The Decision Makers

Who is in Charge on the Auction Block?
We would like to take a moment to make what is an important distinction between the auction house owner and the auctioneer when they are not one in the same. The owner of the house is in charge of absolutely everything connected with the business including how the merchandise is to be sold. The owner can instruct the auctioneer as to how he wants certain items or an entire auction to be conducted. After all, the auctioneer is an employee. 

Before an auction, the owner sets guidelines, rules and policies. As long as none of them are in direct contradiction to the ethics or laws that must be upheld by the auctioneer, in accordance with the auctioneer's license, then the auctioneer should abide by them. After all, the owner also has a license that he or she has to honor. 

That being said, you never know what is going to happen at an auction. The best laid plans…and all that. When something occurs during the auction between the auctioneer and a customer or the auctioneer and the entire audience, the auctioneer is in complete charge and makes whatever judgement is necessary to fix or correct the situation. Even if the owner is standing right there - it's the auctioneer's decision. 

Whatever decision the auctioneer makes may make the customer happy or it may not but the auctioneer's word is final - no exceptions. The auction owner might not like what the auctioneer did to solve the problem but, and I'm speaking as an owner here, that's too bad. There is a remedy available if the owner of the auction house does not care for this arrangement - the owner can go to school and get an auctioneer's license. 

Who is Top Dog at the Auction? 
We should clarify this since the customers are obviously the most important people at the auction. Who is the top dog working at the auction? Bet all the auctioneers out there are convinced we are going to say the auctioneer. Nope. It's the clerk. If prices and numbers get recorded incorrectly - well, that's just too ugly to think about it. That's why most auction houses do not allow anyone to talk to the clerk. There are even professional signs one can buy that say this. Nothing can turn an auction upside down faster than clerking errors. 

Is the Auctioneer Indispensable?
Again, no offense to all the auctioneers out there but no, the auctioneer is in fact replaceable. We should clarify again. Obviously every auction has to have an auctioneer but it doesn't have to be the auction house's regular auctioneer. The only thing that is indispensable at an auction is the owner's checkbook. I know from what I speak.

The point we are trying to make is if you are an auctioneer, especially a relatively new auctioneer, and you are sick the day of the auction, don't tell yourself that you have to go to the sale no matter what because they really need you there. No, they really don't. No matter how good an auctioneer you are, if you are sick, you will be off your game and the auction will suffer because of it. Let them get a substitute. Even if they have to get someone who is not quite as good as you are, the substitute will do a better job. The substitute won't be sweating, or coughing or sneezing or moaning or worse. Eat some chicken soup and go to bed.

Written by Anne Benedetto, Auction House Talk
 All Rights Reserved