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Author Topic:   Size and frequency of space auctions
Chuckster01
Member

Posts: 981
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 08-25-2019 02:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Chuckster01   Click Here to Email Chuckster01     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am wondering what the thought of cS members are on the size of space auctions?

Would you all prefer smaller auctions held more often or are you a fan of the large auctions with say 500 to 1000 lots even tough these auctions can last 10 hours or more?

As many auctions houses have no live audience on hand they can move much faster than the American Space Museum can with the pace of our auctions. The museum on the other hand, has many people in live attendance so there is a good bit of interaction with the live audience.

So again would an auction of let say 200 to 300 items be more desirable then an auction with 500 or 600 items cutting the time of the live auction in half?

We could do an auction every three months instead of one every six months. I would love your input.

Ianhetho
Member

Posts: 131
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018

posted 08-25-2019 04:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ianhetho   Click Here to Email Ianhetho     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I live in Australia and a shorter auction would suit me. If I'm watching a few items scattered across the auction it makes for a very long day after starting at 2am.

I missed my favourite item on the most recent auction as I fell asleep around 6am.

Yes I know I can bid high online but that's a bit risky if bidding on multiple items as you might win them all and end up with empty pockets. It's better to follow proceedings.

By the way, your recent auction was a good one, lots of interesting items and easy to follow. Just a bit long.

fredtrav
Member

Posts: 1689
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010

posted 08-25-2019 08:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fredtrav   Click Here to Email fredtrav     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I know some auctions are spread over two days. Session one and two. So either that or more often. I like the 2 day session actually. There gets to be auction overload when there are so many. The 10 hour ones are too long regardless.

rgarner
Member

Posts: 1244
From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 08-26-2019 02:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for rgarner   Click Here to Email rgarner     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Personally I would prefer a smaller auction every 3 months.

denali414
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Posts: 664
From: Raleigh, NC
Registered: Aug 2017

posted 08-26-2019 04:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for denali414   Click Here to Email denali414     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Personally I'd love smaller and more often auctions. It is really hard to dedicate all day/night to an auction. If had smaller auctions, could follow and bid more often.

rgarner
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Posts: 1244
From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 08-26-2019 07:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for rgarner   Click Here to Email rgarner     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I didn't even watch the latest one as I had no intentions of staying up all night and there were pieces I wanted.

GACspaceguy
Member

Posts: 2545
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 08-26-2019 09:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
More and shorter is my vote. About 8 hours is all I can take unless there is a specific item. However, I am a "have my mental max and add 10% pre bid then walk away" type of on line buyer.

I must say I did go on site for a prior auction and it was very interesting and enjoyable.

Chuckster01
Member

Posts: 981
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 08-26-2019 04:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Chuckster01   Click Here to Email Chuckster01     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am asking as I want to make these auctions enjoyable for everyone and the most common comment is "too long." So we will adjust our game plan and thank you for the input.

schnappsicle
Member

Posts: 397
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 08-27-2019 12:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for schnappsicle   Click Here to Email schnappsicle     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the question. It's that one that needed to be asked, but everyone was afraid to ask it.

My own personal opinion differs slightly from the rest of the responses. I do agree they're too long, but what I really want to see is item specific auctions. Like one auction for unmanned items. One auction for winged aircraft items (not including the Shuttle). One auction for flown items, etc.

My personal preference is signed photos. So naturally, I'd really like an auction of just signed photos.

Item specific auctions would not only shorten the auction, but it would allow collectors to zone in on their particular interest without wasting time watching things they have no interest in. Having said that, I have surprised myself by buying the occasional flown item, but I've only purchased three of those in the last 12 years I've been participating in auctions.

1202 Alarm
Member

Posts: 450
From: Switzerland & France
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 08-27-2019 02:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for 1202 Alarm   Click Here to Email 1202 Alarm     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by schnappsicle:
I really want to see is item specific auctions. Like one auction for unmanned items. One auction for winged aircraft items, One auction for flown items, etc.
That would be a terrible idea.

First, for sellers. If there are five complete checklists in a dedicated "flown items" auction for instance, the competition between buyers will be weaker than for just one or two, therefore the seller will get less money. Auctioneers are aware of that and discourage sellers to offer all their identical objects in a single auction.

On the buyer side, in a dedicated auction our cash will soon be spent on only a few items while in a regular auction, since there's something for everyone, we can focus on the few "flown items" or "models" on sale (depending on our preferred field) and with two or three auctions a year, we'll end to buy and obtain more lots than on a single one.

Chuckster01
Member

Posts: 981
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 08-27-2019 04:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Chuckster01   Click Here to Email Chuckster01     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think the themed auction "Apollo Only" was a great idea and went over very well but an auction that is item specific I do not believe would draw a wide ranging crowd. But I do appreciate the ideas.

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 3033
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 08-27-2019 05:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Having attended, participated, and worked on with several space auctions (most were online though), about 300 lots is a good number for me, and I know that may sound like a conservative number.

Maybe up to about 400 or so, however, the 500+ auction lots can be time-consuming to say the least. If an auction starts around 10 am or so, it would be nice to have it end within 3-5 pm right before dinner time.

I think one of the longest auctions I had been a bidder for lasted 9-10 hours on the same day; way too long for me!

But of course on the other hand, I do understand that an auction company would like to get as many lots as they can crammed into an offering for obvious reasons.

Spacehardware
Member

Posts: 126
From: Durley
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 08-28-2019 05:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Spacehardware   Click Here to Email Spacehardware     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
After waiting around for hours for the chance to bid on a single lot, I am beginning to really appreciate the RR style of auction where all lots end at the same time and keep going until 30 minutes of no further bidding have elapsed. Works well as long as you don't get the joker who doesn't quite "get it" and tries to "snipe" at the last second. The bidding simply resets for another 30 minutes.

Can go on a bit, but nothing like 9 hours (yet...). A 10 minute rule would speed it up a bit but may get tricky to juggle several lots. Just a thought.

Chuckster01
Member

Posts: 981
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 08-28-2019 03:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Chuckster01   Click Here to Email Chuckster01     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
But that is a RR website exclusive and I do not have the means to do an auction like that. I hate the last second snipe auctions so we have what we have.

Spacehardware
Member

Posts: 126
From: Durley
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 08-29-2019 04:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Spacehardware   Click Here to Email Spacehardware     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Please don't get me wrong - I was just musing about alternatives to the auction process.

I think we are all extremely grateful to anyone who takes the time and considerable effort to produce an auction in whatever form, as without them there would be no window for all this amazing stuff that keeps us collectors dreaming at night.

Chuckster01
Member

Posts: 981
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 06-20-2020 04:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Chuckster01   Click Here to Email Chuckster01     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
With only one week till our next auction ( only 276 lots ) I wanted to get some feed back on our smaller sales.

We have been having much smaller sales of about 300 lots every 6 to 8 weeks instead of larger 600+ items auctions every 3 or 4 months.

What is your feeling on our smaller auction experiment. is this something you prefer? Are there any suggestions to make our sales better?

Just looking to plan future auctions and I would like your opinion.

GACspaceguy
Member

Posts: 2545
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 06-20-2020 04:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I like it with the 300 or so. Thanks!

Guswastheman
Member

Posts: 113
From: Gresham, OR
Registered: Apr 2011

posted 06-20-2020 04:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Guswastheman   Click Here to Email Guswastheman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Chuck, I like the new format immensely! Having fewer lots makes auction day much shorter and knowing that another auction is coming soon, creates excitement for finding items to add to your collection.

Please keep going with this format!

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 3033
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-20-2020 05:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You know me Chuck as I like the 300 or less space lot auctions. You can breath and do other things afterwards, such as having dinner at a reasonable and comfortable time, and just relax a little bit for the rest of the day.

denali414
Member

Posts: 664
From: Raleigh, NC
Registered: Aug 2017

posted 06-22-2020 07:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for denali414   Click Here to Email denali414     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Count me in the "less is more" crowd. Really like the last few auctions smaller size, allows me time to do other things.

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