I went to one in MO this past weekend and HOLY COW, the kind of $$ that rubbermaid bins filled with, as one old man put it "stuff you would put in a ditch"

Then they were auctioning off empty totes, they were going for 1-2x the price of new ones

a 1995 4 door olds with 130k on the clock kbb private party value 1500....sells for 2300

Crappy pressboard furnatuire sells for more than new prices.

a pine breakfast nook which sells all day long at shopko for 120.00 sold for over 180....



I think Im gonna haul all my crap to MO and have a auction.

 

its not even worth going to. i have gone to some, they are just a waste of time. no good deals.

 

I didn't know that there were "TOE" states.

Are they kinky there????

 

It depends on the sale, sometimes family members are given money from the estate, and they have to bid for what they want. Most estate auctions I have been to have been worth it as there were plenty of deals to be had.

 

Just where did you think the "foot-hills"were??

 

A buddy has every tool on the planet at about 1/10th the cost from hangning around estate sales for years.

You have to choose the ones you go to carefully, and bid even more carefully. You get to know the reputable auction houses.

I got enough hardwood flooring for the whole house at an auction a while ago for 1/4 the retail price. The lot just before mine went for more than I saw the same stuff at Home Depot just days before.

 

That's auctions in general, whether it be estate, consignment, or ebay. You get someone with bidding frenzy, the price can go crazy. I have seen way cheap deals and way insane prices at the same auctions sometimes.

 

yea, but total crap and I mean CRAP was pulling top dollar.

 

It all depends on the day. I bought my backhoe (valued at about 18000) at an auction for six grand. Some days the deals are great some not so good.

 

My grandparents had an estate auction and their 1979 Caddy went for about $5000 during a 1995 auction. It was a two door, front wheel drive with stainless steel roof and rockers. Had about 149k on the odometer and had been in at least 3 accidents. The asking price at the time for a similar vehicle in this area was $995 to $1500 in the classifieds.

Saw a 1982 Olds Delta 88 Royalle Brougham with 54k go for $2500 about two years ago. Problem was it had been sitting for 15 years since the owner passed away, and his wife didn't drive.

 

To put it into perspective the auction that I bought my backhoe at I had only planned on bidding on a gas fireplace that was listed in the paper (the guy had owned some sort of construction company when he died). It was worth about fifteen hundred bucks but ended up going for almost three grand. I ended up taking home three truck loads (the big U Haul sized trucks) of stuff and a backhoe. Much of which had never been listed in the paper so there wasn't much interest on the bidding as people weren't looking for the items at the time. I got lucky, I was standing next to my banker that day and he saw what I was buying and the prices I was paying and told me to go ahead and spend as much as I wanted. I spent almost 30,000 that day.

For that price though I got enough hardwood flooring to redo my entire house. Enough lumber to build a two stall garage and a 16x28 foot building with a bar and a couch in one room in the front and a sauna and a dressing room in the back and enough half log siding to side not only my house, but my garage and sauna as well. Plus I got the backhoe which has in the three years since paid for it all!

I highly advise going to the auctions. No matter what the kind. I go to 16 or 17 a year and have gotten some great deals at them. I have also made lots of money by buying things cheep that I know I can list in the local paper or on EBay and turn a good profit. Heck I even bought my farm at a county auction. It was a tax foreclosed. I saved over a hundred grand buying it that way.

I started going to them as a lark with my old boss back in Jr high and haven't quit going since.

You might not be able to get great deals on the stuff that you are interested in every day but somtimes there are great deals. It also helps to have great credit and a good enough relationship with your banker that you can call him at home on a saterday or sunday and ask if he will cover you on a big purchase (I haven't been turned down yet and he always has the paperwork done when I show up monday morning).

 

I used to go to our county auctions all the time looking for used cars,trucks and motorcycles but those people are nuts when they start there bidding wars you might as well go to a used car dealer you would get a better deal,but I always got something like almost a hundred bikes for 12 bucks and a rca fullsize vhs video camra with the charger that works for $20.Anymore its not worth taking off work and standing there all day just to leave emptyhanded they stopped auctioning off the small stuff and just do vehicles now because some lady said that the building they where using made her sick so now they just junk anything that needs to be kept indoors.

 

I go to a lot of auctions and find that junk usually brings top dollar. I think it is because people get into bid wars and let their emotions get the best of them and they don't want to lose the crap they are trying to get. I have also noticed that good stuff dosent always bring as much as some of the junk, don't ask me why.

Tim

 

I've learned to set price in my mind and stick to it. Don't get into a bidding war with someone who is determined not to leave emtyhanded. Those folks will buy anything at any cost just to buy somthing. I've bought several properties at tax auctions at what I consider to be better than good deals. I've also bought a lot of tools bankrupcy autions and estate sales.

I generally avoid esate auctions but frequent the sales when it's convenient and I have something in mind that I want but could live without if I had to. I usually go on the last day when sellers are most willing to bargain. Tools are usually a good buy, especialy ones of good quality. A contractor-grade tool like a router or power saw used by the average homeowner usually has a lot of life left in it. I also love the guaranteed-for-life tools too. I once picked up an old rusty toolbox for $5 or $10. It was half-filled with SK and Proto sockets. They were rusty but so what.

My rule is don't buy it unless you're stealing it.