[Victorian Farmer]

Firstley I would not bother whith sterling .Carlile is the place this week eney think eney good will be at carlile .You can see the owner and historey of the stock .Its the best stock sale .I thort zimbarteles was on Friday at sterling .Be very carful in a strange sale    no whot you wont .Read up on good breeders atending .I do things diferant put in a large bid ,it makes them think .When i sell stock i have no reserve on it .And i dont sell even if its a good price before the sale .The first 3 sales i had the best stock and got top price .Its always best to get the best breeding stock .And not get cast ofs

[shep53]

 Just looked at the catalogue for the ZWARTS , you fill in all your details in the form in the catalogue then when you buy a sheep you put in the lot number and hand it to the assistant in the ring , simple .   The minimum price is ram lambs £130    shearlings £150   prices are in gn's plus %1 for the society  . You really need to sit and watch the sales  so that you understand the process and the auctioneers  voice  .     Take time in your selection and select a first /second/third choice as normally the one you like others like as well

[Big Light]

If you want to practice wait till my sheep are in the ring bring a friend and get them to sit 10 feet away and tell them to copy everything you do
start waving your hand at the first price the auctioneer says then keep going till your arm gets sore
 

Seriously though pick a spot when you bid so the auctioneer can see you , set your self limits with a percentage margin of error,don't go in to early .
Try to listen to the auctioneer before so you can tune in and find a spot you can hear him

Never ever buy sheep without checking out the vitals teeth, eyes, testicles and udder get to the sale early to check them out

Never usually disagree with vf but stirling is a fine sale with top quality stock especially hebrideans (as is Carlisle a fine sale) and its at least 100 miles less distance for those that live north / east of stirling

[mowhaugh]

Re VAT, there will not be VAt on the price of the animal, but will be VAT on marketing charges.

[Womble]

Thanks all.

To clarify in case any other locals are reading, the Zwartbles and a few other commercial breeds are being both shown and sold on Friday 19th at United Auctions, whilst the Hebs are only being shown on Friday 19th and sold on Sat 20th at Caledonian Marts along with other rare breeds.

Really I just want to check out what's on offer from the various different breeders, and make notes for future reference. However, we do have a couple of Z vacancies, so if we see something good we may well have a bid.

Of course if any other TAS people are going to be there and fancy showing me the ropes, there's a coffee and a bacon sarnie in it for you! (Sheepandponies - I already have your number!  ).

[Jamie12]

If you are looking to buy MV accredited sheep make sure you don't bid and win non MV ones too. Seen someone buy a few accredited females then purchase a non MV ram by mistake  .

[devonlady]

Don't  and this is a big don't, appear too interested in any animal before it's auctioned. The seller will probably be near and will ask a friend to bid you up. Certainly don't mention aloud a price you're prepared to go up to!! How do I know this? 

[Womble]

Ooops!!  What a minefield!  I'm liking the advice though, so keep it coming  .

Jamie - we're not MV accredited here, but that is a very good point.

[SallyintNorth]

Don't  and this is a big don't, appear too interested in any animal before it's auctioned. The seller will probably be near and will ask a friend to bid you up. Certainly don't mention aloud a price you're prepared to go up to!! How do I know this? 

I'm sorry to hear you've been tweaked like this, Sylvia - but in 'regular' (weekly / general conventional livestock) auctions, this is something that is very much frowned upon.  If the auctioneer realises this is happening (and they probably will - they know all the sellers and all the regular buyers, and what they buy ), then s/he will ignore the 'runner' (one who is running up the bidding) and a very stern quiet word will be had with both parties later on.

I would certainly agree that it is unwise to discuss your likely top bid, though.

In terms of letting the buyer know of your interest or not - again, I think there is more to be gained by talking to the buyer beforehand (how are they bred, what is the farm like, are they used to ticks, what vaccination regime are they on, etc) than to be lost.  I cannot speak for all types of seller, and of course there are bad eggs in every walk of life, but on the whole I find farming folk to be genuine people. 

[shygirl]

when i have sold at auction, keen buyers will come up and give the third degree on the beast. and ask you what your reserve is. i dont think its a bad thing. remember if something you like goes unsold in the ring - you can negiotiate a price out the back.

[Me]

Had some nice old fellas discussing their top price openly in Welsh next to me the other day - it didn't affect them but never assume!

[devonlady]

Oh, Sally, I should not have put in the  ;)s. It is only that I have seen this happening over 50 years and more. It goes on in every market auction. When I say don't be too enthusiastic I have seen newcomers to the country life standing over a pen of sheep saying loudly "I must have them, darling" and darling saying saying to the nearest farmer "How much are they worth?" and, of course farmer replying "Oh, don,t give more than say 120 each" They may be worth 70_80.  So, of course when that pen comes up the seller having been tipped the wink will get someone to bid them up.
And, without giving offence (I hope) the newbies are easy to spot .

[Davinci]

Hi, there may be 'cut off' figure in many peoples thoughts in auctions. For example you may see similar lots stick on (just example) £65 or below. If you really want a lot then getting your bid in at that 'cut off' price so that others will have to pass that amount rather than you passing that amount can be handy at times.  Best of luck!

[SallyintNorth]

Just been at our regular auction today, and noticed that they have a note on the catalogue to the effect that new buyers wanting to pay by cheque will need a bank letter or other equivalent reference.  I assume a credit or debit card is no problem, and cash certainly isn't.

[Anke]

Don't  and this is a big don't, appear too interested in any animal before it's auctioned. The seller will probably be near and will ask a friend to bid you up. Certainly don't mention aloud a price you're prepared to go up to!! How do I know this? 

I'm sorry to hear you've been tweaked like this, Sylvia - but in 'regular' (weekly / general conventional livestock) auctions, this is something that is very much frowned upon.  If the auctioneer realises this is happening (and they probably will - they know all the sellers and all the regular buyers, and what they buy ), then s/he will ignore the 'runner' (one who is running up the bidding) and a very stern quiet word will be had with both parties later on.

I have seen it happening even at the tup sales in Kelso....and in collusion with the autioneers. I wasn't buying btw, but the whole thing has made me very wary of buying at auction.

Probably Carlisle is a bit different, as it is a rare breed sale with lots of smallholders (as opposed to "proper" farmers) coming from a quite a large area, not the regulars. However remember the auction mart usually get a % of the sale - the higher the price the higher the mart's gain too.... it is not unheard off that auctioneers have good friends in the audience too. I would not (ever again!) make my intentions clear to the auctioneer (as to which lot I was interested in), just collect my number and be vague....

PS.: I don't think I will be coming down tomorrow.