AuctionMatic (AM) Rental Auction Board [50% creator split] Versión 1.1

The AuctionMatic (AM) Rental Auction Board comes in two versions. One version pays the creator (Fred Allandale) a 50% split on rentals and no split on sales. The other version does not pay the creator any rental or sales splits. The no-split version is substantially more expensive than the rental split version, so please be sure you purchase the right version for your needs. Otherwise, both versions operate the same. Both versions are mod, copy, no-transfer, except scripts are no-mod.

*** This is the version that pays a 50% split on rentals to the creator (Fred Allandale) ***

General Description
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The AuctionMatic (AM) Rental Auction Board is a rentable silent auction board that can also be used for any type of auction. Unlike other rentable auction boards, It handles all rental and auction payments and refunds. It manages bidding as well as storage, pickup and delivery of auction items.

Automating all auction functions has the following benefits:

* No live auctioneer is necessary. Sellers (renters) and buyers (bidders) do not have to be present at the same time.
* Prevents winning bidders from deciding not to buy the item they won. They will have already paid when they bid.
* Prevents sellers from changing the price or refusing to sell after the auction. Won items are held by the board for winner pickup.
* It is not necessary for the buyer and seller to meet after the auction or make manual payment and/or delivery.
* Multiple boards can be rented with very little additional workload.
* Automatic periodic reminders are sent to winners and renters advising them to claim their items from the board

Key features include the following:

* Supports unattended, unmoderated auctions
* Collects and refunds rent and bids as required
* Handles storage, pickup and delivery of auction items
* Can pay splits on rentals and/or winning bids (sales)

The board can be set to pay multiple splits to other avatars on rental and/or sales transactions. It is configurable by the owner via a Config notecard (see details below). It includes a unique "courtesy period" after a rental expires, during which auction winners as well as the renter can get their items from the board. The board is otherwise locked from any other functions (e.g auctions, rental by others, etc.). The length of the courtesy period can be set on the Config notecard by the board owner. The owner can also designate administrators who can operate the board and have access to owner-only functions.

Renters (sellers) can also drop notecards and landmarks into the board to provide additional information to potential bidders. These items, as well as a "Help" notecard can be gotten by clicking on the small "Touch here for Information" sign at the top of the board.

Setup Instructions (Board Owners)
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Setup of the AuctionMatic board is simple:

1. Edit the "!AM Config" notecard parameters to your preferences. The default values will work for many applications. The only parameters you MUST set are the daily and weekly rental rates (RentalPricePerDay and RentalPricePerWeek)

2. (optional) Rename the board to whatever you like. If you use board numbers (see next option), you should include that number as part of the name to simplify identification for bidders and renters. For example: "My AuctionMatic Board No. 1"

3. (optional) Set the board's description field to a number between 1 and 70. This number will appear in the upper right corner of the board. This allows quick recognition of the board if you rezzed several boards in the same area..

Bidder and Renter Operation
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This is described in detail in the "!AM Help" notecard. Bidders can get the help notecard by left-clicking the board. Renters can get it by selecting the "Help" button on the menus.

Board Owner Menu buttons
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The following buttons only appear on the owner's (and authorized administrator's) menus;

Full Reset: PLEASE USE WITH CAUTION. Immediately ends any ongoing auction, delivers any remaining items to winners and/or renter, terminates the current rental and courtesy periods, clears the board and sets it for rent. It does not refund any paid rental fees. To be used only if normal auction, rental, and/or courtesy period endings are not possible.

Read Config: (Options sub-menu when rented) Re-reads the !AM Config notecard and updates associated parameters.

End Auction: This button appears on both the renter's and owner/admin menus after starting an auction but before anyone bids. Once bidding starts, this button appears only on the owner/admin menu. The renter is not allowed to end an auction once bidding has started. If the owner/admin ends an auction once bidding has started, the high bidder's bid is refunded and the auction is ended immediately.