Auction Advice/Tips

Hello,
You mentioned being intimidated. What is great about auctions is that YOU are the one in charge. If the bid goes too high, you can turn away or start quietly visiting to the person with you. When the bid goes more than what I want to pay, I will firmly shake my head with my arms crossed and the auctioneer moves on.
Auctions are great fun and you can really save money if you pay attention. It is not hard, and you can always visit a couple of auctions before you actually buy anything.
Hope you have fun.
mamabear

__________________
May those who love us, Love us.
And those that don't love us, may God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn't turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles so that we will know them by their limp.

ditto some remarks

if your limit is 300 bid like you would go to 500 but stop absolutely at your limit


very important, on box lots double check contents people like to switch things arround and cherry pick the boxes, so the box you bid on might not have what you were bidding on. I tend to check and recheck and guard if its important,

sometimes people just walk off with stuff you plan on bidding on....

also have a helper, some one to load while you guard, people will nab stuff out of sold boxes too

actual story, I watched an auction regular set a box over an important piece of an antique sausage press and sit on it, later on moved the box with part across the way, the press sold with out the piece, for much less than what it would have,

I found out who bought it and told them that the piece that went with it is over under that box, (the theif had walked away temporarily)

__________________
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. Jefferson
my stores facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexing...7930013?ref=ts

As others have said "Pick a bid limit and stick too it" that way if you are concerned about "shill bidders", "ghost bidders" you have basically hurt them.. Now with that said, I personally don't think there is alot of that. I have seen it over the last 25 years of going to auctions, but don't think it's as common as some think. Those that said it was fun meeting people know the truth, it's as much a "social event" as an auction. I have people I only ever see at auction and talk to them there. It is also amazing what you will find at auction or how people used certain items... All I know is around here (Lancaster/York counties, PA) it is tradition to go to auctions..

So go to a couple of different auctions, find the one(s) you like best and have fun... Don't be in a hurry to buy something. I waited over a year to buy a coal forge. They were selling for $80 - $100, I waited and got one that was in working condition for $20... That's a bargain to me...

I, too, was intimidated by auctions, their protocols and wanted to go, but was afraid I would do the wrong thing and end up coming home with a bunch of stuff I didn't want or need.
Finally, I went to my first auction and ended up coming home with one thing that I wanted, and was lucky enough to get.
I've been to a couple since, and what amazes me is that people do get caught up in the moment and end up paying twice what you could buy the item for new.
So here are some hints:
Know what you are interested in before bidding starts. Get to the auction in time to walk around before hand and inspect the items you want, write down the items on a card and put a price you think you would want to pay for it on the card.
Pay attention - auctions move fast. You can't really take small children you have to watch, and expect to be in on the auction bidding action. Products come and go quickly.
DO NOT make eye contact with the auctioneer when you are at your limit or you will end up in the bidding whether you want to or not. When you are done bidding, turn your back to the auctioneer -seriously!! They draw you in to the excitement and you will keep bidding well past the time sane people back away.
Back to the price you are willing to pay that you wrote on the card. Stick to it. When people get in the bidding process they go way over what is reasonable sometimes because they think the next time they bid, the other people will drop out. As you can imagine, this only works if everyone cooperates! If someone is willing to keep bidding, the price goes beyond what is reasonable for the item.
I've been to a couple of auctions that I swear there are ringers in the crowd to get prices up high. I would imagine this is illegal - I just stop bidding if I see this happening.

You can get some really good things at auctions. The main thing is to set your limit, know what you want, and be willing to let someone else take it home if it goes over your set budget.

Most of the auctions I've been to in the last few years have a percentage added to the price you bid and win on for the auctioneer, so know that this might be an additional cost and work it in to the price you want to pay.

Take a truck!

Cindy in OR

One more thing - if someone out bids you on a box lot and there was something in there that you wanted, approach them. I was out bid on a box of old cookbooks (think they went for $30 something). I asked the winner if he was interested in selling one particular cookbook out of the lot. He took $10 for it and I sold it on ebay for about $60! Oh, and when I was asking the buyer about buying the one item from him, another lady walked by and said "Oh, I didn't know you could do that"!

__________________
"Never stop questioning - curiosity has its own reason for existence." Albert Einstein

"I used to be a terror, now I am a tired man" Jim Croce

Good point about going to auctions to simply watch. There is one auction I go to, and love it. They disclose all they can about a tractor, machine, etc (broken this or that, needs new clutch). I am very happy to attend and feel my chance of getting a value is very good there.

I also attend an auction where they allow the seller (owner) of the itme to bid on it. This is where you need to have a hard limit as to what you will pay.

I have been to many, many auctions and even I will stop the bidding if I get confused on what the current bid is. Simply look at the man running the ring, or an assistant and outright ask, "where is the bid at?" They will tell you, and we are all off and running after that.

I will be off to a cosignment sale the end of this month.

CindyOr--Have you been to the Woodburn equipment auction? I would like to check that one out as I am always looking for equipment and never have enough money.

Never put in the first bid!

I won't patronize auctioneers that charge a buyer's premium.

I mentioned before....if you are sure about an opportunity to make great money on items you know, do so.

Sometimes you will attend an auction, and see something going SUPER cheap, yet you know they are expensive or rare items, and would do well on ebay or general resale.

Jump on those opportunities!!!!

have FUN!!!!!
Clove

One of my "best" auction buys I didn't even get the high bid on.

Last fall, found my ideal dining room table and chairs. I needed something small, but wanted it to look formal.

there was teh table and two hutches that matched. I had no room for the hutches. Auctioneer said they would sell as a set, but resevered the right to sell them individually.

I bid up to my max, and no one was bidding. I even told them I only wanted the table, hoping they would sell that to me and start over on the other peices. But they kept trying, and finally another woman bid more. Since I was over my limit, I went right up to the lady and asked if she was interested in the table, she said no, so I told her I would pay her X for the table if she got the high bid. I did that so that if someone else bid, she could go higher knowing I'd take part of the set.

No one else bid, but the auctioneer accused me of "collusion" he did it sort of joking, but really ticked off my husband. That and for a few other reasons, we don't go to those this company is running.

End result, I had bid $300 (my max), only wanting the table. Other lady bid $350 and won. She only wanted the hutches, so said we could split the price. Got my dream table and chairs for $175.

Cathy

Neither, do I.

__________________

Don't wave your hand at someone u know to say hi, or u may just buy something !

__________________
Please Put Your Location In Your Profile ... TY

On an item that might go for $100., the Auctioneer may start ther bidding out at $200. After running that figure around a bit, drop it to $150, then $100. At that point he'll ask for a bid, any bid. What he'll get is a very low bid, say $20. He'll work it up as far as he can, generally ending at or a bit above the $100. that he thought it would go for. If you wanted that item and held your hand up when he started, you'll likely be the lone bidder and pay too much ($200 for a $100 item).
Until you learn to understand what the auctioneer is saying, you will get confused with what the price is and what your bit was. " OK, got 10, do I hear 15? 15, 15, 15 do we have 15, OK, 15, who'll go 20, 20, 20, do I hear 20, going, going, sold." That item didn't sell for the last figure, $20, it sold for $15 as he didn't get the final bit.
With that in mind, people new to Auctions, eager to stay in the bidding, sometimes try to outbid themselves. Say you held your hand up for a $10 bid. The Auctioneer tries to get another bid at $15. If he can't get a bid at $15, he may try $12. Resist the urge to bid again, as it is still yours at $10. Once he gets a bid for $12, you can bid again. Once you get a handle on the bidding process (I'd suggest you spend a day or two just watching others) you'll want to learn to spot other bidders. Some Auctioneers, seeing you as an eager bidder will have you competing against non-existing bidders, learn to keep track of the bidding, while identifying your compeating bidder. Look for defects beforehand. When the Auctioneer says it worked the last time they used it, that isn't a warrenty. That just means that after it broke they didn't ues it. A box of dishes that are "Chip and Dale" isn't a style or pattern, it is a polite discription of their overall condition.