Pidgeon Auctions

BEWARE! BEWARE! Buyers and Sellers BEWARE! BEWARE!
Read the fine print--Ask questions about a Buyers Fee, Buyers Premium or any other terminology used to denote a 10% charge on all purchases
BUYERS: Are you aware that when there is a Buyers Fee, Buyers Premium or anything else an auctioneer may call an added fee on your purchases, it means there is 10% charged above and beyond the cost of the article you purchase and then it is taxed, so in fact you are paying 10% plus 15% on that 10% extra above what you bid and what the cost would normally be. Example: If you pay $100.00 for an item, the tax is normally $15.00 making a total of $115.00; however, if there is a Buyers Fee or whatever they may call it, then if you pay $100.00 for an item, there is an extra 10% charged ($10.00) making $110.00 and then the tax of 15% is charged on that ($16.50) making your total cost $126.50 for that $100.00 purchase. We do not charge a buyers premium on your purchases. We are prepared to take Cash, Good Cheque or Interact without any any extra charges whatsoever, except the normal 15% tax legally required. However, if a buyer want to pay by Visa, Mastercard or Am Express, then we offer that privilege, however, we do charge an extra 3% buyers premium which just covers the costs those companies charge us for using their services--note 3%, not 10% and that's only if you pay with a charge card. No extra charges on Interac, Cash or Good Cheques with us.
SELLERS: Everybody is concerned about what it will cost them to hold an auction. That's normal. But think again--the lowest percentage is not always the best deal. First of all, make sure your auctioneer is reputable and he has a good following. Don't be afraid to ask an auctioneer for references--we do not mind. Sometimes, Sellers do not know an auctioneer from Adam--Check it out--Ask several people who they would recommend.. Then, THIS IS IMPORTANT: be sure to ask the auctioneer if he charges the buyers a Buyers Fee, Buyers Premium or any other way that is packaged up--basically, is he charging the Buyers 10% on all their purchases??? If he says "yes", then you can be sure he is going to try to undercut other auctioneers who do not charge a Buyers Fee. "How does this affect me?" you may say. Well, for your information the General Buyer is NOT stupid. For the most part, Auction-Goers are well informed. When they see there is a 10% Buyers Premium on everything, they know they are going to have to pay an extra 11.5% above and beyond what they should have paid and they take this into consideration when they bid. When you get into uneven figures, it's a bit complicated to figure 11.5% when an item is going lickity-split, so most bidders round it off at 15% or 20% to make sure then are covered and pay that much LESS for your item than they would have paid at another auction where they were not charged a 10% Buyers Fee. Furthermore, a lot of buyers will not even attend an auction where there is a Buyers Premium on everything as they consider this unfair. So therefore, if an auctioneer offers you a "real deal" -- a lower percentage than some other auctioneers, take a good look at the situation--he's not only getting the percentage he charges you, he is also getting the 10% he is charging the buyers and he is causing the buyer to decrease his bidding potential at your auction; so as an end result, you are going to get a lot less from an auctioneer who charges a Buyers Premium to the buying public.