Keep your tickets

Make sure you have a ticket to prove your purchases.

Recently at one of our auctions one of our ringmen purchased an item during the auction and left it lay on the hayrack as we moved on to finish the auction. When the auction was over he went back to retrieve his item that he had purchased and it was missing. Several weeks later this item was discovered consigned to an auction house in a neighboring state. The buyer questioned the auctioneer and found out who the consignor was. He also told the auctioneer that he bought this particular item on an auction in Iowa and that it was rightfully his. Apparently the auctioneer at this auction house told him that just because he had a ticket it did not mean that the item was his. This auctioneer could not have been more wrong. The next step the buyer took to retrieve his property was calling the consignor and informing him that he had a ticket proving that he bought the item. Eventually the person who took the item and consigned it to this auction house caved-in to the evidence being presented and admitted that they took the item from the hayrack. According to the actual buyer of the item the person in question claimed to have been cleaning off items that didn't sell from the hayrack's. The rightful owner received his property and decided to leave it as a consigned item at the auction, however proceeds will be directed to the rightful owner rather than the original consignor. So a happy ending took place here. The thing I would like for all auction goers to understand is that when the auction is over you need to have a ticket for all of your purchases. You should not take unsold items, or items that you do not have a ticket for from the hayrack's, tables or grounds of the auction site. If the items were sold the person who is buying and paying for them would like to take them home. If the items did not sell they still belong to the estate or the family or whomever the seller is. The seller will then make the decision how to dispose of unsold property. Sometimes it is thrown away. Sometimes it is donated to a local organization such as Goodwill or some other similar type place. It depends on the sellers desires. So remember when attending auctions that you should always have tickets for all of your purchases if you don't have a ticket for it please don't pick it up. If you have a question regarding unsold items it's best to see the auctioneer.