old enough to sex must be bagged separately. Tape the pair or trio together, or put the smaller bags into one big bag.

9. 'Dry Goods' count as a species, so no more than 5 lots of dry goods will be allowed from any seller. If you have a lot of items to dispose of, please submit an ad to the Aqua News Trading Post. By definition, if it isn't a fish, then it is 'Dry Goods'.

10. Pack small and inexpensive items together as one bag or lot. REMEMBER, items selling for $1.00 or less belong to MAS.

11. Experience proves that you will get a better price for clean and complete equipment.

12. No BAP or HAP items will be sold at this auction. (Exceptions may be made for outstate and out-of-state members.)

13. Anything on the sale tables stays there until sold or removed by the auctioneer or designated assistants.

14. MINIMUM PRICES. You can set a minimum bid price on your fish or equipment. PLEASE ASK FOR 'minimum bid labels'. Labels cost $1.00 each. We will make two (2) attempts to reach your minimum. If we fail to reach the price we will set the item aside and you must pick-up the item at the end of the auction. (Remember we always try to get you the best possible price regardless if it has a minimum on it or not). UNCLAIMED ITEMS BECOME MAS PROPERTY.

15. MAS reserves the right to pay all sellers by check within one month after the sale.

16. Sellers are advised to know:

    • How many items they brought to sell,
    • Who (buyer number) bought them, and
    • How much each item sold for.

    Mistakes happen, and, without this information, corrections are difficult to impossible.

17. FEES:
    FOR MAS MEMBERS (OF RECORD THE AUCTION DATE):
    $1.00 for items selling up to $4.00
    + 25% of the price for items selling for over $5.00
    FOR NON-MAS MEMBERS:
    $1.00 FOR ITEMS SELLING UP TO $3.00
    + 33.333% OF THE PRICE FOR ITEMS SELLING FOR $4.00 AND OVER

Buyer Information

1. ALL buyers will be required to deposit a driver's license for their buyer number.

2. Bring a Styrofoam cooler or fish box for your fish purchases.

3. Hold you AUCTION NUMBER high when bidding, and out of sight when you drop. IF THE AUCTIONEER DOESN'T SEE YOU ON THE SIDELINES, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THEIR ATTENTION before they say "SOLD".

4. All items are sold "AS IS". MAS does not warrant the condition or authenticity of any item sold.

5. All bidding will be in full dollar increments.

6. Buy up (allows the buyers to move a certain item up in the selling order by paying a fee)

   • Purchase "buy up" ticket at clerk's table for $2.00

   • Take ticket to person moving items to auction table

   • The item you requested should be available for auction within 15 minutes of your request

   • There will be no limit to the number of "buy ups" that a person can request, but the auction committee reserves the right to limit the amount of "buy ups" that a certain individual is requesting if the committee deems that it is an excessive amount.

   • No "buy ups" will be allowed until after the first table color has been auctioned, usually at least two hours into the auction.

EVERYONE - PLEASE - NO SMOKING IN THE AUCTION ROOM EVERYONE IS WELCOME - SO PLEASE BRING YOUR FRIENDS

Auctions are held about three times a year.