The auction is called Auction!--company is Auction Systems. The woman I talked to is Janet McLaughlin, email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. As far as your computer skills, using the system is fairly simple--but I would organize your data before you start entering. If you want to talk about some of the issues we ran into, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
I have done auctions with the software and without, and now that I have used software, I wouldn't do it without again. Just the stress alone dealing with paper was miserable. I went to an auction a couple months, which was all paper based, and it was a nightmare. People want to get out when it's over, and there were people waiting in line to pay for silent auction items for over 45 minutes. They had to go to another line to pay for live auction stuff. Didn't work.
Anyway, I'm a fan of the software--but only because it makes your life so much easier. And let's be honest, the easier it is, the more likely you will have volunteers return to help you.
WHat is the name of the auction software?We are looking at auction 2000. I don't know that we could justify the expense also,however most of our volunteers are not extremely computer savy-that is my fear of using access.
Since my last post, I called a couple software vendors about their products, and unfortunately, Auction! is the cheapest (I think she said $179) for version 2--but version 3 is soon to be released and should handle some of the issues I raised in my earlier post. But it will probably cost around $400. (These are all ballpark figures.) The other software programs are considerably more, one vendor named something around $900 and one other even more.
I spite of our issues with it, it looks like Auction! is our only option--we just can't justify a larger expense. Your database sounds fantastic, but my Excel skills are rudimentary at best--and I can imagine that it would take more time than I'm willing to devote to its creation. The other issue that arises with any sort of software issue in a volunteer arena is passing the torch to another group--hoping they are capable of using the software, and that they actually maintain the information.
Thanks for the information--I might float the idea with my husband--he is an accounting type--has a holster for his calculator. But I will probably take the easy way out and get the upgrade.
We have managed 3 auctions with Access, the database portion of MSOffice. It took TONS of hours, but we now have a completely integrated auction system: catalog entries and layout, bid sheets, analysis reports, control reports, etc. Excel is compatible with Access, so you can seamlessly import data between the two applications. However, I found virtually all the features I need within Access. Access is easy to use if your application is already set up, but requires some database experience if you are starting from scratch. I don't know what the commercial auction software products offer, but I'd be surprised if they had more than what we were able to build with Access.
(Can you tell I'm a little proud of the system?..)
We have used Auction! software in the past, but found it difficult to manipulate once data was in the system. We had to organize the data in Excel and then import the data back into Auction! Also, the final auction catalog print out ended up being extremely large--and expensive to copy. (We couldn't manipulate the document generated from the software--changing font size or playing with margins, etc.) Has anyone used any other programs and how did you feel about them?
Auction was great the night of the auction, but the inability to manipulate data became a bear. We need a program compatible with Excel.
