Consignment auctions I am always cautious of because people are usually getting rid of it for a reason. If I can buy it on the cheap then it is not too bad or if it is an accessory with no gear boxes or hidden things (like box blade or plow).
I prefer to buy from either an estate sale where somebody has died and they are selling everything or a farm that has closed down and they are selling off. You can look around at all the items and see how stuff was taken care of. Most of the time the sale is on site so you can see how the house and buildings were taken care of. You get a pretty good idea if the person who owns it took care of it or not.
Be careful because auctions can be very addicting. You will start going every weekend and end up buying stuff you don't need. The small boxes of hardware and tools are hard to pass up sometimes for a couple bucks. The boxes though is where some of the big bargains are. The bad thing is you end up with alot of stuff you don't want for the few "good" things in the box. Some of the boxes are fun though to sort when you get home. It is interesting to find some the "hidden treasures" in the bottom.
Like everyone else said watch your emotions. It is easy to get caught up and go way over what you want to spend. If it is an item you really want this is a secret that I found works alot of the time. If you are willing to spend $500 on an item then bid it to one bid over $500. What happens alot of time of time is you and another person have the same limit. If you go one bid over the even cutoff price you will get the item.
Have fun and make sure to eat, some of the auctions have some really good food.
I prefer to buy from either an estate sale where somebody has died and they are selling everything or a farm that has closed down and they are selling off. You can look around at all the items and see how stuff was taken care of. Most of the time the sale is on site so you can see how the house and buildings were taken care of. You get a pretty good idea if the person who owns it took care of it or not.
Be careful because auctions can be very addicting. You will start going every weekend and end up buying stuff you don't need. The small boxes of hardware and tools are hard to pass up sometimes for a couple bucks. The boxes though is where some of the big bargains are. The bad thing is you end up with alot of stuff you don't want for the few "good" things in the box. Some of the boxes are fun though to sort when you get home. It is interesting to find some the "hidden treasures" in the bottom.
Like everyone else said watch your emotions. It is easy to get caught up and go way over what you want to spend. If it is an item you really want this is a secret that I found works alot of the time. If you are willing to spend $500 on an item then bid it to one bid over $500. What happens alot of time of time is you and another person have the same limit. If you go one bid over the even cutoff price you will get the item.
Have fun and make sure to eat, some of the auctions have some really good food.
Ken Sweet
