Online Auctions - And how they can help clear a house. Episode #5

It's Rebecca and my mischievous partner is behind the camera, Pauline. Hello everyone. It is Wednesday and it's podcast day. Today, I want to talk to you about what we can do to help you in an auction situation. We do online auctions through an app called Max Sold. The reason we do that is because when there are people that are downsizing or you have family members that have passed away, you are left with a tremendous amount of things. A lot of things. And they don't necessarily fit in your new space if you're downsizing. They definitely don't fit in the new space if you passed away. No. So, going forward, why we do in the auction process, the estate process or the downsizing, is we take the first couple of days and we remove all of the garbage recycling and anything that we think is donatingable. Donateable is something that we feel that we wouldn't get enough money for that would deem it efficient to put in the auction. So, what would be considered donatingable in a state situation, Pauline? Well, something like maybe the towels are just a little bit more worn. So, we would take them to the immune society. Maybe something like just everyday glosses, there's a lot of them. And we just don't always find that they're efficient financially to put them into an auction. Right. And sometimes odds and sods of coffee mugs. Right. So, we have learned through the process of doing this for quite a few years now, is that usually we keep glassware to a set, a set of six, sometimes four mugs. But that's where if we have an odd cup or an odd glass, we might donate that instead of putting it in the auction. Yeah. So, then after we've done the first couple of days of cleaning at the garbage, the recycling, and the donatingables, our next step would be putting like with like, because what we find when we're doing the auction setup is that we might have people that have sealers in their kitchen. Oh, but then they have sealers downstairs in the basement. And there's a couple out in the garage, and there's some in the canning cellar. Yep, they're there. That's right. So, we like to gather all of them together so that we know when we put the lot together, it's got all of the canning information, got all the canning together. And sometimes we use like the canning tubs and their, you know, the, the utensils, the utensils, the pots, and all that stuff. Yeah. So, we will put all that together. So, during the first two, three days, that's what we're doing. We're gathering like with like so that we can be more efficient when we're actually doing the auction process. Now, once we've gathered like with like, we come in, and the crew has numbers, and we set up so that the things look nice and pretty. And there is lip to distraction in the background. We do that on tables. We get the lighting right. We do some research as to what we're actually taking pictures of. That's probably one of the biggest things is because sometimes you will find something and I'll be just like, I have no idea what this is. So, we do a little research, not a lot, but a little research to kind of back up what we're putting up for the auction. Yes, there was a very interesting one in this auction. What was that? And it was a ceramic thing that was like an oval. And to me, it just looked like it might have held incense or something, but it was for little rose buds. That's right. That was like it. It was a rock vase or something. Yes. And when Erin showed it to me, I thought I have no idea what that is. Yeah. So, we are thankful that we have the internet and the great big world right now to help us out in that regard. So, when we're doing this, we take pictures. We upload them onto the app of MacSoul. And we provide dimensions, we provide the condition of the item. And we also provide really good description and pictures as well, which is probably the main thing is getting good pictures so that the people that are going on the auction site can have a really good idea of what they're actually buying. And how long does an auction run? So, we usually run them anywhere between five and eight days. We find that is the most efficient. There's a couple variables. First of all, how quickly we need to move the stuff out of here. Secondly, how large the auction is itself. And sometimes the location of it will be a factor of how long we run it. Right. Exactly. When after we finish doing all the loiting and we've done the descriptions and the pictures and everything and we uploaded onto the app, Pauline goes through it and makes sure that everything looks good. And then we put it out to MacSoul, they do the draft up and it runs live. And as Pauline said, it will run live between five and eight days. And at the end of that, the auction stops and everybody at the end, it's always like this. I don't know, online auction. Everybody is online in the last five minutes and they're like, "It's crazy." Putting their vids in and it is so exciting to watch from behind your computer screen. And the other thing too is that we have found that if there's something that's very. People are getting a lot of bids on. The app will actually do a soft close, which allows bidders to. To get in there and look around and to make some decisions on how much they want to put in on it. Yeah. Now, Erin will tell you, the secret to online auction is not really to wait till the end. Because that's very stressful and you could be disappointed. Yes. My beautiful friend, Erin, she will tell you, go in, decide I am going to pay no more than $25 for this group of sealers. Just have that in your head. It's probably best to set that limit for you anyways. But she will tell you, go in and put the bid of $25. It's not going to go $25 right away because the bid right now is $2. Yeah. So just to explain to you how that works. So I don't want to go anymore in $25 in there. And I've gone in and the bid's $2. Like you said. Yes. So when I put that max, it's been at about $25. How much is my bid going to be? Your bid is going to be what the minimum is. The minimum is that's active right now. So it would be $3. That's right. So if this was $2, somebody else was winning it at $2. You went in and put a maximum bid of $25 on it. The bid would go to $3. Excellent. So it's not going to go up. It's going to go up. Until somebody else bids $4, then yours will bump it to $5. Somebody else might bid $6. Yours will bump it to $7. And when it gets to $25, that's when it will actually peak out for you. So it's a great system because it doesn't allow people to kind of get caught up in the rush. Which is really easy to do. Especially if it's something you really, really like. It is. It's very easy. There's a dopamine rush in there and we know it. So we do recommend that set yourself some limits and decide right away, right off the bat. Look, I'm not paying more than $25. Yes, absolutely. For something. And then you know what, you could even go and walk away from it. But it is still exciting to watch to the end and see, oh my god. And you get an email and you say, you are the winning winner. So that's really exciting. And something we always make sure that we tell our clients is when your auction is running. Don't bother looking at it to the last day. Yes. Or looking at it at all. Yes. A just depends on how your emotions are with what's going on. And when you say that, is that because they've already decided to let this stuff go? That's right. It's like a garage sale. We always tell our clients, sure have a garage sale. But whatever doesn't sell does not come back into your house. This is very similar. With an estate, we ask the families to come in and take anything they want before we even come into the house. That's right. And then let the auction run and do process. That's right. And what's last? What do we do with it? Well, the rest of it is donated. If it doesn't sell, if these items here didn't sell, we would donate that. We would donate it to a women's shelter. We would donate it to a charity. Any charity the family wanted. If there was a church that was having a rummage sale in the spring, we'd make sure that it got to them. So the stuff doesn't stay in the house. It is gone. And the one thing that I love about the auctions is that I pick up day in one fell swoop. The house is empty. It's like at two o'clock in the afternoon on pickup day. I literally say, I can feel the house breathing again because the stuff is being moved out. It's fun. It's hectic. And it might be a little crazy. Yes, it's very true. And what I also like to say to clients about doing the auction because some people think, why don't I just donate everything? Which is fine. And if that's what you want to do, great. And maybe you don't have enough for an auction. So that's what we do. But the thing is, what I like about the auction is whether or not they've paid $5 for an item or $50 for the item, they want it. Yes. So it definitely went to somebody who wanted it. Exactly. Yeah. And I mean, I think it's just a reasonable way to get a house emptied really quickly. That's right. And. And if it pays for some of the services that have to happen during an estate or during a downsize, then that's just kind of a bonus. You've already decided this stuff is not coming with you. That's right. So let somebody have it that wants it, needs it. We have had that something that is very, very noticeable in the last year and a half. We had so many families and parents of lovely young adults that were going out to college in university. And they were coming in and they were buying stuff like, well, maybe not this fancy, but they were buying this way. Yeah, because they're like, I can get this. For this. Yeah. I can get this. And it's already been bought. That's the other thing about an auction is when somebody buys these things, we're not contributing to consumerism. We are not getting ship loads and container loads coming into our country full of stuff. It's so great. It is. When you have an auction like this, this stuff has already kind of made its dent in the environment when it comes to sustainability. So why not renew its life and keep it going? Yeah. So much better than going out to a big box store and buying four glasses when you've got them right here. That's right. And they're well loved and they're gorgeous and they're trendy too. They're like, it's a remodeling. Oh, and everybody loves the vintage. We're back here. Can we take a walk over here because there's some unique items and maybe people would think why would I put that in an auction? But check this out. Well, I mean, you do know why this one went in. This is a beautiful, cheap piece. This is gorgeous. And it is. Oh my goodness, look at the door. It's a record holder. LPs. So it is very, very trendy and lovely to have a piece like that in your home. Really nice. But look at this, just the gloves and scarves. I know they're gorgeous, right? People think that, oh, I'm not going to sell that. That won't sell. Well, it's amazing what people will buy. We sell saran wrap, tin foil, ziplot bags. Now, okay, because when we have them left over, okay, they're not quite your size. No, they're not. They're not. They're not. They're not. Look at the leather. Just gorgeous. Okay, so these, I would say, are probably an extra small ladies. Beautiful. Just beautiful. But just look at all these little unique things that we would just think, oh, those were just mom's trinkets. We're just going to get rid of them. But they're gorgeous. And check out these quotes. Just beautiful. And here I am sitting on a retro stool. Who didn't have one of these in every library in your public school? Right? One of these. You sit on it. It doesn't go anywhere. You get off of it. And it rolls. Amazing. Isn't it great? We sell pretty much everything. I've tried to sell my coworkers, but I never got one darn bit on them. Yeah, but you know what? If you did that, who would help you? It's true. It's true. Yes. So we do love the auctions. They're great when people are downsizing. Because people are able to move on their stuff. I always find it fascinating. The crafts and the material and different things like that that we find. And, yeah. And all of a sudden, we're like, we're taking these things that, for example, this client loved quilt. And quilting isn't something that's as popular as it was back in the, let's say, 40s or 50s. But it is so great when this quilting bat and the tubs of fabric get picked up by somebody who does it. Yeah. It's like, oh, that's fantastic. It makes us feel so much better than having any idea of these pieces going into a big bin or dumpster or somewhere. It's not going to be found. And this auction and all of our auctions, as you said before, the people buy the things because they want them and because they need them. And that's what I love. I love that it doesn't go in a dumpster. No. And I have a client mentioned to me there the other day we were working on another estate. And she said to me, what it's done for me is, first of all, it's not just all the physical work and everything of clearing the house. But she says it's the emotional part. You know, we've come in. We've done the grieving. We've, you know, pulled out the photos. We've taken the things that are special to us. And now we can walk away and know that our things are going to be taken care of and then we looked after donated, sold, whatever the case may be. But they feel relieved because it's not like they're walking away and I don't want to deal with mom and dad's stuff. Just like I put it into capable hands to look after it. They've done their due diligence. That's right. And now they don't have to keep grieving every time they handle another needs of furniture. Every time they walk in the door and they've got, they spend a half hour or 45 minutes and they're just like, I don't want to be here. Yeah. So you come to just in time solutions and really if we do two days of garbage and recycling in donations and maybe four days of, of lauding. Just depending on how things are placed. Yeah. And then a day of pickup, you've got the house completely emptied in the span of what, 10, 15 days. That's right. Instead of three or four months that you're taking every weekend to do one box here, one box there. Yeah. And asking, do you want this? Yes. Right? You know, yeah. One day that everybody comes to the house, picks up what they want. And it's done. And it's done. And I just think it's, it's a really good system. And you know, it just makes things so much easier. Yeah. Bring in the cleaners and then you get the house up for some. Exactly. And I do always tell the clients that if by chance they see something in the auction, they're like, oh, that was grandma's quilt. I completely forgot about it. Right? We do have that. You can buy it out of the auction. That's the way I look at it. If it is all of a sudden at the very end and you're like, oh, I really wanted that. If you really wanted it, they just buy it. Okay. I mean, it's worth the money. Yeah. I love having people come through our process. Next time we're going to talk about a few other things. We'll see you next Wednesday because. Clutter is just on made decisions.