The last quilt I donated a few years back for an auction brought in a whopping $35! I was ticked. I had at least $50 in fabric alone, not to mention all the work piecing and paying $40+ to have it quilted professionally. Next time, I will just make a donation.

I would consider that once I gave a quilt to an organization to be auctioned, it was no longer mine. If it sells for a lot, wonderful. If not, then I'd decide if I wanted to donate another $10 and get the quilt back that I had already given away or donate it to another charity. The last quilt I made for a charity auction was a small throw that was hand quilted. It went for $225 and I was pleased with that. A large quit that was machine quilted went for $1400!! And a hand pieced, hand quilted scrap quilt went for $600. So, you never can tell what people will bid on, but they don't look at the work or the investment of fabric, they just bid on what they think is pretty.

They have every right to ask you to pay $10 if you want it back. Consider this: you donated the quilt to the organization and if it does not sell, you have first refusal to purchase it for half the opening bid price or pay nothing and donate it to another charity of your choice. Either way, you can claim the cost of making it as a charitable contribution. They could simply keep it for next years auction if they wanted to because once you donate it to them, it is theirs to do with as they wish. They are not being the least bit unfair in my opinion.

If you'd want the quilt back, why don't you just keep it and donate the minimum bid?

Don't be too sure that it won't sell. I made a double with 12" squares that had appliqued balloons on it, it was one of the first quilts that I had ever made and it was so bad, I never got around to quilting it. Then one day a lady at the guild said bring in the tops you don't want and we'll see what we can do. I brought in this balloon top and the ladies said if it were quilted it would probably bring 30 at our silent auction. Well, to make a long story short there was a bidding war for this silly quilt and it brought in 45. I couldn't believe it. But, I never heard of having to buy back your quilt. On the other hand, 10 isn't much, and it does go to help the guild.

I won't make a quilt for auction, and I think the $10 buy-back rule is ridiculous! My time is more valuable than the money that auctions tend to bring in. I *have* made quilts to be raffled off. At least with a raffle the charity gets an amount of money worthy of my time, materials, and effort.

Seems pretty normal to me. You're making a huge donation to make money for a NPO. If it doesn't sell, they don't make any money so they ask you to donate $10 to get your original donation back. That way they still make money. I've done several charity things like that so to me it seems okay. What they are asking for is a donation---if the quilt sells you've donated far more than $10 to their cause, if it doesn't you're only having to donate the $10. Don't look at it as "buying" your quilt back but as making a donation. That just makes it more fair for everyone involved. If it really bothers you then, next year, just donate the $10 right up front and don't worry about making a quilt for it.

Don't be so sure it won't sell...if I was at a silent auction, I would bid $20 on every quilt there! One time I was at a craft fair and there was a lady buying up every quilt and handmade item she could find. At first everyone was excited and pleased....but then the lady started "bragging" how she was gonna make a 'killing' on these items on eBay. Sad that for some people it's just all about the money.

Thanks for everyone's input. It was very helpful. Honestly, I still haven't decided what I will do.....

And, that's the part that hurts. People donating and doing a good thing, and then folks seizing the opportunity to make a buck.

I would *think* you'd never have to opt to pay the $10 to retrieve your quilt. They *DO* need policies in place for things that have zero bids, otherwise they'd be overrrun with donations, kwim? You don't HAVE TO pay the $10. You can OPT TO pay the $10. Or, you can donate it to a local agency. Because you did choose to donate it in the first place, kwim? You were willing to let it go from its inception, of free will, with no strings attatched.