Auction Software

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

OK, you guys are (as usual) going to say I'm nuts.  I've written a
database app that can track our club auctions.  It runs web-based, like
our member database, so I have a test version up already:

Go to http://test.thekrib.com

You can register sellers and bidders, enter in their auction items,
record "bids", and print out final tallies for bidders & sellers.  
If you have a minute, give it a try... Add yourself as a bidder and a
seller, maybe add a few "items" to sell.   Then try the "record a bid"
(which is what would go on at the table during the auction).  I'm curious
if this is totally un-intuitive & I need to rethink the approach.

I also have no idea if this will fly for something real, but it has the
potential of reducing the stress level at the recording table and checkout
(especially during those spells of multi-bid items, and when people are
trying to check out).  Another nicety is that we could copy the final
tallies to our website after the auction, making everything available
online.  I'd like to try for one of the auctions, alongside the
traditional approach at first.  Maybe the plant auction?

I envision one computer tucked away and running the server, and a bunch of
cheap laptops (with nothing except web browsers) set up at the check-in
area, recording/runner table, and checkout area.  I have access to lots of
wireless networking cards at work, so we could move the laptops around as
needed during the auction, i.e. at the beginning we have two or three at
the registration table, then during the auction we move two to the
recording table.  Also figuring we could have one printer on the
"stationary" machine that could print out the bid sheets as people check
out.

Anyway, take a look at the program online and let me know what you think.

   - Erik

-- 
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com