The Biggest Rookie Mistake of All

I went to my second auction today. There was a huge pile of duct pieces, most of it still in boxes. Supposedly there were recessed lights in there too. I knew that it was worth well over $1K as more than scrap. So anyway, we were in warehouse with different lots in it. Some came from storage lockers that had been moved due to non-payment/high demand. I was way in the back where I couldn't see real well, and was shocked to win the pile of metal for $180. Then the auctioneer waves his arm towards what I bought for $180, and I see it's the contents of a storage locker next to the pile of metal. It looked like mostly clothes and toys. I'm heading back now to check it out. Lesson learned: Know what you are bidding on ;).

Been there, done that. I was at an auction they were having right out of a storage locker. It was crammed with people and i was on the outside. It was full of neon advertising lights from a night club, mostly alcohol/beer related stuff. i totally bid blind. That was definitely a lesson learned. I was so embarassed what i bought for $90 im not even going to say what it was. But i can tell you, you could buy one brand new at walmart for $19.97. I learn from my retard mistakes. Im still shaking my head to this day.

Everybody has to learn somehow. When I started, I bought a 40 lb roll of uninsulated copper wire for $1/lb. My mistake? Not using a magnet to check since I "knew what I was doing". Turned out to be 40 pounds of the thinnest, crappiest, most fragile copper-colored steel wire ever made. It's still hanging in the garage as a reminder of how dumb some peoples' kids can be.

Mine ain't as bad as yall's, but I probably had just as funny a look on my face. Prior to a farm auction I checked each lot, making little notes of the ones I wanted to bid on, including the MOST I would be wanting to bid on each. There were two 10 foot steel pipes I felt would make a good pole truck boom, and I wrote $10(this was early 80s). When we approached the pipes, the auctioneer decided to put the pipes with a pile of old bicycles beside it, but I didn't want the pile of bikes, so they agreed to keep them separate. Happy for accomplishing this small feat, he looked at me as he began the auction for the pipes, looking at my notes I quickly said $10! There was a dead silence as he looked around for another bid, none came! lol If I'd said two I'd likely still have won it!

Not long ago I did an online auction for 7 iMacs g3. Won them for 25 bucks. Wow I did good right? Wrong, didn't factor in the gas and mileage, 100 miles one way, tolls, and then to top it off I got one power cord, one mouse and to top it off there is no operating system installed. I opened one up and after an hour of getting all the screws out to get to the mobo which is the size of a slice of pizza, I realized the proc chip is soldered on, one stick of ram about 2 inches long, no finger cards(where the hell would they fit) and a tv tube to deal with. Needless to say they are still in the basement. Bid and won for $25, gas $40, tolls another $25, time and aggravation $$unknown. So needless to say anyone want to buy an iMac REALLY REALLY CHEAP .

Me and Dune watched this hatian lady bid on what she thought was a nice chest, little did she know the auction was for a bunch of old crappy outdated bedroom pieces no one wanted. Boy was she mad and I think had no way to remove that much stuff.

Lesson #1 - Know what you're bidding on.
Lesson #2 - Have a plan.

Things actually got worse when I started checking out my "score". It was mostly garbage (yardsale stuff at best). Me and a buddy jumped right in and started loading my truck and trailer. We were completely full, and still had another full load. I realized that I had no idea what to do with load #1. I don't have room to store it, and my wife would flip if I dumped it in the driveway. Even worse, I wouldn't just be holding it for the day, because I work the next four weekends. So I didn't even see any yardsale potential for my haul. I certainly wasn't going to try holding it all for a month. I went to the only consignment shop in town, and they told me it was by appointment only (the next being 7/30). So I was stuck on how to get rid of it all. We pulled into a gas station, and my buddy pointed at a garbage truck at the pumps. I asked if we could dump our load into his truck, and he said yeah (for $100). There is no dump nearby, so I had to take the offer. Now I'm out $280 lol. We loaded up the second batch, and now it sits in my overflowing truck/trailer until I figure out how to unload. We never even really searched most of the boxes. Just a quick look and into the garbage truck. What a waste.

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Originally Posted by TMoney

Lesson #1 - Know what you're bidding on.
Lesson #2 - Have a plan.

Things actually got worse when I started checking out my "score". It was mostly garbage (yardsale stuff at best). Me and a buddy jumped right in and started loading my truck and trailer. We were completely full, and still had another full load. I realized that I had no idea what to do with load #1. I don't have room to store it, and my wife would flip if I dumped it in the driveway. Even worse, I wouldn't just be holding it for the day, because I work the next four weekends. So I didn't even see any yardsale potential for my haul. I certainly wasn't going to try holding it all for a month. I went to the only consignment shop in town, and they told me it was by appointment only (the next being 7/30). So I was stuck on how to get rid of it all. We pulled into a gas station, and my buddy pointed at a garbage truck at the pumps. I asked if we could dump our load into his truck, and he said yeah (for $100). There is no dump nearby, so I had to take the offer. Now I'm out $280 lol. We loaded up the second batch, and now it sits in my overflowing truck/trailer until I figure out how to unload. We never even really searched most of the boxes. Just a quick look and into the garbage truck. What a waste.

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Too late now but maybe this idea will help someone else in the future should they have a bunch of stuff they need gone in a hurry.

I cleaned out a unit a few years ago and most of it was still decent, but not worth a yard sale and definitely not worth dealing with Craigslist people. So I dropped the trailer in my driveway, dropped the gate, put a bright poster board sign on both sides that said FREE. Locked the hitch (cuz you know some moron would think the trailer was free) and tool box and stuff was gone within hours.

Bought some stuff from an online auction last winter. Location was in Oregon so I didn't want to drive 2 hours r/t just to preview stuff. 2 things I was really after were rolling shop tables.

Got both of them and I show up to get them. Get the first table loaded, decent table with a lip all the way around it which has been handy for keeping debris from going everywhere when I smash it, on casters and fairly heavy duty.

They point out the other "table" that's mine to load and I said uhh...this is it?! Yeah, that's yours. Damm thing was a foot tall rolling cart like what you'd put a ream of paper on for a printer. I was so pi$$ed.

http://images.zaazu.com/img/male16-m...0099-large.gif


I think they enlarged the picture for the auction because it was nothing like what I picked up, though the lot # did match what I bid on.

Live and learn.

Though I did make up for some of it because I had also bought 2 pallets of scrap aluminum boat engines/parts for $25. So it wasn't a total loss.

A friend once had a couch sitting on the curb for weeks, the garbage wouldn't even pick it up. He was helping clean up after his wife's yard sale, and had a "SALE" sign he wasn't sure what to do with, so he tossed it onto the couch. That very night, the couch "disappeared" ; )

I attended my first auction this past weekend..bought two pallets of old small boom boxes for a dollar..most work.. gave a few to my parents n am going to scrap the rest..prolly 50 or so...

whoops this thread is referring to mistakes..couldnt resist..sry..

i have however wasted time and gas on pickups that i lost on..live n learn

Well the preliminary results are in. I got a nice coffee table, dvd player, NIB 4qt Crockpot, new 2qt crockpot, NIB Dehydrator, exercise bike, Coleman electric cooler. I also got some scrap: 2 drawer filing cabinet, metal coat rack, rabbit cage, large old window a/c, popcorn tins, and small misc stuff. I'll break down the A/C. It was so heavy it took two of us to load it, so it should have some value. I already sold two small things for $7, so I'm at -$273 now. I know I won't break even on this deal, but it looks like I may get about 1/3 of it back.

For the rest of the stuff, I called a local guy who will take just about anything and either use it himself or yardsale it. He got two full truck loads of assorted stuff. He and his wife were genuinely grateful for it, so I felt good about that.

Check that AC, it might work

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Originally Posted by Bear

Check that AC, it might work

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Yeah, I agree. If someone put it in storage, chances are that it was working when they stored it.

One thing to know about live auctions is that you can't be worried about what other people think if you don't know what's going on. As many auctions as I've been to, there is always some idiot who interrupts the auctioneer to ask questions. He looks stupid for about 10 seconds and then everyone forgets about him as the auction moves on.

I admit that I was afraid of looking stupid in times when I was confused... only to get stuck with more than what I bargained for.

For instance, one of the lots contained assorted steel and aluminum wheels. Sometimes the rule is that you bid on one pallet of 4 wheels and then if you are the winner you can decide how many of the other pallets you actually want to purchase. (and they will auction off the rest) And then there are other times where you are obligated to take every other pallet at the winning price each.

So now that I am a bit more knowledgeable and a lot less intimidated, I'll ask for clarification.

Thanks for the tip Ted. That is some solid advice. In this particular instance I didn't have any questions. It was just a simple matter of not paying attention. I know that I have had questions during other questions and felt like I couldn't interrupt to ask. You're right though, the auction will continue after my stupid question and everyone will move on.

You should be an Auctioneer and still mess up
i was contracter to help an Auctioneer with the agreement i could buy.And like a big dummy i did the wrong lot and the wrong amount
i had to laugh at my self. the only saving grace was a person bought the lot from me after the sale (he showed up late) for what i payed
I have seen a lot of weird stuff calling bids.:confused:

been dealing in cars off and on for over 50 years. and been screwed evrey way possable. a month or so ago I find a Buick regal for 400, runs perfict some cosmetic issues. looked at it and great car ran great. so the cute girly girl who "owned" it said her boy friend had the title in his pocket at the DMV and would be back in an hour so I give her the 400 and run to the store while waiting for said boy friend. came back in an hour or so. GIRL AND CAR GONE. house abandon. lot manager said she had been kicked out for non payment of rent, and she saw a pick and pull wrecker tow the car off a few minuits ago.

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Originally Posted by olddude

been dealing in cars off and on for over 50 years. and been screwed evrey way possable. a month or so ago I find a Buick regal for 400, runs perfict some cosmetic issues. looked at it and great car ran great. so the cute girly girl who "owned" it said her boy friend had the title in his pocket at the DMV and would be back in an hour so I give her the 400 and run to the store while waiting for said boy friend. came back in an hour or so. GIRL AND CAR GONE. house abandon. lot manager said she had been kicked out for non payment of rent, and she saw a pick and pull wrecker tow the car off a few minuits ago.

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Ouch!!

It's nice to occasionally hear these kinds of stories instead of the "I just got fifty free towers off of Craigslist". Not that I'm not happy for people when they get the free towers but I know we all have those kinds of days some of the time! lol.

Yep we all screw the pooch once in a while.