Liveauction.tv

[Jill]

http://www.tailormadellc.com/mail/12-26-08/video.htm

I assume most of you got this, if not here is the video Brad emailed explaining the buyer premium to watch the sales.

 

[Show Heifer]

Lets see......he wants ME to pay to watch an auction that SOMEONE else is getting the money for???

Isn't that kinda like paying to attend an auction at a salebarn? When are we going to see a breeder charging admission to get into the salering???

Isn't that kinda like ME paying for TH/PHA/CCS testing so that I (BOLD) can spend MY money???? 

Isn't the seller paying for the liveauction kinda the cost of doing business and he should benefit for having additional buyers??? 

Guess I will go back to DV Auction. Or better yet, just not spend my money unless I am actually there in person. Yea, I like that idea most.

 

[Cowboy Up]

I agree, the seller pays for the online sale in hopes of bringing in more buyers that could not make it to the sale in person. I guess in my view, that is the purpose of the auction, and think it is a bunch of crud that they expect the buyer to PAY to come bid on their sale. I don't plan on paying for the subscription, I will watch the sales on other live auctions. I was not impressed with the quality of video of liveauction.tv either, and also that they did not have a list of the lots sold and upcoming like DVAuction. This may seem like the way to save the seller and liveauction.tv money, but it will probably end up biting them, because they will lose some of those potential bidders.

CU

 

[uluru]

Let me see if I understand this.
I am the buyer. I have bought via a number of Brad's Live Auctions this year and paid for the item I was the successful bidder on.
I have viewed and bid on others but did not have the winning bid to get the item.
Now he wants me to buy a membership to buy on Live Auctions?????? or to view the auction.

Please explain why this action is being taken and why I would want to do what he is requesting.
Also they want my credit card to pay for the item purchased if I don't pay for it in 10 days.
They had a report from my banker before.

I am sorry I don't understand the logic of this change.

Has he not just signed the death of Live auctions?

 

[justintime]

I think what Brad is saying is that rather than using the bank check method of checking whether a potential buyer is OK or not, he wants to move to a credit card system. I know that there have been some issues with more and more potential buyers not registering for a sale until an hour or two before it begins. With the number of sales going at the same time, and with most banks closed on weekends, it is almost impossible to do any checks.

At the Huberdale sale in Saskatchewan last Saturday, there was over 60 bidders that registered on Saturday morning. There was internet bidding on 85 % of the cattle in the sale. None of these late registered bidders could be checked, however, several had registered at previous sales so they were approved immediately. I think this is what Brad is trying to do.

 

[justintime]

I spoke too quick I think. I think there is a fee system being developed for bidders. I think I still am OK with it though. If I could pay a small fee and not have the travel expenses, hotel, meals, etc etc etc, why would I be opposed to this? It is costing the person having the sale, a considerable amount to have the sale broadcast on the internet. Compared to some other sale expenses, i think Brad's not over charging for his liveauctions services.

I think that having sales on the internet is only become a more prominent way to sell cattle. I think it is a great innovation, but there are also a few problems with it. Firstly, you do need to have some bums in the seats on sale day. You do need a crowd at a sale for it to be successful. Louis Latimer of Remitall, used to say that if only 3 people show up at your sale, only have two chairs set out. Make it look like you have a crowd.

 

[uluru]

I don't pay to buy on E-bay

I will not give a high dollar value credit card number to anyone without proper security.
They better put a Pay Pal procedure in place or find an alternative.
This whole thing has not been well thought out.


I don't object to the $50.
It is the principle.
On line bidding is here to stay but the cattle business has not got it right yet.
In many cases they don't respect the confidentiality of the on line bidder when the auctioneer continues to name the bidder during the auction of the beast.
They should only name the bidder when the sale is final.

If they have problems with getting bidders pre-approved for the credit aspect of the bidding process deal with that issue, don't put in a mickey mouse
registration charge and tell me they want my credit card # without some proper security controls.
Even with on line biddding I like to have someone give me a visual report on the animal.
With online bidding I can now call a friend at the sale who may be more objective than the sales rep.

If I have to pay a fee to bid online why wouldn't I just use the old phone method and depend on the sales rep to do the work for me.
I just have to ensure I have faith in the sales rep.
He gets paid by the seller.
If I trust the sales rep then I don't need on line bidding if it is going to cost me and have me incur a risk that my credit card number could be compromised.

I think more thought needs to be given to this matter by Live Auctions.
I don't believe bandwith has increased in costs over the years like some other items.
In fact I know for sure with recent technologies bandwith has become more efficient and less expensive over the years.

I support Live Auctions and other Internet cattle auctions as a way forward.
I have used them quite a lot with success and always paid what I owe.
If the procees of pre-approving bidders needs work then work on that.
Don't put in a punitive process that discourages bidders from lurking on the system or actually registering to buy.

Enough said by me..

 

[Doc]

I don't pay to buy on E-bay

I will not give a high dollar value credit card number to anyone without proper security.
They better put a Pay Pal procedure in place or find an alternative.
This whole thing has not been well thought out.


I don't object to the $50.
It is the principle.
On line bidding is here to stay but the cattle business has not got it right yet.
In many cases they don't respect the confidentiality of the on line bidder when the auctioneer continues to name the bidder during the auction of the beast.
They should only name the bidder when the sale is final.

If they have problems with getting bidders pre-approved for the credit aspect of the bidding process deal with that issue, don't put in a mickey mouse
registration charge and tell me they want my credit card # without some proper security controls.
Even with on line biddding I like to have someone give me a visual report on the animal.
With online bidding I can now call a friend at the sale who may be more objective than the sales rep.

If I have to pay a fee to bid online why wouldn't I just use the old phone method and depend on the sales rep to do the work for me.
I just have to ensure I have faith in the sales rep.
He gets paid by the seller.
If I trust the sales rep then I don't need on line bidding if it is going to cost me and have me incur a risk that my credit card number could be compromised.

I think more thought needs to be given to this matter by Live Auctions.
I don't believe bandwith has increased in costs over the years like some other items.
In fact I know for sure with recent technologies bandwith has become more efficient and less expensive over the years.

I support Live Auctions and other Internet cattle auctions as a way forward.
I have used them quite a lot with success and always paid what I owe.
If the procees of pre-approving bidders needs work then work on that.
Don't put in a punitive process that discourages bidders from lurking on the system or actually registering to buy.

Enough said by me..

Very well said ,Bob. I geuss I'll go back to giving my bids to someone at the sale & depend on my friends here on SP giving me a full sale report. The difference with giving my money to someone at the sale & doing it myself online is, that like being at a sale I tend to bid a little more online than what I would give a sales consultant. 

 

[JbarL]

seems like maybe a decent concept when gas was 4/$  gal....hows about a itemized list of prices and buyers after each sale for subscribers ?.....everyone's always curious about the ones they see and like ....but cant go.....all the infp is avalibe soon after anyway, if you were at least privy to a formated result list ??...kinda like havin' to buy a ticket........to buy a ticket?  jbarl

 

[CPL]

I spoke too quick I think. I think there is a fee system being developed for bidders. I think I still am OK with it though. If I could pay a small fee and not have the travel expenses, hotel, meals, etc etc etc, why would I be opposed to this? .

Agreed I can watch a sale in Denver and for me to attend the NWSS it would definitely cost more than 50.00 to get there. I mean come on its 50.00 per year, that's not that bad. Say I watch 10 auctions per year that's 5 dollars an auctions- that comes out really well.

 

[Torch]

If I pay and the system doesn't work (Like at the KS Beef Expo) will LiveAuction.tv pay me damages?

I mean if I am going to pay (and the seller is paying) it better work! Network or computer problems no longer cut it. But I have heard nothing from LiveAuction.tv that they will guarantee us better service.

I for one will not be continuing with them.

 

[redwingfarm]

I am also upset with the new fees, it seems to me that the cost of having a sale should borne by the sale manager and sellers not the buyers and bidders.  This scheme is nothing more than a new flip on the disgusting practice of buyer premiums that have become the norm in farm auctions in our area.  Brad also states in his video the problems of setting up bidders at the last minute,  well here's an idea why don't you set up a deadline prior to the sale and stick to it!!  I have registered in the past for several sales and gave my bank info several days ahead, wasn't a problem just had to plan ahead.  This whole business strikes me as one more example of not requiring personal responsiblity.  Seller pay your fair share to sell your animal, buyers plan ahead and get your ducks in a row, tech guys make sure your equipment works first time every time, and Brad, you are a smart guy, use your brain and get the costs of doing business where they belong, without the whiiinny set of excuses.

 

[BIGTEX]

I don't think your credit card could be compromised. Your credit card company has insurance. Correct me if I am wrong. Now as for people signing up hours before an auction, If you were going to the sale you would put more time and effort just getting there. I think if I was going to spend a couple of thousand dollars i might have the time to register a day or two ahead of time. So is the 50$ per sale or for the whole year?

 

[Gator]

Sounds like an auto makert buy out to me .They can't compete against his competition and put out a product that the producer wants to pay for so they charge the buyers.If has as many potential buyers on the table as they say they do,the sellers should gladlly pay for his service.If he can't figure out how to market that he should be allowed to go out of business because evidentlly there wasnt a real need for it. Now if they can't figure out that how can they figure out how to keep your credit card info safe.Yeah i'm against it .

 

[afhm]

If you attend the auction in person the clerks don't aske for your credit card or to wait while they contact your bank to verify your finds if you register on sale day.  I have been to some that required a letter of credit from the bank prior to registering as a buyer most were dispersals  and many were bank forced sales.  Do you get your $50 back if you buy at a sale?  Does liveauctions get paid a flat fee still to do a sale or do they draw a commission based on what is bought via the net at each sale?  I agree with the statement about setting a firm deadline as to when to be registered by.  It would be nice of there was a place to offer a bid instead of having to bid what they want you to.  There have been times I would have gone another $100 but not $500 or $250.  If you pay  for a sub. i think you should have the option of making everything but your buyer # private from the auctioneer so they can't know who you are and roll you because you aren't there to see it happening. 

 

[beefy]

just as as said they might of signed their own tombstone.  they broadcast the bull sale put on by my friend i work for, and beleive me they make a substancial wage. talk about greedy ???

 

[justintime]

I can understand the need to do some checks on those that bid via internet. It is completely different than a person buying at a sale in person. The internet is a big place and there are more than enough crooks, idiots and dishonest people lurking everywhere. Every day my spam filter sorts a bunch of virus and spam infested emails. Think of the fun some idiot could have if all you had to do was register.... and then bid to their heart's content with no concern of ever paying for their purchases. I think liveauctions.tv and all the other sale forums on the internet have been very fortunate in not having some big wrecks.

Of course this could happen at an auction sale as well, and it has from time to time. Several years ago, a guy walked into a sale at Canadian Western Agribition and purchased over $50,000 of cattle. No one knew him, but he was dressed well, and he had a story that sounded like he was legit. He paid for the cattle with a cheque that he had stolen and was a hero in the barns for a few hours after the sale while everyone wined and dined him. Then he slipped out of town and disappeared. A couple days later the sale manager knew he had a mess on his hands as the cheque bounced and no one knew where this guy was. I have heard of a few cases where sale consultants have purchased cattle for people, who have given orders by phone. They have later found out that the orders were bogus.

I find it interesting how polarized the comments are on this topic. Some think this is a rip off. Others this it is OK to be charged to have this convenience and technology delivered to your home computer. Personally, I would not hesitate to pay to have the privilege of watching sales at home and bidding when I want too. I cannot attend all the sales I want to, and this is a wonderful technology that brings it all right to me. I do not think that the seller should have to pay for absolutely everything. Sales have become very expensive events, and many so called good sales are pretty ordinary when the dust settles and the bills are counted up. That is my perspective, but I also can see the other side of the issue. It could be a case where both sides are right.

In any event, this is still considered to be fairly new technology. There are still issues that have to be worked out and improved. This issue may be one of these issues and in time, it may be changed again. I think this technology is going to become more commonplace in years to come, and I only hope that people who make it happen, can find ways to make it more secure, more user friendly, and more trouble free. Until then, I think we all need to have a little patience.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Having sale managment experience, here is my take on this - Any expenses directly related to the sale should be charged to the sale. If you cannot afford to pay these expenses either directly or through sale commission, you have no business having a sale. I have used internet bidding services before and the ones I have used get a flat rate fee plus a commission fee for animals that are sold through their service. It is absolutely rediculous to charge potential buyers for the "honor" of watching your sale. We register buyers prior to and during the auction, if they can't do this then maybe they are under staffed. When you register for a buyers number either in person or over the phone or internet you do so knowing what responsibilities are involved. If you should bid on and purchase an animal, that is considered a legally binding contract for which you are responsible. I would think that as long as there are internet services available that do not charge a reistration fee, you would be foolish to use one that does. It is hard enough to get all the potential buyers you can to your sale either in person or via the internet without making them pay for it. The buyers that you offend by this may have been the ones that made purchases at your sale or at the very least been contending bidders. Rule of thumb - don't charge for a free lunch! RW

 

[farwest]

Does it really cost that much for a person to be logged on to these sales or is it just another person or business in the middle making more money off the cattle producers, in this case many times off the smaller operators wanting to watch and POSSIBLY participate.  Seems like someone more looking for an easy free lunch, go make it another way.

 

[JSchroeder]

I've seen his comments on my blog and the comments in that video.  I'm trying very hard to give Liveauctions the benefit of the doubt but I still get a strong feeling it's just a matter of creating a reason to establish another revenue stream.  That's not something I'd have an issue with if they said that's the reason for the fee but it's not.

If it's about security, you can setup bidders with permanent approval, other auction systems already do it. 

If it's about signing up right before the sale, there's no reason for it to cost $50/year.  You can establish identity with a $5 sign up charge.

If it's really about bandwidth issues, that's an easy fix...don't be successful.

Just a few weeks ago one of the e-mails from Liveauctions was talking about how they should have been focusing on the marketing benefits of broadcasting sales more than the technology side.  It was one of the smartest things I've read on in a while.  This move flies directly in the face of that and the research done on the value of bidders.