Advantages of Auctions for the Buyers

Why is there such hype regarding auctions? What's so good about them and what do people get from them that they don't normally get from other forms of buying?



Half of Americans, according to the study conducted by the National Auctioneers Association, have seen or attended an auction. This means that auctions are fairly popular among Americans and that the majority of people often prefer to trade through auctions, like in EBay and other live auctions rather than in the actual market. Why? Because first, it is one of the most exciting ways to get the best deals (according to the 83% of all the people surveyed), second, great value for items is often offered to the buyers (this according to more than half of the respondents), and third, buyers are satisfied with the prices they pay at the auctions. Apart from these reasons, there are several others including the following:



Speed of Buying



Most types of auctions are timed so the buyers are pressured to bid their price before the time runs out. This alone gives the excitement for both observers and bidders. Also, buying at an auction offers a fast transaction. Its core rule: give the highest bid and you win the item.



Chance for the buyer to establish his own price



While items at auction usually have reserve prices, auctions still let the bidders decide the highest and lowest value of the items. Thus, the control for pricing is given to the bidders and the real market value of the merchandise is evaluated.



Getting the fair market value



Fair market value comes from the transactions between a willing buyer and a willing seller. In the structure of auction, it is obvious that people participating in it, the sellers and the buyers, get the fair market value of the property or the item they are buying.



Guaranteed sale for both the buyer and the seller



Bidders come to auction with the intent of buying an item and sellers go to auctions to make money off their property. Thus, both parties have the assurance that they will have their intentions satisfied. So it is rare, if not impossible, to have cases where any of the two individuals back out from the transaction since an agreement at auction is legally binding.



It eliminates tedious negotiations



Auctions do not need negotiations between buyers and sellers. If the bidder wins the highest bid, he gets the item whether the seller agrees to the price or not.