Shopping "Vintage" from the comfort of home is getting easier -- I swear! Let's talk about the ins-and-outs of my personal favorite form of bargain hunting, the online auction.
Perhaps one of the least understood ways of shopping is the online auction.
When someone says the word auction to me, I can not help but thinking of a courtroom like vibe with paddles and numbers. Or perhaps fancy people winking, pinching their noses (or some other form of communication I don't quite understand). I think of someone speaking/singing a fast and incoherent song full of numbers that I personally, have never hand in my bank account. Quite Frankly, the whole thing seems intimidating to me.
Thankfully, the online auction bears little resemblance to live, in-person auctions. In COVID times, they provide an exciting, safe alternative to shopping in malls and antique stores, they smell better, and you do it from the comfort of your home! Did I mention that the DEALS you get are AWESOME?
But, how do they work?
Easy Peasy. Think "eBay when it first started". eBay used to have an auction only format and then "Buy it Now" happened. By adding that button, it was transformed into a standard marketplace. eBay is great for instant gratification but the downside is that you can no longer get items at next-to-nothing.
Getting Started
Participating in an online auction will require you to sign into a buyers' account. You will need to enter your email & create a password (if you plan on bidding). If you would like to bid, they require you to add a payment method.
When you log in, scroll down the page, you will see all of the Auctions that are in your area (you set the radius - since most of the time you will be picking your items up). They will be listed according to closing time. On any given night there could be 2-10 auctions ending. An average Auction runs for 3-5 days but most of the activity happens in the last 30 minutes of the sale. Most sales average 150 -250 items. Many of them start at zero dollars and you may bid in one dollar increments. These are the general rules.
Warning, bidding is addictive! Browsing is so much fun and I have seen such a broad spectrum of things for sale I couldn't do it justice here. High-end furniture, clothing, yard equipment, jewelry, sports equipment, cars, tools, collectibles, etc...
Bidding Example: If you see something you like, you bid the top price you are willing to pay (the seller does not see this amount). Lets say you see a Snow blower and it is currently at $10. You may bid any amount over $11.00. You decide that you are willing to pay up to $25.00 for said snow blower. This is the amount you bid. Now, if no one bids against you, you may end up paying only $11! You remain the high bidder until someone decides to bid $26 dollars. If they outbid you, you will be notified and are free to enter a higher bid. It goes on and on until the clock runs out. When the auction ends, your credit card is automatically charged. You will then pick up your item at the time and date noted in the auction.
In short, its not only fun, you can save THOUSANDS of dollars, buy things you never thought you could afford and hey, look at you -- you are recycling! Giving an item a new life, keeping it local, using less of our natural resources, or simply reselling and making a profit -- even better.
Best Item I ever got
In addition to much of the great merchandise at Pip's, I won for myself (pictured above):
***Tan Leather Couch Set (3 pieces plus coffee table) $32
***Sideboard table $1
***Giant 4' x 4' stained glass pub window for $6.
You get the picture. GREAT DEALS. Now, if your still reading this, I will point you in the the direction of my latest auction. We have a selection not unlike what we carry at Pip's, only less expensive! Our current sale features Clothing, Pottery, Home Décor, Sewing and knitting supplies and quite a few Chairs! Please click below and browse to your hearts content.
To view other Auctions ending tonight, click below:
Thank you for supporting local small businesses! Happy Bidding.
Sheri
Pip's Curiosity Shoppe