Please comment about Auctions

[Mrs._d]

I have a comment about Estate Auctions.
A couple of weeks ago I drove quite some distance to an estate auction. What a surprise. Only a handful of people were seated in the rows of chairs provided inside an old barn. And, there was a big screen on the wall, showing a photograph of the item up for bid as the auction was in progress. The auction was online too! The tables of items to be auctioned where roped off, and you couldn't get access up close--you had to ask an attendant if you could view something. They would bring it to another table where you could look at it up close. There were a lot of people like me who walked into the barn, took one look, got back in their vehicles and left.
I'm disappointed, the old days of standing shoulder to shoulder bidding on items is coming to an end. Nuts.
Would appreciate comments.
Mrs. D

[wletson]

In my area, it is still done the old fashioned way. The majority of the estate auctions here are still off the front porch of the house, with the larger items spread around the lawn or on hay wagons. The only "high tech" equipment is the portable loud speaker the auctioneer carries over his shoulder.
I love watching auctions! Watching a person's life being sold off in several hours time is an amazing experience. There are still a number of auctions each year where they also sell off the house and property. Talk about stress! I couldn't imagine increasing my bids by thousands of dollars. Actually, this is an auction I'd love to get to tomorrow. Check out the huge dinner bell!
http://www.auctionsfind.com/auction/5789


Having said all that, I can sort of understand the need for some "security". At my grandfather's estate sale a few years ago, a number of smaller, expensive items walked away from display tables inside the house. So, keeping an eye on stuff makes sense. But to not be able to easily get a close up look at what you're bidding on doesn't strike me as a great auction experience. I don't blame you for walking away.

[donoinmass]

In my area, there are "old style" and "new style". I like them both, although I find that the best bargains usually are at the old style. With the new, they are usually auctioning live on EBAY, and that generates a HUGE audience - which is good for the auction house and the seller, but the buyers have to fight for what they want more. Most of the high tech autions around here are in Boston - Skinner is a big one for using the high tech route. Auctions are certinaly one of my addictions - LOVE them!!!

[matchbookhouse]

Auctions are my addiction as well. Here in Virginia we have indoor auctions at established locations, as well as outdoor ones that are onsite at the property (basically estate auctions in both cases.) i love an outdoor auction on a fall afternoon, where the local Ladies Auxiliary is selling homemade pie and barbecue, and the leaves are falling. it's fun to look around the old houses as well (gosh, yah think?), and get ideas on construction and decoration. I've also been to outdoor auctions where the weather has ranged from drizzle to all-out downpours all day, and the merchandise under the tent starts sinking into the ground by the end of the day. Those are also the ones where i've gotten some of my best finds though, like 2 Victorian dressers for $75 each. I can't get my friends to go with me anymore because they know I'll stay to the very end if there's an item I want that doesn't come up earlier. i once missed out on a vintage wastebasket full of antique parasols (that went for $1 total!) because I had to visit the dreaded Porta Potty and didn't have someone to bid on my behalf.

[wletson]

because I had to visit the dreaded Porta Potty and didn't have someone to bid on my behalf.

Oh, yeah, attending an auction by yourself can make some things a challenge. I've been to larger sales where they have 2 auctioneers in two different areas of the farm! Try covering that by yourself!

[oldhouseluvr]

We have an old-fashioned auction house right down the road. They hold weekly estate auctions with an online preview. You can also preview the auction items afternoon before. Access is restricted to only the most valuable items. They do accept phone and proxy bids, but as far as I know they don't accept bids online. I also scout ebay for items, but since most of the sellers have buy-it-now prices or there isn't much interest in the items I'm bidding on, its not an auction in the sense I've always known. I enjoy attending the auction, but it takes over 4 hours from start to finish, so I usually leave a proxy bid for anything I'm interested in.

[mross_pitt]

I check:
http://www.artfact.com/

http://www.proxibid.com/asp/live-auction-categories.asp

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/

These cover most of the large and small online auctions that I'm aware of.
Am I missing anybody else good?

[matchbookhouse]

Try http://www.auctionzip.com. You can enter your zip code and the distance you want to travel, then specify the type of auction. Most all of the aution sites post excellent photos. i love to go to Tappahannock, VA because their auctions don't have a buyer's premium (which can be up to 13 - 18% in the bigger venues). Since I have a dealer's license and don't pay state sales tax, whatever I bid is exactly what I pay-helps keep the costs down big-time!

[KathyJB]

Auctionzip is a great resource. We have all the web pages of the local auctioneers bookmarked and know when they have their weekly auctions. We love estate sales and I always watch people to see if they are going to steal something. I wouldn't want anyone stealing my items for auction Here lately there have been more and more people who don't understand that it isn't a garage sale and don't understand when I try to explain it to them. Another thing that is irritating about estate sales is that some people will move items around in the box lots. If you have already marked that box off as having something in it that you wanted to bid on and found later that it was no longer in there it's really annoying. Gotta keep an eye on those kind of people too. Also around here, after you win a bid, you immediately take care of your item, otherwise it could walk away. Always tear up your card when you leave. You don't want someone picking it up, using it and leaving you with the bill
Garage sales also sometimes produce a treasure for little or nothing. We are fortunate to know most of the auction crowd around here along with the auctioneers so it's a great time for visiting. I know if we didn't show up for a while they would write to see if we were ok.