Online tractor auction bidding/winning

Well, I don't know, never have done an online auction, and tend to think I never will.  But in my opinion, why waste time bidding when the closing sale is days/weeks away?  

Why? My time is valuable. I'd prefer to bid online and check back later to see the result - like I do on Ebay.

I think in the end it boils down to what you are willing to pay for an item regardless if you bid against a live person or a squirrel. Once I bid on a 7080 that I am pretty sure Bigfoot was the other bidder so I let him have it.
But that brings up another question:
I see reserve set on some items at the big ticket auction events but never see one listed with a reserve at local ones. If an item does have reserve, why not be up front rather than ghost it?

I've never bid on those hybrid auctions. When I bid online, it's with either our local auction house doing an online-only auction, or it's with BigIron, where every bid is also online. I've had good experiences with both, but that's because our local auctioneer is a clean guy

Recent experience. After I phoned & visited with the seller during a live consignment auction(4pm), who informed that his particular equipment item that I was interested in was in good repair and had “no reserve,” I bid on it & “won” it(7pm). The entire auction ended much later that night. So before I went to bed, I sent a follow-up corespondence email to the Auctioneer about my winnings. Never received any reply that night from Auctioneer. No reply in morning (6-8am)either. So I called the Auctioneer 8am to correspond. Secretary asked me my bidder# & looked up my “won” item to inform me that I had “not won it.” I insisted that could not be correct as the internet auction service listed me as “winning bidder.” Secretary then stammered around & created some excuse that their office computers had just clitched off-line & that I’d need to call back at 9am to talk to Auctioneer when he was scheduled to arrived at work. Meanwhile I called the seller who informed that during this live auction, after he talked with me, he established a reserve on his item. What?? So I went back to my phone’s auction page(still had it opened) and it still list the item, it’s lot number, its final bid, & quote - stating that I (my bidder#) was “winning bidder.” I took a phone screenshot photo of that auction page & texted it to the seller & the Auctioneer. Seller admitted in text, to his reserve move during live auction. Auctioneer was speechless to the information except to say, “ if you didn’t receive a sales receipt from our Auctioneer company, then you didn’t win item.
Then I called the internet auction company that offers the online service & explained my findings. They were disappointed to hear that such tactics were allowed & exercised by Auctioneer during a live auction. These actions were spelled out in their “terms of conditions” as unruly & troublesome and request notification about it anytime it happens. The internet auction service agreed that the Auctioneer acted out of bounds, but only made note of the Auctioneer’s business info (address, auction type-consignment farm equipment, online only, & date). Further stated that if any other problems arose per that entity that it would be banned from utilizing their internet service.

I think if I really wanted to pursue justice, I could have. I had proof. Seller admitted via my text message that he had told me no reserve earlier, but then added reserve while auction was already in progress.
I bid according to how seller described item (in good shape). Sight unseen for me though. So I figured that if bidder didn’t call/text me about his new reserve, then maybe he didn’t tell me whole truth about his item either?? Auctioneer wouldn’t commit to any wrong doing on his part, but I’ll never visit or engage in any of his listing again.
For the internet auction service, I’ve successfully bought items from them before. So I will continue working with them.

Tbone95 wrote: KMAG wrote: Why? My time is valuable. I'd prefer to bid online and check back later to see the result - like I do on Ebay. Well, I didn't mean "why bother all together", I mean why waste your time so early in the process.  There's a ton of different scenarios, but if you're days away from let's say a running, useful, popular tractor, and the bid is $100, why mess around when you know the price is way off and the time is way out there, that's all I meant.  Yeah, time is valuable for me too, so what's the difference if I have to go back time to time many times, or set the time aside to buy something I need?  To each there own, I don't go to many auctions, and like I said, never have done an online one.

Im with Gary on the bidding - then it just appears under the watch/ bid, also like to just casually bump up the bids to see how quick others are watching it

AC7060IL wrote: Recent experience. After I phoned & visited with the seller during a live consignment auction(4pm), who informed that his particular equipment item that I was interested in was in good repair and had “no reserve,” I bid on it & “won” it(7pm). The entire auction ended much later that night. So before I went to bed, I sent a follow-up corespondence email to the Auctioneer about my winnings. Never received any reply that night from Auctioneer. No reply in morning (6-8am)either. So I called the Auctioneer 8am to correspond. Secretary asked me my bidder# & looked up my “won” item to inform me that I had “not won it.” I insisted that could not be correct as the internet auction service listed me as “winning bidder.” Secretary then stammered around & created some excuse that their office computers had just clitched off-line & that I’d need to call back at 9am to talk to Auctioneer when he was scheduled to arrived at work. Meanwhile I called the seller who informed that during this live auction, after he talked with me, he established a reserve on his item. What?? So I went back to my phone’s auction page(still had it opened) and it still list the item, it’s lot number, its final bid, & quote - stating that I (my bidder#) was “winning bidder.” I took a phone screenshot photo of that auction page & texted it to the seller & the Auctioneer. Seller admitted in text, to his reserve move during live auction. Auctioneer was speechless to the information except to say, “ if you didn’t receive a sales receipt from our Auctioneer company, then you didn’t win item. Then I called the internet auction company that offers the online service & explained my findings. They were disappointed to hear that such tactics were allowed & exercised by Auctioneer during a live auction. These actions were spelled out in their “terms of conditions” as unruly & troublesome and request notification about it anytime it happens. The internet auction service agreed that the Auctioneer acted out of bounds, but only made note of the Auctioneer’s business info (address, auction type-consignment farm equipment, online only, & date). Further stated that if any other problems arose per that entity that it would be banned from utilizing their internet service. I think if I really wanted to pursue justice, I could have. I had proof. Seller admitted via my text message that he had told me no reserve earlier, but then added reserve while auction was already in progress. I bid according to how seller described item (in good shape). Sight unseen for me though. So I figured that if bidder didn’t call/text me about his new reserve, then maybe he didn’t tell me whole truth about his item either?? Auctioneer wouldn’t commit to any wrong doing on his part, but I’ll never visit or engage in any of his listing again. For the internet auction service, I’ve successfully bought items from them before. So I will continue working with them.

Before internet bidding was popular I was at a live in person sale. I was bidding on a item and swear to this day I was high bidder. Bidding stopped and I pulled out my number but auctioneer took the other guys number. I spoke up and the spotter that was watching me agreed I was in. The auctioneer made I gesture to spotter to make him shut up.

My point is if they want to be crooked they will. I’ve been to sales before where it’s obvious they just pointing of into air and don’t have a real bidder.

victoryallis wrote: AC7060IL wrote: Recent experience. After I phoned & visited with the seller during a live consignment auction(4pm), who informed that his particular equipment item that I was interested in was in good repair and had “no reserve,” I bid on it & “won” it(7pm). The entire auction ended much later that night. So before I went to bed, I sent a follow-up corespondence email to the Auctioneer about my winnings. Never received any reply that night from Auctioneer. No reply in morning (6-8am)either. So I called the Auctioneer 8am to correspond. Secretary asked me my bidder# & looked up my “won” item to inform me that I had “not won it.” I insisted that could not be correct as the internet auction service listed me as “winning bidder.” Secretary then stammered around & created some excuse that their office computers had just clitched off-line & that I’d need to call back at 9am to talk to Auctioneer when he was scheduled to arrived at work. Meanwhile I called the seller who informed that during this live auction, after he talked with me, he established a reserve on his item. What?? So I went back to my phone’s auction page(still had it opened) and it still list the item, it’s lot number, its final bid, & quote - stating that I (my bidder#) was “winning bidder.” I took a phone screenshot photo of that auction page & texted it to the seller & the Auctioneer. Seller admitted in text, to his reserve move during live auction. Auctioneer was speechless to the information except to say, “ if you didn’t receive a sales receipt from our Auctioneer company, then you didn’t win item. Then I called the internet auction company that offers the online service & explained my findings. They were disappointed to hear that such tactics were allowed & exercised by Auctioneer during a live auction. These actions were spelled out in their “terms of conditions” as unruly & troublesome and request notification about it anytime it happens. The internet auction service agreed that the Auctioneer acted out of bounds, but only made note of the Auctioneer’s business info (address, auction type-consignment farm equipment, online only, & date). Further stated that if any other problems arose per that entity that it would be banned from utilizing their internet service. I think if I really wanted to pursue justice, I could have. I had proof. Seller admitted via my text message that he had told me no reserve earlier, but then added reserve while auction was already in progress. I bid according to how seller described item (in good shape). Sight unseen for me though. So I figured that if bidder didn’t call/text me about his new reserve, then maybe he didn’t tell me whole truth about his item either?? Auctioneer wouldn’t commit to any wrong doing on his part, but I’ll never visit or engage in any of his listing again. For the internet auction service, I’ve successfully bought items from them before. So I will continue working with them. Before internet bidding was popular I was at a live in person sale. I was bidding on a item and swear to this day I was high bidder. Bidding stopped and I pulled out my number but auctioneer took the other guys number. I spoke up and the spotter that was watching me agreed I was in. The auctioneer made I gesture to spotter to make him shut up. My point is if they want to be crooked they will. I’ve been to sales before where it’s obvious they just pointing of into air and don’t have a real bidder.

PeteMN wrote: "We see the  maximums when the item is offered to be sold and start at that number with that online bidder being "in" ------I hope you're meaning that you start at the highest internet bid on an item which wasn't outbid by another bidder, not the highest max bid that any bidder entered.  I don't think there's any accountability for auctioneers or the tech companies that offer the online bidding service to keep the system from crashing during an auction.  If it drops out, auctioneers just shrug and say that they won't have to pay the internet bidding company for that day's service.  Sure they may lose some commission, the seller may get lower prices, but that's about it.  Meanwhile lots of online bidders got the shaft.  I think auctioneers get too much of a free pass.