Shopping at Farm and Exotic Livestock Auctions

Many people, especially city people are not aware that these types of auctions exist. To begin I should define them each and touch briefly on how they work.

Farm Auctions

A farm auction occurs when a farmer, or person living rurally, sells their property, has died, or is downsizing, and wants to clear off all excess items. Occasionally the farm and property itself will be auctioned off. You will generally find farming equipment, tools, vehicles, livestock, and household goods at these sales. These auctions take place on the farm itself and you need to be prepared for he weather conditions as you will often be outdoors, as such these auctions are more frequent in the summer. On a big farm you may have two or three “rings” of sales, areas where like things are auctioned off, at the same time in another ring other items are being auctioned off. You will have time to look around before the bidding starts and should make notes of things you want ahead of time. All buyers must get bidding numbers before the auction starts, these will be available to you that day.

Exotic Livestock Auctions

These are held at auction markets themselves, people are seated around an auction ring. The critters for sale may be as simple as chickens, guinea pigs, sheep and miniature horses, or may be as odd as sugar gliders, yaks, and tigers. I will note here that it is up to the buyer to have the correct permits for the animals that require them as per area laws. You can find out more information by calling the auction market in advance and asking what animals require permits or check with local zoning. Such animals as migratory birds usually require permits.

If you do not know if your area holds such auctions, you can usually find out by phoning your local livestock feed supply store, veterinarian, checking their bulletin boards, by calling a livestock auction market, or looking on-line.

Exotic Animal Auctions are not places for your personal entertainment. All too often people like myself, serious buyers, attend these auctions and are surrounded by people who are there only for “something to do”. Children running around looking at all the unusual pets, and getting in the way of serious buyers. I am not objecting to curious onlookers but please if you are only there for a day out, stay back a bit and allow the bidders to see the animals and be seen by the auctioneer.

These places can be dangerous, I have more than once seen large horned cattle get their horns very close to children who are climbing the railing and I can tell the auctioneer is tired of being a parent to everyone else’s kids, when he asks again for them to get off the rail.

As with farm auctions, you will want to arrive early so you can look at the animals, get a bidding number, and be seated.

Respect Others

When you are seated be respectful of others, stay in your seat until bidding stops before you get up and move or go anywhere, thus blocking somebodies view. That is to say, get up between animals or items, when the auctioneer says “SOLD” on one item, you will have a small window of opportunity to move before bidding gets going on the next. Auction market seating is generally crowded, if you are the type that gets up and down often, sit near the edge of the row, or at the back, so you do not disturb people over and over. If you are seated centrally, excuse yourself to the end of the row you are sitting in rather than stepping forward over other rows, a behavior I often see at auctions which is very distracting and rude.

Buying

Prior to going to the auction have a plan. Know what you want to get, and how many, this will stop you from going crazy and getting too many, or from getting something you know nothing about, or do not have housing for, particularly important if you are buying live animals. Buying animals you are unprepared for, or know nothing about, is going to result in a lot of stress for you and the animal. Buying more animals than you have space for will result in overcrowding, and overcrowding is not only unfair to them, but is a main contributor to stress related illnesses.

While looking around you will notice the animals have numbers, generally they are auctioned off according to number or breed, you should ask to see how this auction is run so you are prepared. Take notes what the numbers are of the animals you are interested in. Most auctions are fast paced, you need to be prepared. Know what you want, what you are willing to spend and stay in control. If you have never attended an auction before, sit and watch for a while so you are able to follow the auctioneers flow and don’t make a mistake. Do not get caught up in a bidding war, this is not a contest or a race, it is a sale. Know the value of things, while there are some excellent deals to be found, I have often seen people bid way too high on some items they can purchase new for less.

You will be required to pay before you can take your items home, some actions only take cash, so know what form of payments they will take ahead of time. Some auctions allow you to leave larger things there for a day or two to arrange transportation, but you should inquire earlier if you are making larger purchases and cannot take them that day.

Mistakes

Occasionally I do see people make mistakes they end up bidding on something when they thought they were bidding on something else, or they thought the price was something different than it was. If you find you have made such an error let somebody know, usually a person in the auction ring. How they handle the matter will vary, usually the item will be auctioned off again immediately without worry, however if you delay in notifying them, it may be auctioned off again and you will have to pay for it, less the resale price and commissions.

Remember it is up to the buyer to know what they are bidding on, and how much they are bidding. I encourage you to check out these unusual venues for sales, even if you are a city person.