( This page is designed for the person who has never been at an auction before. It will help you to know what to expect and how to buy at an auction. This is just a brief overview and if you have any questions, you should contact Dave Conley at conleyauction@yahoo.com or 717-577-1886.)
Terms of the Auction:
Everything is sold “as is.” You had the right and opportunity to inspect the item before it went up for sale and that is the condition in which you are buying the item. Payment shall be in cash, check, or credit card. Once an item is struck down to you at an auction it becomes your responsibility to secure it. It is now your property. All other announcements on the day of the auction take precedence over these printed terms and conditions.
How Do I Bid and Buy At an Auction?
If you see an advertised item at one of our auctions that is of interest to you and you never attended an auction before, here are some guidelines of how the auction works.
Onsite Auctions:
When you arrive at the auction, the first thing you want to do is look for our red and white Rentzel’s cashier’s truck. After you find the truck, you will need to have your driver’s license and phone number ready when the cashier asks you for them. When they ask for this information, you are registering for a bidder number. You will get a small card with your own individual bidder’s number on it. This is how we keep track of what you are buying at the auction and you will use this number when you make a bid. This bidder’s number is good for that day’s auction only.
Next you want to inspect the items that you are interested in bidding on. After you look over those items, you are now ready to wait for them to be put up for auction. The on-site auction usually has an order of sale and one of the auction helpers will be able to help you with any questions. We do not have a time for every item that is going to be sold because there are probably hundreds of items at the auction.
When an item comes up for bid the auctioneer will start the bidding. The auctioneer will usually start asking for a higher price and will then come down to a lower price. When you feel you are willing to give an asked amount for any item you should hold up your hand and wave it, wave your card, or nod your head. Somehow get the auctioneer’s attention that you want to bid on that item. The bidding will start and the auctioneer will say, “I have a bid of $20.00. Who will give $30.00?” Someone might wave their hand and the auctioneer will then say, “I have $30.00. Who will give $40.00?” If you are willing to pay that amount, hold up your hand and the auctioneer will say, “I have $40.00. Who will give $50.00?” and so on. There will come a point when the bidding will stop. If it is your bid at this time, the auctioneer will say, “Sold, $40.00” and point to you. At this point you should hold up your bidder’s card with your buyer’s number on it. The auctioneer will then say, “Sold, $40.00, bidder#_.”
If this is the only item you want, now it is time to pay your bill. Go back to the red and white truck where the cashier will ask for your bidder number. He or she will tell you your total bill. You will pay your bill and will get a receipt with a list of all the items you bought and how much you paid for each item.
Now you can take your item home and enjoy your purchase.
At Offsite Multi Consignor Auctions:
The bidding procedure at this type of auction is similar to the on-site auction with a few exceptions.
We usually hold our off-site auctions at the York Expo Center in the John and Paige Smith Center on Thursdays starting at 10:00 a.m. We will usually start selling with two auctioneers – one selling box lots in the rear of the building and one selling items from the tables in the front of the building. The tables are numbered and we sell the tables in number order. We may also have items in a show case to sell, cars, equipment, or a special collection which we would advertise to be sold at a specific time. We typically see furniture at 3:00 p.m.
All times listed above are approximate. Check our weekly ad to see what times we are selling certain items.
Special Off-site Multi-Consignor Terms:
At multi consignor auctions we are required to charge PA sales tax which is 6% unless you register your PA sales tax number with us.
Bidding on Real Estate
Bidding on real estate is much like bidding on personal property at auction, with the exception that it is a larger amount of money. In most cases, a real estate auction is sold with reserve. This means that the seller reserves the right to accept or reject the high bid. The auctioneer will once again start high, come down low, and go back up but when the bidding stops going up, instead of saying “Sold,” he will say, “I will hold that high bid and confirm with the seller whether or not we are going to sell this property today.” If the seller is willing to sell for that price the auctioneer will come out and say we are now at absolute auction. Whoever is the high bidder after the real estate is put back up for auction will be the new owner of this real estate. Or, if the seller says he is not willing to sell for that price, the auctioneer will come out and say that the seller is not willing to take the reserve off and the property will not be sold today.
If an auction is advertised Absolute Public Auction, the real estate will be sold regardless of price and the auctioneer will not take a break to check with the seller to see if the property is going to be sold. When the bidding stops, the property will be sold to the highest bidder.
A generic Terms and Conditions Form that would be filled out for the property that you would be bidding on at auction.