Here`s another auction from Apex.
I imagine, whoever they are, they are trying to make a profit. While I agree that the business model they use is opaque, the papertrail of ownership may be arcane and tortuous, the commission charged on top excessive, the 'auction' software clunky, inflexible and open to abuse, and their payment policy obtuse in the extreme (are there any other auction houses in the UK who don't take credit/debit card payments?), I did actually secure a rather nice 8" bench grinder on hugely heavy cast iron pedestal for what was at the time scrap value from the Reid Gear sale. Once I finish converting it to single phase use, i'm sure I'll get many years of useful work out of it.
The point I'm trying to make is that, provided you obey the rules of auction buying (don't bid more than you're comfortable with, don't bid without inspecting the lot, make sure you're happy with the stated conditions as regards commission, uplift/removal of lots), it's not really any different from any other auction. As it happens I quite like the fact that the auction extends if someone bids in the last 10 minutes, it allows sentient thought to to overcome the 'red mist' tendency, for me at least.
Apropos nothing; when I collected the grinder, I was dismayed to see what appeared to be the company's archive of drawings in a haphazard pile on the workshop floor. While a majority would have been worthy only of skipping, the older linen-backed ones would look very pretty in a frame on the wall.
Surely the point being made is that the "rules of auction buying" are not being followed and that the prices are being raised by the (very) unlawful practice of Shill Bidding?
I did actually secure a rather nice 8" bench grinder on
If you don`t mind telling us,what is your opinion as to the scrap price of 8" three phase bench grinders? Whatever gave you the idea that the Reid Gear "sale" was a sale.The place was sold last year to a dealer who sold the machines there was an immediate demand for,took the best of the rest for stock,offered the rest around the trade and then got Apex to clear the rubbish. I won`t go into the cost justification of converting a cheap grinder to single phase. Mark.
Not opinion, fact; I paid 15 beer tokens. A sale is when stuff gets sold? And you're right, if I accounted for every minute I've spent fiddling with it, the conversion makes no sense economically. However, I'm not about to pay =A3100+ for the new equivalent and I didn't fancy the Clarke offerings in machine mart. Besides, I find fettling old machinery enjoyable, so cost is not the only factor. Each to their own I guess.
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