[Chip Chester]

First visit to ETF, and first auction of old TVs. I was there to get an education on pricing, some repair techniques, etc. So, newbie opinions will abound in the following wall of text:

During the auction, I did see a few bidders go un-noticed, and the bidding on a few items was re-started when overlooked bidders spoke up. But the thing I noticed about a few of those bidders was that they would hold up their hand just shoulder high, with a crowd of people around them, and there was also a crowd around the auctioneer. Pretty much no chance of being seen. Auctions etiquette and strategy aside, if your bid is not being recognized, speak up, man! Or raise your arm higher. Or do the number paddle thing to improve visibility. I know that sometimes one wants to hide their enthusiasm and 'front' a little bit, but it's to no avail if you're both unseen and unheard. This extends even to an auction assistant who apparently was using hand signals to register his bid with the auctioneer, except the assistant was directly behind the auctioneer -- so of course he wasn't noticed. (He also eventually spoke up, so all was good.) I guess the lesson is, if you want to buy it, speak up.

My opinions on pricing are pretty much as an outsider, and pretty limited in their scope. I thought the Predictas were pretty good deals -- apparently nicer sets (cosmetically) at less-than-Craigslist prices. Saw some younger-than-expected folks spending more-than-expected money. No issue with that at all, just a little surprised. Obviously good for the hobby down the road, too.

Can't tell if there's enough 'bandwidth' at the auction event to curate the equipment a bit more... or adjust the order of presentation. I know stuff comes in with descriptions of condition and performance, and some is listed either as 'parts' or condition unknown. Should those items auctioned in separate streams (not simultaneously) instead of either random, or first-in/first-out? (Looked for the auction list and couldn't find it.) Don't know what previous years' silent auction scenario was like. Don't know if there was a hard cutoff time for auction items or not. Also didn't notice how online bids were integrated. I think there's an opportunity to have the internet stream show more detail on the items up for bid, and less of the sea of humanity around them, which would expand the pool of remote viewers. (That video also should be shown by projector there in the room so everyone doesn't need to huddle around the auction item to see detail.) But again, don't know how many online/absentee bidders there were, aside from those who have registered their dissatisfaction -- which they are completely within their rights to do. Like I said, newbie observations.

I do have some ideas about organization of the equipment in that room, but I don't have the time, money and manpower to back it up, so I'll keep my trap shut on that. I have some areas of my own that are in equal disarray; I know how that gets.

Personally, I thought the auctioneer did a fine job. And having someone who actually knows the sets is far, far better than someone who is a typical fast-talkin' auctioneer with no real product knowledge.

Lastly, Steve needs to wear his badge so newbies can tell who he is (I saw it in the bin at the front desk, but not on him). And badges should have a VK nickname listed (or other sites) if the attendee wants to. (I know some people wrote this in themselves.)

I did learn about a few things, and met a few people. And I'll probably make it back next year, too, as schedules permit. And if I've got things wrong, do say so. Comments are welcome.

On edit: There's another 'assumption' that I had about the auction... I had assumed that running sets would be shown in operation, either in auction preview or at time of bid. Electrical logistics and fire code may stand in the way of that, and sellers may prefer not to show that. But I would think, "Set is working, and here you see it working" would be good for some of the higher-end sets. May have been done on the auction preview part of the site -- work didn't allow lots of time to spend on prep for this event.