Police Auctions

Police confiscate items and impounds vehicles. But if the items are left unclaimed for a definite period of time or there is no possible way to trace the owners and return the items, they become auction goods. Police also seize properties and items associated to crimes people commit.

The police seized properties will then go to an auction. Police auctions are often held at local police agencies, federal law enforcement agencies, police departments, and county sheriff departments at specific time and date.

Government-Seized Auctions. Due to foreclosure and seizure laws, the government accumulates properties from private owners who were unable to pay their mortgages or loans. These will then become government property and will be put into auctions.

The Customs and Border Protection, US Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Internal Revenue Service, and State Tax Department are some of the government agencies that hold government-seized property auctions.

Bank and Loan Companies. Bank and loan companies often repossess properties from owners who are unable to make loan payments. These repossessed properties range from real estate, vehicles to home furniture, become bank or loan company properties.

Since the cost of storage is high, bank and loan companies want to convert the repossessed properties into liquid assets right away. The best way to do it is through an auction. Bank and loan companies often announce auction schedules online, in office bulletins and in newspapers.

New and Used Car Dealers. In order to make a sale, new car dealers allow their costumers to trade-in their old cars for new ones. The old vehicle that was traded-in will then go to an auction. Used car dealers also employ the same system as other auction houses to generate sales.

While there are some used vehicles up for bidding, there are also very well-maintained vehicles you can buy at a price that is usually lower than their current market value.

Auction Companies. Auction companies sell a wide array of auction goods. Check newspaper ads, auction brochures, and the yellow pages. They often hold valuable information on when and where the next auction will be.

First things first: do not expect perfection. No matter how much the final price is, expect the possibility that the car needs some repairs or some parts need to be replaced. To avoid frustration, include in your budget the amount that may cost you on possible repairs. Inspect the car’s condition before bidding for it. It is wise to come early before the auction starts so that you have enough time to make your car selections. Make a shortlist and inspect them one by one.

Check the papers of the car you want to buy including the mileage, repair record, VIN, and safety ranking. Test drive if the auction house permits it.

Beforehand, do some research on the current market value of the car you are interested in. This will give you a clear idea on how much you will have to set aside on each car you see at the auction site.

The highest bid price you should set for each car of your choice must include the possible repair costs you may have. For example, the current market value of the car is $2,000 and the possible repair cost is at about $400, bid at the maximum of $2,000 minus the repair cost, minus the extra fee you have to pay at the end of the bidding.

Bring an expert if you can so that you can get an impartial assessment on the condition of the car you are interested in.

Things happen very quickly in a car auction so be attentive. A car can be sold within 30 seconds. And before you know it, there are no more available cars for you to bid on. Again, stay within your budget. You should not pay more than the actual market value of the car.

Remember, you can get great deals at a car auction but make sure that you know exactly what to expect in order to increase your chances of getting the best for your money.

At a silent auction, a table or a display that shows the items or services on sale is set up for the people to see. Some items or services may have a minimum bid as they may be of high value. A paper is usually located near the item where the bidders can write their names and the amount they are willing to buy the goods. Some silent auctions have one receptacle to hold the bids for all the goods on sale; others have individual container for each item. The choice however, is really up to the host.

The display gives the chance for the bidders to view all the items during the event and select which among the items they would like to bid.

At a silent auction, previous bids can be shown publicly through a bidding sheet. This allows other bidders to know that they need to bid higher in order to bring home the item. This also gives the bidder a chance to review the current bidding sheet and place their final offer prior to the closing of the auction.

Similarly, the bids at the silent auction can be kept privately throughout the event. All the bids will be calculated at the end of the auction and the highest bidder wins the item for whatever amount he or she has written.

One similar auction website that runs on the same principle as silent auction is eBay where people can see the item and place a bid higher than the previous one made by others.

A silent auction has an advantage over the regular form of auction. Since it is mostly used at charity events, silent auction eliminates the need to hire a professional charity auctioneer.

However, it has drawbacks. A regular auction capitalizes on impulse of the buyers to bid for the items in a very short amount of time. Silent auctions on the other hand allows bidders to consider the amount of their bids longer.

More often than not, charitable events use both silent auctions and regular auctions to take full advantage of both systems.

With that in mind, it is easy to understand that government auctions come in many types. Each of which differ in the manner of how the government obtained the items or the properties and the manner of disposal the government uses to sold off the properties to the public while getting a profit in return.

Here are some of the types of government auctions:

GOVERNMENT SURPLUS AUCTIONS

Also known as the GSA Auctions, is the type where the Government sells everything that it no longer needs. Thus you can find anything and everything being sold here. Typically, the items here are second hand but they are, in most cases, top caliber and buyers can get them at excessively low prices. The government does not aim to make profit on such things; it only wants to get rid of them.

Common items found in GSA auctions are automobiles, jewelry and office equipment. However, surplus buildings, real estate and properties are also sold here.

Many people doubt though whether they should buy too-good-to-be-true items in such auctions. But as they say, to see is to believe. But there is no doubt that most of these things are authentic.

SEIZED PROPERTY AUCTIONS

Mostly selling confiscated properties, seized property auctions sell properties and items that were foreclosed by the government or taken from the original owners due to tax, financial and other related issues. However, seized properties may also come from confiscations from illegal activities like drug dealing or smuggling.

Seized property auctions could also stem from tax seizures. A house, for example, could be seized by the government if the owner fails to pay his taxes, mortgages and bills. This could extend to other properties like clothing, cars, and real estate.

Custom seizure auction, another type of seized properties auction, sells goods that could come from: a) smugglers, b) people who were not able to present enough and detailed information of the merchandise, and c) people who came from other countries bringing along with them unauthorized merchandise.

In other cases, ‘absentee bidding’ is accepted wherein an individual will cast his or her bid online or through a telephone.

In an English auction, a ‘reserve’ price may be set. This is the lowest amount at which the seller is willing to sell the item. This gives the seller the right to refuse the sale if the final bid does not reach the reserve price.

One variant of the English auction is the silent auction wherein people can write down their bids together with their name on a piece of paper. At the end of the auction, the bids will be calculated and the highest bidder wins the item.

Dutch Auction:  This is a type of auction where the auctioneer begins by announcing the highest asking price. The amount is then lowered until someone is willing to buy the item. The bidder pays for the last announced price. This type of auction is convenient if the seller wants to sell the goods quickly since the process requires just a single bid to get a sale.

Chinese Auction:  This is basically an auction and a raffle combined. At Chinese auction, the bidders are not the ones who will call the price. Instead, the bidders will buy a ticker or tickets and place them inside the “hat” from which the winners will be drawn for a specific item. The bidders can buy as much tickets as they want to increase their chances of winning. It is unclear whether or not this type of auction originates in China but for sure, the term is more likely to come from “chance auction”.

Sealed auction:  This is a form of auction where participants place their bids in a concealed way, usually in an envelope. The highest bidder wins and pays the amount of his bid to the seller. A similar version, called the second-price sealed auction is a type of auction where the highest bidder wins but pays the price of the second highest bid.

All-pay Auction: This is a type of auction where all the bidders must pay for the amount they bid regardless of whether they win or not. The highest bidder wins the item.

Here are some bidding safety tips:

Eye Contact

You may be sitting far from the auctioneer but whenever you have the chance, catch his attention. Maintain eye contact afterwards. Keep your eye contact whenever possible, this will establish your identity to him. Thus, when it is time for you to bid on an item you intend to buy, you will have no problem in communicating this to the auctioneer.

Establishing Connection

Once you start bidding see to it that you don’t lose the connection with the auctioneer. You could start by making a determined hand gesture or unabashed bidding using your card. From this point on, he will come back to you whenever your bid is upped. A simple nod or a slight gesture will tell him that you willing to raise the price a bit higher.

Dropping Out

Sometimes people feel pressured if the auctioneer keeps on coming back to them. If you want to quit from the bidding, a polite shaking of the head will signal the auctioneer that you are backing out.

Entering The Bid

You should always know when to enter the bidding. Some people come in too early, some are too late. Both positions have low chances of getting the item or property being auctioned at a price they want. If you want to set the price, try to enter midway into the bidding.

This way you are giving yourself a fair chance of getting out of the bid if you want to quit or pursue your bid if you are serious with the item. If you are doubtful on whether or not you should buy the item, never enter the bid when you feel that there are fewer people participating on it.

If, however, you intentionally entered the bidding game late, there is a chance that you could be overlooked by the auctioneer. If this happens, try to get his attention by politely saying a word to signal your interest.

Quick Decisions

Bidding often happen fast and sometimes it leaves you no room for analyzing whether you should place the next highest bid. In this case, try to think as fast as you can because the bidding will never stop for you.

1.         Know what you want.

Not all auction houses sell everything you need. Some only sell properties while others focus on certain items such as cars, antiques, artworks, memorabilia or jewelry. Police and government auctions sell various things including real estate properties, vehicles, boats, motorcycles, home furnishings, jewelry, and consumer electronics among others. When you know what you want to buy, you’ll know where to go.

2.         Do some research.

Finding a public auction is not rocket science. You don’t need a degree to find one. Search online and “off-line”. Different auction companies and auction houses have websites and newspaper ads where you can get information on when and where the next auction will be. Government and police agencies announce their auction schedules online and on their bulletin boards.

Auctions are also announced in local newspapers especially if the auctioneer is holding it nearby. Do not forget your yellow pages. Auction companies have listings in your dusty old phone book.

Get auction brochures. They contain listings of the items that are about to go on sale which will give you an initial idea on whether the items you are looking for will be sold at the auction or not. In addition, short descriptions are also included in the brochures so that potential buyers get important information on the auction goods.

3.         Ask a friend.

Good things are not always a hard find. Sometimes, all you need to do is to ask your neighbor, your officemate or your relative if they know any auction houses.

4.         Choose within your proximity.

The main reason why you are choosing auctions over other ways of purchasing goods is because you want to save money. So keep your expenses monitored. The amount to spend on the item is not limited to the final sale. It includes the cost of gasoline you spend on the commute, the food you spend for the day, and the time you waste to participate in the auction, not to mention the depreciation of your car on your way to the auction house and back. In order to keep your expenses low, choose an auction house nearest you.

Bidding frenzy is a common problem in joining auctions which also makes some people reluctant in buying from such. Why is this happening and why are there some people who just can’t stop even when the rationality of auctioning is crossed?

Here are three reasons behind this:

One, it may be due to the combination of arousal, excitement, competition, an overwhelming desire to win and extreme reluctance to back out.

Bidding frenzy is comparable with addiction to gambling in terms of the adrenaline rush and the continued excitement running in the psyche of the people involved. The more intense the bidding war becomes, the more interested the bidders become.

The rush of emotions can’t be discounted when trying to understand why people participate in bidding wars. At this point, it really no longer matters whether logic is working or not, what is more important is that the person is satisfied emotionally.  Also, people loose their best judgment when their minds are clouded with emotions.

Two, it may not be purely on winning the item but on testing the personal threshold of the bidder and the competitor.

People who aren’t so interested in the item but get caught in the bidding war no longer feel the need to get the merchandise but the need to make the other person pay dearly when the ending price is several times over than the original price.

Three, it may be due to the lack of experience with auctions.

Bidding wars are more commonly observed among people who are just beginning and are not backed by sufficient information on how exactly they work. It must be noted that some bidding wars are intentionally encouraged by the auction organizers themselves. This is working on the principle that the more interest the public has on the merchandise, the higher the value it receives and the more interested buyers bid on it. This does not only increase the hype over the item but also adds to its market value.

The bidding process enables bidders to dictate the cost of the item they want to buy. While most items are often appraised to determine its minimum price or starting bid, the bidders are still the ones who will decide on the final price of the every item at the auction house.

Purchasing an item from an auction is often faster the than the conventional way of buying.  Believe it or not, one item can be sold within 30 seconds at an auction. An auction is the simplest and fastest way to buy anything!

Generally, any item being sold at an auction is relatively cheaper compared to its actual market value. This does not mean though that you can steal a deal at a dirt cheap price all the time but auction items are usually sold 10% to 15% lower that their actual market value which is a pretty good deal if you want to save on cash.

The auction house or the auction companies allow you to inspect the items before the auction starts. This way, you can get up close and determine how much you are willing to pay for a particular item.

Items vary depending on what is available at the auction. From cars to boats to properties to office furniture to sports memorabilia to personal gadgets; the possibility of owning an item is endless. Some auction houses only focus on specific items such as cars or property. Still, inventory is very wide.

You can buy good quality items from an auction. This is contrary to the common notion that items that are sold there are used and poorly maintained. Designer clothes, jewelry, antiques, household goods and even cars, boats and motorcycles are well-kept before it is being sold at an auction. Or, in the case of seized properties, lots and houses that are being sold are not located in crime-ridden areas.

Finally, payment is even convenient. At the end of the auction, the item(s) you’ve won can be paid in cash, check or with a credit card. Partial or full payment is accepted to ensure that you get the item(s) you’ve won.

A professional charity auctioneer does what he knows best: he connects with the audience, raises the money and sells items as high as possible for your cause. While in the real sense, the bidders have all the control over the final price of each auction goods on sale, a good auctioneer can stimulate the crowd to bring up the cost of the goods by bidding higher. Other volunteers and celebrities can raise the bidders to their feet but it takes more than applause, smiles, and laughs to raise a good amount of money; a task that only he can do.

It does not end here. Not because you see him only as the person who stands on the stage and calls in the bids means that his task is limited to his podium. A professional charity auctioneer can give you useful insights and help you plan better the event that very few members of your team can match. He is not the planner though, but his experience in hosting the event will ensure that it will go smoothly as possible.

Since the auctioneer participates all throughout the planning, he becomes part of the team. This is important since no charity auction will succeed without a good plan and organization. And no charity auction will do exceptionally well without someone who really knows the correct approach on every aspect of what he is doing.

A professional charity auctioneer may cost you some amount but the service he provides is worth more than he charges. Besides, there are auctioneers who will willingly give their service to charity auctions free of charge or for a very small amount.

Take note: a traditional auctioneer has high skills in his on rights but there is a special level of skill required when calling bids for a non-profit auction. The expertise combined with the passion and understanding to the mission and objectives of the clients are something you can only expect from a charity auctioneer.