Auction Info
Invoices & Payment
Shipping
Consignments
Q: How do I register to bid?
A: Follow the instructions below.
1. To sign up please click here
2. Next enter your information and click save changes.
3. To view our catalog click here
4. To bid on our auction try placing a bid, and you will be given a prompt to accept our terms
5. Once the terms have been accepted you can bid freely!
Q: What is soft and staggered closing, and why does your auction feature these?
A: Soft closing is when an item's closing time is extended by 5 minutes (in our case) if a bid is placed within the last 5 minutes of the item (this repeats until there are no further bids). We implement this to protect bidders from some user's using sniper programs that allow them to bid at the very last second leaving you no time to respond to the bid. Staggered closing is when we delay the closing time between each lot by 20 seconds. We do this to allow more convenient bidding as not all items end at once.
Q: What does maximum bid and quick bid do?
A: Maximum Bid allows you to enter the highest amount you are willing to pay for an item, and the computer will continue outbidding competition in $1 increments until it outbids them or reaches your Maximum Bid. Quick Bid lets you bid the next increment just by hitting the quick bid button, or you may enter your Maximum Bid in the Quick Bid Field (same effect as a Maximum Bid).
Q: What are your bid increments?
A: All bids are $1 increments.
Q: Can you explain the bidding process?
A: Yes, it is actually very similar to a live auction except there are a few features that make it more efficient.
Example: Bob wishes to bid on a boat motor on the auction, much like a live auction the bidding will start at a set price or will be at the price the current bidders have pushed it to.
So Bob bids $55 against the current high bidder Tom who was winning it at $45. At which point Bob becomes the new high bidder because $45 was the max bid of Tom. This causes Bobs to become the current high bidder at $46 (as we use $1 increments).
Tom then decides to bid $50 but is outbid immediately thanks to Bobs Max Bid of $55 ( think of your max bid as leaving your friend to bid on an item for you while you take a break). So Bob is still the high bidder except he now will win it at $51.
During the last 3 minutes of the auction Tom decides to return and bid on the boat motor and places a bid of $75 so he becomes the new high bidder at $56 and the items listing time is extended by 5 minutes, leaving 8 minutes remaining ( this allows the other bidders a chance to react to the bid as any bid placed within the last 5 minutes of an item will be extended by 5 minutes)
Bob notices this when the item is now 7 minutes from closing and quickly places a bid of $85 causing him to become the high bidder at $76. ( the items closing time is not extended in this case as there are 7 minutes left rather than 5 minutes or less)
Tom decides to try $80 but is outbid and gives up, leaving Bob as the high bidder at $81.
No one else bids and 7 minutes later Bob is the winner of the boat motor!
Q: How is this like a live auction if I don't know what the other persons max bid is?
A: During live auctions, the other bidders may not place their max bids immeditaely but gradually reach it by trying to get it for the lowest price possible. In this case our auction is very similar except that you do not have to constantly monitor the item, rather just enter your max bid and let the computer do the bidding for you.
Q: Do you have any tips that may help me win an item?
A: Yes, I have found that it is generally best to enter the max bid you would be comfortable with paying for the item as you do not have to monitor it constantly, though you may find it worth monitoring the item during its last few minutes incase you are outbid. Also when bidding rather than bidding $35 or $40 for example, you should bid $36 or $41 as many bidders bid only in intervals of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, etc.
Q: Any tips on how to determine the value of an item?
A: Yes, to determine the items full value, make good use of the photos we provide to determine its condition. The photos also provide measurement much of the time due to a yard stick being in most of them. Be sure to read the item descriptions as they may mention important information besides measurements. Finally be sure to make good use of a search engine ( ex: google ) to search for keywords related to your item to further determine its value.
Q: How can I pay for my winnings?
A: We accept Cash, Credit Cards, Cashier's Check and Pre Approved Personal Check. Paypal is accepted at most locations. (Paypal payments must be done online)
Q: Why haven't I received my invoice yet?
A: The invoices are sent out via email shortly after the auction ends. (However, the invoice is only sent out after all the bidding has ended on the auction). If it is 2 days past auction close and you have still not received it however, chances are it ended up in your junk/spam folder of your email.
Q: What are your pickup times & Office Hours?
A: Click here for our hours at each location.
Q: What if I cannot make it to the pickup times?
A: Call or email us
to schedule another day to pick up your winnings & send a check to WOA if requested.
Q: How do I ask for shipping?
A: Just reply to the invoice you receive after the auction ends requesting it, and the payment method of your choice.
Q: What items are acceptable for shipping?
A: Most small items (ex: coins, currency, small tins, knives, etc) We can ship the medium sized items but the cost of shipping will go up.
Q: What items are not acceptable for shipping?
A: Anything that is over 50 Lbs, most furniture, or large merchandise that cannot be compacted.
Q: How can I consign items to you?
A: Please contact us via email or phone through our Contact Page to schedule an appointment so we can properly devote ourselves to your merchandise, questions, or concerns.
Q: What Items can I consign?
A: Good clean merchandise. We do not accept alcohol, hazardous materials, or *firearms*. Please note that firearms are allowed if they were manufactured before 1900 except at our La Crosse & Lake Country Offices, which do accept modern firearms.
Q: What do you charge for consignments?
A: As all offices are individually run, consignment terms will vary for each office. Our general fee structure includes a percentage of sale price and a lot fee for clerking, listing, & photographing. A lot can be one or many items made by your or us, & described by you or us.
Q: Can I just bring in items and let WOA do the descriptions and lotting?
A: Yes, except at our La Crosse office. Our La Crosse office requires all items to be clean, sorted and titled.
Q: If I want to do the lotting & descriptions of the items myself, how would I go about doing that?
A: Make a list of your items with a Title & Description (including flaws if any), print 3 copies & cut one copy up and put each of the cut outs with its proper lot. Keep 1 copy for yourself, & bring in the last copy for us to keep for our records.
Q: Do I need to clean my items before I bring them in?
A: Yes, but be careful with fragile items & do not remove the patina (only remove dust & grime). Careful cleaning of your merchandise will generally make the item bring better prices.
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