By Donna Westfall – December 2, 2016 – The first time I ever attended an auction was in Beverly Hills. We signed up at the door and received a paddle with a number on it. The items being sold were fine art and furniture pieces. It was the 1970’s and Arte Johnson, from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was bidding. That’s called a live auction.
Over the years I’ve attended a variety of silent auctions to raise money for various causes. That was pretty simple because all we had to do was go in, eat, drink and write our name with bid price next to the item we desperately wanted before the bidding stopped.
These days it’s become even easier; On-Line Auctions: All you need is a computer. With your computer you can look up on-line auctions, check out pictures of the items being sold, read the instructions for how to become an on-line bidder and keep track of the on-line auction dates. You can even spend a day going to check out the items in person before the auction date.
The James G. Murphy Company is conducting two on-line auctions for Ray’s Food Place. 1.) The Ray’s Market in Brookings, Oregon, and the 2.) Ray’s Market in Clearlake, California and it starts this week.
There are hundreds of items for sale from wine racks, to Hyster Forklifts. Sinks, walk-in coolers, floral display cabinets and shopping carts. I wish someone was ready to start a food co-op in Crescent City so they could pick up some of these items.
How to get started; five easy steps:
1.) Register to Bid
The first step in the on-line auction process is to register to bid. Go to their website and fill out a bidder registration card and show a state-issued photo ID. You will be assigned a bid number for the auction (all purchases are logged by bid number). An auction catalog is provided when you register to bid. The catalog gives a general description of each item in the auction. There is no charge to register. Its FREE.
2.) Online Only auctions are offered on the internet only.
These auctions require a secure online registration and allow each bidder the ability to leave bids at anytime. In some cases, timed auctions will have varying preview and removal times. Murphy Company will have a designated closing time for each auction and the highest bidder will win! In the case of Ray’s located in Brookings, Oregon:
Start Date: 11 AM – WEDNESDAY – DECEMBER 7
End Date: 11 AM – WEDNESDAY – DECEMBER 14
Preview 8 am-4 pm, Tuesday, December 13
906 Chetco Avenue, Brookings, OR 97415
3.) Advanced Bidding
If you want to participate in the Ray’s Food Place on-line auction, to advance bid you must register with murphyauction.com. Once registered on their site you will be able to bid when the catalog is posted to their web site. The catalog is normally posted two days prior to the auction and allows online advanced bidding.
4.) Payment
At most auctions, a buyer’s premium is additionally charged on all purchases. the buyer’s premium is a percentage additional charge on the winning bid at auction that must be paid by the winner. It is charged by the auctioneer to cover administrative expenses. The buyer’s premium goes directly to the auction house and not to the seller.
Example: You’re the winning bidder on a $500 item. In the case of Murphy Company, add 13% to that amount for the buyer’s premium or a total of $565.
Full payment must be made no later than 4 pm on Thursday, December 15th.
Murphy Company’s policy: Payment in full may be made by MasterCard® or Visa®, cashier’s check, cash, or wire transfer. Personal or company checks are accepted only with a bank letter of guarantee.
5.) Removal
In the case of Ray’s in Brookings, Oregon:
BETWEEN 8 AM & 4 PM, DECEMBER 16th THROUGH DECEMBER 21st NO WEEKEND REMOVAL.
And that’s how to buy at an on-line auction.
