We all have our "Nature" I'm chitty chatty, love to say funny things at the right and wrong times. Friendly, helpful, out going to an extent, and an Auction just makes me BUZZ and Hyped up ready to do battle!
I take my Auction buying very very seriously, but no one would know unless they come up against me a few times.... I'm a wicked clown. I am not afraid to say something funny about a lot, I love to hear the Gallery Laugh WITH Me. I make sure everyone knows I'm there, but heck I'm Mr. Nice and Funny. I'm not a Dealer or anyone to reckon with.
Until a lot comes along that I WANT! I'll try anything short of having my girl friend jump up and take off her shirt at the opportune moment to win a lot at MY PRICE. Thats what your there for, pay your price, not pay what the Auctioneer wants you to pay, or most important, your not trying to pay what your opponent wants you to HAVE to pay.
Nice Guy sure, but Wolf Spider too, If it looks like my opponent will not give up before I hit my target, I'll make him PAY for it! I will try to get him to pay far too much for it. This is tricky and not to be done with out knowing your competition. As it can back fire leaving you paying far too much! I've done it.
People who are not in a "HAND" with me see me as a fun loving clownish old fart with not much to do on a Monday Night :) I bid a lot but never really finish with a final bid.
I'm too cheap perhaps, I'm just there for the company of others, what ever they think of me is fine, as long as they don't think about what I really am.
What I really am is a thief. If I can't get it in my STEAL Range I don't want it at all.... well exceptions to everything!
1st I go knowing before hand WHAT I WANT and WHY I want it. I put a range as to what I'll be willing to pay, and then I GUESS ( Estimate ) it will sell for and how much I can resell it for. So I don't ever say well this will go for 100 and that all I'll pay..... it depends on a lot of factors, but I have my Spread.
Many of the Auctions I go too have a mix of people, Dealers and civilians. I'd say on average 70% are dealers and the rest just looking for a deal,. Civilians fear the Dealers, and the Dealers fear the Civilians.
Civilians think the Dealers will run the bids too high for them to compete, while the Dealers KNOW, the Civilians WILL run the Bids up! Collectors can be a pain as sometimes they will go much higher than you can. He would pay full retail for his Item at a Shop anyway, so what if he has to pay retail at Auction? He'll do it if he wants it, Collectors can whip you out of a hand very quick and not much you can do about it ether.
Most Civilians won't go up against you at all. or drop out when you show some force. They are the weak hands playing with scared money and don't normally prove to be a problem.
Other Dealers and or Pickers. These are the vultures ;) like me. We don't want to pay too much, or nothing at all if we could get away with it, These are the Competition , it's these people you have to maneuver around.
If you regularly visit one Auction House, you'll learn who the Pickers and Dealers are.
You meet all kinds of people, and I never fail to make at least 1 new Auction Buddy, a civilian if possible. The more civilians who know your a Dealer, and more important, LIKE you, the better chance they wont bid against you. Once and awhile "Mistakenly" make a bid against them. Then all the sudden Say "Oh Sorry didn't know you wanted this, I'll drop out." Let them get the Items they want, most of the time they don't want what you do anyway... but it helps instill the thought that your a good guy and do em a good turn to get a lot at a good price, when YOU the Expert bows out graciously.
It's hard to know who the Collectors are, since most of them specialize and only show up when the Items they collect are up that night.. so you will always have a few Collectors in every Auction.. because people collect everything, and thats why we do what we do :)
If you do tangle with a collector , ( unless he is even CHEAPER than you,) your going to end up on the short side of the deal. Plus if you do loose to them, they now HATE you for running the price up on them.
Image Types you'll see at Auction.
The Bow Tied Expert... I don't see these guys and gals very often in my end of the market, but if you spot one or two, most likely there's something going for bid that is worth a whole lot more than you thought, and chances that you have a shot at it are next to none.
The Hardened Grizzled Dealer.... These guys come off as GRUMPY, nasty, uncooperative, only after their prizes. Often these guys are good sources of information, if you can catch them Off Auction, or break down their defenses and befriend them!
The Part Timer.... these are Dealers who do it mostly for fun and just LOVE Antiques and Auctions and I love these folks, many have specialized knowledge, they are friendly and helpful to a "Noob"
The Country Bumpkin...... Alert Warning! There is NO SUCH THING! It's all an act. In Fact that Country Bumpkin is SELLING what YOU are Buying.... Who's the Bumpkin?
The Good Time Charlie.... Me! Don't look like he pays too much attention. more interested in talking to other people, joking, try to make some Auction friends. While secretly starting bids and running up prices and dropping out a lot. No one is ever sure you are really going after that lot or just "Hoping to get in cheap" Keep em Guessing.
There are of course many more Image types, and even Different Image types for Auctioneers! Look at those around you... you can pick up valuable information that you can use during a Bidding round. If that lady's been buying every WELLER Vase for sale, your going to have to do some fancy foot work to wrestle one away from her.
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