Desert Bus for Hope

Since Desert Bus for Hope 2024 kicks off next week (!), we’ve prepared a trio of blog posts for the next few days regarding some changes and cool new additions to the site. Today’s post is going to cover Silent Auctions, which are now going to run as Vickrey auctions.

Similar to other online auctions, Vickrey auctions have you bid the highest amount you’re willing to pay for an item, and the system will post your bids throughout automatically until your limit is hit or you’re the winning bidder. Each incremental bid on a prize will be made at $5 more than the current bid.

When going to bid on an item, you’ll see a friendly reminder and explanation of this change.

Final messaging may be different from this.

Here's an example:

You bid on an item, and enter your maximum bid of $100. Because you are the first bidder, the current high bid on the item is now $5
James enters their maximum bid of $50. The current high bid is now $55, and you will still be the high bidder
Erika enters their maximum bid of $200. The current high bid is now $105 for Erika
You increase your maximum bid to $300. The current high bid is now you at $205. No other bids are received, so you win the auction and donate $205

Some additional cases:

So do we have to set our max bid as an increment of $5, or are there still ways to get meme numbers in there somehow?
- No, your max bid can be any amount down to the cents, but the displayed high bid is dependent on other people's bids and therefore there is no way to guarantee a meme number.
Say I set my limit at $420, but currently hold the high bid with $169. Now James sets their max $419 for some reason. Would I than hold the max with $420, or would James with $419, because my bid is not $5 higher than theirs?
- The high bid would go to you at your max of $420, as $420 is higher than $419, and we don't want to exceed your maximum.
How are ties handled?
- If you have a max bid at $100, and James also enters a max bid of $100, you (as the first person to enter that max bid amount) will be the high bidder.

So why are we trying this, this year? We’d like to see if this lessens the obligation of constantly watching an auction to see if you’ve been outbid in order to bid again. This can be compounded as auctions run 8 hours, and could end when you’re unable to hop back in. To counteract this, you’ll be able to set your own limit, and let the system handle bidding on your behalf.

Prize Previews have been popping up this week on our social media channels, but if you missed out, here's some highlights:

This 17” Loud Lullaby Legendary Hand Cannon replica is amongst the ensemble of props, costumes, and set dressings created by Aurum Effects for the live action sequences seen in the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Reveal Trailer (2019). This replica was crafted using high fidelity hard surface models designed by artists at Bungie and is composed of mixed mediums including urethane resin, fabric bindings, and ringneck pheasant feathers. This prop appears briefly during Eris Morn’s monologue where she is seen adorning a hand cannon with occult dressings. Includes display case measuring 21.5” x 11.5” x 3.5”.

This one of a kind recreation of Emperor Belos's mask and staff head from the Owl House was created by Wayne Neumaier (A7LProps), and donated by Momocon. The stand for the mask was signed by the creator of the Owl House, Dana Terrace, along with cast members Sarah-Nicole Robles (Luz), Cissy Jones (Lilith), Zeno Robinson (Hunter), and Erica Lindbeck (Emira Blight).

The full prize list will go live tomorrow, November 1st at 3pm pacific, and the donation system will be enabled as well. Pop on back over tomorrow for more news about the new features for that.