REA fun!

Leon · #1 10-29-2018, 12:19 PM

Anything is possible. There is also such thing as a phone.

I started collecting late compared to many on our forum but in 1996 I don't think there were tons of internet auctions yet. Most I participated in (maybe all of them) I had to call in (or write in, which I didn't do) bids. If there was something I couldn't live without last night then I would have picked up the phone. I understand not everyone will do that. Advantage- Old fogey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jobu

Yeah, but for people who were frozen out of the site for 3+ hours and then quit, there could have been more bids that were never placed. Or, maybe not.

clydepepper · #2 10-29-2018, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon

Anything is possible. There is also such thing as a phone.

I started collecting late compared to many on our forum but in 1996 I don't think there were tons of internet auctions yet. Most I participated in (maybe all of them) I had to call in (or write in, which I didn't do) bids.

Me too, Leon....those were the days...we are so very spoiled these days.

These young whipper-snappers have no idea how hard we had it.

calvindog · #3 10-29-2018, 12:25 PM

Brian is not stupid. He knows that the disaster of last night's auction could have a profound effect on his company. This isn't Bill Mastro who was all about fancy orange packing tape and behind the scenes fraud. I have no doubt that he will get this problem fixed in time for the next auction. Again, REA is and has been the most honest auction house in existence since I've been collecting and I have total faith in them as a bidder.

Aaron Seefeldt · #4 10-29-2018, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvindog

Brian is not stupid. He knows that the disaster of last night's auction could have a profound effect on his company. This isn't Bill Mastro who was all about fancy orange packing tape and behind the scenes fraud. I have no doubt that he will get this problem fixed in time for the next auction. Again, REA is and has been the most honest auction house in existence since I've been collecting and I have total faith in them as a bidder.

I totally agree. I've been doing auctions for 25 years and REA has and always will be the best in the biz.

wolf441 · #5 10-29-2018, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvindog

Brian is not stupid. He knows that the disaster of last night's auction could have a profound effect on his company. This isn't Bill Mastro who was all about fancy orange packing tape and behind the scenes fraud. I have no doubt that he will get this problem fixed in time for the next auction. Again, REA is and has been the most honest auction house in existence since I've been collecting and I have total faith in them as a bidder.

+1

As frustrating as it was for everyone, I can't imagine the sick to your stomach feeling that Brian must have had last night. I am not a computer/systems/IT guy at all, but working in finance, I've been on the phone with enraged clients who couldn't access their systems. When you are powerless to help, other than pushing/escalating with the "techies", it's one of the worse feelings in the world and you dread picking up the phone every time it rings.

So, kudos to Brian for doing his best to keep everyone informed. He posted on here multiple times, knowing that he was facing a pretty angry group of folks.

I'm sorry to anyone who missed out on a white whale, or anyone whose consignment didn't sell for as much as it should have.

Also bad luck in that some potential bidders were probably wrapped up in what turned out to be the World Series clincher.

At the end of the day, this hobby is still a great way to get a little respite from all of the more serious things going on in the world.

Jobu · #6 10-29-2018, 12:44 PM

Agreed on the phone part, for sure. But for someone who has a bunch of bids in and can't afford to win them all, that guy has no idea which lots he is winning without a website to check. So, if you can't afford a bunch of high ceiling bids, then the only way to bid last night would have been to keep waiting up and hoping the site eventually worked (which many cannot do) OR to spend the whole night on the phone asking for updates on your bids so that you could go an increment or two on the items that the status of your other bids told you you could still afford. I can't imagine there were a whole lot of people that wanted to do that for anything but a must have item, and that is where I think the money was lost on this one.

I should add - I don't have any issues with REA's integrity or honesty, this is just a shitty situation that they are doing their best to fix.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon

Anything is possible. There is also such thing as a phone.

I started collecting late compared to many on our forum but in 1996 I don't think there were tons of internet auctions yet. Most I participated in (maybe all of them) I had to call in (or write in, which I didn't do) bids. If there was something I couldn't live without last night then I would have picked up the phone. I understand not everyone will do that. Advantage- Old fogey.

calvindog · #7 10-29-2018, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jobu

Agreed on the phone part, for sure. But for someone who has a bunch of bids in and can't afford to win them all, that guy has no idea which lots he is winning without a website to check. So, if you can't afford a bunch of high ceiling bids, then the only way to bid last night would have been to keep waiting up and hoping the site eventually worked (which many cannot do) OR to spend the whole night on the phone asking for updates on your bids so that you could go an increment or two on the items that the status of your other bids told you you could still afford. I can't imagine there were a whole lot of people that wanted to do that for anything but a must have item, and that is where I think the money was lost on this one.

I should add - I don't have any issues with REA's integrity or honesty, this is just a shitty situation that they are doing their best to fix.

Agree completely. There is not even a question that consigners lost money last night due to the site not working. People simply went to sleep and gave up on an early Monday morning. To say otherwise is to defy reality.

perezfan · #8 10-29-2018, 01:04 PM

In looking at REA's "Recent Bids" link this morning, I'm shocked at all the bids that were entered during the final 1 1/2 hours. I was completely locked out during that entire period, and ultimately gave up.

So did the internet work for some, but not others? Or were all of those bids during the last hour entered by phone? Very frustrating, but I realize there was no clear-cut "best solution" for REA. I was just surprised it ended at a time when the site was still completely frozen. Knowing REA, I bet the next auction runs like a charm and that this was a one-time occurrence. But I'd also bet that more people will utilize ceiling bids next time around!

swarmee · #9 10-29-2018, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perezfan

But I'd also bet that more people will utilize ceiling bids next time around!

Doubt it; no matter how "Honest" or "protected" or whatever the bidding software claims the ceiling bid is, collectors are trained to distrust claims of auctionhouses after years and years of rampant shill bidding from many sites, eBay mostly, but also auctionhouses who allow it in their Terms of Service.
Most collectors who are told "the bids are encrypted and perfectly safe" will shrug their shoulders, and ignore it. Because someone out there wrote the code, and may have access.
The company is trying to make lemonades by offering free shipping to the buyers. I was more of an interested observer last night, but if I was a "bid at the end" kind of guy, this wouldn't make me place more early bids just waiting for others to keep bidding me up.

rlorenz · #10 10-29-2018, 01:15 PM

to be Clear I love REA.... it is my favorite AH....by leaps and bounds... hiccups happen....just need to have backup plans for the future.

:-)

midmo · #11 10-29-2018, 01:24 PM

High ceiling bids are fine if you're only interested in a couple items, but I had bids on 100+ lots. I can't afford to place high ceiling bids and win too many items. Sometimes focus changes during extended bidding. I went to bed when I thought double overtime had ended and I didn't receive an outbid notice. I was bummed this morning to learn that I got outbid after 1:15am.

joed25 · #12 10-30-2018, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarmee

Doubt it; no matter how "Honest" or "protected" or whatever the bidding software claims the ceiling bid is, collectors are trained to distrust claims of auctionhouses after years and years of rampant shill bidding from many sites, eBay mostly, but also auctionhouses who allow it in their Terms of Service.
Most collectors who are told "the bids are encrypted and perfectly safe" will shrug their shoulders, and ignore it. Because someone out there wrote the code, and may have access.
The company is trying to make lemonades by offering free shipping to the buyers. I was more of an interested observer last night, but if I was a "bid at the end" kind of guy, this wouldn't make me place more early bids just waiting for others to keep bidding me up.

Well said.

Rickyy · #13 10-29-2018, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perezfan

In looking at REA's "Recent Bids" link this morning, I'm shocked at all the bids that were entered during the final 1 1/2 hours. I was completely locked out during that entire period, and ultimately gave up.

So did the internet work for some, but not others? Or were all of those bids during the last hour entered by phone? Very frustrating, but I realize there was no clear-cut "best solution" for REA. I was just surprised it ended at a time when the site was still completely frozen. Knowing REA, I bet the next auction runs like a charm and that this was a one-time occurrence. But I'd also bet that more people will utilize ceiling bids next time around!

I had intermittent access on and off during the last hour or so...I thought I placed a updated bid, but didn't know if it when through...because the site timed out... turned out I did when I got access again, but when I went to check on it again a minute later, it timed out again, turned out I got sniped for which I didn't get to see until it ended a short time later. I wanted to stay active until the end, but gave up too.

Ricky Y