DaveL,
Sorry you're so far away - I find I quite enjoy the morning out even if buy nothing, although I usually do :wink: .
The situation is exactly as jaymar says, with the exception of those items at the end of the catalogue marked with a * (new stuff) in respect of which the whole lot, hammer price and buyer's premium, is subject to v.a.t.
Registration costs nothing. You give your name and address in exchange for a card with your registration number on. You show this number to the auctioneer on winning a Lot so that the Lot is subsequently released only to you on payment. You then have to show your receipt for payment to actually remove your Lot(s). System is generally used at auctions, designed to protect the Auction House and buyers, and seems to work okay.
Keith: Some and some. May be worth the drive or perhaps not! Last sale I went to the Friday viewing - load of rubbish. Bought some champion sausages from Gill D's butcher and didn't bother to go back to the sale on the Saturday! At two previous sales I was pleased. Examples:
1. six boards of wenge, 8' long 24"x1and1/4", had been well stored in stick for 10 years (had a chat with the seller after the sale) cost £30 each.
2. 3 oak boards 7' x 24" x 2"
3. 12 oak 6' x 6" x 1and1/4"
4. 8 oak boards 13' x 8" x 1and1/2" - had to cut them in half to get them in the car!
All of the oak was good quality but high MC. Stickered in the airy loft above my workshop it is drying nicely. 3 above, bought last January, I have just started using. Overall average cost approx. £14 per cu. ft. (After resawing, the oak for my recently completed 3 metre worktop cost about 15 quid - I could have bought one ready made for £458!).
5. 7 boards of spalted beech 8' long varying 18" to 24" wide all 2" thick. Looked pretty rough at the sale and little interest in it (3 Lots). Took a chance and bought the lot and it turned out to be as I hoped - excellent spalting throughout, some very heavy, but still totally sound. Cost: £7 per cu. ft. If I use it all for turning blanks it will give me some 64 blanks from 8" to 22" diameter - approx £1 each!
I usually go to the viewing on a Friday. Anything I'm interested in I look at carefully, especially the ones at the bottom of the stack, tick the likely ones on my catalogue, calculate the cubic footage at home and put my max. price on them. If the bids at the sale exceed my prices I just forget 'em, otherwise I could easily get carried away!
I've also seen some Lots go for extortionate prices when several people are really interested, e.g. 2 boards of walnut, looked a bit ropey to me, about 6' x 30" x 1and1/2" - £290 each :shock: :shock:
This is their first wood auction since last March so I'm hoping that there will be some good stuff amongst the rubbish.
Cheers,
Trev.