buyer's signals

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xbred

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i love to watch buyers each week buy cattle, they have my respect for their quick judgement of a cow or calf. Are there standard buyer signals? For instance amount of fingers up is 1,2,3,4,5, thumb down is nine, crook of an index finger is 7, closed fist is 0, 3 fingers down 8? I've seen twisted index and middle finger represent an 8. And yes i know about the middle finger...Seriously, what are some buyer's signals to the auctioneer?
 
X I love to watch them myself. Some can sign as fast as a deaf person...and a good auctioneer never misses it either. . A former "world champion auctioneer" once told me that when he is really having a good day selling cattle and "on top of his job" , almost the minute a cow or calf comes into the ring he not only knows who will buy it but what seller number he'll charge it to.
 
xbred":pycwa7iz said:
i love to watch buyers each week buy cattle, they have my respect for their quick judgement of a cow or calf. Are there standard buyer signals? For instance amount of fingers up is 1,2,3,4,5, thumb down is nine, crook of an index finger is 7, closed fist is 0, 3 fingers down 8? I've seen twisted index and middle finger represent an 8. And yes i know about the middle finger...Seriously, what are some buyer's signals to the auctioneer?
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I can tell you several body language actions right before they make up their mind to provide a buy signal.

The most famous one is scratching the chin.
 
i've seen them signal as to where to charge the calf before the chant is over...Thatcher 2x, CP101, R&R straight away......I love to see a rookie bid on a calf in the ring when the bidding is still going for a calf is already "out the door"...
 
tncattle467":3a5uj6w9 said:
Ive never noticed it at any of our sale barns. Or any of the purebred sales Ive been to.
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Probably because to sell 6 a minute they have to put a couple dozen in the pen. :)

Things move fast down here and one at a time.
 
xbred, looks like you got an eye for the bid. Can you pick up on when it is his or his buddys calf and he is just running the price. Each buyer has his own pattern once you learn it.
We were at a heifer sale last Saturday and there were three bidders bidding for the owner. Took me about 5 heifers to figure them out.
 
Week after week those buyers buy. They've been doing it for years and their body language is known. For some of them it is just a matter of looking off when they drop out of the hunt.

I am small potatoes. When I go to the sale, I stay with a spotter in the ring. That's what seems best for my situation. He'll usually be pointing at me to let the autioneer or ring man know he has someone on the hook. He's scanning the crowd. When someone takes me out he eyes come back to me. I roll my hand forward and nod and he'll yell "Yep". My eyes are on him during the bidding process. If it keeps escalating and I want out, I wave him off when he comes back to me and take my eyes off of him. So far, I have never bought something I didn't intend to buy using this method.

You have to bear in mind that I seldom buy more than 20 animals at a given auction. Some of those buyers down at Dublin will buy over 1000 head each an sit through 20 hours of auction. Their body language is everything to the auctioneer and he's figured out what they are buying at the time. During supper break they are all talking. The house wants them back next week.
 
xbred":14zznc6l said:
I love to see a rookie bid on a calf in the ring when the bidding is still going for a calf is already "out the door"...
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Ouch ~ that's mean, (but it is kinda funny if you think about it!). I just nod my head. But as someone else said, they know who wants what, and they will keep coming back to you ~ its like a volley. I have already spent plenty of time in the back before the auction starts, and I have my calf (the one/s I want) numbers written on my tag. I almost never let a calf get away, but have my "high" written on my card. I don't play games though ~ I buy what I have come to get if it is there, then I load and leave. I love going to auction sales.
 
angie":17n23jue said:
I almost never let a calf get away, but have my "high" written on my card. I don't play games though ~ I buy what I have come to get if it is there, then I load and leave. I love going to auction sales.
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Where do you go?
 
if you want to go to a good sale, there's a mostly feeder sale at Bloomington, WI Friday morning. Signals should be flying! I've been to a couple good ones in SD also. Love to stop for lunch and check out the local cattle. Have to remember to sit on my hands pretty hard some times.

There was one sale where fortunately the auctioneer sold some nice Herefords steers to someone else before I could come up with how I was going to explain our need for more cattle to my wife....

Jim
 
I've always wondered what signal they give when they want to buy "just one" or "just two" or when they want the smaller calf culled out.... because you'll hear the ringmen or the auctioneer say, "they wanna buy one" etc.... then the ringman (who is the barn manager and sets the prices on the calves when they start out) will usually go along with it.
 
MoGal, When buying starts getting slow on the groups, they announce buyers choice here. If you are high bidder you can take one or all. Some times the buyer takes them all. Usually they cull a few and the bidding starts again.

If it is not buyers choice, you are buying the whole lot.
 
Here on the larger drafts they will allow you to buy the weight you want as long as it is above 51,000# That makes it alot eaiser to find someone to haul them home for you. Not many trucks will cross the port of entry with all 58,000#.
 
HerefordSire":1ye5pi1n said:
xbred":1ye5pi1n said:
i love to watch buyers each week buy cattle, they have my respect for their quick judgement of a cow or calf. Are there standard buyer signals? For instance amount of fingers up is 1,2,3,4,5, thumb down is nine, crook of an index finger is 7, closed fist is 0, 3 fingers down 8? I've seen twisted index and middle finger represent an 8. And yes i know about the middle finger...Seriously, what are some buyer's signals to the auctioneer?
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Every buyer has his own way of charging cattle to orders. A good auctioneer will know the orders and pick up how he signs. You are right as to how most buyers signal numbers. A six is a thumbs up. The three fingers down could also be a 9 (a 39 would be 3 fingers to the side and then turned down or 3 fingers and a thumbs down). 8's are the hardest for me.
 
kenny thomas":18c71ozx said:
We were at a heifer sale last Saturday and there were three bidders bidding for the owner. Took me about 5 heifers to figure them out.
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Owner's last name didn't start with a "T" did it? I've seen him do it at heifer sales.
 
our auctioneer knows all of the buyers at each sale.as well as the cattle they buy an how they charge cattle.when i used to buy alot of dairy cows id bid without people knowing it except for my buddies.if i wasnt bidding the card was in my pocket.an if i was bidding the card would stay on my knee.an when id bidd id do a slight flick of the card.an the auctioneer would put me in.when card went in my pocket i was done bidding for awhile.
 
RN BSN":22of9af7 said:
And then you have the ghost bidder. Bid goes up when no one bids.. Sometimes the auctioneer has to buy one :lol2: :lol2:
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theres a place for those or their rerun later, and the auctioneer drives away in a lincoln puffing a cigar
 
RN BSN":3bljblrk said:
And then you have the ghost bidder. Bid goes up when no one bids.. Sometimes the auctioneer has to buy one :lol2: :lol2:
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been there done that.i was buying a bunch of milk cows 1 nite for $400 to $550.then the price went to $650 an $700.an i caught the auctioneer bumping me.so i put my card in my pocket an quit bidding.then sat there 2hrs.the prices bottomed back out to $400.the auctioneer hollered at me are you in.an i mouthed to him im in an you had better be out.an he didnt bid against me anymore that nite.
 

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