Bidder FAQ

Before bidding, read the Terms and Conditions very carefully so that you know what to expect regarding bidding, payment, removal of your items, and a number of other important details. This Frequently Asked Questions section may also provide the answers to many of your questions. Our most important word of advice is that you should thoroughly preview the items you are planning to bid on, know the most you are willing to spend, and have a way of getting your purchases home before you start bidding. Once you have bid on an item and won it, you own it. If you have not previewed or have paid more than you planned, you will still be expected to honor your bid and remove your items promptly. Just be sure to know what you are buying and pay only what you think it’s worth, and you will be an expert bidder in no time at all.

Absolutely. It happens at every auction. However, keep in mind that, like beauty, a bargain is in the mind of the beholder. One person might say, “That guy is nuts to pay $800 for an old doll,” while the buyer is thinking, “I just got a bargain at $800! I saw a doll just like this in an antique shop for $1,000.” Just don’t be fooled by those late-night television shows promising you can make a million dollars by buying at government auctions. It might be possible to buy a battleship for $1, but you have to remove it from the bottom of the ocean by the end of the week! That is where another old adage kicks in: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Fair market value is the price for which an item will be sold on the open market by a willing seller to a willing buyer, neither of whom is under compulsion to buy or sell as of a specific date. As such, it is the price that an item will fetch at a well-advertised auction. Common factors that come into consideration are age, condition, quality and rarity. Auctions are the last niche of the free enterprise system, where the laws of supply and demand prevail.

No. At public auction, all items are sold as is, where is. Once you have won the item, you own it and there are no refusals, markdowns or returns. For this reason, it is important to preview items of interest or ask questions prior to bidding to be sure of what you are bidding on.

If you are a first time bidder with AAR, you have to create an account in order to register for any of our Auctions, this is a free one-time process in order to get a username and password to bid online. Once you have created an account for online bidding, you must register for the specific auction you are looking to participate in, which includes agreeing to the Terms and Conditions and entering a valid credit card as they vary from auction to auction. Once registered, you are then able to place bids online.

A reserve is a confidential minimum sale price set by the seller. For example, if a seller does not want his item to sell for less than $50, then $50 would be the reserve for that lot. Typically auction companies that work with reserves charge a “buyback” fee to the seller if the item does not sell. The buyback fee is usually a percentage of the highest bid received at the auction, and it is used to help offset some of the auction company’s costs for marketing and auctioning the unsold item.

A Preview is a free public showing of property to be auctioned. The Preview is an opportunity for buyers to closely examine individual items prior to the auction. For many of the Dynamic Online Only auctions preview is online only. On some rare occasions there will be a live preview for a Dynamic Online Only Auction. Information about Preview is available in each auction.

Bidding on Dynamic Online Only auctions usually starts at $1.00 unless otherwise stated. We have found that bidders are more inclined to participate in the auction since they have a construction in the price and can bid to the level they are comfortable paying. The most important thing is to remember that it is not where the bidding starts that matters, it is where it ends that determines the value of the item.

A buyer’s premium is the portion of the auction company’s commission that is paid by the buyer. It is used to help keep the consignor’s commission lower while ensuring the auction company is still able to cover the cost of auctioning merchandise. The buyer’s premium is added to the successful bid and becomes part of the total sale price. The buyer’s premium amount can be found in each auction as they are not all the same.

When bidding online, the auction event is not typically over until the last lot in the auction is sold. Once the auction is complete, our staff personally checks each and every invoice to ensure accuracy and then sends balance due invoices out via email in the morning following the auction.

If an auction ends during normal business hours, you can typically expect to receive your balance due invoice shortly after the conclusion of the last lot.

Once you have received your balance due invoice, you will make payment in conjunction with the terms of said auction. Once payment is made in full, you will receive a paid in full invoice which you will need to bring with you when you pickup your purchases.

Depending on which Dynamic Online Auction  you might be bidding on, pickup dates, times, and locations will vary. Sometimes seller’s needs dictate very strict pickup dates and times because the seller may be traveling from out of town, have a deadline for a closing on a home or business… It is always best to look at the Pickup Terms for each auction we post to know the location, date and time of pickup.

If items are located at the Absolute Auction Center in Pleasant Valley, we typically offer a number of days for pickup. Hours for pickup at the Auction Center are Monday through Friday, 9:00AM-4:00PM.

Yes, we would be happy to serve you as our client. Please refer to our Antique & Estate Consignment section for details.