Items up for auction can be found on the auction site when it goes live on 20 March 2010.  The last item will most probably close to bids at 8 pm BST (GMT +1) on Saturday 3 April 2010.  The time the auction will finish will be on the item listing and this is the time you should work with.  All items on the auction site will be listed under 'Everything Else' and then 'Other'.

I will try and mark up any items with the date they were added to this site so it should be easier for you to see when new additions are made.  I will also give them an MSF number (e.g. MSF 01) which will be on the listing at the auction website so it should be nice and simple for you to find anything you are interested in bidding on. 

As the auction site, 121Bid.com, is based in the UK all prices will be in Pounds Sterling.  Please be aware of that when you are placing a bid!  If you are unsure how much this is in your own currency there are many good currency conversion sites around such as xe.com. 

Most items will have a starting bid of £2 (GBP), although some will have a higher starting bid.  I will deliberately kept things low again this year so that as many people as possible will have a chance to win something.

Please also look at the listing both here and on the auction website to check if any extra costs may be incurred for postage to where you are, if applicable.  If there is any conflicting information or you are not sure, then please let me know.

The site will require you to register in order to place a bid and will also require a phone number from you.  It is up to you if you want to add a nonsensical one such as 012345678 if you prefer not to leave such information but that is at your own risk as if it looks very strange they may cancel your account!  The site guarantees they will do nothing with this phone number and will never pass it on to a third party.  You must leave a valid e-mail address though so I can contact you and put you in touch with the person who donated any item won.  The site will also require you to authenticate your registration by replying to an automatic e-mail. 

If you win anything, I will contact you myself to check the address you would like anything won sent to.  All information will be kept in strictest confidence, will not be passed on to any third parties (other than the person who donated your won item) and will be destroyed a few months after the auction has ended.

How To Pay For Items Won

Once the item has finished and you have won, there are a number of ways you can pay for it.  The preferred method is via the justgiving.com site set up specifically for this, for which details can be found below:

Via the Internet

If you are happy to pay for things via the internet, then please go directly to the fundraising page I have set up for the auction at Justgiving MSF UK.

Please also make sure that you click the 'I am happy for the owner to see my e-mail address' option so I can put you in contact with the person who has donated the item you won.  Only I get to see your e-mail addy and it is not listed on the fundraising page anywhere so is quite private. 

If you would really, really prefer to pay the MSF directly affiliated to your own country via the 'net (if this option is available to you), then please

• a) let me know what you will be doing
• b) check that you pay the equivalent in Pounds Sterling
• c) send me the confirmation of payment e-mail that MSF send you as soon as you get it
• d) make sure you let MSK know that it is for the 'MSF for David/  David Hewlett/MSF Auction Donation Page' in the UK so the money gets added to our total

Of course, the preferred method is through my fundraising page as it is much simpler and easier all-round, but I want to make sure you are happy too and keep as many options open as possible to encourage you to bid!

Through the Post

If you don't like sending money via the internet then you can do either of the following:

• a) send a cheque, postal order or equivalent to MSF UK or the MSF branch in your own country and request a receipt.  Again, please make sure you note it is the 'MSF for David/ David Hewlett/MSF Auction Donation Page' in the UK so the money gets added to our total.  I have listed the most popular MSF sites' contact details and webpages on this site so please visit them first and check which way is safer and more acceptable to you and them.  Once you have receipt of payment, you can either send, fax or scan a copy of this receipt to me as proof of payment made.  Please e-mail here for my address etc., if needed.  Again, please check that you make the equivalent payment in your own currency to that of Pounds Sterling.  You might ask them if they would be willing to send you an e-mail confirming receipt of payment and you can then forward that on to me as well
• b) if, for whatever reason, you don't want to deal with MSF yourself, you could send me a cheque, postal order etc. made payable to myself and I will then donate to MSF UK directly on your behalf (and provide you with proof of payment made, of course!).  This is the least preferred method of payment and I would prefer not to have to do this, if possible

Once I have received confirmation of the correct payment, I will then put you in contact with the person who donated the item so you can arrange receipt of it between yourselves.

Questions?  Comments?

If anyone has any questions, queries or concerns regarding this, then please do let me know here and I will get back to you as soon as I can.