Going to Las Vegas auctions this Jan 2018? If a buyer you should know this.......

[KNUCK]

Mecum has a 10% commission and you are out the door with the bike. Bonhams is a little different deal. You pay 15% plus if you are a California buyer and any other state that Bonhams has a dealer license in you will have to pay what ever your local sales tax is to get your bike out the door!

So for me it is 8% sales tax plus 15% commission that equals 23% cost on top of the purchase price. That means for a 30k bike add on another $6,900 or a 60K bike add $13,800 to it. The reason I bring this up is even if you don't plan to put it on the road and license it you are still stuck with the tax.

Even if you go and don't buy at either it is an amazing show with Mecum to have 1,750 cycles to sell and Bonham maybe a 100. I have seen people from all over the world who come to this great event. If you plan to go Mecum he has an entry fee, discounted if you pay prior to event. Bonham only will allow bidders to enter but not sure if same this year as last.

[midman]

Vegas has been on my bucket list for a while now. I hope to get there before to much more time goes by. I’d love to be overwhelmed by tons of old iron up for sale.

On auctions in general I gotta say that the buyers and sellers premiums just seem to be getting higher and higher. Doesn’t really effect the buyer because as Knuck stated you just factor it in to your bid, but the seller is getting the short end of the stick. And it’s not just the big international auction houses. We have some local ones around here that at one time did not have a buyers premium but one of them now has 30% and the rest 10 to 25!!!

[KNUCK]

Mecum has been 10% for buyer and seller (with reserve) on motorcycles for some time and hope he sticks with it but we will see. No reserve on seller is 7% if you can handle the stress level. Time to go for it, you will not regret it. I have been going since the mid 80's when it was Mid America. Again this year it is at the South Point Resort and a really nice place!!

[KNUCK]

I will bring back pics to share after the event, also note it will be on NBCSN, it will be edited down to probably 1-2 hrs and live possible but times not posted yet. I can update later. Date is January 23-27 2018.

[Green Indian]

I'd like to go to these auctions one of these days. I've watched them over the web (don't have cable) and they sure look like fun. I'd love to see so many rare machines up close.

[Chris Haynes]

The machines sold in the parking lot pay no Premiums. :-)

[T. Cotten]

The machines sold in the parking lot pay no Premiums. :-)

Sounds like Davenport, Chris!

Motel parking lots are 'happenin' on Wednesday evening, so I am told.

A pre-arranged exchange for mutual convenience doesn't bother me.

However, rumor was one character commerced enormously in the lot during the Meet without registering as a vendor, and apparently he will be the last.

....Cotten

[KNUCK]

Update on the TV time for auction. Feb 1 at 4:30 pm Eastern time and again 11:30pm Eastern time on NBC SN. Going to be a 3 hour show.

[Green Indian]

Mecum does a live feed of their auctions on YouTube during the event so if you want you can stream it live on Youtube incase you do not have cable (like me)

[KNUCK]

Great information to have!