Live auction Excitement versus Online Bidding Security.
The adrenaline rush of an auction has traditionally been based around auction fever running wild and overbidding in the heat of the moment or hesitating and watching the bargain of a lifetime disappear into somebody else’s car or home. More recently, we have been concerned with public safety and maintaining safe distances with COVID risks. Never boring and predictable, the live auction is an event that we might consider too impractical in our daily lives.
Is the live auction too unwieldy and outdated for our fast-paced post Lockdown lives?
A serious question for many of us. Would we be better staying at home where we can be sure of our social distance? The stay at home process does give us a chance consult with our family and check our bank balances as we place bids. Will online FAQ and user rating systems protect us from taking financial risks of purchasing goods sight unseen? Let me as an auctioneer show you why the live auction is still the BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!
Online auctions only cannot fully replace the thrill of a live auction or the delight of chasing an absolute bargain. We do not meet our adversaries head on in a virtual space so new friendships and networks cannot be made. A spirited Social Media discussion thread comes nowhere near sharing a laugh in person. At my first live auction, I met up with an old school friend that I had not seen in decades. Now we meet fortnightly. While my second live auction introduced me to a gorgeous radiogram that became the basis of my life as a collector (with a touch up or two). A closer look at a box of hand tools can make all the difference to bidding on yet more clutter or getting that essential item to finish a job.
“An auction takes a long time” I hear you say.
I could not agree with you more. There are live auctions that go on for hours and are too long for our busy lives. Serious collectors are big fans of longer auctions and, as a part of that lifestyle will travel miles to go to an auction. For them, the bigger the better. But for the rest of us Live Auctions really need to fun events we can do quickly before we are claimed by other responsibilities. Better yet, live auctions need to be an event that our families will enjoy too.
“But what about overspending?”
Seriously guys, we run that risk every time we pass a well set up retail complex or these days open our laptops and cell phones! Live auctions have a lot in common with other live events like concerts events or theatre. A great auctioneer (which I certainly hope I am) can liven up the day with laughter, jokes and speed you through a delightful process where the gavel rules and our doubts and worries can be left outside of the auction room.
