I know this was briefly discussed in another article I made talking about the pros and cons of bidding for items online during auctions. However I never talked about the pros and cons of online VS offline auctions. It may seem to many of you as the subject, in which case you are free to move on but for all of you that are going to stay, hang out ’till the end of this article. It’s going to be quite insightful and good for you to know.
Let’s first of all set an exact and same price ticket on both the online and offline version of auctions so we can make it fair. It was mentioned for example that in online auctions, you get access to cheaper product. So the comparison can be fair and equal, what I will do is bring those two on the same level playing field.
I guess one of the main advantage of online auctions, is the fact that you can sit at the comfort of your own house and bid for a certain product. You don’t need to stand in line to get into the auction center, you don’t need to shout your lungs out to get the price you want, and you certainly don’t need all the noise that takes place at these events. You could be drinking tea in front of your laptop computer and enjoy the bidding process, monitoring the pricing of that specific product you are interested in. So you basically don’t even need to get out of bed. Online auctions are what I call “for lazy people.”
What is the main disadvantage? Online theft…
Unfortunately the hacking activities have grown greater than ever before, so it is kind of hard to be fully protected. Basically, don’t fear about not getting your product. If you purchase it from some reputable place such as e-bay you are very safe. However the problem is when you add cash into your account or try and put in your credit card details. Again: reputable platforms aren’t going to have this security problem. But when talking about secondary smaller platforms that aren’t equipped with the type of software (security software) you would need, then that can be a great problem for the users. Especially if you are going to use bitcoin…well don’t use bitcoin. So many wallets have been stolen and it’s really a mess for everyone, including these people operating the platforms (they’ve lost tons of money.) Won’t beat a dead horse…
What is the main advantage of an offline event? Well I guess the fact that you get to meet people and hang out with people that pretty much share the same interests as you do. It’s kind of a networking event and it’s just beautiful. Lots of energy in the air, and everyone is swinging their dollar to get the product they so much lust. It basically freshens you up and you feel young again and vibrant. The announcers as mentioned before are very energized making sure everyone is at the end of their seats. So it can be very fresh for you and you probably will have a few laughs, the way they talk so fast. Most importantly, you make actually be able to meet people that are more well known. If you attend auctions in NYC or London you are pretty much going to be sitting next to someone that you see on TV or at least the people participating in the auction (if you can’t compete with them) are going to be stars from Hollywood or the wives of very successful people in finance. So sharing laughs with a few people you look up to, can be quite an experience for you. That really depends of course on how amazed you are by them. I mean some people blush so much in the presence of such successful people and can’t even make conversation. But if you are a down to earth person who understands how to communicate your message, you should have no problem what so ever.
Cons of offline events?
The fact that it’s a very chaotic place for you to be. If you aren’t very much used to a lot of people and lots of noise, this can be a problem for you. I mean, sure you get to meet people, but you may come across some obnoxious and annoying figures also. So you probably want to balance things out a little bit. Also, all the excitement in the air may make you spend a few extra bucks (than what you had planned for.) So just pay attention to what’s happening and your bank account. That’s all I got to say.
Let me know what you like more!