Buying Used at Auctions

[Orange man hero]

Anyone bought used K tractors at some of the big auctions?, or other brands. How were they? Condition/price etc.

 

[JimmyJazz]

I have bid online on several Kubota tractors. Never bought one. I was always surprised by the prices used equipment brings. You would do just as well or better negotiating a private sale with an individual in my opinion. Might be different in Alaska. Good luck.

 

[Orange man hero]

Yea, I believe you are right as auctions here are always high priced and pushed to the limit.

 

[swpflipper]

I have bought equipment from actions such as Richie brothers.
If the equipment is around 5 years old it is possible that it is just being replace because it can no longer be depreciated. Same goes when you see a bunch of the same of equipment. Lets say, a fleet of a particular truck and they all look the same. Chances are they went out of business or can no longer depreciate and that could be a good buy. If it is older, you run the risk that it is just worn out.
You need to know the price of the item in question both new and used or you could very well wind up paying to much. There are great deals provided you know what the item is truly worth.

 

[D2Cat]

Auctions are an interesting sport! Folks go to purchase something and always declare things are selling high. Person selling something says prices are going low.

People always wish to buy low and sell high, but you have to realize the auctioneer is making a living at what he's doing. As mentioned one better do their homework before they get there!

 

[freewheel3]

I have bought equipment from actions such as Richie brothers.
If the equipment is around 5 years old it is possible that it is just being replace because it can no longer be depreciated. Same goes when you see a bunch of the same of equipment. Lets say, a fleet of a particular truck and they all look the same. Chances are they went out of business or can no longer depreciate and that could be a good buy. If it is older, you run the risk that it is just worn out.
You need to know the price of the item in question both new and used or you could very well wind up paying to much. There are great deals provided you know what the item is truly worth.

I have sold several pieces of various equipment at Ritchie Bros sales.
I do see the odd good deal go through the ring, but I have a bit of advice for you. If it's a piece that I consigned, DO NOT BUY IT. When I take it there, it's because it is at the end of it's life, lol.

 

[Orange man hero]

I have sold several pieces of various equipment at Ritchie Bros sales.
I do see the odd good deal go through the ring, but I have a bit of advice for you. If it's a piece that I consigned, DO NOT BUY IT. When I take it there, it's because it is at the end of it's life, lol.

Like that one!!!!! lol

 

[Orange man hero]

I have bought equipment from actions such as Richie brothers.
If the equipment is around 5 years old it is possible that it is just being replace because it can no longer be depreciated. Same goes when you see a bunch of the same of equipment. Lets say, a fleet of a particular truck and they all look the same. Chances are they went out of business or can no longer depreciate and that could be a good buy. If it is older, you run the risk that it is just worn out.
You need to know the price of the item in question both new and used or you could very well wind up paying to much. There are great deals provided you know what the item is truly worth.

I found a $5000 4x4 pick-up at a garage sale of all places for $1000...doubt if a auction can best that.

 

[mikester]

It's the start of estate farm auction season, now's the time to go bid against the mennonite men in black hats and the hard core wheeler dealers trying to find the next score.

Some auction places are crooked and you are bidding against the equipment owners. Those places are a waste of your time.

The current trend is buyer's premiums which makes your deal less and less attractive. In auctions you are buying a pig in a poke, as-is where-is.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I stopped going to auctions, even online ones. Up here there's a 'buyers premium', usually 10-15 % PLUS 13% taxes compounded on top..so.... a $100 bid costs you $130 at the door !
Now, say you have a limit of $1000 for an item, come 'pay the girl time'...it's $300 MORE..ouch that's a LOT of extra greenbacks for something used/abused........
What STILL amazes me is the prices some people pay for stuff, I check the local big online auction sometimes. USED stuff goes for 80-140% of retail . HELLO, they bid MORE that retail THEN another 30% on top !!

 

[Old_Paint]

So what about flea market sales? Any better luck in those kinds of sales environs? Or pretty much the same as auctions? I've always tried to keep into perspective that I'm buying something someone else wanted to get rid of at flea markets and garage sales. I'm extremely cautious and give it a good look before I even talk to the seller. If it has an engine, it's gonna run and let me hear it, see it, and smell it before I make an offer. If that's not an option, I move on down the line and keep my money in my pocket.

 

[swpflipper]

You have to know what stuff is worth. Stand firm on your top bid and be ready to walk away. Shop the used markets for the items you want to bid on. It feels good if you just priced a used item and got it for less at auction. Just keep it mind what the auction house adds to the great deal. When shopping its value, you may just find exactly what you're looking for and buy before the auction.
It is normal for stuff to go for more than retail. I have seen many items go for more than you could have bought a new one for. Especially when the bider gets excited or didn't do the homework.

 

[Bmyers]

My nephew went to an action last weekend or the weekend before. Picked up some truck part that he knew about. Got it for $15 and was able to turnaround and sold it for $250. Doesn't happen often, but when you are in the right place at the right time, things can fall into place especially if you know what you are looking at.

 

[swpflipper]

There are also times when you need it and you can't find it. New or used.
Case in point. I am looking for a used dump truck. Particular about brand, engine, gvw, freeboard height and cab to axle mesurment and of course condition.
Found one at auction. The exact truck. Set my top price in my head. It went over so I didn't buy. I am still looking and right now, I wish I bid higher.
Chicken one day, feathers the next

 

[Old_Paint]

You have to know what stuff is worth. Stand firm on your top bid and be ready to walk away. Shop the used markets for the items you want to bid on. It feels good if you just priced a used item and got it for less at auction. Just keep it mind what the auction house adds to the great deal. When shopping its value, you may just find exactly what you're looking for and buy before the auction.
It is normal for stuff to go for more than retail. I have seen many items go for more than you could have bought a new one for. Especially when the bider gets excited or didn't do the homework.

Yeah, I've done a little window shopping, and I find that used farm equipment doesn't really depreciate much. Must be that demand thing again. If I'm going to wind up only saving a couple hundred bucks on a $1000 purchase, I may as well buy new. Then I'll know why it's broken when it happens. I've always been a little nervous about buying someone else's problems when buying used equipment with any kind of rotating/moving parts. A plow, easy enough. You can see if that's broken. Bucket? Yup, that's easy. A mower or brush cutter though? Not so much. Between gear box, spindles, belts, idlers, etc, there can be an awful lot wrong with a used mower. I've seen decent new mowers for about $1700. One used equipment dealer nearby wants $1600 for a used one that probably needs new belts and a good servicing before it can be used. Simply not worth it. I don't mind the shopping, though. I just have to expand my list of suppliers so I can do more comparative pricing. Eventually I'll have to replace my little Husqvarna, and may as well add that duty to the LX if a new mower is gonna cost me as much as just a mowing deck. One less engine to maintain that way.

 

[bx tractorjoe]

Only reason stuff goes to auction is the seller can't get what they wanted for it.. or it's a rental company or fleet vehicle that company does want wamt to deal with selling..

Stuff from what I have seen is usually worn out, or is in good shape and sells for more then what you could buy one private party for..

People get in a bidding war and don't think with their brains it seems..

I was going to buy a bx23s in Orlando Richie bros it ended up selling for 19250.. after auction fees and travel expenses it would cost a few grand less then new, for something with no warranty and no service history.. think it had 490 hours

 

[Orange man hero]

Exactly my experience...but I'm sure there are exceptions...

 

[D2Cat]

Folks often talk about buying someone else's problems. If I know what I want, know it's value, know how it works and find something that has something wrong with it... i can often buy it, fix it to use or make a nice profit. It's all in what a person's choices are, time, money, skill.

I disagree with this statement: "Only reason stuff goes to auction is the seller can't get what they wanted for it.. or it's a rental company or fleet vehicle that company does want wamt to deal with selling.. "

Have you ever been to an estate auction? Or a farm auction?

 

[JimmyJazz]

I get telephone calls from the online auction companies affiliated with the Tractorhouse website alerting me of upcoming auctions that might interest me. Very nice people going to lengths to find knuckleheads like me willing and able to gamble in many cases. The auction results are worth following if you are a price sensitive person such as myself. You can check sold prices on eBay as well. That type of disclosure pre internet was hard to come by and quite useful in my opinion.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

up here we have 'Kijiji', similar to your Craigslist... guy has a Dewalt 12" sliding compound mitre saw for $300, Sounds ok...,check Homedepot... SAME SAW is $320 !!! pretty sure if I needed that saw, I'd buy new, for $20 I'd get a warrantee !