Yes, you pay even if you no sale. The auctioneer has gone through the trouble to call the sale, the stockyard has gone through the trouble to pen her, weigh her and then pen her again after she goes through the ring. Most of our sales here average $20-30 a head, commission, yardage, etc fees.... If we sell more than 50 at a time.... take in 50 , not all in the same pen, the one yard gives a discount. But if you are not happy with the price you just bid her back yourself. We have done it over the years. Sometimes it pays you to buy one back and keep it, sometimes we can get together a group and then sell for a better price. The seller pays the commission, not the buyer.
The best thing about the stockyards/sales barn.... you walk out of there with a check....end of discussion. And unless there is some sort of world wide disaster, the check will clear due to them having to be bonded and all that. No further responsibility, no buyer calling with complaints or this or that......If you sell reasonably healthy cattle you will never hear another word. If you sell cattle that do good, people will ask for your cattle down the road. We have a couple of buyers now that will ask if we have brought in any cattle, if they see us at the sale, because they have bought some in the past and they have been EXACTLY what we said.... weaned, bunk broke, blackleg..... whatever. It makes a difference.
