About Our Auctions
Absentee, Phone And Online Bidding
If you want to participate but cannot do so in person, Golden Gavel will competitively execute bids on your behalf. You can bid live on the phone; deliver a written bid to our office between 2 p.m. and 45 minutes prior to auction start time; or participate on the web during one of our quarterly Internet auctions.
On site at the auction house, here’s how things work:
Registration
To register to bid, simply go to the office window with your driver’s license. A Golden Gavel employee will enter your name and information into our computer system. You will receive a bidder number. At future auctions you only need to go to the window and give your name to get your bidder number.
Preview
View the merchandise before the auction begins. Decide what you are interested in buying and how much you are willing to bid. Any Golden Gavel employee will answer your questions. Often we have experts on site to provide advice. During the preview you will have the opportunity to handle the objects you are interested in. We’re always here to help you.
Ask About Value
If you don’t have a good idea about an item’s value, David or Ralph, the Golden Gavel auctioneers, will give you a conservative opinion of the value of the merchandise.
Be Ready: Sales Speed By
Once the auction begins, please know that items sell very quickly. Golden Gavel can sell 80-100 items per hour. This is why previewing items before the auction is important. Don’t let the speed of the selling intimidate you. Most people find it exciting and fun.
Collecting What You Bought
When you’re ready to leave, return to the office window with your bidder number. A Golden Gavel office employee will give you a bill. We accept cash, personal bank check, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and debit cards. After paying, you will pick up your smaller items in our secured “smalls room”. For larger items, go to our loading area located on the right side of the auction hall, present your paid bill to an employee and we will retrieve the items you have purchased. We’ll assist you with loading your items. You may choose to make arrangements with us to deliver items at a fair and reasonable rate.
Sales Terms And 3% Discount
Golden Gavel Auctions charges an 18% buyer’s premium of the bid price. You receive a 3% discount if you pay in cash or by pre-approved check. All sales are final.
Here’s an example. Your winning bid is $100. You pay $118 (+6.35% sales tax) if you use a credit card. Or you pay $115 (+6.35% sales tax) in cash, by debit card or by pre-approved check. We collect and remit Connecticut state sales tax of 6% unless you are a dealer / reseller with a current sales tax number on file with Golden Gavel.
Golden Gavel does not warrant the condition of any lot (item) sold. All property is sold as is. Neither Golden Gavel Auctions nor the consignor makes any warranties or representations of any kind with respect to the property or its value. No oral or written statement in the catalog, at the auction or elsewhere shall be deemed as a warranty or representation of any value, condition or assumption of responsibility. All sales are subject to errors and omissions.
Avoid Two Critical Mistakes
Many people new to auctions see the item they’re looking for but hesitate to buy. If you see something you want at a price you can afford, you may want to make the purchase. Chances of finding that same item at the same or at a lower price are usually slim. Every Golden Gavel auction is different. You’ll view completely different merchandise each time you come. Yes, some items are common but we’ve seen many once-in-a-lifetime items come through the auctions.
Another common error is failure to preview items. When you preview, you can closely examine and handle an item before deciding to bid. Seeing a desirable item and bidding without enough thought and information can lead to purchasing something you don’t want. Remember, all sales are final.
One of the Best Things About Our Auctions
At Golden Gavel, auctions are fun. You buy at reasonable prices. But one of the best things about our auctions is that you can always use the items for a few months or years and then come back to re-sell them. Often you can do so and gain back most of your investment. This beats buying new or at retail prices.
One example is the couple who bought a $500 dining room set. A year or so later, they found and bought their ideal dining room set at Golden Gavel for $1,200. We re-sold their $500 dining set, thus returning their original investment to them.