Clark County Public Auction

This place is awesome. I mean, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but something about it speaks to the thrifty and competitive instincts in me.
Here’s how it works:
1) You go online to get the highlights. You need to see what they are gong to have on display that week. The good stuff (ie diamond jewelry, collectibles, and designer décor) will all be posted online.
. They always have at least one car (a few weeks ago it was a Mercedes SUV), a ton of figurines, bedroom sets, appliances, tools, coins, and odd (unappealing) artwork.
2) Set a budget. Seriously. If you are like me and you tend to get caught up in the thrill of the «kill», you will need to decide ahead of time what your cut off will be. I never leave without making a purchase and I rarely need (or even want) the item I walk away with.
3) Optional: Show up n Friday between 12 PM and 6PM for a preview. Check out the goods without the crowd.
4) Arrive on Saturday at 9:30 AM and pay your fee to get your bidding card. Bidding used to be free. But the last time I stopped by, they required $ 100 CASH deposit in order to bid. That money it all returned to you if you don’t make a purchase. If you do, you can use a card to buy your goods an get your cash back. They will also take a picture of your ID before assigning you an auction card.
5) Take another look around, take a seat, and get ready for the show. The auction begins at 10:00 AM.
Here’s where it gets tricky. If your item is not being auctioned off right away, you might have to wait. The mattress and large furniture will generally go later. But you can speak with some of the guys working around the room and ask if they will bump your items up on the list. The employees will work with you and do their best to work with you.
6) Raise your card and get in on the auction. But don’t raise it unless you are ready to get in – these guys will call you out for wasting their time.
7) Pay for your goods (same window where you left your $ 100 CASH deposit), and pick up your items. If the items are too large to carry in your vehicle, there are a number of representatives from delivery businesses on hand to help you arrange for delivery. Generally delivery can cost around $ 40. It’s only a good deal if you are spending enough to make it worth your while.
Keep your expectations of the goods low. Don’t get me wrong there are deals to be had. The problem is that professional ebayers and local shop owners will have already assessed the value of many of the items and they will be bidding for those items that they want. And they are out in force. Plus, unless they have items on hand from a recent estate, the products start to look the same.
The pros at the auction don’t bother me a bit. I love raising my card and letting the savvy auctioneer acknowledge my $ 10 bid while pushing the man in the corner to raise his bid to $ 11 «I have $ 10, do I hear $ 11.» I love it. The men who run the auction are total pros – I love the liveliness and the culture there. The auctioneers are salesmen and their frantic calling while an item is up just drives me to want to get in on the frenzy. It’s brilliant. The last time I was there, I missed out on bidding on a desktop that went for $ 35. It may or may not have worked (I’ve purchased a few duds), but for $ 35, I may have been willing to be risky. I certainly didn’t need the vase that I left with.
You should arrive early and peruse the merchandise. There will be new items and slightly used items. There will be junk and occasionally, there will be gems. You have to go in with a sense of what you are willing to spend. And if you need to be around the «right» people, leave the auction to the rest of us. This place is a bit grimy and the people are down home. Unlike me, many are not coming to «enjoy an experience» they are actually coming to buy a bed, or some artwork for their homes or small businesses.
I can’t wait for auctions to become the new retro trend. It’s like garage sale shopping for lazy people. I get to sit and have the merch paraded in front of me? Like I am bargain shopping royalty? And eat my nachos at the same time? Sign me up.
I’ve been debating between 4 and 5 stars. I enjoy the auction that much. But I am a people watcher and I love the old-​school drama of the place. It takes a certain about of patience and time and energy to participate in an auction. There will not likely be a lot of tweeting and Unilocaling going on in this place. But there is an old-​fashioned (circa 1983) charm here. If you are a thrift shopper, enjoy being around all types of people, and can’t control yourself around a bargain this might be the place for you.
EDITED TO ADD: I didn’t see the nacho guy the last time I was there. I think there was a food truck outside.

I have purchased many, many items from this auction, spending a few thousand dollars. The very first time i made a purchase, it was for a rusty rowing machine that i saw on the auction floor for three weeks in a row. I had a weird feeling that there was a ghost bidder working in collusion with the auction. I asked for the item to be auctioned off, and when they brought it up they announced over the sound system that this was a request, thus signaling the ghost bidder. Sure enough, someone bid against me one time, just to bump the price up. Believe me, no one would have wanted this crappy exercise machine. Anyway, i continued to attend thus auction, and continued to purchase items. What finally turned me off was eventually asking experienced audience members that i see week after week if indeed there were ghost bidders. 100% told me yes, there were ghost bidders whose job is to drive the price up. How dissappointed i am. Then i went to the Nellis Auction, and my sister spoke with several audience members who told her the same thing… they wont go to Clark County Auction because of the ghost bidders. Last Saturday i still went to this auction, and again, i sought out people in the audience who i know are present every week. Once again, i heard yes, there are ghost bidders, and you just have to know what price you will go to and no more. I really loved this auction, and i am really disheartened to hear they cheat the public by having ghost bidders run up the price on some items. I know they have their own complaints with people who bid and then walk out without paying, but those people at least lose their $ 100 deposit. Ghost bidding should be illegal.