A trip to West Sussex bee auction!

[thurrock bees]

After a kind text from a fellow beek from this forum i were informed that there was a bee auction in West Sussex. So this morning i made a last minute change of plan and grabed my bee funds and went to Sussex.
I arrived in good time to get a couple of bits from P*ynes who had a stall there, went around all 480 lots missing the bees for sale ( later told they avraged £190 per nuc ) I quitely marked on my sheet what was of intrested me.
I didnt get what i wanted as they was going for more than i were willing to pay but did get some floors, supers and feeders for a good price.

What scared me was the bidding somepeople was doing here are 3 examples.
lot 188- extractor 3 frame stainless steel manual - £250 !!
lot 189- extractor 9 frame manual ploythene - £45
lot 197- extractor 9 frame electric - £210


here are some over examples...
commercial hive with 2 supers £50
national brood box and super £15
skep £40
1/2 gross of 1 lb jars with lids £20
2 WBC brood boxes £6
national shallow roofs £10
1.2 kg of bees wax £15
complete national hive £75
national floor Solid £20
WBC cedar hive brand new £190

 

[Poly Hive]

Never underestimate auction fever.

PH

 

[BKF Admin]

Nice write-up,thanks TB..

 

[dpearce4]

hi all

i went to the auction today aswell and yes there was some overbidding at the beginning and yes some of the nucs did go for silly money but i picked mine up for £80!!!!!

i also stayed right to the end due to having to wait for my bees and i bought 6wire floors for silly money. at the end there were so few people there that the stuff was going for 1 or 2 pounds per lot. 3 pounds for 5 wire q excluders cant complain at that.

mind you i only got home about an hour ago!! well worth it in the end just had to bide my time out of first 300 lots only got 4things but they were things i really needed and didnt pay more than 50% of p**nes cataloge price. was checking it while bidding so didnt over pay.

great day all in al,l and WSBK did well, got a great tan so really cant complain.

 

[Dishmop]

Never underestimate auction fever.

PH

Have seen people on ebay bid more for something on auction that they could have bought on a Buy It Now for less from the same seller..

 

[chickendave]

I agree why do people seem to get carried away just because it's a aution?

 

[Adam]

I agree why do people seem to get carried away just because it's a aution?

Competative nature? People think they loose face by not winning - just look at how these "fund raising auctions" get city-financiers bidding against each other for some trivial thing and they end up bidding thousands.....

Adam

 

[buzz bee]

I went to Pulborough yesterday too and the full hives of bees went for far less that last year; £160 and £180 maybe because they were in a Smith and WBCs. Last year all the full hives went for £400.

The beginners get carried away with the bidding in the first 200 lots or so and seemingly desperate to get something. The 40k polythene tanks with taps went for £10 more than Paynes were selling them for indoors!

I agree that staying late is the best plan, bargains can then be had.

 

[buzz bee]

BTW there is also the Sussex Bee Market in Heathfield on 21st May see www.sussexbee.org.uk for details.

 

[Ruth85]

i too went along to the auction and was very pleased to have grabbed a bargain Nuc for £120 compared to what others were paying (£190). The bargains at the end were ok, could not believe how much somme ppl paid for some bits tho and as said before was cheaper inside! I do hope the WBCs got home ok, they were some angry bees!

 

[666bees]

Shame theres no bee auctions in staffordshire.