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I haven’t been to an auction in awhile because it always seems to take too much time and I usually spend way too much. This auction did suck my time, but not my money.
Here is my analysis of this bad experience, but turned out pretty good in the end:
1. The building was terrible – Basically it was two or three, 3 car garages put together. Little insulation and only floor heaters. The bathroom was a porta john outside. Remember, this is January in Michigan! Luckily it was a nice day out. My foot almost frooze during the bidding and my back was hurting from all the standing around.
2. There was no sitting area. You had to follow the auctioneer through the building. There were a few chairs to take a break on if you could find one.
3. I almost got into a fight with a bully!
I was standing to the left of the autioneer in the front. The guy to my right (6′ 4″ about 350 pounds) left because he bought some large items. I moved over to where he was standing. He came back in a couple of minutes and yelled at me something like, “Hey buddy, don’t be taking my place”. Now I had never met anyone this rude, so I wasn’t sure how to handle this. I didn’t want to get into a fight in the middle of the auction so I just said, “I thought you had left” – which he did. He could have easily asked me to save his place. Or, upon returning he could have politely asked to get his place back. I would have cordially obliged to either request. I think because of his size, he is used to bullying people to get his way.
4. I didn’t like the way the auctioneer auctioned off the merchandise.
He would do it by the piece. So for example, he put together 6 Metal Lunch boxes (only 1 good one in the bunch). Then you bid $10, $15, etc..( they went for $12.50) But wasn’t $12.50, it was $12.50 X 6 so $75. Now he did tell you that before the bidding started for each item, but it keep switching and I had a hard time keeping track so I had to pass on some of the bidding because I wasn’t sure what the bid really was.
5. The Attendees usually overbid – a set of 7 Star Wars 1977 figures sold for nearly $6,000! I think you could get them on ebay for about $2000 or there about. These people usually went after the shinny cheap stuff. So any unclear (to the average person) vintage items were fairly easy to get at a good price.
Despite all these issues, it was amazing that I did manage to get some great items on the cheap.
So, the auction can still work, it just depends on how much time and how much uncomfortable things you can deal with sometimes.
But, in the end, I don’t think I will be going back to this auction; at least in the Winter time unless the weather is nice.
Mark S
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Sounds like a fun auction with a lot of action. We know a couple auctioneers that do the same thing: start by selling “choice” and you bid on the price. Eventually no one wants anything so they sell off the rest. It’s a fun twist on table lots.
I dont do well with bullies. Ryanne can attest that I would have ignored that guy. It’s fun when a-holes get angry.
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Jay,
No, this wasn’t choice out on the items. If you bid $10 for the 6 items, you didn’t get to choose; you had to take all of them at 6 * $10 for $60.
You are right, in the end it was an auction with a lot of action. I think I would have more fun the next time because I now know what to expect at this auction.
I was thinking of ignoring the bully, but I figured if I didn’t say anything I would be agreeing that he was right. So, that is why I stood up for myself without causing a fight. You can’t buy anything if you are fighting!
Mark
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Huh, I’ve never seen an auctioneer say you have to buy them all at the bid per item price. That is annoying.
You’re better man than me by not giving time to bullies. It does waste mental and emotional energy. It’s definitely a weakness I have. I’ll even bid up an auction bully just to mess with him. Not financially smart but feels temporarily good.
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For the first two years or so of me selling on eBay, I’ve been going to an auction held in a convention center. It has heating & air conditioning, clean bathrooms, seats along the sides, paved parking lot, easy access to the turnpike, decent food truck, etc.
In July, I went to a different auction that I’ve now attended almost every month. The auctions are held in open buildings – probably they were barns at one time – with an outside area in between. The bathrooms are two porta-potties. They did set up fans in the summer and heaters when it started to get really cold. The only seats are the ones up for sale, and the parking lot is gravel. It also has easy access to the turnpike, but the drive is about 10 minutes longer. The food truck is awful, so I have to bring my own food. However, the deals I’ve been getting there have been just out of this world. I’ve filled up my minivan for $17.25 several times. So, I’ll deal with it.
The people at the auctions, working there and attending, have been fine at both. There is one auctioneer that works both venues, and I started talking to him (when possible). He also has his own auction company.
I did have a box stolen out of my car at the more rustic auction. I was filling up my car and not locking it each time I went to get the next load. I figured who would steal the stuff when I got it for so little. I didn’t realize it until the next day when I unpacked. I wasn’t too concerned because of what a deal I got, but I’m locking my car no matter what from now on.
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Yeah, these type of people are an interesting bunch. I don’t deal with many, so when they come along it is tough to know how to deal with them. Like that buyer with the yearbooks. I figured they were a nice person, but in the end were rotten.
I am used to dealing with cordial people in a business setting where everyone knows the boundries of politeness. When I meet these people, those boundries go out the window.
Mark
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Both auctions have different bidding methods, and you are right, it can be confusing. With “choice”, they have a group of similar items, and you bid a price to pick the ones you want. So, let’s say that they have a dozen of something. The first winning bid gets to pick as many as they want at that price. They can chose to buy all or just one. Let’s say they buy two, then the remaining 10 get auctioned off again, usually at a lower price, and the winner can chose how many to buy and so on. At some point, when the quantity gets low enough, they’ll just bid the remaining items at “one money”.
Sometimes they’ll bid a price per item, and you have to buy all of them. Usually, they will do that only a few are available, like maybe 3 or 4 of an item.
The rustic auction will bid what’s left on a table, i.e. a table lot, but the one at the convention center doesn’t do that. They’ll skip something and put it back on a different table when maybe new bidders are available. They definitely are trying to get higher commissions as they have higher rent to pay.
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There’s a local auctioneer here that does that whole X times the money auction style. And I agree its super annoying. He’ll do it to whole boxes of lots. For example, there will be a box of crappy yarn, a box of old paperbacks and a box of something that I’m actually interested in. He’ll group them all together and say 3 times the money and you have to pay whatever the winning bid is times 3. Needless to say, I’ve stopped going to his auctions.
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Doubly,
Yes, he did that with boxes at this auction too! In fact, he did it with most everything.
He did have a ton to sell, but why not just 1 price. I hate trying to do the math in my head and then paying attention to what he says for each lot. I am pretty sure he is making more money that way, but annoying for people like us.
Mark
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I just consigned some paintings to an auctioneer’s in Nottingham. They accept lots on a Monday. put the catalogue on the web on Wednesday, sell on Saturday and pay out in cash on the next Monday. Which is straightforward.
Another auctioneer, based in Market Harborough, attracts the more “upper class” lots (they’re ‘County’- foxhunting and all that). I’ve consigned a few items to them in the past. They sell on a Tuesday and pay by cheque, with is dispatched by second-class post on the third Wednesday after the sale so that it arrives at the vendor’s on a Saturday when the banks are closed. Of course they’ve been paid in cash or by debit card on the day of the sale. Sneaky!
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