Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions

Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.

People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!

Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.

Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.

Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.

After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.

Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.

Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.

Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.

Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.

Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.

It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.

Tip 4: Present your items neatly.

No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.

There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.

While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.

Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.

The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.

Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.

If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.

Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!

The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.

Top Signs That You Need Small Business Finance

It is easy to start a business. To keep it rolling and then grow is the tough part. As one goes along there will always be instances of cash crunch that prove to be roadblocks to further progress. Smart businessmen always keep lines of finances open so that they can take care of such situations. That is not the only reason to have a line of funding; growth and expansion are also equally viable reasons to have access to funds. There are signs that you need finance for small businesses.Pay vendors and pay salariesYou are already running a business and your funds are committed. It depends on cash flows to keep it running. All of a sudden a customer may delay payment but you must meet your commitment to vendors and to employees. You may consider borrowing from friends or relatives but there is no guarantee they will be forthcoming. This is when you need small business finance from the right lender. There is nothing wrong in borrowing if one has receivables incoming but which are delayed for some reason or the other.You secure a large orderSmall businesses need large orders in order to make a big leap. If a businessman secures a large order the problem is how will he execute it? He needs to buy raw materials, processes it and supplies it. He needs funds to buy materials and then he must manage while the materials are processed and supplied. It takes time from when he invests to when he recovers the money. This is when small business finance comes in handy. He can process orders quickly and by satisfying customers he can expect even more orders.ExpansionOne may start small and as one grows one finds that the present circumstances stand in the way of growth. Equipment may not be capable of high production that the growing business requires. Premises may be too small and cramped. This is the right type to access finance for small business and expand production capability and move into larger premises. One can engage more staff. It is necessary to take this step and expand or just be left behind as customers cannot wait for orders to be executed and they are likely to shift their business elsewhere.PromotionsA business may have a satisfactory number of clients but it must always engage in promotions, especially during some seasons. Promotions help keep the business visible and attract new customers and one can explore regular channels as well as others such as online. Periodic campaigns will net more customers and help the business sell its products in bulk. Obtaining finance for small business for these purposes will pay rich dividends.All these signs that a business needs extra finance may or may not occur concurrently. However, they do happen and a businessman is always alive to the signs and takes immediate action to access funds that will help him progress to the next level.

Why Radio Advertising Is One of the Most Cost-Effective Forms of Advertising Available

More individuals and businesses are using radio advertising to reach prospective customers and clients now more than ever before. By engaging a top-notch radio ads agency, individuals and businesses can reach millions of people locally and nationally who enjoy listening to the radio at all hours of the day and night.

What makes radio ads more popular than any other form of advertising is that radio advertisements can be played across a variety of radio networks, including traditional radio, national satellite radio and Internet radio. Millions of people listen to the radio each and every day. In recent years, Internet radio has become very popular and now reaches over 70 million people per month. By using a variety of cross-marketing channels and other innovative marketing techniques, a radio ads agency can help advertisers reach a countless number of prospective clients and customers locally and nationwide.

Radio advertising has also become one of the most popular forms of advertising because it offers advertisers the biggest return on their investment. Ads on the radio happens to be one of the most cost-effective ways to reach millions of prospective customers and clients locally and nationwide. Individuals and businesses with a wide-range of advertising budgets can advertise on the radio. The cost of having a radio commercial produced and aired is much less in comparison to other forms of advertising.

By working with a top-notch radio ads agency, individuals and businesses can have advertising professionals put together a unique radio ads campaign that gets results. When choosing an agency, individuals and businesses should choose a radio ads agency with a proven track record. An agency with a proven track record will give advertisers a greater chance of success.

Selecting a good advertising agency is important and crucial in receiving positive results. You should note that a well-developed direct response radio campaign realizes conversion rates much higher than online media alone. The industry standard conversion rate for online media is typically 2%-5%, whereas a good direct response campaign starts at a 10% conversion rate.

In order to have a successful radio commercial created, businesses need to enlist a full-service advertising agency that can deliver results. By choosing a radio advertising agency that has copywriters and radio personalities on hand, individuals and businesses will see results. Advertisers that advertise their business or service on the radio know that the key to success with radio commercials is achieved by developing the perfect message and picking the best person to deliver that message. By choosing a radio advertising agency that has access to well-known radio personalities, advertisers yield better results.

When selecting an advertising agency, advertisers should consider everything the agency has to offer. By choosing a well-known full-service agency that knows everything there is to know about radio advertising, advertisers will have the added reassurance of knowing that they are working with an agency that can and will deliver results.