How a live Auction works
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Registration
Preview
Bidding
Payment
Check out
Registration
To receive your bidder number and auction catalog, you will need to fill out a registration card and show your picture I.D. Your bidder number is printed on the cover of the catalog. Please read the terms of sale carefully. You are responsible for any purchases made with your bidder number. You've just signed a contract!
Preview
Official preview times are;
9 AM to 6:10 PM every Wednesday for the weekly vehicle auction
9 AM to 5 pm on the Friday prior to the Warehouse auction, as well as 8 AM to start time day of the auction. The "General Auction" or "Warehouse Auction" takes place on the first Saturday of each month.
Preview is the most important part of the auction. Examine the vehicles and goods you want to bid on carefully. Make notes in your catalog. Now is the time to inspect and ask questions about a vehicle or goods, not after you buy it!
All vehicles are sold "as-is, where is" without warranties.
If you see something you want during preview, but you can't make it to the auction, you can leave an absentee bid. (Forms are available in the office.) You will need to know the lot number and the maximum amount you're willing to bid. During the auction, the auctioneer will bid for you, starting at half of your maximum bid, and bidding up to, but not over, the amount of your bid. A $500 deposit will be required.
A word about purchasing vehicles by auction: Please note you do not have an automatic right to "back out" of a vehicle purchase. Therefore, inspect the vehicles closely during preview! The vehicles sold at our auctions range from late-model luxury cars in mint condition to "fixer-uppers" for mechanics that like a challenge. If you don't know cars inside and out, bring someone with you who does. If you want to start a vehicle, go to the key counter, present your driver's license, and ask for the keys. For insurance reasons, we cannot allow you to drive the vehicles, but you can start the engine and test the accessories .
Bidding
This is the fun part! Each vehicle will be driven through the building. The auctioneer will announce the lot number and describe the vehicle, announcing everything we know about it, whether good or bad. Then the bidding starts.
This process goes very quickly and can be confusing the first time. Read the following description and watch as a few items are sold to get a feel for how it works.
The auctioneer will suggest a starting price: "Who'll give me one thousand dollars to start?" If nobody wants to start at that price, the auctioneer will lower the amount until someone bids. To bid, simply hold up your catalog with the bidder number showing. A "bid catcher" will point to you and shout, "YES, sir!" The auctioneer will start asking for higher bids: "I have eight hundred dollars, do I hear nine hundred?" If someone wants to bid $900, he will raise his bidder number, the bid catcher will point to him and shout, "YES, sir!" If you raise the bid, the bid catcher will point to you and the other person will be out. The process continues until nobody wants to bid any higher: "I have nineteen hundred dollars, who'll give me nineteen-fifty? Going once, twice, third and final call: SOLD! For nineteen hundred dollars to bidder number 268." A clerk will write down the winning amount and the buyer number. The entire process is also recorded on audio-cassette, in case there are any questions later. If yours is the winning bid, the vehicle is now YOURS! At this point, please go to the office immediately to make a deposit.
Payment
When you are done bidding for the day, go to the office and present your bidder number to the cashier. We will print out an itemized invoice of your purchases from the computer. You may pay with Visa, MasterCard, Cash, or certified funds. A $500 deposit is required for each vehicle on the day of the auction and the balance is due by 5:00 PM Friday for Wednesday auctions. 25% of your total is due as a deposit on non-vehicle purchases with the balance due Tuesday at 3 PM for Saturday auctions. Complete terms of each auction are in your catalog; again, please read them carefully !
Check Out
Take your invoice to the checkout counter. An auction employee will be assigned to drive your vehicle to you, or gather purchased goods. Please do not pick up purchases by yourself. Employees only in our back storage lot, please. The employees are not allowed to give you any purchase unless it is on your paid invoice. A storage fee of $10.00 per day will be charged for vehicles left for more than five days.
That's it! Now you know how to buy at an Ehli Turners Auctions. If you want to be on our mailing list to be notified of future auctions, just ask at the office. (If you buy something, your name will be added automatically). Sign-up on our homepage to receive email newsletters about upcoming auctions and never miss another. |
