Suggested Rules for auctions

[Petronilla Whitfield]

What seems to be lost in the desire to give every auction its own protected time slot is the reality that every auctioneer is different.

? There are auctions which allow the auctioneer to bid. Some people think that’s fine, others dislike it.

? There are business-like auctions that try to move as quickly as possible. Some people want that, others find it dull.

? There are some in which the auctioneer frequently stops to tell personal anecdotes (“My kid did the cutest thing last week!”). Some people love it and attend because they find the auctioneer amusing, others find it annoying.

? There are some in which the auctioneer runs a show, with games and contests and songs. Some people find it entertaining, others don’t.

? There are some in which the auctioneers tells raunchy jokes and uses a lot of double entrendres. Some people enjoy it, others are put off.

? There are some in which the auctioneer gives a lot of informational background on the cat and talks about breeding. Some people think it’s wonderful, others get impatient.

The notion that people would attend any given auction just because it doesn’t have competition in a time slot is deeply flawed. Patrons go to auctions they enjoy if they are held at a time they find convenient. If a patron doesn’t like the auctions’ rules or the auctioneer’s style, the patron won’t attend.

If every movie theater owner in driving distance decided to show “Annabelle” without any other movies competing with it, those of us who dislike horror movies still wouldn’t go.

So…I think any spreadsheet/website listing auctions should do just that—list the auctions. List them even if they overlap. List them even if they start at exactly the same time. I don’t think the list makers should try to impose any rules on how many auctions there are, when they start, or how long they last.