Elephant House Auction Dates Clash Again

[ninecup]

Why not do it on the Saturday. I could then travel up and do both. I would certainly not put up any machines if they are on the same day. I tried this last year.

[bryans fan]

That is just what I was thinking. Excellent solution. Come on Steve, move yours to Saturday.

[coppinpr]

You're missing the point, Steve has put it on the Sunday BECAUSE Coventry is on that day same as he did last year. The only time he would move to Saturday is if Coventry moved to Saturday.

[widget2k4]

Sorry to say it but I agree with not putting anything in either auction if they on the same day again. I will hang onto my machines rather than them getting bidders splitting between the two auctions.

[coppinpr]

I hate to say it, but I can't justify putting machine up on that day either.
I intentionally put four machines into Coventry last year in an attempt to support the auction. I made little or nothing on sales that day. I did buy some machines cheaper than expected because of the smaller numbers at the auction.

I'll be at Coventry, in fact I've never been to EH and never sold a machine there. I simply can't justify selling machines at Coventry on the same day as EH runs. I know there are other considerations going on behind the scenes, but that does not mean anything to us grunts on the auction floor. From my point of view, looking in from the outside, and not knowing the moves going on behind the scenes, Steve won the Coventry Vs EH battle the moment Jerry said he wasn't able to move the Coventry date.

[sutton]

I have also decided not to enter anything while this is going on. I have four alllwins for sale. I will be putting them on eBay.

[polaris]

I made the journey last year and I don't think anyone will mind me saying that it was a bit of a washout with regards to numbers. Hasn't put me off in the least though and I will again make the journey and enter machines. I don't think Steve has won anything yet other than proving it's a business for him and like any businessman will seize any opportunity to make a buck. If you are intending attending and had thought about entering something no reason not to - it's a day out and with reserves you have nothing to lose. The main reason EH was so successful last year was no sellers' commission. Will that be the case again this year? Who knows?

[badpenny]

I'm off on my boat now for a couple of weeks.
I've nothing to add anyway, I'm heartily sick of the whole damn thing.

[scorpa163]

I will be entering items in the Coventry auction in support of Jerry and Jeremy.
Jerry has run one auction a year for many years (and produced a magazine - sadly no longer), and has helped keep us within our hobby connected.

If you enter items in the Coventry auction with a realistic reserve what is there to lose?
If you do not enter items there could be a good chance that we will lose Coventry. Which is what the Elephant house want. Will Steve's commission then go up? A monopoly is no good for anybody except one person.

[clubconsoles]

What a great post scorpa163, sums it up perfectly!
If Steve Hunt succeeds in bleeding Coventry of buyers/ sellers, it may well benefit him, but will be to the detriment of all of us in the end, if the annual Coventry auction ceases to be!
Coventry is a very good thing as it keeps the commission in check and fair for all.
I realise Steve needs lots of cash for all the renovations at the Elephant House but that was his business decision and not ours!

[brianh]

I appreciate not wanting to move date of Coventry but just a thought...........

If Coventry moved to the following Sunday it could have 2 pros for Coventry and cons for EH.

1) Bidders at EH may fail to get items they wanted and/or decide against bidding and save their pennies in case better items at Coventry, so more potential bidders at Coventry and fewer sales at EH
2) Assuming EH was not a "no reserve" auction, sellers whose items failed to reach reserve may then put them in Coventry, so more potential items up for auction at Coventry, to attract more bidders who, in hindsight, may then bid on items they didn't win before.

In addition of course people could go to both rather than have to abandon one of them - could put absentee bid in at EH if on same day but that'a always a gamble in case you end up spending more than you wanted!

Just saying.............

[treefrog]

Don't think it will be moved,

I things would sell well as looking at last years results they looked good to me with both auctions clashing.

I would try and go this time and get myself organised as if anything comes up at Elephant I could leave a bid. Was going to do this last year, but was running late....

I also wonder if a small time adjustment may help, maybe start Coventry and hour early, as half way through the EH auction last year all the familiar faces turned up having come from Coventry....could be a win win.....who knows

[mervyngoodhew]

If nobody went to the Elephant auction that would stop his nasty game.

[arrgee]

Well said Mervyn, folks bash on about EH all the time but we all know that a good number of forum members here also support/purchase from EH - just stop purchasing from them if you feel that strongly about it.

[youngerap]

Yeah! I think you should all boycott EH. Then I can sneak in and.....

Not really, but you know people will go where the machines take them. Particularly if they scent a bargain!

[pennymachines]

I hesitate to enter this discussion for want of something positive or useful to say, but as the EH sales are always on Sunday, I wonder if permanently rescheduling the Coventry sale to Saturday (a day before the EH or the following weekend, for example) has been considered.

My fear is that if they clash again it may spell the end for the Coventry auction. A successful sale is dependent, above all, upon vendors offering a decent quantity of desirable machines. Vendors only do so if they're confident the auction can offer strong bidding. This is unlikely when the bidders are split between two venues.

Setting reserves is not a remedy for this. Although it protects items from selling below what the vendor will accept, it doesn't prevent them selling below market value.

The EH stands to win out in this situation because it offers absentee bidding and another sale the following month to vendors who choose to avoid the clash.

[treefrog]

I agree with you Mr PM and suspect there are many that would also agree. This was potentially indicated by BP earlier in the thread, but confirmed by JC too many arrangements had already been made. Without stirring it, I suspect the biggest change is changing venue dates with the club, rather than moving hotel bookings, that time of years moving dates will be easy. I have no idea who is flying in, but if a single person seems a risk to me to take this chance.

If it moved to another date I would guarantee putting a number of machines in, as indicated I am pruning.

I am sure there are the arguments that as you say Steve usually has the auction at the end of the months, but once he started the monthly sales, the November one for a few years was a Toy sale that no longer seems to run and this turned into coin op last and this year.

If it is left to the same day, I may still put a few lots in, assuming I can coordinate my day as may hop between the auctions. As I had mentioned, why not start Coventry at say 10.30am, given most auctions start earlier than that anyway. The first 100 lots of steves auction is always spares anyway and we can all go to both

I hope JC puts some thoughts around it and appreciate it is bloody annoying

[special when lit]

Anyone remember, a few years ago, when the Hand Cranked Pleasures auction was knobbled because someone reported it to the GC?
Not saying it's related, but....

[jukeboxjury]

Only Me!!

Dr Nooky here.

My god... what a nightmare it's all happening again nurse!! "Just keep rubbing the ointment in as fast as you like Doctor." My goodness it's getting big. Didn't we have a conversation about this last year.

Nurse do you want to use my Dick to phone? (sorry typo) Dictaphone. Oh Doctor!! It might be the dementia setting in but I'm sure I wrote this last year.

"Perhaps Coventry could wreak revenge and spring a surprise on Steve next year and have it on a different date ("breaking with tradition, that's unthinkable") keeping it secret until after Steve has made his date known".

Must go as I have a colonoscopy waiting for me in theatre, it's a rum job, is that the correct spelling? Don't forget, "Keep on Collecting"

[JC]

OK, so we're now well into three pages .
Just to clarify a few points: There are at least four hotel rooms booked for Saturday night and three for Sunday night (and these are just those that I know of). Interesting to hear of Tom's assertion that these can be easily changed - they can't. Anyone who uses Premier Inn will know that room rates fluctuate on a daily basis, and the most reliable way of getting a good rate is to book in advance. Once booked, they are non transferable and non refundable.
The same applies to air flights - one of our regular European visitors has already booked flights, and there is at least one other that I know of that may well have done the same.
The venue: So Mr PM thinks we should change the date to a Saturday? We may well be able to change to another Sunday, but the chances of booking the venue on a Saturday seem pretty remote. Remember, our venue is a social club.
And as for starting the auction at 10.30! So that would be viewing form 8.30 - I'm pretty sure that most people don't want to get up at stupid o'clock in the middle of the night to get to an auction at 8.30. Don't forget that people come from all over the country, not just the midlands.

I have to say that I am becoming increasingly irritated by this ongoing debate about 'what Coventry' should be doing. The date of Sunday 26th November was set at last year's auction, now over eight months ago - we're not the provocateurs here.
Has anyone pulled Mr H. to one side and told him he's being an arsehole?
Tom, your comment: 'I hope JC puts some thoughts around it and appreciate it is bloody annoying'.....yes it is bloody annoying (to put it mildly), but should it not be SH putting some thought into it?

Coventry will go ahead this year as advertised, but if it fails next year or in future years, I hope you will all enjoy the 'new revised' commission rates at EH. We've always said that we run Coventry for the benefit of the slottie community, but if that so-called community is more consumed with self-interest rather than support for what we have always called 'your auction', then so be it.

Perhaps there are some (I suspect many), who could take a lesson from the Irish tenant farmers back in 1880.

Jerry