Online bidding on a live auction

It sure is helpful. I usually do not like bidding online if I can avoid it. I have bought several items online on online-only sales, but never on one that I could otherwise go to. Well, Thursday that changed.

I wanted to go to sale 2 hours away, but had to deliver a load of feed in the morning, so I knew I was gonna miss most of the sale. So I bid on half a dozen items, accounting for the 10% buyers punishment. I did my job, picked up a semi trailer on the way to the sale, and listened to the sale on my phone as I neared the sale. As I was taking the exit, the big ticket item I was after sold.

I paid for it, had it loaded, and was gone within an hour. I was willing to pay a grand for it, and paid about 950 including the buyers punishment.

The potato digger and potato wagon were a friends I picked up as well. What I was after was a semi trailer dolly.

I have purchased several items online. Still like to look at what I am bidding on though. A dolly rigged to use behind a farm tractor would be nice.

Are you making a second trip back there? I might need something hauled.

Mike

I bid in an online-only auction about a month ago. At first it seemed as though nobody even knew about the auction. Then that last day, item after item started flying right past my maximum bid (I figured that would happen). The only things we ended up getting that day were a couple of old office desks -- you know, the old SteelCase jobs that are Made in USA and meant to last forever!

While there to pay and load up, a friend of the auctioneer was in there and that was also his first online auction, so he asked the auctioneer how it went. The auctioneer looked at his friend and said if he'd had any idea things would go so high with only online bidding, he'd have done it YEARS ago! He said that most of the auctions this year, items have sold for an average of 20%-30% more than in the past. His theory is that people can sit there day after day looking at what they want, then making the decision to up their bid again.

By the way, the wife got her 1970's tanker desk for $45, and I got an older 1950's one with 6' top for $0.50. The wife's was in perfect condition. Mine, just dusty. Cleaned up almost too nice to use as a workbench. *lol*

Yes, it was VERY nice not to have to stand there all day during the auction.

Mike, The pic was taken at Obriens in Fond Du Lac. The dolly was bought at Wilkinson in Columbus. I bought the trailer in Madison. I also picked up a Hefty G in Cambria. You must be near West Bend, assumed by your posted location?

I use those dollies everyday at work.
What a pain in the rear.
Especially when backing it when it is hooked on the back of a trailer.

That looks like a older dolly.
It has dayton rims.

Yes, I live outside of West Bend. The plow I purchased is at O'briens in Fond Du Lac. My issue is, the trailer tags I've ordered through the DMV are
tardy & I don't think I can sneak up there with plates that expired in 2006. They seem to be in a hurry to get it out of there. However, if you're not
heading back through the area, no worries, I should be able to work something else out.

Mike

John, I'm planning on pulling it behind a tractor to use a semi flatbed to gather bales in the field. Dunno how it's gonna work, but I can definitely resell it for as much or more than I bought it for if it doesn't work. The trailer is a lot rougher. If it doesn't work, it will become a bridge across my creek.

Most of these dollies are rotted out junk by the time they hit the consignment auction. This one is surprisingly good condition. Practically no rust at all. I am just tickled pink so far.

Is it a big plow? I have a 25' tandem dual trailer for behind my dually pickup. I've hauled 5 bottom plows with it.

John is a pretty nice guy, but I guess if he lets stuff sit too long he'll end up with a ready made scrap yard

Guy up the road has that setup.
He cuts hay in about a 3 or 4 mile radius of his main hay barn.
He pulls it down the road behind a tractor with a escort to keep the city folks from running into it.
Makes fast work of hauling round bales to the barn.

It's the 4 bottom IH 540 plow that was sitting just a little ways from the big potato wagon. According to the brochure, it weighs 1840 lbs. Dimensions
are not given & I forgot to measure it when I went to pay for it.

Yeah, I don't blame John either. Especially with winter right around the corner.

Mike