The swear words of estate auctioneering

In the summer 2016 when my team was rebuilding my website, I didn’t post blogs here but I did post on Linkedin.

This post was originally published on LinkedIn.

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The auctioneering profession is a small community.

Longtime readers might recall me sharing information comparing the number of auctioneers in the USA (10,034) to those of other professions, such as funeral directors (23,648) and attorneys (302,603). Because there are so few auctioneers, they tend to be outgoing in seeking help and advice from one another.

One way auctioneers share information is via online communities, such as Facebook.

Many auctioneers — especially in rural areas — become generalists and work in a multitude of industries — estates, real estate, benefits, livestock, and more.  In contrast, I’m singularly focused on fundraising.

This difference means that much of the chatter I read online isn’t specific to my niche, but I do find the conversations informative and entertaining.

You will, too.  Auctioneers can be witty!

The theme of this query was downsizing and what sells.

Many articles have been written about “cleaning out’ one’s home.  It might be due to empty nesters, downsizers, or simply decluttering.  A recent Washington Post article talked about how Millennials simply aren’t interested in “stuff” anymore.

Even I get questions about this.  After I walk off stage, it’s not uncommon for a guest to approach me to seek help on “cleaning out our parents’ stuff.”

If you need to clean out a home, here’s an idea of what is NOT selling. 

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For estate auctioneers, these are the swear words of their business.

If you want to make your auctioneer cringe, mention you want to sell these items. 

(Remember these are questions from and answers to auctioneers.  Identifying names and photos have been blurred with mild editing for length.)

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1. Hummel figurines

2. Beanie Babies

3. Precious Moments

4. Whiskey decanters

5. Wavecrest, depression glass, milkglass, and various other “swear words”