Selling your vehicle at the Mecum Auctions, or any other auction, is not as easy as you might think. This will take a lot of time and effort on your part, to produce a favorable outcome.
First, you want your car to be sold among others for similar prices. With that in mind, your vehicle needs to be scheduled with the Mecum Auction team.
You should have your vehicle professionally detailed, and at the same time, set up an appointment for the Auction photographer to put together a photo package. Those photos go into the auctions ‘Show Program’ catalog, as well as the online listings guide.
You will want to make sure that you have a documented catalog of receipts, registrations, and any factory published advertising items for your exact Year, Make, and Model, collected in a large folder for potential buyers to view.
A few days before your actual Auction Day, your ride is held in a secured ‘Holding Tent.’ This is a good time to do a little Pre-Selling, and Advertising of your car. I had about 40 flyers made up, and displayed with all the options on my Shelby GT 350 listed. This gives potential buyers more facts to base their auction bids on.
Finally, Auction Day arrives. The Shelby is moved from the holding tent, to a long, slow moving line of vehicles just outside of the State Farm Statum. As the Shelby works its way to the indoor Staging lanes, excitement, stress, and anticipation is at a new level. Potential buyers give the Shelby a second & third level of inspection, and evaluation.
A Mecum Auction ‘Bidding Assistant’ is assigned to each Seller, to act as a liaison between Seller, Auctioneer, and any potential Bidders.I discuss my car’s outstanding features with the Mecum Bidding Assistant, to be mentioned as the car goes into the spotlight.
Once on the Sales Block. All video monitors, the enormous State Farm Stadium television screen, as well as the cable network that is covering and broadcasting the auction live, are all concentrating on my Shelby. Very surreal.
Then the Auctioneer revs up the auctioneer type of fast talk. Hands go up, bids are being placed at a remarkable pace.Then all the sudden, everything stops. That is when the Budding Assistant comes into action with his negotiation skills. The bidding starts up again, a few minutes later, a sale price has been agreed to, the Auctioneers gavel slams down and you hear…. Sold, Sold, Sold! ! ! My Beautyful Red 1969 Ford Shelby GT 350 is Sold.
Photos by
Rod Loveless
