SDTFS auctions are a great way to buy and sell interesting plants, fish, and equipment.  You can sell pretty much anything fish-related.  We have mini-auctions every month and large auctions twice a year.  Our time in the room is limited, so please have a look at these directions to help us streamline the auction process.  If you've done this before, here is the seller form.

How to buy fish at the SDTFS Auction

• Arrive before 6:30 pm.  We try to start promptly.
• Get yourself a plate with a bidder number when you arrive.  If you are already an SDTFS member, you have a number assigned and we will look it up.  Nonmembers need to join and get a number for the evening.
• Hold your plate up to bid on items you want.  Be sure the auctioneer sees you!
• A runner will bring you items you win with a slip to initial.
• Check that you got the correct item, check the price, and initial the slip.  This is your opportunity to resolve any confusion, so please make sure everything is correct and that your livestock is in good condition.
• You pay when the auction is over. This means you may want to bring styrofoam boxes or coolers to put your fish in after you receive them.
• Pay by personal check or cash.  We do not accept credit cards. 
• Show your receipt at the door, go home, and enjoy your new fish, plants, and equipment.

How to sell at the SDTFS Auction

• You must be dues-paid SDTFS member to sell.  Sellers receive 75%, the club 25%.  You can join the club before the auction begins.
• Registration opens at 5:00 pm for the large semi-annual auctions and at 6:00 pm for monthly auctions.  We sell items in the order in which they are registered.
• You MUST be registered before 6:30 and we do not accept late lots.
• Label your bags clearly.  Each bag must have your name, phone number, item number, and the type of plant or fish.  Please do not bring sick, damaged, or illegal fish or plants.
• Fill out the seller form BEFORE you arrive.
• Number all your bags of fish and other items for sale with your member number followed by a dash and the item number, starting with 1.  For example, if your member number is 105, your item numbers are 105-1, 105-2, 105-3 and so forth.
• If you forgot your member come early so we can look it up for you and you can finish labeling your bags and filling out the seller form.
• Hand in your seller form at the registration table.  You will be directed to a spot on one of the auction tables.
• Set your items up neatly in numeric order so the runners can find them fast.
• Purchase any items you would like.
• At the end of the auction, collect your 75% share of the auction price in cash.  Your purchases will be deducted from your sales balance.

Fish bagging tips

Bagging your fish and plants well really helps your items sell.

• Please double-bag all fish.  Knotting bags to close them takes a bit of practice but is more secure than using rubber bands.
• Zip-lock or other household bags are almost guaranteed to leak.  Get real fish bags from us at meetings or beg/buy them from a store.
• Believe it or not, fish should be bagged with about 2/3 air.  Your fish needs adequate oxygen while it is sealed into a bag, and air carries much more oxygen than water.
• Don't blow into a fish bag to inflate it.  Air from your lungs has less oxygen and more carbon dioxide.
• Bag plants damp in well-inflated bags with no excess water.  The inflated bag protects the plant.  Water sloshing around in a bag can damage delicate leaves and stems.
• Please don't put chemicals like methylene blue or bag buddies in your bags.  It is completely unnecessary for only a few hours and fish bagged in blue water do not sell as well because it's hard for buyers to see the fish.
• Really big fish like koi, oscars, or plecos do better in a bucket or loosely sealed styrofoam container so they don't run out of oxygen.