Hi, my name is Walt. I’m an auctioneer with 25 years of experience in the auction business and licensed in the state of MA. I own Quick Auction Service, a company that specializes in building and running custom auctions, I’m also the webmaster of my own site and have been on eBay for 8 years. Besides eBay, the types of auctions I run most frequently are antiques and on-site estate auctions, although I’ve run everything from business overstock auctions to charity & special event auctions.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and stories of the auction business. My goal for article is to help folks get the absolute most out of their auction experience.

Whether your fresh out of the package or a seasoned dealer I think I can offer something in this article to help you with your auciton adventures.

There may be as many reasons to attend auctions as there are types of auctions to attend. Maybe you want to attend an auction to buy items for re-sale on eBay, or some other market. Maybe you want to furnish your home with wonderful antiques, or you want to furnish your home as inexpensively without sacrificing quality.Some folks are just looking for a fun night out. With a little perseverance all these things are possible.

There are antiques and estate auctions, auto auctions, overstock auctions, absolute and no reserve auctions, real estate auctions, specialty auctions where only one genre of items are sold, tailgate auctions, live auctions, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, silent auctions, charity and fund raising auctions and many more.

Can you really buy for pennies on the dollar at an auction? You bet! Many times I’ve seen folks buy and re-sell at the same auction on the same night for a good profit, although be advised, this should only be done after the auction is over.

There are a lot of ways to find an auction, but here are some tips on how to find and attend the best ones.

Visit the genre of shops in the area that apply to the type of auction you want to attend. IE: If your looking for a good antique auction to attend, stop in the local antiques shops and ask for what there are for good auctions in the area. Sounds obvious right? But listen to what they don’t say as well as what they do say. Oftentimes when a dealer speaks poorly about an auction he or she attends, it may be likely that they are trying to keep a good thing secret. Think for a moment, why would a dealer keep attending a lousy auction?

Newspaper ads: I personally like to find ads in the classified ad section rather than flashy display ads. Flashy ads are usually indicative of an auction that will be high priced, may have reserves, (a set price on an item), and usually an enormous crowd. While any auction can be profitable to attend, it is usually best to steer clear of the glitzy ones, at least for the beginner.

Here’s the minimum you want to find out before you go. If there is a phone number in the ad, call and ask for the terms of the sale. What forms of payment do they accept? Is it an absolute auction? An absolute auction is one that has no minimum or reserve bids on items. These are the best auctions to attend! Is there a buyers premium? A buyers premium is like a tax that everyone who makes purchases at that auction must pay above the winning bid price. Most auctions these days do charge a buyers premium, 10% is not unreasonable but I feel much more than that is greedy, and the auctioneer that charges over 10% is counting on most bidders not doing the extra math as the bids quicken in pace.

A fair auction will have ample time to inspect the merchandise, usually at least 2 or 3 hours. Find out when inspection starts and make sure to attend! Never attend an auction if you can’t make the inspection, not unless your prepared to gamble. Most auctioneers sell at a rate of about 100 items per hour, which is why they sell “as is”. They simply don’t have the time to give a detailed description of all the items. Since almost all items at auction are sold AS IS, there are sure to be some damaged, refinished, fake and incomplete items at any given auction. Beware of any auctions that offer very little or no inspection time.

Good auctions will usually have 150 to 400 lots. A lot may be one item or a group of items. The exception to this are specialty auctions, auto auctions, real estate auctions etc.

When you attend your first sale, take note of the 1/2 dozen or so dealers that buy the most often. See if you can find out about other area auctions they attend.

When you do find an excellent auction, attend it as often as possible. By frequenting good sales, you help increase the bottom line of that business. It’s difficult for many auctioneers to keep the quality of merchandise consistent, so good attendance certainly helps. And when an auctioneer gets to know you as a buyer, he/she will go out of the way to accommodate you, to keep you coming back.

In early 2013, getting small business administration loans became easier when the government streamlined the lending process and changed some features of the SBA’s popular loan programs. After complaints that the average SBA loan application was too complex and lengthy, the government decided to reduce the paperwork required to help expand upon the number of businesses with access to a loan or commercial mortgage. Some of the most difficult financing steps a business will face are the loans necessary at the startup phase. Getting initial funding for small business administration loans has been nearly impossible for some business owners, particularly because of the collateral and credit history requirements used in the past.One of the biggest changes to the SBA 7(a) and 504 loan programs has been the elimination of the personal resource test. Before this change, applicants would need to undergo a complex process to determine how much collateral might be required for a particular loan application. This change has benefited businesses seeking the commercial loan rates offered through SBA loans, particularly when conventional loans have been out of reach. In addition, the rule changes surrounding business affiliation have made it possible for certain companies to qualify for small business administration loans despite having a financial connection to larger companies with significant revenue.One of the biggest hurdles for qualifying for SBA loans has been the size requirement. The reason why the rules on affiliation were changed is because a large company with ties to a small company that was applying for an SBA loan wouldn’t benefit from trying to get a government-backed loan. Large companies have been able to qualify for conventional loans with rates lower than traditional SBA loan rates. However, loan limits were changed in 2010 to accommodate larger small business administration loans, as well as businesses with net income up to $5 million. This means that a company with $100 million in sales with only $5 in net income could actually satisfy SBA loan requirements.The recent changes were made to help small businesses, but overall the modifications have made it easier for larger businesses to get SBA loans, too. One of the ways in which SBA loans haven’t changed is the requirement for collateral. Despite changes to the personal resource test, business owners have still had the opportunity to put their personal assets into the application as collateral. Placing a personal home up as collateral for an SBA loan has remained a standard part of building a business from the ground up. Fortunately, the SBA has allowed applicants to use collateral not owned by the business to satisfy SBA loan requirements.Before deciding upon which loan to apply for with a local lender, a business borrower should figure out which SBA loan program would offer appropriate funds. Different loan programs available through lenders include CDC/504 loans for real estate and equipment, general SBA loans through the 7(a) program, and micro loans. The government even offers disaster loans that homeowners and renters can use. The variety of available small business administration loans ensures most small business owners can find an appropriate type.The economic recovery has helped make it easier to qualify for small business loans, and with the rule changes in effect, it has been the government’s hope that there would be additional businesses applying for SBA loans. When seeking a small business loan, it’s important for business applicants to research a variety of lenders to determine which offers the best opportunity for approval. Small business administration loans do have some eligibility requirements, but many businesses can meet those requirements by finding a lender who specializes in small business loans.

Nowadays, people are searching for different ways to start a prosperous home based business and they prefer to do the home based franchising. Franchises are available from a zero start investment to thousands of dollars. These types of franchises might include the special retail franchises, vending franchises, material repair and maintenance and other forms of options to be considered.There are websites that will cater the resources in order to get more information on the franchising industries. Using the online home based businesses; most people find it effective that is why it is the popular choice in the industries based in their local residence. Some of the categories that will fall on this type include consulting companies, EBay businesses, companies that sell products or other forms of services on the internet, and other types of prosperous home based business on the web.Product sales are among the common transactions done by their local home residences. Examples of this form of small business that are home based are Sara Lee, Avon, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, and others. Having a good personal relationship towards and natural salesperson to some of your friends and contacts could contribute to the home based business on you.One of the prosperous home based business is publishing. As long as you have a good writing skills, you can earn money simply by writing books online and sell them. There are lots of freelancing websites that offer writers to write some articles and eBooks and then this is to be sold online or make some profits through advertisements. Visit some resource sections on some of this websites and know some information on how to join and write for them.You can also join consulting type as a way to prosperous home based business as long as you have some business skills. Many small time industries cannot afford some marketing staff or technology department and other things. So using the consulting process could be a helpful way to start since it is also a popular choice.