When is the high bid NOT the winning bid? At Hunt's!

Bpm0014 · #1 11-16-2016, 10:20 AM

I've also had some problems with Hunt's. They have some wonderful items though. But same deal.... At least 2-3 occasions.....

packs · #2 11-16-2016, 10:48 AM

How does "human error" play into an automated bidding system? Something doesn't add up there.

keithsky · #3 11-16-2016, 11:22 AM

Their website is terrible for auctions it's like going back to the 1980's or something. You would think with the amount of money they generate and the quality of items they get they would have a better website. It usually seems like there is only one picture that they post for each lot. Well if you are looking at a game used item for instance you want to see different views of the item and they post one and when you even go to enlarge it it doesn't get very large to even be able to see if there is any flaws in the item or any issues with the item. I have looked at game-used bats in their auctions and they take one picture of the whole bat. Very seldom a picture of the knob which is very important or close up of the label. They're willing to send you a picture of the item and a close up if you email them and I'm always thinking well if you do that for me why wouldn't you just do that on the auction page so everybody could see it. It's like they don't want to take the time to promote each item and make it nice and have clear pictures. Hurry up and put a few word description and take a crappy picture and get to the next lot. As a consignor it's terrible to try and sell your item with only one picture if multiple pictures would help sell it. I put a bid in the live auction for a Nellie Fox information card I think lot 5 and I know I was high bidder but it must not of went through and I lost it and it wasn't worth it to complain to them after the auction was over.

scooter729 · #4 11-16-2016, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

How does "human error" play into an automated bidding system? Something doesn't add up there.

The way it was described to me on the phone, once all automated online bidding ends on Friday night, a person then takes the high bids and manually executes those against live bids on Saturday.

So the human error would come into play if the person responsible for bidding as the high bidder from the online sessions doesn't enter bids vs. live bids. And it sounds like that happens regularly. Not good.

jefferyepayne · #5 11-16-2016, 12:34 PM

I kinda halfheartedly bid on Hunt stuff. Their web site is absolutely horrible, I can't figure out if I won or lost half the time, and they aren't good at sending reminders when their auction closes.

Even when they have stuff I really want, I tend to put in placeholder bids and then forget about them as they don't follow up very much.

jeff

Bugsy · #6 11-16-2016, 01:02 PM

I have had significant issues with them in the past as well. I no longer bid on any of their lots.

pherbener · #7 11-16-2016, 02:50 PM

On the positive side, I've won a few items through them that weren't described accurately and went for well below market price. Not good for the consignor though! I would never consign with them!

clydepepper · #8 11-16-2016, 02:56 PM

I've never bid on any of their auctions and, based on what I've read here, I never will.

Feel free to pass that along to them if problems persist...there's too much competition out there to settle for that kind of screw-up. IMHO

f

BeanTown · #9 11-16-2016, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pherbener

On the positive side, I've won a few items through them that weren't described accurately and went for well below market price. Not good for the consignor though! I would never consign with them!

Just curious... what items were not described? Maybe that's part of their lure is to show lousy pictures and have basic descriptions. I bid on a couple of lots and only one time did the live auction not take my bid as I was too slow.

One reason why the above posters problem happened was he might have had an auction limit and the software didn't accept it. Christies had the same feature as when a lot whet over a certain amount, I couldn't bid if I wanted too.

whiteymet · #10 11-16-2016, 05:43 PM

I had a different experience with another MAJOR auction house in an auction that ended recently.

I was bidding on a lot for a friend who was not registered with the AH.

He was watching two lots but could only afford to win one. He bid on both to get started and when bidding exceeded his comfort level on one lot, he had me bid higher on the second lot. We were the high bid most of the day. As it got further along he asked me to up his bid to his top price.

He was high bid at $7500 and asked me to up it to $8000 because his limit was $10K with the BP. I went online and THOUGHT I had raised his bid. I did not check to see if I got a confirmation.

When the auction was over and the lot sold for $8000 we thought he won. But NO!

When I called to inquirer I was told you can not raise your own bid one increment. I had never heard of this before. I was told it was how the system was set up and that there had been other instances like mine in the past.

Anyone else run into anything like this?

AustinMike · #11 11-16-2016, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whiteymet

When I called to inquirer I was told you can not raise your own bid one increment. I had never heard of this before. I was told it was how the system was set up and that there had been other instances like mine in the past.

Anyone else run into anything like this?

Fred, I think there are at least 2 or 3 AHs and probably more that have the same system. I've noticed when placing a maximum bid in some AHs, I can only place a bid one increment above the current high bid, or 3 increments above, or 5 increments above, etc. If I want to bid 4 increments above because that is my preferred maximum bid, I can't. In order to do that, I have to let someone else put in a bid 1 increment above the current high bid. Then, my options are 1 increment above that (or 2 increments above the original high bid), 3 increments above that (or 4 increments above the original high bid), etc. I think it's a pretty screwy system but what can you do?

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