Auction Rules

Advice for sellers

  • Remember: this is a Charity Auction. Traditionally at ConFuzzled, the higher the donation percentage to the charity, the more the item will generally sell for.
  • Also, the earlier that an item is submitted to the Auction, the more time attendees have to bid on it and so there is a greater potential for said item to make money.

Rules for sellers

  1. ConFuzzled (hereafter: ‘we’) reserves the right to refuse an item for any reason.
  2. We prefer that all items for submission should be brought to the Auction area during the Dealers’ Den setup period on Friday. Items will be accepted at staff discretion after this time, up to noon on Sunday.
  3. The Auction and the entire convention is for adults only, so adult oriented materials may be sold.
  4. Furthermore, items featuring content from the prohibited items list below will not be permitted.
  5. We like artists to display their own characters and creations. If you use other peoples’ characters, you should ask for the approval of the creator; it’s the polite thing to do.
  6. Similarly, no items depicting copyrighted characters or trademarks may be sold unless the seller can provide written permission, from the copyright holder, to the Auction staff during submission.
  7. You may not alter your items’ minimum bid after a bid has been placed on it.
  8. You may not retract an item after a bid has been placed on it.
  9. We act only as a broker for the sale of your item, however the contract of sale exists between you and the buyer. At no point does the convention accept any liability or exert any ownership rights over any Auction items in its custody. You may not circumvent the transaction process we provide.
  10. Payments of any money you make will be made between 11am and Noon on Monday 9th May 2011 in the Dealers’ Den. You may not collect payment from the buyer yourself.
  11. In the event that an item does not sell, you may collect it from the Den during Auction collection on Monday 9th May 2011. If you fail to collect the item, the convention will hold the item on your behalf. However, items will only be returned to you once an administration fee is paid, as well as full postage, packaging and insurance costs.

Rules for bidders

  1. No cameras or camera phones may be taken in to the Art Show. Such items can be left at the Security table next to the entrance and collected on your departure.
  2. Interference with the bid sheets (other than placing your bid) is prohibited for anyone other than Commerce Department staff. This includes, but is not limited to, flipping, folding or removing the bid sheet or altering other attendees’ bids. If you are found to have interfered with the bid sheet in any way you will be asked to leave the room and your bid on that item may be considered void.
  3. Falsifying bids will result in you being reported to Security and barred from the Art Show and live auction event.
  4. Bid in the spaces provided on the bidding slip attached to the item that tickles your fancy.
  5. Always bid more than the person who placed a bid before you.
  6. You’re allowed to bid more than once on the same item if you like.
  7. You may not retract or change your bids once you have placed them. If you have made a mistake on the bid sheet, please contact a member of staff.
  8. If you do not intend to buy, please do not bid.
  9. ConFuzzled can’t be held liable for any items sold as future obligations, such as art commissions
  10. The entire Auction is conducted in British Pounds Sterling (£GBP) – bidding increments must be in whole pounds only.
  11. If an item receives bids, but fewer than three, then it will be deemed as sold to the highest bidder on the bid sheet.
  12. Any item that receives three silent bids will be transferred to the main auction automatically. If you wish to bid further on an item that has ‘closed’, you will need to attend the live auction on Sunday.
  13. Select pieces of artwork have a clear “Guest of Honour’s Special Selection”, “Chairman’s Choice”, “Auction Staff’s Pick” or “Rear of the Year” mark – these items will be directly entered in to the live auction event and skip the silent auction altogether.
  14. A list of items that have been elevated to Live Bidding will be published shortly after the close of the Art Show on Sunday and will be posted in the following locations: Outside the Art Show entrance, in the Rotunda, in the Hotel Foyer and outside Convention Operations.
  15. Whilst we facilitate the sale of items, your contract to buy (if you win an item in the Auction) is with the seller only. We will facilitate the transaction, which transfers ownership of the item from the seller, to yourself as the buyer. At no point do we exert any ownership rights on any item. You may not circumvent the transaction process we provide.
  16. Payment for any items you buy in the Auction must be made at the Dealers’ Den either at the end of the Live Auction or between 9am and 11am on Monday 9th May 2011, except in very exceptional circumstances.
  17. In the event that you win an item, you are legally obliged to pay the full amount of the bid during the collection period. If a you fail to pay in full, we will withhold the item until payment is completed. After the collection period, items will be only be dispatched once payment is completed in full, plus an administration fee, as well as full postage, packaging and insurance costs.

  18. Above all else, bid responsibly.

Prohibited Items

We try to be accepting and open to a wide range of subjects, but we must also operate within the law and the best interests of taste and decency. Therefore, there can be no items for sale or display (publicly or otherwise) at the convention which depict any of the following:

  • We do not allow anything that violates European and/or UK law. This includes (but is not limited to) weapons, imitation weapons and drugs (illegal or otherwise) as well as topics listed below.
  • We do not allow any items made of real animal parts, nor any sale of such fabrics.This includes pelts, fur and any other parts.
  • No excessive violence and cruelty (even in non-sexual context). Violence in general is allowed on a reasonable level, including blood, gore or hunting. If you are in doubt about that rule, show the picture to the Dealers’ Den staff first.
  • No depictions of rape or other non-consensual violence in combination with sexual content. Bondage or sub/dom depictions are allowed. Consensual sex of any kind, regardless of species and gender, is allowed (unless covered by the rules below).
  • No pedophilia / “cub porn”. We are aware that this is a difficult rule since the actual age of drawn characters is open to interpretation, especially where the characters are drawn in a cartoon style. Appearances count; characters with a very childlike appearance and/or baby face may be considered “children” in the context of this rule. Again, please ask a member of Dealers’ Den staff if you are unsure whether this rule applies to any of your items.
  • No zoophilia and/or bestiality involving humans or largely human-like characters (e.g. anime catgirls, elves, or centaurs) with animals or largely non-morphic characters (four-legged) is allowed. Other species-transcending sexual activity is generally allowed.
  • Toilet activities are discouraged. That includes scat, watersports, adult diapers in use, or vomit. We do not exclude that content, but we do appeal to your sensitivity and common sense in showing excretional fetish work, which may not be suitable for a wide and varied public. If you are in doubt, please seek advice from a member of the Dealers’ Den staff.
  • No discriminatory, derogatory or offensive items may be sold. If you are in any doubt, please contact a member of Dealers’ Den Staff.