WHY NOT 100%, MICK? No one has actually asked me that qu...

WHY NOT 100%, MICK?

No one has actually asked me that question yet, but it's one I keep asking myself. So this post may not actually answer questions you didn't actually have, as much as assure myself of my own answers.

Last month's online RAINN auction was absolutely amazing! Not only did my personal memorabilia go for about double what I was expecting, but the Fender Strat from Billy Corgan and the vacation package from Impact (though it was still TNA at the time) Wrestling helped make the auction an incredible success - a total of over $19,000 (20K if you include my son's card auction from a week earlier).

As you can see from this weeks auction at http://myworld.ebay.com/pickels01 I still have plenty of items that need good homes. Those copies of Scooter and Hardcore Diaries don't do me or anyone else any good sitting in boxes in a storage unit. Unique items, like the 8x10 the Rock signed to my gym in '97 or '98 is going to end up in a frame on a wall, instead of in a box in my closet. I want people to have this stuff, and I want to raise some money for organizations that do incredible work. This week I have chosen Give Kids the World and the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps - two groups that help out kids who are battling life-threatening challenges. If you go to the auction site, look at their information; they do incredible work! I used to volunteer with both, and am hoping that this auction will get me back in gear towards getting back to visiting.

So, if the groups do such good work, why am I only donating 50% on some items, instead of 100% of all of them? Well, as I found out, when you donate 100% (at least this is how I understand it) all fees are paid by the seller, including a small percentage to e-bay and the shipping, which can be pretty, pretty, pretty steep when going overseas. Still, it's a no-brainer when a pair of leopard Cactus boots are bringing in $2,600 to RAINN. A book bringing in $50 which costs $12 to ship and $5 in fees? A little more difficult, but still a good deal. But when the item is a 36 inch Anna Lee mobility figure which costs about $20 to ship, and brings in about $30? Well, at that point, donating a percentage is not very effective.

So, I have basically worked with my kids, trying to predict how much items will get and how much they will cost us to get out. 50% seemed like a good amount to help out the two organizations, cover costs and still allow for a little Pay Pal expenditure for my kids, who work pretty darn hard on these auctions. We are donating 100% on two of the items - the Rock photo, since I figured it was going to bring in a good ammount and not cost much to ship, and the Arnold Schwartzenegger weight-belt, since I figured I'll be denied entry to Heaven if I exploit his personal problems for my own personal gain. We also tried to figure which items would cost more to ship than they would bring in and didn't donate any percentage on those. In some cases, like the WCW comic book, which I figured would bring in $5, but is up to $30, I was wrong. We're going to continue to do these smaller auctions, and I will try to guess right as often as I can.

I'm still planning on doing a big auction down the line for RAINN, incorporating items from all across the sports and entertainment (and sports-entertainment) worlds, with 100% of all items being donated. I'll gladly cover most of those costs. But I think, on these smaller auctions, most of you will think 50% on some items, 0% on others is pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.