The Thrill of the Auction.....

Shandra's Fine Vintage Linens....is starting to operate in full swing.  Who or what is Shandra's Fine Vintage Linens you may ask?  Well, that would be our online store owned by  myself and my longtime friend Nancy.  We use to be known as Shandra's Treasures, but after a four year hiatus from the circuit we decided to come back with a new name and a new game plan....so here we are fully back in the swing of going to auctions and selling online.

I find the whole auction circuit very addicting.  You arrive with empty boxes and high hopes.  You hope that you will be able to find items that are desirable not only to yourself but your potential buyers.  The ultimate goal is to be  able to obtain these objects of desire at a fabulous price and sell them at a profit.  This is no small feat and not as easy as it may sound.  The auction house is filled to capacity with tons of treasures and tons of junk.  Weeding through the trash and treasure has to be done in less than an hour all the while trying to document what you want and how much you are willing to pay and then actually being able to stick to that amount no matter what.  In the meantime there are several other potential bidders doing the same.  Once that desired item strikes your fancy, like a poker player you remain straight face show no sign of excitement and hope that your competition does not notice the increase in your adrenaline.  The game is on and the auction is ready to begin, you take your bidding number take a seat and watch and wait in anticipation........

Your heart is beating fast as your objects of desire make their way to the auctioneer table....they are being presented and the auctioneer announces the starting price...you hold up your paddle and let the games begin....$10, $15, $20....no other takers!  YES!!!!!   SCORE...you just obtained a box filled to capacity with spectacular linens from a by gone era that after a little soak and a little stitch will be sure to sell for what in the auction world is known as "Big Money"......It can get even better than that and more rewarding..... The box of early 1900 cloth handmade dolls are making their way up..... a few other people labeled the dolls as junk...but you know better.....there are obviously no doll buyers in the house and the value of these beauties is unknown to everyone but you.......You take the gamble that no one will bid at the opening price....the auctioneer is now making the price lower instead of higher.... when he hits $5.00 just before the item is passed, you bid....you win and Whola....You just purchased a box of 6 vintage dolls worth hundreds of dollars for $5.00.....and so it goes.   A Victorian Chocolate Pot (worth $100's of dollars) hits the auctioneer's table....the auctioneer is tired and obviously not knowledgeable about Chocolate Pots, he calls it a Coffee Pot, no one is going to pay "BIG MONEY" for a coffee pot, but you know better......you are able to obtain that so called "Coffee Pot" for a mere $30 (which in auction terms is "NO MONEY"..... and turn around and sell it for almost 5 times that amount....Yes the addiction is real and the thrill is like no other....

As we all know with success comes failure....we have overspent on items that we liked and unfortunately no one else did at the auction house and on line....we have purchased what we thought were a box filled with beautiful linens only to find they all had a defect and would be hard to sell....but that is all part of the game and the hunt....that is what make the thrill so great when you buy that highly desirable object for "NO MONEY".... in the end it usually averages out.....which makes it all worthwhile.

When bidding on line the thrill is not quite the same, you are not caught up in the frenetic pace and the risk of over bidding is low, you set the price you want to pay and that is it, if you are out bid you are notified via email (in most cases)....at a live auction you may decide to pay $30....that annoying other bidder keeps going up and somewhere in the corner of your brain where commonsense does not exist you decide you will have this item no matter what...just so bidder "92" does get their hands on it..... it may take some doing, but after a few foolish buys like that....commonsense begins to take over and all is right in all the recess of your brain......

There is nothing like a good auction and strong cup of coffee and the company of a good friend to let you know all is right in the world of the true vintage lover..... we'll talk about estate sales at a later date...right now I am reflecting on the Thrill of the Auction!