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Author Topic: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....  (Read 13965 times)

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« on: September 16, 2014, 09:56:18 pm »

There are a couple of sales in Stirling this weekend, so we're going to go along for a look. Of course I *may* cough at the wrong moment and buy something by accident - we'll see  :innocent: .

I find the whole auction thing a bit daunting though TBH.  Can anybody give me the idiot's guide please?  :thumbsup:
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2014, 10:00:10 pm »
Go to the office and register to bid before the sale - then wave your arm around a lot

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2014, 10:00:37 pm »
well based on my experience of 1 auction, set your limit before you start on lots your interested in.


sit on your hands till your ready to bid,


bid once (but as a new bidder you need to wave frantically as the auctioneer will ignore you)


buy cracking sheep you went for and nothing else...


although if i had as much space and as few sheep as you, id have come back from lanark with a trailer full :-D


have fun :-)







Mammyshaz

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • Durham
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2014, 10:17:01 pm »
Be familiar with which lot number is which lot and where the auctioneer is up to.
 Not like OH who was bidding for the electric fencing which we had gone there for and managed to buy the little broody coop at far too high a price  Then was so confused at how that happened that he missed bidding for the very large coop that I also had gone for  ::)

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2014, 11:23:28 pm »

Have a really good look at the animals forward, in their pens before the auction starts. You can get into the pen and handle the animal gently, so you can check mouth, feet, genitals, check a ewe isn't a wether, etc and check for ease of handling v wildness.  Take a note of the lot number and the order in which the sheep are being sold.

If possible, listen in well before your choices come up, to get your 'ear' in - auctioneers are a bit difficult to hear and understand.  You will also get some idea of the range of prices on that day.

I tend not to wave frantically, just lift my card where the auctioneer or his spotter can see you and your bidding number, and maybe flap it around a bit til you're clocked.  Once you've caught his attention, you just need to maintain eye contact and nod when necessary, without dithering if poss.
 If bidding reaches your max, then drop your eyes, drop your card out of sight and shake your head 'no' when he looks for your next bid.
If you win the bidding, then hold your card up so the spotter can take a note of it.

I never make the first bid - often the auctioneer will start high and quickly drop down to what he intended to be the starting point anyway  ::)  If there are several folk already bidding then I let them do the initial work and I only start bidding once they start to drop out.  You have to be on your toes though.

I try to keep in mind that there are plenty of similar sheep on offer, so I don't go over my max, unless there's an animal I absolutely have to have no matter the price, in which case I just keep bidding confidently and promptly til the other person chickens out  ;D
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

mowhaugh

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Scottish Borders
    • Facebook
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2014, 04:24:03 am »
Great advice from Fleecewife.  Don't bid on anything without having checked all the essentials, try to look quietly from the outside of the pen for a bit so you can see it walk round, and don't underestimate the time it will take you to check out what you like in the pens, get to the ring, get a seat and get tuned in to what is going on.

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2014, 09:09:31 am »
Great advice – thanks all!  I had a good chat with Mrs Womble last night about what we're looking for. Tried to emphasise conformation, breeding, teeth etc. Of course she's more interested in how many socks it has and whether it's got an appropriate name "Oooh, there's one called Bramble - that's lovely!", so we're probably setting ourselves up for a comedy of errors before we start!  ;D

What about the actual practicalities then?   So you register with the auctioneer / office first and get your number. Then you bid on the animals you like the look of. 

So are the amounts bid “per life” or “per pen”, and are you bidding in pounds or guineas?  For example, say I win a sheep at £100, how much would I actually expect to pay?

Then, who / how / when do I pay, and when do I have to collect the animals by?

I’m sure it’s all very straightforward – I just don’t want to be caught out with anything I’ve not thought through!!
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2014, 09:30:16 am »
£1.05

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2014, 09:32:55 am »
<<<So are the amounts bid “per life” or “per pen”, and are you bidding in pounds or guineas?  For example, say I win a sheep at £100, how much would I actually expect to pay?>>>


 This is one of the things you have to keep your ears skinned for  :D - per life or per pen.   It can depend on the mart, the type of sale, the individual auctioneer, and he can change his mind part way through. It's not always clear (Mr F came home with an extra lamb from Melton as the auctioneer, who was inaudible, changed from per life to pairs within a pen, from one sheep to the next.  Anyway, she's a nice wee lamb  :roflanim:

Prices in £ or gns is in the catalogue, or ask in the office when you get your bidding number.  Pedigree sales are often in guineas.   When you come to pay, your guineas have been converted into £s, but you pay what you've bid.



<<<Then, who / how / when do I pay, and when do I have to collect the animals by?

I’m sure it’s all very straightforward – I just don’t want to be caught out with anything I’ve not thought through!!>>>



As soon as you've won your last animal, get along to the office - the info will have come through instantly.  There are often 2 queues - one for cash and one for cards.  The cash one moves much more quickly so take cash if you can.
It usually says in the catalogue when you have to have your animals out of the place.  It's vaguely possible that at Stirling you can keep them there overnight, as some people have long journeys home, but I'm not sure on that one.

One little thing is to make sure your purchases don't go off in someone else's trailer.  Mistakes and theft are not impossible, especially if the leaving is a bit chaotic, with no-one to check animals v paperwork.
A couple of years ago someone had to be chased up the A9 as they had the wrong sheep with them, and at Melton Mr F just happened to catch someone taking his favourite new lamb away..........
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2014, 12:03:08 pm »
try and visit an auction before you want to buy so you know the ropes - and can actually understand the auctioneer - this takes time!!
study and research the catalogue - you will get names and addresses of the entries and google it as often local show/sale catalogues etc are also online so you will see who was at what show and won what, very useful. this can help weed out the serious breeders from the chancers. its amazing what comes up online!

stick to what you are looking for, and remember if it is rare breeds often the better registered stock is sold at home and the poorer stock is sold at the mart. probably different for commercials

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2014, 12:23:01 pm »
check the catalogue for any buyers premiums as well


lanark bidding is in pounds but they add 5% on when you pay!!!




Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2014, 02:17:54 pm »
Not sure if it's been said -

But some things to remember -

It's price per life usually.
There will be VAT added on top.
There is sometimes a 'buyers premium'.

Before the sale starts, you need to go to the office with your holding number and register and get a bidding number. After the sale,  or once you've finished buying, you take your number to the office and pay. You then have a receipt, which will allow you to load and remove your animals.

So figure out what you can bid when all of that is taken into account, and don't get carried away. It's very easy to get caught up in the moment.

Don't be afraid to get in and feel the sheep, some folk may frown, but f*** em, it's your money.

I personally hate buying at marts, as often you are buying in problems. I've nearly always bought better stock, at a better price off farm.

Oh yes, and look out for the luck money lol.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2014, 02:21:10 pm by Porterlauren »

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2014, 03:02:01 pm »

There will be VAT added on top.

No, I don't think there is VAT added on any normal UK food or wool producing animals.

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2014, 03:29:51 pm »
When I bid at the marts there hasnt been any vat added  :thinking:

Bidding is done on "per life" and goes up in "halfs" a half is a 50p, so he will say "60, and a half, 1 and a half, 2 and half etc all the way up to 9 and a half and then he says "70"

so there can be 20 bids in between 60 and 70, as it goes up in 50 pences, this is at the thame markets and thame sheep fairs, my be different elsewhere

wait for the price to go down, then bid up, bid earlyish though so he see's your face, otherwise if you wait till last you may be missed, I bid by nodding my head, then show my number when (if) I win

I also know my budget and stick to it, although if you really need that particular animal then it doesn't matter going (a bit) higher

I always try and locate the owners of the pen I like first and put a name to the face, also I always go and say good morning to the auctioneer and let him know what I am looking for that day, he then may try and look for your face if he remembers if something suitable comes through


Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: Buying at Auction for Dummies.....
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2014, 03:33:09 pm »
Yes, sorry, had a brain freeze, you don't pay VAT on any meet or milk bearing animals!

I meant, market charges.

 ::)

 

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