Auction

[klaatu]

I was at a Wolgemuth tractor auction last month. They are a very good group of people and run a great auction. I was outbid on a tractor I wanted and am still kicking myself. They advertise in "Lancaster Farming" and hold auctions all the time. If anyone is interested, this newspaper lists lots of auctions every week. I see lots of woodworking equipment listed. Sometimes whole shops. A subscription is $40 per year and is a weekly. I do not have any connection with them except that I subscribe and enjoy their newspaper.

[No]

hello - I psted last month about a building supply auction I went to last month where I let some large piles of Walnut get away from me. The next auction is tomorrow in Lancaster County PA (Between Philadelphia and Harrisburg). Their website description is lame but it says "wood, oak, & cherry; hardwood molding" This means there may be something. See

for more details.

If anyone from the wrec wants to go I'll be glad to give you directions and buy you a cup of coffee. If you cant go, but want me to bid on some cherry for you just e-mail me and we'll work somethng out like being in contact via cell while bidding is going on. I will monitor my gmail email account throughout the day.

-B

[Toller]

Those auctions are a business; instead of having a store, they have "auctions". They have to sell darn close to retail or they would lose money. They have them around here every few months. At least that is my read on it, never having bothered to go to one.

[No]

I have been to this one many times. Yes, its a business. The seller pays the auctioneer a commission. This is an 'absolute' auction with no reserves. Many a bargains can be had, especially if no one else is interested in what you are bidding on. Most of what is at this particular auction is surplus, scratch and dent or misordered custom building supplies. Several times I have seen entire contents of a closed up hardware store go up for sale by the skid lot. Sometimes lumber is cull piles, sometimes lumber is recycled (like old barn beams). Sometimes there are trusses, whole sets, that may have been the wrong size or something. I was talking to the guy selling the walnut, he had no say in the price whatsoever. Usually the seller is not present, this was an unusual case. He gave a brief speech before the auctioneer started, saying kiln dried, stored for so many years, selling because he was moving, etc. with the hopes of enticing a higher bid. This auction does NOT sell retail merchandise (Well, actually a guy does have a table with cheap import tools and stuff). This is a true auction marketplace. Things only sell for what someone is willing to pay for them. No minimum bids at all. I have gotten cabinets for $1 several times in the past. Got a nice solid cherry cabinet for laundry room for $10.

Yes, there is also sometime some bidding hysteria. Sometimes 2 people get caught up and over pay IMO. I have seen pre-cut 2x4s going for $3 each when they were on sale at the orange store for $2.69.

Anyway

I am not affiliated with them, just a past satisfied customer.

[Toller]

Okay, maybe I've been missing something; thanks

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 11/9/2005 10:25 AM Toller said the following:

Don't know that they're all that way but in general auctions are not my cup of tea either.

Even if the auction's a "one-off" deal rather than like some of the perpetual garage sales you see (talk about a growth in "home businesses") you still have to contend with "auction fever." That's where seemingly sane people lose sight of the actual value of what they're bidding on and the goal becomes "I've got to have that at all cost."

I rarely bother with auctions of any sort (other than Ebay where I can snipe) for that very reason.

I've had much better luck hitting "estate sales" and even garage sales. Not unlike a fairy tale, "you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince," but you can often stumble across some really good deals. All it takes is patience and money in hand.

[No]

I went today to their "lumber" auction. A lot of stuff as usual, some crap and some real deals. They had a Northfield uni-point 16" RAS up for auction. I had never seen one of these beasts in person. It seemed in good mechanical shape, was obviously used in a production shop for a long time. The handles had the kind of wear you would expect on a production saw. I figured if I could get the thing for a couple of hundred I could trade or sell it to cover my next planer or jointer purchase.

I didn't stick around for the Cherry that was up for sale, it looked a little too twisty for my tastes.

The saw sold for $450

[Nick Bozovich]

-B Sorry I missed this! I'm over in York - I'd have been interested. I see there's on on 12/8 - do you know anything about that one? I may go to it.

If you see anything like this again, shoot me an email -

As to the thread on auctions - I've purchased a lot of my tools at auction. It's a great way to get some really good tools at great prices. Yes, I've been to a lot of them and didn't buy anything. Many I went to and spent 10 minutes looking, and left because the stuff was junk. But I've also picked up some real gems -

Nick B ndotbozovichatsuscomdotnet

[No]

Its funny Nick - I go to this one every month I can. It ends up being 4 or 5 times a year. They seem to always have a lot of the same stuff. I'm not sure how given 95% of what they are selling gets bid on. What they do not always have is hardwood although they have had some the last 2 or 3 times I have been. I think its the same guy clearing out his stash. GOOD tools are few and far between. They had a newer (Past

10 or 15 years) craftman table saw. It was a POS and went for $100. Also a craftsman RAS, not sure what it went for. This time they had truckloads of those yellow fiber glass extension ladders. Most were used but there were a few that looked new. They were going for about $100 for the new ones. I got my PC compressor there, it was new but had slight damage to the intake filter. New filter part was only a couple of bucks. I paid $85, new it was $300 IRC.

The most interesting, and auction fever area, is a big flatbed trailer of what looks like returns from Harbor Freight! This trailer has been at the auction for the past 2 months. I steer clear but a lot of folks congregate and way over pay for some of that junk.

Doors, windows, electrical, plumbing and tons of odds and ends. Definitely a few gems. One gal bought a pile of counter-tops, the kind with sink bowls cast in them, for bathrooms. Must have been 15 or more tops in that pile, for $1.

I will be out of town on 12/8 for business. Its easy to get to. Take rt

23 into Leola, turn left on Maple Ave (There is a big red brick Methodist (I think) church on the corner), parking will be on your right. Meander in and get a bidder number (No cost), then browse around. If you bring someone with you make sure you both have cell phones or 2 way radios. They run 8 auctioneers at once and sometimes you need to split up to watch different things.