What? Another Auction? Okay!

I went to an auction on Saturday that was in a closeout store that was going out of business.  It was all new stuff - pallets and pallets of new stuff.  Lots of tools, registers, shopping carts, pallets of industrial toilet paper and paper towels, security systems, a scissor lift, pallet jacks, ladders, extension cords (SO many extension cords!) and on and on.  As I did a quick run through I spotted two vintage items in the whole place - an old metal milk crate (which had been on my wishlist) and a handmade tool cubby shelf.  I decided that they would be mine.  (Insert maniacal laughter here).

After about an hour and a half they got to the pallet with the cubby on it.  It was hidden in the center of a pallet and not very noticeable.  The auctioneer had been doing "choice" on each pallet, so I assumed that is how it would go.  But, Noooooooo.  The helper guy plucked that cubby right out of the middle and twirled it above his head - "Let's auction this beauty off!" he said.  Ugh.  

As it turned out, it was a different mindset of bidders and no one wanted the old stuff.  There was one older man standing right beside me interested in it.  But, he and I were the only bidders.  My stomach was in knots.  I bid $5, he bid $7.50, $10 to me, $15 to him, $20 to me and then he stalled and dropped out at $25, so I got it for $20.00.  There was a 10% Buyer's Premium (I hate those kind of auctions), so I paid $22.00.  More than I like to pay since I am CHEAP, but still a good deal.  It will go in the booth eventually full of doodads, trinkets and tchotchkes.  

It has adjustable inserts so I can make them whatever size I need.  I know it looks like there is no bottom, but that's just the color of the bottom.  It was chock full of stuff when I bought it - saw blades, wood putty, screws, nails, WD40, utility knives, lamp parts, bolts, screwdrivers, tape and all sorts of stuff.  Most of it was new which was a bonus.  Lots of odds and ends will go to Goodwill and Lara is getting a big jar full of weird screws. nails and findings for her projects.  

I was able to get "choice" on the next pallet for $5.00, so I got the metal milk crate too.  It had three nice vintage wire bail canning jars in it (priced $6.00 each for the booth), a bunch of brand new rubber jar rings (listed on ebay) and fifteen brand new packages of click pens that The Breadman uses at work.  So, $5.00 was a deal for all!  

I made a rookie mistake and thought I was bidding on one thing, but I was really bidding on something else.  I ended up with a teak waste basket, a flower pot you put a patio umbrella in and a small metal stool for a total of $2.00.  At least it was a cheap mistake!  

The little stool had a vinyl top with some bleach spots on it so I thought it was a goner.  But I manged to take the top off and recover it with some groovy vintage fabric I thrifted not long ago.  Sadly, that justifies my theory of buying things and hoarding them "in case I need it."  :)  My $2.00 mistake turned out pretty good.  It's headed to the college booth along with the other two items.

I spent $28.00 after the Buyer's Premium was added.  (Luckily I had cash because there was a 5% credit card fee too.  If you spent $1,000 (Which people were doing easily) you would pay a lot more after both of those fees.)  If I sell everything at what I have it priced, I will sell it for $104.00 (minus the $28.00) for a profit of $76.00 and I will still have the cubby and the milk crate to keep which is all I wanted in the first place!  I guess I did pretty good after all.  

So, where's the next auction?  Here's a hint......a 7,000 square foot mansion!

I bet I don't buy anything there, but it will be fun to see!