What should I bid on this HLV?

I'd like to have one, but not at that price. Don't have room for it anyway, or a real need for that matter. ;)
 
It is an interesting conversation about online auctions we are having here. It seems that there is not much trust. I have bought numerous items from online auctions, including my surface grinder. I have had zero issues, other than a couple of mistakes I made due to my lack of knowledge regarding the product I was bidding on.
That being said, I was screwed over by a local auction house regarding some land. Same thing happened to my daughter, maybe not so ironically from the same auction house. Any in person house can plant shill bidders in an audience to drive bidders. Age old trick.
Ironically, an online auction house went to bat for me in recovering some Wilton bullet vises that I bid on and won at another auction house, but due to some complicated issues, were let go to another bidder. So, if you get to know the folks at online auction houses, they can be an asset.
 
I have been buying at auctions most of my life. IMHO, they can be the best or the worst way to buy something. I depends on a many variables but mainly on the buyers, skills. I have gotten great deals and I have learned some tough lessons...

The number one rule: Carefully set your maximum bid and never, ever bid over it. It's very easy to get sucked into the "heat of battle" that preys on your competitiveness, the bidding becomes more about winning and ego, than the actual cost of the item. Fall into that trap and your are done, your wallet will be picked clean.
Carefully inspect the item. It's best done in person but if only by photos, be carful not to be swayed by secondary information. EG. Let's say the lot item is a cabinet full of tooling, you can see various tools but there's also box that is labeled "X valuable tool" Don't assume tool x is in the box, only consider what you actually see. Add up the maximum real value of the item(s) subtract the sum of all premiums, fees, taxes, etc. That is your maximum bid amount. Also don't forget to consider the cost of travel expenses, rigging, etc.

Patience is key, if you didn't win at this auction you might at the next. Play the long game, eventually you'll score.

^^^This. I’ve watched and bought things at auctions for business and personal prob 30 yrs and agree. For personal stuff my general rule is 30% of new cost max.
Definitely learned a few lessons along the way.
A good one was a press brake we bought in Toronto. By the time we over paid to win, the auction juice, VAT and transport thru customs to US, rigging on the floor then realize all the controls and motors are 575V !! Lol. Fair to say that was a big loser.. but at least we had fun at the “entertainment” joints the night prior


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To a patient and discerning buyer, auctions can be an incredible resource without a doubt, but machines are machines with there being little difference fundamentally between an exacting precision Swiss production instrument or a used Ford people mover... And sadly the ethical chasm Inherently must span the same breadth as obviously not all people hold or exhibit the same values. Just last weekend, I picked up 3 machines from auction with one of them probably being one of the finest examples of it's model and vintage in existence in America today, but there was obvious foul play as when I went and picked these machines up the company workers with strict policy against personal connection to any transaction were openly razzing me for outbidding them on one or stealing another, and paying the MSRP of clearly used, sometimes even clapped out, items was commonplace where I constantly kept having to sanity check manufacturer's websites, but even with all of this hullabaloo and unscrupulous bull, I'll still ultimately have made a few bucks while stepping my shop up two or 3 tiers. And my experiences have only been more favorable yet with smaller auctions and estate sales. Getting burned is absolutely inevitable, but with Buddhist patience and keeping an emotional distance from the items, the frequency and severity can be greatly reduced....

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Yep ,if you want to overpay ,want something real bad ,and get carried away .....hey ,that guy is still bidding...he must know something I dont.....added to everything seems to be crazy prices now .....unknown side effect of the vax?
 
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