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Written by Emily Aberg
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Monday, 12 June 2006 11:00 PM |
Auctioneer Frank Sughrue is a fast-talking man. Conducting business at the rate of one zillion words per minute, he speaks with the kind of diction that could make the captain of a debate team sweat, and he was in his element Saturday at the UTA surplus auction.
Despite a smaller buyer turnout compared to previous years, a fair mix of regular auctiongoers and interested spectators attended this year.
The auction offered a wide selection of electronics, office furniture, sports equipment, vehicles, laboratory equipment and some larger items, such as an industrial-sized safe and a glass-blowing machine. The items up for bid were outdated or acquired by UTA’s lost-and-found, and the proceeds went to the university.
Barbara Williams, auction office manager for auction organizers Shattuck and Associates, said that the stock of items this year was less than in previous years, which contributed to a lower turnout in the number of buyers. She said about half of the 300 buyers they usually see attended Saturday.
“This [auction] usually brings in about $30,000 to $40,000 a year,” she said. After three hours, only $15,000 had been raised.
Chris Dixon, assistant director of Shattuck and Associates, said that the number of vehicles up for bid brought out more people last year, and that the vehicles are one of the most alluring features of the event.
This year, only one vehicle — a 15-seat van — was up for bid. At least 10 cars were auctioned off last year, Dixon said.
Basil DeMars, UTA’s surplus property manager, said the industrial items up for bid drew in buyers who “specialize in big stuff,” and are regular attendants.
“A man who comes every year bought the safe and the glass blowing machine,” he said. “People buying those kind of things usually have a connection, and they make a profit selling them to businesses and such.”
Still, the smaller crowd made for favorable bidding conditions for the few students and faculty who did show up. Duraikannan Sundaramoorthi, industrial engineering doctoral student, picked up several cell phones, television sets, a digital camera and several other items for less than $150.
DeMars said one individual took home an entire lot of bicycles that was up for bid after placing a single bid on one bicycle.
“Sometimes when they’re selling a lot of the same kind of items, they’ll lump them together, especially if there’s only one person bidding on it,” he said.
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