CLUB AUCTIONS

DETAILS OF THE REGULAR POPULAR CLUB AUCTIONS

06 Mar 2013

The Club holds Auctions of used and surplus equipment every year on the dates shown in the Events section. Another is held for the benefit of raising funds to keep the Hastings Repeaters running, paying for maintenance and their electricity bills. Mid-way through the auction, we usually have an interval when refreshments are available and a raffle may be held for Club funds.

There is an entrance fee of £1 for visitors to the Club auctions, and to everyone at the Repeater Group Auctions. A 10% commission for the Club is deducted on all sales over £1, the whole proceeds of a sale of only £1 or less goes to the Club (or the Repeater group). The entrance fee is payable as you collect your bidding card, needed both to bid as well as book in items for sale before the actual Auction starts. Settling up usually takes place only at the close of bidding, the whole process recorded by the Club Treasurer using a program* on a laptop.

Items are sold "as seen" and, unless otherwise stated, no warranty is given or returns accepted. All items should be checked for safety by a Competent Person before being connected to a mains electricity supply.

Naturally these Auctions can be very popular especially for visitors. Even for those who seldom bid find it amusing to see the attempts by the Auctioneer try so hard to encourage bidding, often being obliged to resort to the phrase "put it with the next lot" (by the same seller). This sometimes obliges a buyer who only perhaps wanted a fairly small object, to go home with a box of all sorts of other gear. Hence the favourite expression jokingly remarked "chuck it in a skip on the way home". Heaven help anyone scratching their head during bidding, only to find they have just raised the bidding for something, and the Auctioneer may not always ask "Are you bidding or just scratching?".

Of course no one is obliged to pay the entrance fee if just wanting to browse around during the hour or so before bidding while the various lots are booked. So if in doubt about popping in for the first time, just come along to have a look. Many find it helpful to write a note of the lot numbers of items of interest. Naturally it is mainly the Amateur radio gear that attracts the highest bids. Though the Auctioneer warns all that usually no guarantee can be given on any items apart from where indicated on such labels, steps will be taken where equipment is sold for a considerable amount to contact the seller if a buyer has cause to complain. There are no unreasonable restrictions on what sort of items can by submitted. Hence the appearance of TVs, PC gear, Books, Videos, Tools, Aerials, even the odd Kitchen equipment, and small furniture.

* A variety of these programs is freely available from http://www.sigord.co.uk/Submits/Software.htm