The reverse (also called Dutch) auction works in the opposite direction from a traditional auction. Instead of bidding the price of an object ever higher until only one bidder remains, the price of the object starts high and descends in a predictable way until it reaches the amount a bidder is willing to pay.

In my variation of the Dutch auction, the "bid" (the price I will accept in exchange for the piece), goes down by a set amount once a week. For the CD/DVD cabinet, the price falls by $200 every Monday, starting on April 6, and ends at $500 on July 20.

To place a bid on the cabinet, you decide the amount you are willing to pay (from the list on the previous page), and choose the date that corresponds to that amount. The first bidder to choose a given date reserves the right to buy the cabinet at that price on that date, if no one has chosen (reserved) an earlier date.

If the date you have decided on has already been reserved, you have two choices: you can reserve the next earlier date (and bid $200 more), or you can reserve the second (or third, etc.) spot on that date and hope that when the person who has the first reservation is asked for a deposit (see next paragraph) he or she declines.

The bidder with the earliest (highest) bid will be contacted 3 weeks before the date of the bid and asked to make a deposit of 20% of the bid by credit card. The balance (80% of the bid) will be charged to the card on the date associated with the bid, unless another, earlier bid is received. If another bidder intervenes with a higher bid, you will have a chance to match that bid before I accept it from the new bidder.

If you are out-bid in this manner, I will refund your 20% deposit and destroy any record of your credit card number. IF YOU ARE THE HIGHEST BIDDER AND THEN DECLINE TO COMPLETE THE PURCHASE ON THE DATE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR BID, YOU WILL FORFEIT YOUR 20% DEPOSIT. In the case of a forfeit, first the secondary bidder(s) will have a chance to buy immediately, and then the next date becomes the winning bid.

Sales tax (if delivery is to be made in New York or Pennsylvania) and any delivery or shipping charge are NOT included in your bid. For an estimate of how much a delivery or shipment to your home might cost, please click on the link below:

How to Bid:

For the present, the only ways you can place a bid are by telephone or email (see below). Please specify the date of your bid, and include the following information along with the date:

your name

your address, including zip code

your telephone number(s)

your email address

I will inform you immediately whether the date you have selected is available, and will post your reservation on the auction page within a few hours of receiving it.

Your reservation will be posted in semi-anonymous form, using your initials and zip code.

When a higher bid has been received, I will notify you in case you wish to reserve an earlier date.