Sac Valley Auctions

Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE ONLINE AUCTIONS ARE HELD? If you sign up as a User, you will be given the option of receiving our E-Mail Alerts. You can also sign up for these alerts if you are not a user by clicking on the Newsletter Signup Tab, and adding your e-mail address to the list. These E-Mail alerts go out at the beginning and toward the end of each auction. You can also come to this website at any time and look at all current and scheduled auctions. If you are receiving E-Mail alerts and wish to stop, you can simply click the ‘Unsubscribe’ button at the bottom of the E-Mail.

HOW DO I BID? The first step is to register and create a ‘User Account’. No Credit Card is required, but we do require a valid e-mail address and phone number, and both will be verified. Please enter accurate information, and DO NOT CREATE MULTIPLE USER ACCOUNTS. You only need one account to bid. Our system monitors and verifies new users. Any suspicious activity will cause the system to suspend your account. Once your account is set up and verified, you will be able to Log in with the username and password you selected and place bids. Please remember that a bid is a legally binding offer to purchase, so don’t bid unless you are fully prepared to complete the purchase.

HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT I AM BIDDING ON: Each auction is made up of ‘Lots’. A Lot may consist of one item or a group of items, and you can only bid on the entire Lot. There will be plenty of pictures, a description and you will see the current bid price. In order to place a bid, your bid must be higher than the current bid price. The minimum Bid Amount will be listed.

CAN I PREVIEW THE ITEMS BEFORE I BID? There will be a Preview Day for certain auctions. These previews are done by appointment, so if you want to preview any item, please Contact Us and we will arrange an appointment for you. You can always count on Sac Valley Auctions to present items accurately and fairly, and to never knowingly misrepresent any item.

HOW DO I PAY? If you are the high bidder, an ‘Auction Win Notice’ will be sent to your e-mail address. You can also log in and click on the ‘MY ACCOUNT’ Tab to view your invoice. You can pay your invoice online at any time through PayPal, or with Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. You can also pay with cash or check (if pre-authorized) at the time you pick up the items you have won. We offer a 3% discount if you pay by cash or check.

WHERE DOES THIS STUFF COME FROM? It comes from estates and homes throughout the Sacramento Valley. If the auction is labeled as an ‘Estate Sale’, the property came from a deceased person’s estate and we are selling it on behalf of the Executor or Trustee. If it is a ‘Business Liquidation’, we are selling the property on behalf of the business owner, or the bank or leasing company. If the auction is labeled as a Bankruptcy Sale, we are selling the property on behalf of the Bankruptcy Trustee. In some cases, the auction may be labeled as a ‘Downsizing’ which means we are working directly with the owner of the property, who may be moving or downsizing.

IF I WIN AN AUCTION WHEN & WHERE DO I PICK UP THE ITEMS I BOUGHT? Pick-Up dates and times will be clearly posted in the item description. In most cases it will be the location where the property has been kept by the former owner, which will be somewhere in the Sacramento Region. In some cases, it will be at our warehouse, which is conveniently located next to Interstate 5, about 7 miles north of the Sacramento Airport. It is the buyer’s responsibility to pay for the items, and to remove them on the posted date. If you can't pick up the items you have won on the posted date, contact us prior to bidding to make other arrangements. If the item will be picked up by someone other than the Buyer, please Contact Us in advance to let us know, and provide the person picking up the items with a written authorization signed by you.

WHAT IF I WANT AN ITEM, BUT DON’T WANT TO SHOW THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT I AM WILLING TO PAY? When placing a bid, the system will ask your ‘Maximum Bid Amount’. It will only raise your bid enough to remain the high bidder, up to the maximum you set. This is sometimes called ‘Proxy Bidding’ but it is automatic with our system. For example, if you want to buy an item that is currently bid up to $50.00 by other bidders, and you are willing to pay $100.00, you would input your ‘Maximum Bid Amount’ as $100.00. The system would only raise your bid to $51.00 (See Bid Increments Below). If another bidder raises their maximum bid up to $75.00, the system will raise your bid up to $76.00. You can raise your maximum at any time without changing the current bid price. Remember this if you are on the other end of the transaction and are immediately outbid, it is most likely a Proxy Bid that is bidding against you.

WHAT IS A BUYER’S PREMIUM? A 10% buyer's premium is charged on every item and lot sold, so you should bid accordingly. For example, if you win an item at a price of $100.00, you will be charged $110.00 plus applicable Sales Tax. When calculating the final price, the buyer's premium is added to the selling price before sales tax is calculated. Remember that we offer a 3% Discount for Payments by Cash or Check.

WILL I BE CHARGED SALES TAX? Yes, we are required to collect California Sales Tax on most sales. Sales tax rates vary by city and county, and it depends on the location where the property is picked up by the buyer. The current rate at our warehouse near the Sacramento Airport is 8.25%. If the property is picked up in the City of Sacramento, the rate is 8.5%. For outlying areas, it can go as low as 7.5%. If the buyer is a reseller, we will not collect Sales Tax if we have a current, valid California Reseller’s Certificate on file. We do not collect Sales Taxes on titled vehicles, since these taxes are collected by the California DMV.

 WHAT ARE THE STANDARD BIDDING INCREMENTS? Bidding Increments are the minimum amount that each bid will increase. It depends on the current bid price. Here is the bidding increments schedule. 
 


 

CAN THE ITEMS I BUY BE DELIVERED OR SHIPPED? Probably. In most cases, delivery or shipping services are available for an additional fee. In some cases, the auction description will contain delivery or shipping information. Please Contact us in advance to discuss.

WHAT IF I BID AND DONT PAY? Unfortunately, you will force us to permanently ban you from using this website, even if it is only a single incident. Bidding constitutes a legally binding agreement to purchase the item, so you should not be bidding unless you are able to complete the purchase. Most of the items sold on this website are being sold on behalf of others, so it is unfair to them to have the sale fall through. We ask that you show them the same courtesy as if you were purchasing the item directly.

CAN I RETURN AN ITEM I DON’T LIKE? No. All Sales are final. It is up to the buyer to get enough information to make a buying decision prior to bidding. All items are sold "as is" and “where is”. There are no warranties expressed or implied. There are also no guarantees or warranties as to the authenticity, condition, size, quality, or provenance of any item. Buyers are encouraged to contact us if they believe an item was misrepresented.

WHAT IF I HAVE A PROBLEM OR A QUESTION? Please Contact Us. We value our customers and strive to be proactive and provide a very high level of customer service.

I AM THE EXECUTOR OF MY PARENT’S ESTATE. DOES AN ONLINE AUCTION MAKE SENSE FOR US: Yes, in almost every case. There are many advantages to selling an estate through an online auction, rather than holding a traditional Estate Sale. Please Contact Us to discuss. We will be glad to submit a proposal to you at no charge, including a complete cleanout of the house and any other services you are after.

WHAT IF I JUST HAVE A FEW ITEMS I WANT TO SELL: From time to time we will hold ‘Consignment Auctions’ that are set up to sell a few things from multiple people. These auctions typically include a wide variety of items.Please Contact Us to find out about the next scheduled Consignment Auction. We will be glad to discuss the things you want to sell, and to arrange the logistics.

CAN I DROP SOME THINGS OFF AND HAVE YOU SELL THEM ONLINE? Yes, We have a convenient Drop-Off location just off of Interstate 5 in Woodland, about 7 miles North of the Sacramento Airport (Near Costco and In-N-Out Burger) Please Contact Us to Schedule a time.

DO YOU PICK ITEMS UP? No, we do not pick up or deliver any items.
 
CAN YOU SET UP AN ONLINE AUCTION AT MY LOCATION? Yes, in most cases. The buyer of each item will come to your location to pick up their items on the scheduled day, after the auction.

CAN YOU SELL MOTOR VEHICLES? Yes, we also sell boats and RV’s.