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<p>[QUOTE="afantiques, post: 355400, member: 25"]I have no idea how it goes in the USA but I did almost all of my bidding, when I was buying regularly, by viewing the sale and leaving a list of bids. A few days later I''d get an invoice for any purchases, a day or two after that I'd go and collect, sometimes on the viewing day for the next auctiion, minimising travel.</p><p><br /></p><p>BUT, I only did this at aucttion rooms where I knew and trusted the auctioneer's practices, and where I was an established customer that they would rather keep. I could be confident that if I leftt a £200 bid on an item estimated at £50 to £80, biddiing would start at £40, just below the probable reserve and woulld genuinely stop at £90 or whatever my winning bid was without any padding. The auctioneers with any sense knew that word would get round the trade very quickly if they took any kind of advantage of absentee bidders, and it would cost them money as people stayed away. </p><p><br /></p><p>To suss out a new auction room you have to go at least once and watch the action. Watch the floor bidders and pay close attentioon to exactly what the auctioneer says. There will be detectable differences between 'bids' where the auctioneer is just making them up to try and get near the reserve, and where the bids are genuine. A good guide is to spot a way overpriced item, where you know no-one is going to actually reach the reserve, assumed to be low estimate minus 10%. </p><p>Another thinga lo to look for is the house buyer number, the auctioneer may not announce the item is 'passed' but knock it down to a bidding number that does not belong to any buyer. If several overpriced items get knocked down to the same number, time after time, you have spotted the ''house' number and you know the auctioneer is at least mldly fliim-flamming you.</p><p>Do not be afraid to gossip with other buyers, not the grannies out for the afternoon but proper dealers or collectors. No one likes a dodgy auctioneer. I disapprove of the auctioneer holding a commission bid saying "one more will take me out" as this unfairly discloses the commision top bid. </p><p><br /></p><p>Much of it comes down to experience in the sale room, and I did not get mine without being taken for a ride now and again.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="afantiques, post: 355400, member: 25"]I have no idea how it goes in the USA but I did almost all of my bidding, when I was buying regularly, by viewing the sale and leaving a list of bids. A few days later I''d get an invoice for any purchases, a day or two after that I'd go and collect, sometimes on the viewing day for the next auctiion, minimising travel. BUT, I only did this at aucttion rooms where I knew and trusted the auctioneer's practices, and where I was an established customer that they would rather keep. I could be confident that if I leftt a £200 bid on an item estimated at £50 to £80, biddiing would start at £40, just below the probable reserve and woulld genuinely stop at £90 or whatever my winning bid was without any padding. The auctioneers with any sense knew that word would get round the trade very quickly if they took any kind of advantage of absentee bidders, and it would cost them money as people stayed away. To suss out a new auction room you have to go at least once and watch the action. Watch the floor bidders and pay close attentioon to exactly what the auctioneer says. There will be detectable differences between 'bids' where the auctioneer is just making them up to try and get near the reserve, and where the bids are genuine. A good guide is to spot a way overpriced item, where you know no-one is going to actually reach the reserve, assumed to be low estimate minus 10%. Another thinga lo to look for is the house buyer number, the auctioneer may not announce the item is 'passed' but knock it down to a bidding number that does not belong to any buyer. If several overpriced items get knocked down to the same number, time after time, you have spotted the ''house' number and you know the auctioneer is at least mldly fliim-flamming you. Do not be afraid to gossip with other buyers, not the grannies out for the afternoon but proper dealers or collectors. No one likes a dodgy auctioneer. I disapprove of the auctioneer holding a commission bid saying "one more will take me out" as this unfairly discloses the commision top bid. Much of it comes down to experience in the sale room, and I did not get mine without being taken for a ride now and again.[/QUOTE]
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