The auction/ sofa report. Part II.

Last week was the first time in my blog’s history that I did not write a post that was WAY longer than anyone wanted to read. I even managed to leave out what I paid for the sofa I bought at my first auction– $200.

That was exactly my top bid. (Actually, a little over once you factor in 10% buyer’s premium and tax.) The other guy stopped bidding, so I cannot say for sure if I would have stuck to my price or if I would have merrily plowed past it.

I started writing up some thoughts on auction-prices in general, and how they compare to Craigslist. But then I decided that I should probably go to more than one auction before proclaiming myself accredited.

Fortunately, this should take NO TIME AT ALL, seeing as how I plan to do nothing else.

I think $200 for the sofa was a good price. I am not sure if I think it’s a great price. (Probably because I have purchased the portal to Narnia and a Kingdom Mirror for nearly the same amount.) But I am very happy with it. The upholstery is in great condition and excusing myself from a DIY-upholstery project that I will never finish is pretty much invaluable.

There are a few problems – the back of the decorative piece at the top is rubbed to bare wood in about a one-inch section (it was probably against a wall).

Also, the auction company piled chairs on top of the sofa and crushed the velvet in a few spots. After vacuuming with the upholstery brush, it is much improved, but not perfect. I am hoping it will kind of work itself out. But even if it doesn’t, I am fine with it. On the spectrum of condition-I-would-have-bought-this-in, this is excellent.

I also bid on another sofa (the blue one above, which I took no photos of, but the upholstery and veneer were in great condition.) I liked it, but did not HAVE to have it… I figured if I could get it for dirt cheap, I would find a use for it.

I set my price for that one at $100 and was outbid— I have to say it was WAY easier to stop bidding on something I was not in love with.

I can see that the auction-mindset is going to be a problem for me: the way you get ramped up or blinded by adrenaline/winning/confusion-because-you-cannot-even-understand-what-is-being-said/uncertainty-that-you-are-even-bidding-on-the-right-item.

It is kind of surprising I did not go home with some random piece of crap that I bought accidentally. (Or some glorious piece that I bought on purpose, but told Paul was the result of scratching my ear.)

I will show you photos of the sofa in place, once I get the room in order (update, living room photos)— we are getting ready to go to the beach (amazing Victorian houses in that link) at the end of July, and I am using the living room as a collection area for the ungodly amount of stuff we take.

Plus, I still have the sofa it is replacing shoved in there, on top of – surprise! MORE STUFF I BOUGHT AT THE AUCTION THIS WEEKEND.

Here is a hint. (And no, it is not the vanity or the scale.)

Now.  Two things.

First:
Last week’s comments are a must-read if you want some excellent advice from experienced auction-goers who (unlike me,) actually know what they are talking about. The comments are essentially a mini training-manual… how to find an auction near you, how bidding works, 50 other things that I would have benefited from knowing before I went.

Thanks to all their suggestions, I now need some kind of sophisticated algorithm to manage my auction-schedule. I am not sure how I will find time, but I suspect grocery shopping will be the first casualty.

Second:
Elvis appreciates all your words of admiration… but she has asked that I recirculate the memo for those of you who missed it– Elvis is a lady.

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