An Auctioneer is Worth Every Penny

[Iplayfarmer]

I spent half the day today at the most frustrating liquidation sale. A guy was trying to auction stuff himself rather than pay an auctioneer. Not only would an auctioneer have saved us all some frustration, but would have brought the seller a lot more money, too.

Here's how it happened: Everything was auctioned twice. The place opened at noon. Each item had a sheet of paper near it where bidders would write their name, phone number, and bid. Mind you it was a single sheet of paper and everyone could see the bid of the last person, so this is not like a sealed bid auction. The guy said that at 2:00 the bidding would end and whoever had the highest bid would get the item. So we all waited until almost 2:00 and then started writing our bids. We all kept chasing each other around writing down higher and higher bids until 2:00 when the guy said the bidding had ended.

THEN, the guy started around the room. At each item he'd announce the highest bid and ask if anyone else wanted to bid more than that. At this point everything we had spent the last two hours bidding on was auctioned again using the highest bid as the starting price. A point of frustration here was that there were a few tight fisted jerks who would top every bid by a dollar. This made the bidding take forever. Try going from $24 to $90 one dollar at a time. I don't think the guy selling the stuff had ever even been to a public auction. Half the time, half the people didn't know what we were bidding on. It was long and boring, and it was hard to know what I had bought and what I hadn't since a high bid on paper meant nothing.

Additionally, the guy and his minions were so disorganized that they couldn't take the money until everything was sold. So anyone who had a bid on anything had to stay through the whole excruciating process.

If the guy had hired a real auctioneer, he would have had twice the crowd, he would have gotten twice the price for his stuff, and it would have been over and done within an hour.

So if you're wondering, Hire and auctioneer!!

 

[creekbend]

What items were being auctioned off at that auction? Farm equipment, household items;etc.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

What items were being auctioned off at that auction? Farm equipment, household items;etc.

It was a dance club... High end audio equipment, DMX lighting, Furniture, and appliances.

 

[2458n]

Maybe it was someone from the bank running a "sale". The services of a good auctioneer make it easier for both the buyers and sellers. I will deny having anything to do with supporting or praising an auctioneer.

 

[Ken]

A heavly advertised Auction of dairy cattle, farm equipment, shop tools here started well until the owner jumped up on the flat bed trailer and started to berate the buyers for not bidding higher. The auctioneer stepped off the trailer and went to his vehicle along with most of the buyers. The owner took wash on the sale.
A good auctioneer that maintains a constant schedule can sell at a higher price than one who pleads and begs for a buck more. Then he starts getting the number "and a half" this slows the bidding to a stop.
ken

 

[bigtiller]

At an estate auction I went to, the bidders sat in their choice of over 150 folding chairs, the auctioneer stood in one spot while "runners" brought items to the table for bidding and then to the bid winners.

It was the best organised auction I have ever been to. Every one could see and hear, nobody stepped on my toes, nobody spilled there drink on me or the items being sold.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Maybe it was someone from the bank running a "sale". The services of a good auctioneer make it easier for both the buyers and sellers. I will deny having anything to do with supporting or praising an auctioneer.

In this case it was definately the owner of the club. From your comments, I conclude you do not hold all auctioneers in high regard.

 

[creekbend]

Every auction that I have attended through the years, went rather smoothly. The last one was an auction for a farmer's Family. He had recently passed away. His wife was keeping the farmland, but was selling the equipment. I went to the auctioneer's booth, showed my ID, registered and received a responding number that I placed on the outside of my jacket. The auctioneer was standing in the back of a pickup, that was equipped with a loudspeaker system. The equipment was placed on both sides of parallel lanes on the property. We followed the truck, and after placing the winning bid, one of the auction company's associates would record our number. We could then continue bidding on other items, or stop and pay for the item that we won the bid on. We were not allowed to haul or load the item or items until the sale was finished. Free coffee, sodas and hot dogs were supplied. Everyone was polite, disciplined and no arguments or fighting ensued.

 

[charlz]

There was an old boy down the street that held his own auction to clean the place up a bit... complete with handwritten cardboard signs announcing the auction put out about a week before He actually did OK but definitely much slower than a real auctioneer. He could do the 'auctioneer speak' a little but he was so old when he did it he would start to get short of breath and everyone thought he as going to pass out and hurt himself. It turned into more of a 'charity' auction but there were some good deals.

Most of the ones I go to around here are all computerized and they track which sold for what in real time and you can cash out whenever you want. Sometimes they make you wait if it is in a tight space or something but generally its grab and go.

 

[2458n]

I have some close friends who are auctioneers. Every occupation has people who do things differently. I know some people when dealing with estates can be trusted to represent the sellers best interest. Others cannot. If I had to do a Masters thesis for a marketing degree I would find the subject of auctioneering very interesting. Bid rigging along with the recent bank home forclosures would also be interesting. Not everything that happens is always above board with some people. I like hanging around after a auction and seeing what really was sold. That and see who takes what home. Most absolute auctions means there is absolutely going to be an auction. Some auctioneers will let you bid against yourself others will not. I have been going and buying for over forty years and sometimes I still do not know what is going on. I am a s l o w learner.