WHAT AUCTION-GOERS DISLIKE

I opened my last column with this excerpt from a reader’s letter:  "Steve, I’m a new auctioneer.  Do you have any specific advice for me as I start my new career?"

I began by advising this auctioneer to "always do the right thing."  I stated "[t]here are many things in this life far more important than money” and emphasized he should “never let financial considerations override (his) integrity – NEVER!"

Then I listed ten things that I’ve learned auction-goers like about auctions.  Now I’m going to hit ten items on the opposite side of the fence.  Let’s see what really puts a thorn in the heels of bidders.

First, bidders are increasingly catching onto the bad and illegal tricks that some auctioneers use.  They don’t like shills, phantom bids, or bogus “buy backs.”  These are not practices that will earn an auctioneer a reputation for integrity and fair dealing, but they will tar a reputation with the black pitch of fraud.  Once that stain is there, it’s next to impossible to remove. 

Second, bidders hate unannounced seller bidding.  Who can blame them?  It’s illegal, unethical, and a serious problem.  Even honest auctioneers fear it.  That’s because they have no way to know everyone a dishonest seller might dispatch to secretly bid to illegally inflate prices.  Auctioneers must be ever alert for the scourge of unannounced seller bidding and do everything they can to prevent it.

Third, bidders strongly dislike reproductions being represented as originals.  Many auction-goers don’t know an original from a fake and they depend upon the auctioneer to provide reliable information.  There’s nothing wrong with an auctioneer selling announced reproductions, but selling reproductions as originals is fraud.  Whatever short-term gain there might be, this practice has negative, long-term consequences for both auctioneers who do it and the auction industry in general.

Fourth, too many auctioneers waste valuable time whining.  We’ve all seen this.  I’ve got seven children and I hate whining – so do auction-goers.  Bidders don’t care and don’t want to know if an auctioneer is upset by low prices, a poor sale, an argument with his wife, or anything else.  While on the block, the auctioneer should do the best he can with what he’s got – and smile all the while.  That’s professionalism. 

Fifth, bidders dislike auctioneers and their staff members bidding on and buying the merchandise.  This complaint seems to be rooted in a combination of distrust as to whether these bids are legitimate, plus the feeling that the goods are being bought from under the very people who came to the auction to do the buying (the bidders).

Sixth, would you like it if someone insulted you?  Of course you wouldn’t.  Well, bidders don’t like insults either.  They resent being talked down to by auctioneers and they chafe at being abused and degraded, either individually or collectively.  An auctioneer’s cashier once wrote me:  “Auctioneers should realize that bidders are as smart as they are and should treat them accordingly.”  There’s a paycheck of wisdom in that nugget.   

Seventh, move it!  That’s right – bidders hate slow auctions.  People have a lot of competing interests for their time, so they want auctioneers to put the stuff up, sell it, and move along.  If the auctioneers fail to do this, the bidders will move along.

Eighth, bidders resent being treated as less than equal to other bidders who they see as receiving preferential treatment from the auctioneer.  Auctioneers should work hard to build a reputation for honesty and fairness with everyone.  Remember, all money spends alike, no matter the source.  

Ninth, smoking is a huge negative with a lot of bidders, particularly in auctions conducted indoors.  One auctioneer wrote me that he smokes Cuban cigars, but he added that he had banned smoking at his auctions several years ago.  Once the ban took effect, his business improved.  Both of my wife’s grandfathers spent their lives growing tobacco in southern Virginia and both smoked until they died … of lung cancer!  A lot of families have felt this pain, and there’s a lot of resentment against smoking even in tobacco country.

Tenth, a potpourri of complaints I’ve received would include things such as uncontrolled crowd noise, repeated disruptions, general confusion, poor sound equipment, stopping the auction before everything advertised has been offered, and charging for admission and bid numbers.  Bidders don’t like any of this.

It’s important for auctioneers to know what bidders like and dislike, because they’re in business to attract these people and sell to them.  You won’t much good selling if bidders don’t like you or how you run your business.

Here are a few additional thoughts on dealing with bidders for the new auctioneer who wrote me.

If you want to be a big success that is widely liked and respected, be a good guy – be honest and sincere, do what you promise, and always do your best.  When you make a mistake, acknowledge it and say you’re sorry.  You’ll have plenty of chances to practice this and you’ll find most people are very understanding and forgiving if you’ve tried to do the right thing.  Learn from your mistakes and do better the next time.

Ask yourself what it is that you would like to know if you were in the bidders’ shoes – then tell people what you know.  Fair disclosure is not only fair, it’s a great inoculation against hard feelings, legal claims, and costly litigation.

There’s no place in auctions for deceit, lies, trickery, or fraud.  Be an honest auctioneer, a pillar of integrity, and always a gentleman.

Finally, guide your life by the wisdom of the golden rule:  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  You can’t get better advice than that.

Steve Proffitt is general counsel of J. P. King Auction Company, Inc. (www.jpking.com) in Gadsden, AL.  He is also an auctioneer and instructor at both Reppert School of Auctioneering in Auburn, IN and Mendenhall School of Auctioneering in High Point, NC.  This information does not represent legal advice or the formation of an attorney-client relationship and readers should seek the advice of their own attorneys on all legal issues.  Mr. Proffitt may be contacted by email at sproffitt@jpking.com.

 
John Stephen Proffitt III




 

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