Farm Equipment - Buying equipment at auction with the INTERNET ??

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Buying equipment at auction with the INTERNET ??

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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56503
Printed Date: 07 Sep 2025 at 12:31am
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Topic: Buying equipment at auction with the INTERNET ??

Posted By: DougG
Subject: Buying equipment at auction with the INTERNET ??
Date Posted: 07 Sep 2012 at 4:37pm

I was at the AC auction today and over heard another auctioneer talking how the SPOTBID , INTERNET bidding has changed the prices on tractors equipment at auctions - he was talking how much more money things bring and people just see a picture or web cam ; if i,m spending anything over 500 bucks i,m gonna see it in person !!!

Replies:

Posted By: JW in MO
Date Posted: 07 Sep 2012 at 6:11pm

Absolutly!!

I wanted a tractor that was on an internet auction, looked at the 15 photo's but made an appointment to look at it in person. The photographer was very skilled as to take the pictures so as not to show any welds, or other defects due to angle or sometimes a glare from the sun. Owner also didn't represent it acurately on the phone either as, "it probably just needs a little carb work to run." The motor was locked up tight and there were welds that looked like were done by beginers or worse. Somebody paid over 9k for it and would hope had all the information I did.

I've bought tractors sight unseen but with the stipulation that I had the right of refusal if it is not as described.

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Posted By: DougG
Date Posted: 07 Sep 2012 at 6:28pm

True , this 8030 today had just had 5 grand spent on the engine , coolant in the oil - but that was 6 years ago ,

Posted By: Kurt WI
Date Posted: 07 Sep 2012 at 7:49pm

I dont know i guess Ive been pretty lucky bought a lot of equipment over the phone just looking at pics, but ive heard some get really burnt!!

Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 07 Sep 2012 at 7:54pm

It's definitely difficult to accurately determine the value of something by viewing it through the lens of the seller's camera... and when it comes to auction services, they're not only skilled at evaluating something, they're skilled at providing denyability for the seller.

Unfortunately, many auction services realize that restricted view or sight-unseen auction bidding can work to advantage of BOTH bidding scenarios... i.e... you see a combination auction online, and the live auction price is climbing, so you bid more, thinking that someone THERE has assessed the value of it as being worthy... this inflames a bidding war on the online, when really what happened, was little more than shill.

For an auctioneer, anything that brings MORE bidders to the ring, is a good thing. A sale that goes high, yet fails to fly AFTER the auction, still looks like a success on the results card.

The best advise is 'Caveat Emptor'... which most interpret as 'let the buyer beware'... it's actually a little bit deeper in meaning, and the Wikipedia description is really good:

"Under the principle of caveat emptor, the buyer could not recover from the seller for defects on the property that rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes. The only exception was if the seller actively concealed latent defects or otherwise made material misrepresentations amounting to fraud.

Before statutory law, the buyer had no warranty ensuring the quality of goods. In many jurisdictions the law requires that goods must be of "merchantable quality"[citation needed]. However, this implied warranty can be difficult to enforce and may not apply to all products. Hence, buyers are still advised to be cautious."

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Posted By: Richardmo
Date Posted: 07 Sep 2012 at 8:47pm

well i have but a few tractors since they were online only sells or 800 miles away and i guess i have done okay as the ones i got sold for less if would been at a regular auction.

I really do not think online auction do drive up the price as most tractor sale onsite

they do help advertise the sale.

now i do believe there is alot of shill bidding is done but most is onsite.

I have bought more than 150 tractor over the phone and from everywhere that i had never seen till i got the tractor home,and i still do on my High crops from the south but i know what i am getting.

But i have to say people use to be honest.

one Farmall H i bought was at a sale about 1 hour away from the house look good and the statement at the sale was the tractor good no problems.

well when i used the tractor to load up some of the other tractor i bought the rear end is bad gears clicking i went ahead and took the tractor but i will from now on at there auction sales will drive the tractors.

Posted By: Dale-OH
Date Posted: 08 Sep 2012 at 8:35am

I could not even begin to guess how many tractors/combines I have bought over the phone, never seeing or even no pictures. If it is someone I do not know I usually ask for pictures. It is a comfort level, I just bid less when not seeing and expect a few extra things that I was not told about.