| Like to go to local auctions? Love the thrill of a good | | | | a crowd when they are out of their normal auction |
| auctioneer's chant and fast talk and the chance to bid | | | | area. |
| on all kinds of stuff? As an auctioneer myself, (PA | | | | 5 - Sometimes you can find good buys if you go to a |
| License AU3837), I also like to go to other auctioneers' | | | | house auction where high end items are being sold, but |
| sales, especially to get loads of merchandise at | | | | there are also ordinary household items, tools, cleaning |
| bargain prices. Here are 10 tips to help you find the | | | | supplies, ets. The auctioneer will most likely advertise |
| auctions where you can get items so cheap they are | | | | the Victorian furniture, Tiffany lamps, Roseville pottery, |
| almost free.: | | | | and not the family lawn mower, wheel barrow, tools in |
| 1 - Look for an auction that is "under advertised." | | | | the garage, etc. I have been to a couple of auctions |
| Advertising is a major expense when holding an | | | | where I was the only bidder for tools, and I got them |
| auction. Almost all practicing auctioneers know this, but | | | | for pennies on the dollar. |
| in some cases the people the auctioneer is selling for | | | | 6 - Pick a day when there are lots of auctions in them |
| may balk at paying for a big ad. Most auctioneers | | | | area and pick the one with the weakest listing. In the |
| know that without that big ad, unless the auctioneer | | | | Greensburg, PA area this is usually August and early |
| has a large following of likely bidders, he or she may | | | | September. |
| not get a big enough crowd with a small ad. If the | | | | 7 - Help the auctioneer who is having trouble getting |
| sellers insist, then the ad may be way too small. This | | | | bidding started by being that initial bidder. Chances are |
| means a small crowd and with fewer bidders, the | | | | you will be rewarded by that auctioneer bu giving you |
| auctioneer will get lower bids, so you buy cheap. | | | | some good buys. |
| 2 - Go to an auction being held in a remote area that is | | | | 8 - Quite often storage auctions where the contents |
| hard for the average person to find, especially if the | | | | of a space where rent hasn't been paid will yield good |
| auctioneer can't place enough signs, or has difficulty | | | | bargains because they usually don't warrant big ads |
| giving good directions because of the location. Plenty | | | | and you may get a chance to buy the contents of a |
| of bargains here. | | | | space at a very low dollar amount. |
| 3 - In Pennsylvania and probably most of the | | | | 9 - At an auction where there are loads of box lots, |
| northeast, an outside auction in snowy weather, usually | | | | look over the boxes from top to bottom for sleepers |
| will have a sparse crowd and hence loads of good | | | | that sometimes the auctioneer even missed. When |
| buys. Rainy weather may cause the same, so look for | | | | that box comes up bid on it. Be aware however that |
| a bad weather day, especially if the auctioneer | | | | sometimes people switch items from one box to |
| advertises that the auction will be held "rain or shine" | | | | another, so keep your eyes peeled. |
| and doesn't offer a tent, or an alternative location or | | | | 10 - Most house auctions yield quite a few items the |
| time for the auction. | | | | auctioneer can't get a bid on. Sometimes these are |
| 4 - Sometimes a "newbie" auctioneer may not draw a | | | | piled up and sold as one lot near the end of the sale. |
| big crowd because he/she is not well known. In many | | | | This is a great place for a flea market dealer to pick |
| cases even seasoned auctioneers won't draw as big | | | | up lots of small items so cheap they are almost free. |