Auctions Are Fun

On day after work i decided i would drop in to the South Nowra pet store just down the road from where I worked (Mcdonalds), to get some stuff for our cats. After browsing around and deciding there was nothing here i wanted, i returned to my car.

At this i realized that i once again had locked my keys in the car, still in the ignition. Stepping back i took a breath, thinking “now, how am i going to get home?”  Hayley was off work that day so i gave here a call, but she didn’t answer. So i sent her a message explaining my situation.

Seeing i had all this time to waste i decide i would have a look into all the other buildings around that i had never taken notice off. First up the back there was an oriental eastern furniture shop, full or stone buddhas and eastern artwork. I don’t like there shops, u can feel the all the weird stuff attached to these items.

Next i moved on to a shop down the front, “Super Furniture”. I walked in expecting to find something we may be able to use in our house. What i found was, lots of stacked furniture items every where, with little tags on them “Lot 125”. I meandered unto the make shift desk, checking out furniture as i passed, to ask what this was all about. The man behind the desk explained to me that it was an auction.

Now I had never been to an auction, only seen them on tv, and though “this could be a good opportunity”. Apparently the store had gone bankrupt, which isn’t surprising, being 1 of say 50 furniture shops in a town with a population of 20,000 of wich only a quarter (5,000) would probably be interested in buying furniture, and not all at the same time.

So everything had to be sold, no minimum. the auction started at 10:00 the next day, so i got my $1 listing catalog and started moving around the lots marking off the ones i was interested in. There was good and bad stuff, all had to go, even some home cinema style couches, and a carriage.  I was particularly interested in a bed frame, and a display unit.

Lets ford ahead. Hayley got my message, cam and picked me up, we looked at the stuff and i came the next morning for the auction.

by 10:30 there would have been 200 people in the place, all scattered amongst the lots. The announce went through the rules, and the biding started of slow. or fast, he still managed to talk at an unflappable speed, that sounded more like the idle of a car than words… is that possible?

Some good deals were made. $200 dining room sets. $120 for 12 stylish lamps. $180 for 50 couch pillows. We got round past the first 100 lots to the ones i was interested in. A bedroom suit, with nice dark wood. i was aiming for $800 at max. and it went for $1200 so i backed off. But you see there were other nice bed suits that i liked so i moved on. The next bes suit i bid on i got! for $800, so i was like “sick!” Ok, so i had bought an item, It is a good idea to enter auctions with a maximum spending, mine was no more that $1500,  so we still had room for other items.

we passed a lot of items; coffee tables, couches, random dining chairs, book shelves, mirrors and cabinets. Then we goto the display units. I wasn’t leaving without one, so i ended up with two. one cheaper smaller one for $175, and then later i picked up a bigger nicer one for $300.

The best part about this auction was the multiple items. the highest bidder can choose to take all all 9 display units or just 1, or 2. Then the loosing bidder in order can choose to take one at the same price, or they will be put back up for auction. The second display unit sold for 380 in the first round, and 2 were taken. then they were put back up, and settled at 300, and the rest were scooped up, as well at one with no handles and broken glass (Unlucky). So i believe that was a win.

After all the excitement, i now had to go pay and get all this stuff to our house. with some help from my brother and a man with a lorry truck, it all made it. I i left having experienced an auction. in 7hrs everything had been sold. all 900+ or so items.

– matt