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If the auctioneer personally knows you he may accept your final bid without a number, but most of the time he will insist on you having a bidder number. Most times auctioneers announce all the conditions before the sale begins and advertise with their PA on the sale site for bidders to be sure and get a bidder number. Most auctioneers demand identification and many want a bank account number and your phone number. Printed sale bills always say, "announcements at the time and place of the sale supercede any printed advertisements." I've seen a very few nickle/dime bids, say under a few bucks, when the auctioneer has accepted cash payment to his clerk on the spot. If you are talking big money, cash is always accepted, but most auctioneers want good checks with proof of identification so they can come after you if the check bounces. When bids rise without there being visible bidders are suspect. Sometimes those come from phone in or preplaced bids, sometimes they are being invented on the spot. One time I bid $500 on a baler, instantly the auctioneer had 600 asking 700. I bid 700, instantly he had 800 asking 900. I told the ground man (with the cane) that my limit was $700. He made some hand signals to the auctioneer and all of a sudden he had $700 asking 800. I got it for $700. I was the only bidder. I remember that and don't go that auctioneer's auctions. I read recently where someone commented that if he was so good at pulling bids out of the air, you'd think he could pull bidder numbers out of the air too. As posted below, you don't get to run the equipment like drive it. You may get to hear the engine run if it has one and starts. You have to do everything by visual inspection. Pay accordingly, set your price before you see the equipment, adjust according to what you can detect and then when the auctioneer wants you to go higher, turn and walk away. Many an auctioneer has seen my head shake "NO." Its the auctioneer's job to convince you to pay more than your limit. Its your job to pay as little as possible. Be sure its another buyer running the price up but still figure the worth of the equipment to you ahead of time and don't get pulled over that. Gerald J.
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