Wednesday, May 26, 2021
HOW TO SHOP LOCAL ONLINE AUCTIONS
Everyone is familiar with Ebay, which began as an online auction site. What fun it was to sit in your home and bid against unknown people on something you just had to have. Once you won the item then you paid for it and for shipping and the seller would put it in the mail to you.
The satisfaction of being the winning bidder was very exciting for both of these, but things have changed.
A few years ago in person auctions began to disappear. The cost of brick and mortar spaces became too high for some auction houses and buyers began to like bidding online. Covid pretty much shut down in person auctions and so now online auctions are the norm.
I love to sit in my own home and bid while I am doing other things, and people have asked me questions about how to find auctions and how to bid.
HOW TO FIND ONLINE AUCTIONS
Auction Zip is the world's largest online marketplace for local online auctions. There are auctions going on every day of the week across the country and Auction Zip has them listed. You can sign up to receive notifications of auctions near you, or you can check in and look at their calendar.
Local newspapers list auctions and you can check out yours online.
Google Maps is an easy way to find auctions near you. Just type auction into the search bar and it will bring up auction houses near you.
CHECKING OUT AUCTION HOUSES
Once you have found local auction houses it is time to start checking them out. This can be a bit time consuming at first, but it is also an important part of successfully shopping on their sites.
Go to their websites and see what kind of auctions they hold. Look at their reviews, and get an idea of their professionalism.
There are different types of auction houses and they will not all fit into what you are looking for. I am interested in vintage and antiques so I can eliminate car auctions and real estate auctions for example.
BEFORE YOU START BIDDING
Now that you have found auction houses that you like, you need to do a bit of "housekeeping". First you need to join their site before you can bid.
Also, I recommend that you go through the entire auction and mark "watch" on the items that interest you. This will put all of the items that you are interested in in one place and eliminate the need to keep going through the entire auction inventory.
Before you start bidding here are some things you need to do.
- Research your items to see what they are worth. Google them. Check them out on Etsy and EBAY or other sites that sell similar items.
- Look carefully at the photos for flaws. This is very important if the auctioneer doesn't list much information.
- If you have questions contact the auction house and ask them.
- Set a limit on what you are willing to spend. It is easy to get carried away in the heat of the auction, and you can find yourself spending more than you want.
- All items are sold as is.
LET THE BIDDING BEGIN
Whew!!! It is finally time to start bidding. Online auctions have a longer open time so you have to be patient. Some people like to get the lay of the land by waiting until others have bid while others like to be the first to place a bid. Remember you can start low and then raise your bid as necessary. (Just don't forget the work you have put into evaluating things)
Most sites have a 2 or 5 minute rule. This rule keeps someone from coming in at the last second and outbidding you. If they try the auction time for that item will be extended to give you a chance to up your bid.
AFTER THE AUCTION IS OVER
When the auction is over the auctioneer will send you an invoice with your total due. Most auction houses now charge a buyer's premium of 15% so that will be added to your total along with local taxes.
They will also tell you when and where you can pick up your items.
So now just remember that everyone makes mistakes. I've been doing this a long time and still make mistakes. The important thing is to have fun.
You can find many of my auction finds here
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
HOW I THRIFT
It was pretty much Goodwill or nothing and the Goodwill stores there had really raised their prices.
Atlanta is a whole different story. I am finding more and more thrift stores and they are proving to be pretty great.
That being said I just can't walk into a thrift store and start plucking things off the shelves, pay, and walk out. I wish it was that easy.
This is basically how I proceed, with the assumption that I will find some great stuff. I usually do, but not always. I definitely want to be prepared though. so I grab a shopping cart
I head for the homegoods first because this is what I primarily sell. As I move through the isles I put things that I think I might want into the cart. I know what I like and have a pretty good eye for things and a ball park figure for what they will sell for.
After I have checked out all of the vintage homegoods, I quickly look at the furniture to see if there is something I might want (like the piece I am looking for to go behind my setee) and then start looking through the clothes, as I am now selling on Poshmark.
Once again I add things to my cart to sort through when I am finished shopping.
Now is when I have to start making decisions about what I will purchase.
This is where my cell phone comes in. If I am not sure what I can resell something for I research it. I also take time to really check over each item to see if there are any flaws I didn't notice when I first picked it up.
If something doesn't measure up it goes back on the shelf or rack. Next I wait patiently in line, pay, and load it into my car.
When I get it home a whole new process begins.
Thrifting and selling isn't for everyone. Not everyone has the time or desire to get out there and find the treasures they want. That is why they need resellers like me, and I love it. To me there is nothing like the thrill of the hunt.
Hey there!
etsy shop link
J Jill Shopping Link
Madewell Shopping Link
Wayfair Shopping Link
