updated FAQ and Rules 3.3.2011
Obviously there are going to be some questions. So, here is your chance to ask them! There is no such thing as a silly question. If you're thinking it, someone else is too.
Rules
1. Be excellent to each other.
This goes without saying, but please don't wank. This is a multi-fandom, multi-cultural love-fest, and all ships, all creeds, all characters/fandoms/canons are welcome.
2. Bids are standardized to USD, but donations to charity sites are MADE IN NEW ZEALAND DOLLARS. v-gifts are USD. WE know this is a little confusing.
For the sake of everyone's sanity, we're going to standardize bidding in USD.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING BIDS: The donation sites do not, I repeat, do NOT, automatically convert from USD to NZD. When donating you must first convert your USD bid to NZD or your donate will be less than you pledged.
Handy Conversion Chart (amounts are rounded to nearest whole dollar)
$5.00 USD = $7.00 NZD
$6.00 USD = $8.00 NZD
$7.00 USD = $9.00 NZD
$8.00 USD = $11.00 NZD
$9.00 USD = $12.00 NZD
$10.00 USD = $13.00 NZD
$15.00 USD = $20.00 NZD
$20.00 USD = $27.00 NZD
$25.00 USD = $33.00 NZD
$30.00 USD = $40.00 NZD
-for other amounts please use this converter.
When you make your bids in USD, but then go to the Red Cross NZ site, for instance, please realize that you are donating in NZD not USD. The exchange rate is roughly $1.00 USD to $1.33 NZD.
We're sorry if this is confusing, but it is the easiest way for us to keep track. We decided to stick with USDs partly because the LJ v-gift is in USD and also we're dumb Americans and we think in USD. :D
FAQs
1. How do I donate?
Donating is easy. You can donate online to one of our approved charities, listed to the right in our Links column. Those are the only charities we're accepting because they are vetted and well rated and are collecting specifically for Christchurch relief. We know there are other worthy charities, but there are the ones we've chosen to work with.
If you make an online donation, you will receive an email confirmation, which you must forwarded to the offerer of the bid you've won. This is considered proof of donation, and the offerer can then start working on your winnings! Feel free to block out your real name on the receipt and any other identifying information.
Warning concerning donations: A lot of websites will not accept donations under a certain dollar amount. For example, the Red Cross NZ and the Salvation Army NZ both require a minimum donation of 5 NZD. Please keep this in mind when offering and bidding. The RNZSPCA will accept donations of 1$, as will the government sanctioned relief appeal; both are linked in the sidebar.
2. Who determines the winning bid?
The time stamps on the comments at the time of auction closing are what determines the winning bid. Whoever has posted the highest bid closest to the close of auction is the winner. We will use LJ's timestamps on the comm to determine that. Any disputed bids will be handled by a different process, which we are still hammering out and will post about when necessary.
Regarding Lightning Round bids: LR winners are determined by the restrictions set by the offerer. If the offerer denotes the first five people to donate 5 USD win, then the first five people win. These rounds are first come first serve. (Excepting Lighting Round One, which helped us hammer out these rules and was a test auction for us. Some of those auctions will be judged by time stamp.)
3. Should I email the mods proof of my donation? No.
Please email the offeror. The mods will confirm with the offeror a yes or no that a bid in X amount was made to X charity. We will ask for confirmation in the existing thread for each offer. We're using both delicious and spreadsheets to keep track of all this.
Regarding Main Auction bids: MA winners will be determined by the mods, with an announcement to the winner and the offerer in the form of a comment after bidding ends Tuesday, March 8th.
4. I'm broke, how can I help?
You can help by offering up fandomy things! Even if you can't bid, if you can write, draw, sing, read, or even put together a basket of chocolates, you're welcome to offer up your unique talents for sale. You can also help by spreading word of the comm to all your friends. *nudge nudge*
5. My comment is screened. Why is that?
It's an LJ glitch. We opened and support request and were told it was our privacy settings, but changing the setting did not fix the problem. Please notify a mod or comment to this post and someone will unscreen the comment for you.
6. When does the auction end?
We'll stop taking offers on Monday March 7th at midnight EST US (GMT-5). Bidding will end on Tuesday March 8th at midnight EST US (GMT-5)
Les Mods can be reached at help.nzeq [at] gmail [dot] com with questions or concerns. Thank you for your patience as we set this up!
TimeLine
All times are in Eastern Standard US Time, which is New York City's time zone. (GMT-5)
Lightning Round 2 will be open from now until midnight EST US (GMT-5) Tuesday March 8, 2011.
The Main Auction will open for offers at precisely 12:01am EST on Monday, February 28th, 2011. Only offers will be accepted this first day. Starting Tuesday, March 1, 2011, bidding will begin and will last one week. The Main Auction will close at midnight EST on Tuesday, March 8, 2011.