Steve B wrote:

The auction requirements were a 25% deposit of what you thought you were
going to spend. ID. Company card. blah blah blah.

When I got there, all I did was fill out the stub on a card, and was
handed back the top portion.

I provided no identification of any type. I made no money deposit of any
type.

If I had been a putz, or had an ax to grind with this company, or
overspent, or just had buyer's remorse, I could have filled in Joe
Schmuckatelli, Hillbilly, Kansas, and bought a LOT of stuff that they
would have been stuck
with. If I was buying with cartel cash, I could have come and gone, and
there would be absolutely no evidence save a little forensics that I was
ever there.

I didn't get the thought till today, and was wondering how the
pre-registration and identification processes are at other auctions.

Steve
If you actually place a bid, a guy sitting next to the auctioneer enters
that info on a laptop, and they immediately check the balance on the
cashier's check you left with them. When you exceed your deposit, they
will re-open the bidding a few seconds after it was declared "sold" and
say something like "oops, the winning bidder is disqualified, we're
reopening the bidding" and start at the price before your last bid.
I've seen that happen before.

Kind of strange you got a bidder number without a deposit - I suspect that
was an actual screw-up by the auctioneer's staff. Or else, it was a small
auctioneering outfit that hasn't gotten their act together.

Jon