The Daily Journal and several sister newspapers in Heartland Publications Inc. have banded together for an online auction, designed to promote area businesses while getting cool merchandise into your hands. Called Auction Mania, the new venture’s catch phrase is “You’ll be glad you bid!”
The miriad of valuable products and services up for bidding includes golf memberships and sofas, theatre tickets and spa packages, jewelry and antique coins, lawn mowers and hearing aids, cell phones and Botox treatments.
Bidding opens at 9 a.m. on Sunday and closes at 9 p.m. Oct. 5. People who want to get in on the action simply need to register over the Internet or by telephone. Once registered you can bid online around the clock. People may bid by phone from 5 to 9 p.m. by calling (800) 310-9314.
“This is a great opportunity to pick up some early Christmas gifts from merchants right here at home and in the surrounding counties,” said Daily Journal publisher Rick Bacon. “You can even bit on cars and boats. Best of all you can go look at the items if you wish.”
The Web portal for taking part in the auction is pointing your browser to www.carolinacommunityauctions.com. Those without access to the Internet can register and take part in the auction over the telephone by calling (800) 310-9314.
A complete listing of all the goods and services - with a grand retail value of more than $559,000 - will be published later this week.
A companion to the user-friendly Web site, created just for the online auction, is a 20-page special section showcasing all of the businesses participating and the products on the auction block. It will be published in Daily Journal on Friday.
Word of mouth about the online auction has already spurred many people to register early at www.carolinacommunityauctions.com.
Some long-time area businesses are taking part in the online auction, including Starick Boat and Marine which is offereing a 17-foot boat valued at $13,780 and Rockingham Dragway which is offering a family pack of four tickets for the IHRA World Finals worth $140.
All items and services in Auction Mania are brand new and come with applicable warranties, just as if you purchased the item directly from a retailer.
Each item has a minimum bid, usually set at about 60 percent and ranging up to 95 percent on automobiles.
Once registered, a person can bid as early and as often as that person likes. Bidders are also encouraged to visit participating merchants to view or to learn more about the items being offered.
Instead of an auctioneer taking bids - the old fashioned way - bidding takes place online. Bidders can submit their maximum secret bid and the system acts on their behalf to submit bids for them according to a predetermined set of guidelines. The guidelines can be found at www.carolinacommunityauctions.com.
In addition to The Daily Journal, the newspapers involved are the Robesonian, The Bladen Journal, The St. Pauls Review, The Red Springs Citizen, The Laurinburg Exchange, The Cheraw Chronicle, The Sampson Independent and The Anson Record.
For information, visit www.carolinacommunityauctions.com.
This way someone has to out bib the proxy bid.
If no one ott bids the proxy bid--THEY GET TO BUY THE ITEN IN THE AUCTION AT THEIR LOW BID!!!
BOY IS THIS SO WRONG!!!
WRONG TO YOUR PEOPLE BIDDING/// AN WRONG TO THE VENDORS!!!
PLEASE FIX THIS!!!
AGP
Publisher's note:
Here is what the auction site says about proxy bids:
Do not forget you can also place a PROXY BID (Your Best Bid) sometimes called a Secret High Bid and our system will do the rest for you! Simply enter the highest bid you wish to place for an item into the bid field, then click submit and you are done - our system will do your bidding for you up to the maximum amount you have entered. EVERY BID is a Proxy Bid. If there are enough extra proxy dollars, then our system will hold them in reserve and use them to take on any competing bidders on your behalf. At the end of the auction, if all your proxy dollars have not been used, you will only pay the Leading Bid (Winning Bid) amount – never more. If all of your proxy dollars get used up and you have been outbid, then our system will send you an e-mail to alert you.
Call me at (910) 997-3111 if you want to further discuss this.
Rick Bacon