Auction Language

[ROCKSPRINGS]

How on Gods earth do you understand what the auctioneer is saying. It sounds like some third world country language ? I was afraid to scratch my nose in fear of buying something. Also it seemed like the people that were bidding were trying to hide thier sign language that they were making toward the auctioneer like they did not want other people to know they were bidding on the animal. I was told it may be thier animal and they were jacking the price up because they noticed a rookie in the crowd. They should make an instructional book for rookies. Untill I learn the ropes , Its private treaty for me. :shock:

 

[dun]

It's alwasy a challenge at the start of the sale. Takes me about 10 minutes to get my ear tuned to each different auctioneer. The deal about making a sign that may be mistaken for a bid is pretty much hogwash. They can tell the difference in most cases. Now if a bee goes up your pants and you jump to your feet, that may be mistaken for a bid. I once had to through my hat into the ring to get them ringman to notice that I was bidding. There's no reason to make a big signal when bidding, a nod a finger, not the middle one, is all it takes. They may not be running the price up on their own cattle, they just may not want everyone in the barn to know who is bidding on what.

dun

 

[J]

I agree on the first ten minutes dun and usually each auctioneer has their own little unique sounds and rhythms. I love the sound of a godd auctioneer in action.

 

[backhoeboogie]

After you have sat through several auctions, you get pretty savvy to the routine and price. You never have to buy anything and there are times you shouldn't.

There is always someone there who falls into the competitive strategies the auctioneers like to see. Never get caught up into competition unless there is something you really want. Make up your mind what you are willing to pay, before you start your bid and stick to your limitations. If the prices are up, sit there and cross your arms. Sometimes the buyers make their quotas and leave. Sometimes the prices continue to escalate throughout the auction. It is all about supply and demand.

I like going alone to auctions, and sitting alone too.

 

[Dave]

Eye contact with the auctioneer or one of the ringmen and a small movement may be taken as a bid. If you feel the urge to scratch your nose just look away while you do it. The auctioneer looking at the crowd looks for people trying to make eye contact with them.
Dave

 

[Caustic Burno]

How on Gods earth do you understand what the auctioneer is saying. It sounds like some third world country language ? I was afraid to scratch my nose in fear of buying something. Also it seemed like the people that were bidding were trying to hide thier sign language that they were making toward the auctioneer like they did not want other people to know they were bidding on the animal. I was told it may be thier animal and they were jacking the price up because they noticed a rookie in the crowd. They should make an instructional book for rookies. Untill I learn the ropes , Its private treaty for me. :shock:

I understand your difficulty you need to take a old crusty fellow like Dun until learn.

 

[Craig-TX]

Another thing that might help you is to bear in mind that the auctioneer is talking a lot but he's not really saying that much. For instance on a set of cows he might start one off with a basic description and a short sales pitch but once the bidding gets going he's basically repeating the price he's got and the price he's looking for, over and over. On calves he's just doing the numbers and then telling who bought them.

If they're really moving fast you need to make sure you know when the bidding stops. Sometimes an animal will be weighed and gone and a new animal will be in the ring but the bidding hasn't stopped on the first animal yet.

They guys who aren't hardly making a move are probably the regular order buyers who are there every week. The auctioneer is already keeping an eye on them when he's calling something he knows they are looking for and they can just about read each other's minds. Dun is right, the odds of you accidentally buying something are not as likely as they seem.

 

[cmjust0]

I was at a farm and equipment auction once, looking things over while they auctioned off a bunch of junk.. Well, I kept hearing this kid -- about 6 or 7 years old -- going "Yeah," "Yeah," "Yeah," and the auctioneers were actually taking his bids.. I walked over to see what the deal was, and it was a kid standing directly in front of his dad, and everytime his dad wanted to bid, he'd nudge the kid in the back and the kid would go "Yeah!".. :lol: Right away, the auctioneers picked up on even that as a valid bid, knew what to look for, and the kid had a ball all day...

I've seen people nod, twitch, wink, yelp, and nudge their kid, but I've never seen anybody make a bid they didn't mean to make -- let alone buy something they didn't mean to buy..

 

[mitchwi]

Sometimes an animal will be weighed and gone and a new animal will be in the ring but the bidding hasn't stopped on the first animal yet.

They guys who aren't hardly making a move are probably the regular order buyers who are there every week. The auctioneer is already keeping an eye on them when he's calling something he knows they are looking for and they can just about read each other's minds. Dun is right, the odds of you accidentally buying something are not as likely as they seem.

Being I'm not a male, the first couple of times I have gone, and on occassion was bidding, I pretty much had wave my hands, jump up and down, holler out, and then some nice guy sitting around me would pipe up and get somebody's attention :shock: For some reason, either I'm not big enough, or wear a hat, or some unknown reason :?: maybe just not taken seriously since women are greatly in the minority, here anyway at the auctions. By about the third time at the auction, one nice guy who works there has made it a point to greet me, talk with me a bit and ask what I'm there for, and keeps an eye out for me ;-) .

 

[ALACOWMAN]

The auctioneer is the last one i worry about. its the ringman and owners that look for a bird. you will learn fore long to look like you dont give a Da## if the sunshines when at a auction cause the more you squirm the better they like it. the fellers in the back also look for suspects. ;-)

 

[norriscathy]

Be careful! I've found myself bidding against a light blub in the ceiling on a couple of occasions! A lot of what the auctioneer says is just meaningless bantter to keep the rhythm going.

 

[bigbull338]

they each have there own cadence or chatter selling stuff.the sales that i go to the auctioneer knows me.an he can tell if an when im bidding w/o rarely looking at me.unless he is asking are you sure your bidding.an i node yes.but beware an auctioneer will bump your bids.to keep you going.an it helps alot to know the people thats doing the bidding.wich i do know them.

 

[backhoeboogie]

It does help too if the spotters or auctioneers are pointing at the person they have on the hook. There are times when I go with one of the spotters and keep focused on him/her in lieu of the auctioneer. When they point away, I jump immediately and they stay with me. They'll also be yelling "HhhhYEP!" at times to let the other spotters know they have a high bidder. They'll be looking the crowd over for bids but pointing at me. If they get another bid, they'll come right back at me with eye contact. If I'm done and going no higher, I'll shake my head and they'll get off of me. If I want the animal and they are keeping me on the hook, those fingers are pointing me out. If I get the animal, the spotter will announce my name or number to the books and I'll write the animal's number down. The whole time I am listening for prices from the auctioneer and that's it. My eyes are on the spotter if he/she is with me. I can also ask "What's it at?" and get an immediate response, they'll come back with prices too as the price jumps. That is a good confirmation if you are not exactly understanding.

 

[Susie David]

Takes practice to get the cadance down but here's my two bits worth:
The auctioneer maintains a rythm to keep the sale moving quickly, 90% of his words are "fillers" to maintain the rythm.
The price that he keeps repeating is the price that he wants, another fella has already taken the bid at a lower bid and the auctioneer is looking for the higher price.
When the order buyers are active the auctioneer is looking mainly at them. You need to make eye contact with a spotter, he's the guy off to the side yelling "hey", "yup", "here" or some other acknowledment when he sees a bid.
When you are actively bidding you will have no trouble keeping the interest of a spotter, doesn't hurt to have a good looking woman stand up and wave her hand to bid, you'll be on the radar for sure. You know that you're in the sale when a lot is split and the auctioneer says "Susie do you want in on this".
Know your budget and what you went to the sale for in the first place...really easy to go needing steers and come home with a trailer full of heifers because they were just to good a deal to pass up. Don't get into a bidding war with anyone, there is a reason that the rest of the folks arn't bidding, know what you want and can afford to pay; and don't settle for an inferior animal, the chute is full of good ones and there is always another sale next week.
Probally can tell It's raining here today.
DMc

 

[ROCKSPRINGS]

Takes practice to get the cadance down but here's my two bits worth:
The auctioneer maintains a rythm to keep the sale moving quickly, 90% of his words are "fillers" to maintain the rythm.
The price that he keeps repeating is the price that he wants, another fella has already taken the bid at a lower bid and the auctioneer is looking for the higher price.
When the order buyers are active the auctioneer is looking mainly at them. You need to make eye contact with a spotter, he's the guy off to the side yelling "hey", "yup", "here" or some other acknowledment when he sees a bid.
When you are actively bidding you will have no trouble keeping the interest of a spotter, doesn't hurt to have a good looking woman stand up and wave her hand to bid, you'll be on the radar for sure. You know that you're in the sale when a lot is split and the auctioneer says "Susie do you want in on this".
Know your budget and what you went to the sale for in the first place...really easy to go needing steers and come home with a trailer full of heifers because they were just to good a deal to pass up. Don't get into a bidding war with anyone, there is a reason that the rest of the folks arn't bidding, know what you want and can afford to pay; and don't settle for an inferior animal, the chute is full of good ones and there is always another sale next week.
Probally can tell It's raining here today.
DMc

Thanks Susie and everyone else, after reading all this it is beginning to make alittle bit of since now. At least now I kinda know what everyone is doing.

 

[Bama]

I one comes in the ring I know my top bid within 10-20 seconds. By not going over this I don't pay to much. On occassion I will change my mind before bidding up to my max. I may notice a slight limp, or something else I didn't catch in my first once over. Purchase price is where I make the most money on my cattle. On a side note I havn't saw anyone bid that didn't mean to but I have saw someone bidding when 2 were in the ring at the same time. They thought they were getting both but were really bidding 2 times your bid. When 2 or more come into the ring pay attention to how they are selling. Sometimes its the whole lot, sometimes it take your pick, sometimes its the number in the ring multiplied by your bid.

 

[Emgen]

Depending on what is in the sale ring, be certain to listen for a "per pound" bid/ask Vs a "per head" bid/ask. Often per pound bid/ask can be in 100lb increments. Auctioneer's Bid (lower #) is usually followed by multiple repeats of the Ask (not yet offered higher #) looking for the next highest offer.

Once you understand how the sale barn markets its calves Vs pairs, calves Vs slaughter bulls, etc... all will make sense. I'm relatively new to the cattle business but things made sense after my second visit to the sale barn. Be certain to ask someone to catch you up if you feel lost, anyone I've ever spoken to at the sale barns has been very willing to help.

Good Luck

 

[cypressfarms]

My 2 cents:

We have two distinct types of auctions down here: the local auction barn weekly, and the special sale, often held at a ranch. At the local auction barn, it's a more relaxed atmosphere. Caustic was talking about bringing an old crusty with you, well I still wont go to a sale without my dad; he's just to good about guessing weight and knowing who's bidding and what to look for. You must have a price set in your mind, and don't go over it, ever. There will always be other cattle. I will never get into a bidding war, because the buyer will always lose. Last fall I had one angus plus bull calf that went for $1.60/lb because two guys got into a war. Good for me, they overpaid big time.

At the special sales, which are mostly seedstock sales, things are much more under the table. People hired to up the bids, people bumping other people. I try to go to these already knowing the catalog well, and what I want to spend. If I buy nothing, at least I got a free meal.

IMO there are two very important parts to an auction: the first is when the stock is brought out and the auctioneer states how it will be auctioned (by the head, pair including calf, etc). The auctioneer usually says this part slower so everyone will understand. The second important part is when the stock first walks in. I need to make a quick decision on whether I want it or not. At "special" sales I always go ahead of time and look at the cattle at my liesure, so I know before what they look like.

 

[Aero]

The deal about making a sign that may be mistaken for a bid is pretty much hogwash. They can tell the difference in most cases.

dun, this is one (probably the only one) that i am going to disagree with you on.

i saw a guy at a sale cost another bidder $30,000+

the bidding started and moved pretty quickly. it slowed down around $10000 and then another buyer got in pretty vigorously. these 2 guys went back and forth until the guy in the back stopped nodding his head when he figured out he had just bought a heifer for $45000. he proceeded to deny that he was in the bidding and the other bidder ended up having to take her for $40,000. the guy who ended up with her could have gotten her for near $10,000, but the demonstrative guy with a big cowboy hat made him pay $40,000.

i realize that the the eventual winner must have thought the heifer would be worth it, but it still seemed dirty to me.

many people say that something is "worth what somebody will pay for it". this isnt as true at an auction. it's always worth just a little more than 2 people will pay for it.

 

[cypressfarms]

Aero,

I saw something similar to that, but they guy protested; they then re-auctioned the cow off.

Doesn't seem fair to the guy who had to pay so much because of another's stupidity. Sounds like a rookie hired bidder. I would think a respectable auctioneer would have stepped in...