On 14 May 97 at 9:17, Brent D. Beach wrote:

> Subject:       Re: Auction scams

> On Wed May 14, James Foster) wrote:
> >
> >FWIW this is how our local auctions run. There's an actual
> >auctioneer, and they will usually trade off every 1.5 hours
> >or so. There's a table alongside the podium that has on person
> >handling the computer to record transactions, and another handling
> >the absentee bids for that lot. The auctioneer is very clear about
> >the absentee bidding. They will open bidding with "In order to
> >satisfy the absentee bidding I have ..." and when bidding against
> >the floor the bids are always referred to as "at the table." There
> >are, of course, a handful of lackeys for displaying the stuff and
> >some help point out bids in the audience to the auctioneer.
> 
> Say you are the consignee. Say one person leaves an absentee bid of
> $10 for your item. Say another person then leaves a bid of $15 for
> your item.
> 
> How much would you expect to get as a minumum?
> 
> At the local auction, absentee bids are accepted over several
> days, amounting to a silent auction for the item. It seems to me
> that with multiple absentee bids, the item should go for at least a
> fair increment over the second last bid.

In the auctions I have attended, and seen in the program aired on the 
H&G channel locally, the auctioneer would bid "$10 to the order -- 
$15 to the order,( etc)" verbalizing all absentee bids, even to, for 
example "$20 to to the order" raising the bid of the first order over 
the second, if approved by the bidder.  When these initial biids have 
been voiced, bidders from the floor jump in.  They could of course 
jump in during the "to the order" business, but would be bid against 
on the order of the absentee bidder.  Lets say the $15 order is on 
the table.  A bidder on the floor could then bid $20.  The, if the 
order specifies, the auctioneer, or the person on the auctioneer's 
staff following the orders, could then bid $25.  This way, the 
absentee bidder can get the item for fair trade price, often 
(sometimes?) below the maximum bid authorized.  It all hinges on the 
honesty of the auctioneer.

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