Things You Need to Take When You Go to an Auction

Items for Auction
Photo: SDRandC0

Things to Take to an Auction

After attending commission and estate auctions for the past few years, we have learned that there are a few items you need to take with you.

First, take a light-weight folding chair for each of you if you are going to an estate auction. Auction houses will likely have chairs for attendees, but for auctions at someone’s home, there may be no place you can sit. Standing for hours gets very tiring, even if you are having fun.

If you are going to be outside, take a hat. If the sun is bright and hot, you need it for shade. If it is cold outside, you need it for warmth.

It is a good idea to take a notepad and pencil or pen, too. That way you can write down the items you might be interested in bidding on, the most you are willing to spend on it, and then keep up with how much you are spending. It is really easy to get caught up in the event and not realize how much you have spent. Bidding is making a legal contract. Once you bid, you have to pay.

For estate auctions, I highly recommend taking water in an ice chest. On a hot day, at $1 or more per bottle, water can get expensive. 

In fall and spring, take a light-weight sweater or jacket. In summer, you might want to take an umbrella to shield you from the sun. In the winter, take a coat, cap, and gloves. This sounds simplistic, but more than once, the weather has changed quickly and a nippy afternoon became a bitterly cold evening.

Many auctions are held rain or shine, so again, you might want to have an umbrella in the car.

Last but definitely not least, take some hand sanitizer with you. Most estate auctions will have porta-potty type restrooms available for guests. Seldom will they have a place to wash your hands.

Attending auctions can be fun, can be lucrative, if you buy things that you can resell for more, and can be educational.