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We’re thinking of going to a live auction this weekend. Having never been to one before we’re not sure of the process or etiquette. Do you have to stay until the end to pick up your stuff or can you pay and go as soon as you are done? Perhaps it depends on the auction house?
Thanks,,
Mike
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For most of the ones I go to, you can pay and go when you are ready. When you get there, you should look for the cashiers so that you can get a number.
If you’ve never been to one, you should arrive right at the start because the auctioneer will go through the rules. You also might want to observe for an hour or two before you make a bid. I think I just observed the first one I went to because I wanted to see how things went first.
There is one auction I’ve been to that does not have numbers and only takes your name. I guess that leaves them vulnerable to someone just walking out, and then the merchandise has to wait to the next auction to get sold. They sell new or returned merchandise, and they don’t let you take it right away. In fact, you have to wait until the end in order to pay, and then come back the next day or two to get your merchandise.
So, it does depend on the auction house.
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@sharyn – Thanks for that input. Good advice. Might be kind of hard to sit on my hands and watch for an hour, though. 🙂 A bit nervous about going to one during this pandemic mess, but this one has some great stuff and it is hard to resist.
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I find that auctions can be a “hurry and wait” situation. In my experience, people are excited to be there or haven’t spent their money yet in the beginning, so bidding is higher. I’ll just watch until I see the prices come down a bit. Then, you wait until something you want comes up. It’s exciting for the few minutes when you bid, then you wait again. Much of going to an auction is waiting.
It is good that you can see what you are interested ahead of time. Maybe have an idea of what you are interested and what you want to spend. It will help you know when to bid and not get caught up.
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Unless you’re the first bidder wait until the bidding stalls and the auctioneer is scanning the room looking for further bids, as they only take bids off two people at a time. Like Sharyn says, much is waiting, and the waiting is more tedious than waiting for a bus. If there’s something you want in a box of stuff, make sure it’s still in the box and undamaged before you accept the box to take home.
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Also (despite the tedium) they’re addictive!
I used to attend one down in fox-hunting territory. They had an arrangement with the producers of ‘Bargain Hunt’. Every so often Tim Wonnacott and other celebrity antique dealers would turn up with a camera crew and the ‘red’ and ‘blue’ teams of contestants. Then the room would fill up with the county set, come to get their visages on the telly, and we regulars would end up standing near the toilets.
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That would spice it up a bit. I can see how it might be tedious, waiting through all the items your not interested in.
I’m just hoping the live auction will weed out some buyers. Prices at the online auctions have gone up dramatically during the pandemic and it would be nice to restock inventory without the higher buy in.
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Get to know the auctioneers cadence and mannerisms so you’ll know when to start bidding, you want to be the last bidder, not the first.
If the auctioneer is on a stage make sure you’re near one of the helpers that call out when they see a bid. Waving your number card is a good way to catch their eye. Once the auctioneer says sold its over.
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Every auction we’ve been to says that once you win the bid, the item is your responsibility. So once I win something, we always “take possession” of it by labeling the box, or even putting in our vehicle if it’s valuable.
I remember my first auctions being very nerve racking because of the speed and noise. but once you understand the auctioneer’s language, its easy to block out the noise from the signal.
For me, its good to know what I want, how much I’m willing to spend, and be very intentional in sending a signal to the auctioneer. There’s no room for wavering or indecision.
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@antique-frog – Don’t I know it. Several of the online auctions I buy from have this caveat as well. I’ve bought a few items with flaws that weren’t disclosed that I then could sell.
I have considered unloading some of my “overstock” that I’m not excited about selling this way. I just sold a few bottles of vintage alcohol this way just yesterday as I couldn’t find another way to get rid of them.
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BTW, didn’t end up going to the auction afterall this morning. My car wouldn’t start this morning and it was too early to think. Luckily it was just a lose battery cable. Just bought the car this past summer (used) and would’ve been very bummed if it was more than that. I’ll be ready for the next one.
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I bought some boxes of dust-covered miniatures at auction (it was a thing in the 1960s to buy them on holiday and build up collections). I’m sure some of those drinks were only bottled in miniature, because no-one would want to work their way through a full-sized bottle of banana-flavoured egg nog. They got thrown in the bottle-recycling bin.
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The auction house I usually go to has a license to sell firearms in NJ, but not alcohol. However, they auction off “bottles”, and sometimes those bottles happen to have liquid in them. I once purchased one of those lots of “bottles”, and the hard liquors, like whiskey, gin, rum, etc, keep just fine for decades. Maybe we are crazy, but we’re still drinking it a little at a time. I did have to throw some of it down the drain.
Oh, and I’ll sell the empty bottle if it is worth it. I’ve made back the $11 or so I paid for it plus a bit of profit.
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