We haven't been worrying much about supply issues, inflation and product quality declines because almost all our non-food/gas buying is done through local auctions.
There has been a noticeable increase in prices lately as more people are figuring out how good they are but realistically, the demand should be even higher. I figure most of you aren't part of my local competition so I wanted to do a brief intro to the process so more of you can also be scoring the deals.
Reasons I love them:
1. Almost all of the money you spend stays right in your local community! There might be a bit that goes to the hosting site, but the bulk goes to the sellers, who are local, non-rich people and the small businesses that run them.
2. Environmentally friendly and a sustainable way to get stuff. It's all used and so you are not only reducing pressure on your local landfill but choosing used over new saves huge amounts of energy and resources.
3. Better quality. We have all seen tons of cases of enshittification in stuff these days. Not all old goods are better made than their present versions, but lots are. So long as you are picky, you can get the older, better versions of stuff for less than buying them new.
4. Upgrading. On the better quality note, you can also sometimes afford to get the higher end version of something when it's bought second hand vs new. That actual Kitchenaid mixer instead of the fake, for example. With house clearing auctions, you are buying the good stuff people used and kept.
5. Great deals. We are incredibly cheap and auction buying lets us stay that way. I don't like to pay more than 10% of the usual retail price and often score well under that. You do need to have a decent idea about the going prices for the things you want because people will overpay, but that holds for any sort thrifting.
6. Generally has much better odds than a casino or sports book, if you want to do a bit of gambling. Due to having to (mostly) go from pictures, there is always a bit of risk in buying this way. At least with this form of gambling, you take something home!
How to do it
Post-covid, many of the auction houses now post their auctions online. That makes it easy to view and bid without having to get there in person.( many do offer viewing in person days) There are also sites that deal in emptying houses so they can be sold.
To use the sites, you'll generally need an email and credit card to sign up. Once you have a login, you will register to bid with that auction house. Some will want to do a $1 charge or a slightly larger hold, just to confirm you have a real card.
Typically, there is a 10% to 30% "buyers" fee that is charged, in addition to the taxes, on the bids placed, so keep that in mind when calculating your bids. This is how most of the companies make their profits.
Don't forget to check the conditions and time and locations of pickup since those can vary.
Most now have a process where you can put in a "max" bid for items, if you don't want to have to deal with the live auctions. Those usually mean that you are not going straight to that amount but that any bids placed below it will automatically get outbid by you. It's a good option if you are prone to overpaying in the heat of the auction, or you just don't want to deal with it.
When the actual auction is live, most now use "soft close". This stops the old eBay style sniping bids. If a bid is placed near the end of time, it is usually extended for 2-4 minutes more. This repeats every time until the bidding stops.
Some places will charge your card after the bidding closes while others will have you pay when you arrive at the pick-up. Plan to bring ID and/or a copy of the invoice they send you when you go to the pickup.
Those are the basics I can think of to get you started.
For those who have already been shopping this way, what are some of your favourite scores?
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