I’m one of the lucky people out here in the working world who really enjoys what he's doing for a living.
Being an auctioneer is a unique profession. I have been lucky enough to make it my career for the past twenty plus years. I’ve been involved in auctioning everything from real estate, both wholesale and collector cars, as well as art and wine at fundraisers.
In each of these different scenarios of the auction, the same theme repeats itself. That similarity is competition. Finding value or just establishing something's worth is best done via the auction method.
Then why haven’t auctions become a more mainstream method for selling? There are a couple of reasons. First, I think there still lacks information and understanding about how this selling process works. For instance, if you scratch your nose or accidently raise your hand during the bidding process, you don't necessarily have to buy the item that's being auctioned. We’re looking at everyone in the room and to some degree, watching your non-verbal clues as to whether you’re truly a potential bidder. An auctioneer with experience will always ask whether you’re bidding or simply waving to your friend across the room. Secondly, an auction can be a intimidating for some. It puts most people, especially bidders, outside their comfort zone. You either have the resources to purchase what’s for sale or you don’t. When you bid, you may take a bit of ownership for the item up for sale. So being outbid can lead to some very intense stares between bidders around the room. All in good spirits, of course!
Factors are constantly changing. Nowadays, change happens frequently and quickly. Setting a defined date for an item to be sold, allowing only those qualified to participate in the buying process, and informing both buyers and sellers the terms and conditions of the sale - all of these factors combined level the playing field for all involved. So as more buyers and sellers look for more transparency in their business dealings; we will see auctions, becoming more often, the preferred method of conducting these types of transactions.