Rock Island Auction's Social Media Pages

Here at Rock Island Auction Company, we try to keep people abreast of what we're doing via social media, or at least put some amazing collector firearms in front of your eyeballs from time to time. When RIAC started exploring social media, it pretty much stuck to the big three of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and you can see those being touted on some of our earliest content. However we've come a long way since then and are now using a number of other well-known social media sites posting photos, sharing stories, and keeping you plied with all the gun content you can shake a Wingmaster at. Here's where you can find us online.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Ah yes, the tried and true. Lots of photos and updates on the first two, and lots of videos on the last. Facebook is filled with a daily gun photo in a feature we call S.A.F.E.T.Y. (Special Arms For Everyone To Yearn), as well as a weekly feature called #FirepowerFriday that shows off some of the firearm fortitude that is floating around our facility.

By now you're probably familiar that we do video collaborations with ForgottenWeapons on YouTube and Full30.com. However, we have also recently done one with The Great War, and look to continue to these awesome partnerships while looking for new ones as well. You never know who we'll be collaborating with next! Regardless of who they're with, we do make a YouTube playlist for each auction, so people know which items are still coming up for auction and which ones have already come and gone.

Google +

Some people really like the Communities on Google+, or just despise Facebook, and we think those folks should be able to look at guns as well. We post a lot of the same photos and stories, but this is a better venue than the Big 3 for having an earnest discussion. It's not the most traffic by any means, but its still another place to spread the good word.

Reddit

We were a part of Reddit for a long time before finally starting our own subreddit last month. In full disclosure, we're a little concerned about posting too much there since Reddit has some strict guidelines about self-promotion and spam. However, the knowledge and topics you can find on Reddit are limitless so this is another great venue to share firearms with those who appreciate them.

As mentioned earlier, this is a VERY NEW subreddit, so any and all subscribers are more than welcome.

Pinterest

Who says men can't have Pinterest pages? Frankly, there's way too much cool stuff on Pinterest to not take part. We're trying to prove 'em wrong by pinning pictures that will definitely interest our customers. Military history, guns as art, collector cars, cowboys, gun memes, videos, gun gadgets, gun room ideas, historical information, old gun ads, and some of our promotional materials all make the cut. If you're on Pinterest, give us a follow.

Instagram

Instagram has been a exciting new foray for us. There is TONS of enthusiasm on this medium and people really like photos of firearms. What else could we ask for? Follow us on Instagram and we promise you'll see more behind-the-scenes photos than with any other of our social media outlets.

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We know there are a lot of other popular things to use like Snapchat and Periscope, but they may come later. If you know of any accounts we or other firearms enthusiasts should follow, post them in the comments. We're always looking to meet like minded individuals and see the incredible things that people have to share.

Oh, we also have a blog, but we're guessing you knew that already.

New at RIAC - Outbid Notifications

Rock Island Auction Company is pleased to announce our new Outbid Notifications service. This advancement, typically only offered by the largest of online auctions, will send emails to bidders who have elected to receive them notifying them that they have been outbid or tied for the high bid. In the auction before this new service was implemented, we saw a record number of sealed bids, around 21,000! This resulted in hundreds of tie bids for many items, with some items having as many as 50 different bidders. As an auction house, it’s tough to witness so many ties, knowing that people making an earnest run at collectibles they want will not win. The outbid notifications will eliminate some of those ties and allow the auction to function the way an auction should, the prizes go to the highest bidder.

It is a very common scenario for people who tie the winning bid, or come within 90% of it, to not win an item.  Obviously, that can be pretty confusing to know you bid the correct amount, but did not win your lot.  The outbid notifications look to limit this type of scenario, even though it is impossible to eliminate completely.  Here are some of the ways this can happen:

Tie Bids: It’s very possible that two or more absentee bidders bid the same amount (and bid higher than any live bidders). In that case RIAC awards the lot to the first of the tie bids placed. Each bid input into our systems is stamped with date/time it was received. This is why we encourage absentee bidders to give us your bids as soon as possible, since this scenario is very common.

Bid Increments: We treat absentee bids as if the bidder if here live at the auction, trying to buy as cheaply as possible under their maximum amount they have specified in their bid. With that comes the chance that another bidder will beat them to that amount. Here’s an example of how that might happen.

Let’s say that Dan places an absentee bid on a lot for $1,000. Live bidders and other absentee bidders have bid the lot up to $900. At that point, we would advance Dan’s bid on his behalf to $950. If there are no other bids, Dan would win that lot for $950. However, if a competing live bidder bids $1,000, we are obliged to accept that bid. Since Dan has only authorized us to bid up to $1,000, we cannot place another bid for him and the lot would be won by the live bidder even though Dan had the exact same amount in his sealed bid.

As you can see, this is entirely unpredictable and depends on how the live bids fall during the auction.  In the example above, had the live bidding stopped at $900, we would have advanced Dan’s bid to $950. With no other live bidders he would have prevailed. Take note, this is exactly what would happen if there were two live bidders in the audience who both planned to stop at $1,000. One would get it and the other would not.

Preventing this from happening to you is simple. Since we buy for you as cheaply as possible at or below the maximum you specify, be sure you bid the true maximum you would go to if you were bidding live. Ask yourself, “If I was there, and the bid stopped with someone else winning for $1,000, would I go $1,100?” If so, bid a “plus one” or enter the larger amount. You still may fall on the “bad side” of the increment, but the exact same thing might happen if you were bidding live. That’s the nature of an honest auction.

We realize there may be some questions and feedback on this process. This is a new service for us and there may be some changes needed along the way, so we invite your input. You can send your thoughts to us through our three-question, online survey which has a spot for comments at its conclusion. The survey may be accessed by clicking here. For some Frequently Asked Questions that we feel might arise, please continue reading to see if we have covered your question. If not, please feel free to contact us via email or phone at info@rockislandauction.com and 1-800-238-8022, respectively.

Of course, if you're not interested in receiving these outbid notifications, no action is necessary on your part.  By doing nothing, your account will stay just as it is. You must opt-in to receive these notices and you can switch at any time simply by logging into your account.



FAQ

Q: Do I have to receive outbid notifications?
A: No. The service is completely optional and you must opt-in to receive them. If you do not want to receive them, do nothing. If you DO elect to receive them, you may turn them off again at any time.

Q: How can I receive outbid notifications?
A: It’s a simple email preference that you can change in your account at any time. Follow these steps.

1. Go to www.rockislandauction.com
2. Log in to your account.
3. In the “My Account” section on the right, click the “Edit Account” link.
4. Below your personal information are your email preferences. The bottom preference should include an unchecked box for “Outbid Notifications.” Simply click that box.
5. Click the “Save Changes” box at the bottom to finalize your selections.

Q: Which bids are eligible to receive outbid notifications?
A: Outbid notifications are only sent for sealed bids submitted through the RIAC website.


Q: How often will the outbid notifications be sent?
A: Outbid notifications will be sent sparingly this auction.  We are waiting for the results of the survey to find out how often our customers would like them.


Q: If I am outbid on several items, will I receive a notification for each one?
A: Only one email will be sent, but will list all the lots on which you have been outbid.


Q: Will I receive a notice if I am a tied for the high bid?
A: Yes. Remember, in the event of tied sealed bids, the winning bid will be the first of the bids received.  The notification will not tell you if you are the first bid received, only that you are tied for the high bid.


Q: How common is this really?
A: Very. In our February 2015 Regional Firearms Auction we received a record 21,000 sealed bids! On average, that’s six sealed bids per item.  With so much interest comes an astounding number of tie bids, and bids within one bid increment (or 90%) of the highest bidder. Tie bids are exceedingly commonplace.


Q: How can I give feedback on this service?
A: Through this weekend, you may click here to take our 3 question survey. After the final question there is also a blank space for you to tell us how much you love it, hate it, or just to offer some constructive feedback on how we can make it better. This is a new service for us, so we’re all ears to our consignors and buyers for possible improvements.

If you'd like to leave feedback after the survey closes, please feel free to write to us at info@rockislanduaction.com.

This just in....

Rock Island Auction Company Shatters Industry World Record with 
47 Million Dollars in Annual Sales and Is, Once Again, the
#1 Firearms Auction Company in the World for the Ninth Consecutive Year!

Rock Island Auction Company would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to both our consignors and buyers for once again making RIAC the top firearms auction company in the World. “It is with great pride and humility we, as an auction team, were able to achieve such monumental success in 2012,” said Patrick Hogan, President and CEO of Rock Island Auction Company. “The results we were able to achieve are nothing short of astonishing,” chimed Judy Voss, Vice President of RIAC who has been with the company since its conception. “In 2010 we thought we had done the impossible by posting an annual sales total of just over 32 million dollars. What we did this year is truly unprecedented; not only did we break our record, we decimated it and by over 15 million dollars, we truly rewrote the book,” said Voss. In an ever increasingly competitive marketplace, Rock Island Auction not only continues to grow but they continue to thrive. Hogan can point to a number of contributing factors that explain RIAC’s growth and continued success, but the common denominator falls back on the staff of RIAC.

“In a given year we will sell anywhere from 18,000-20,000 firearms which means our staff first must find the product, process the product, and find the market for the product,” said Hogan. The estimated 18,000-20,000 firearms all require individual descriptions while the RIAC photographers are challenged to take some 100,000 photographs per year. The end result is what many consider the finest auction catalog in the industry which is followed unequivocally by the strongest and most comprehensive marketing campaign in the business. “At the end of the day I am confident that I have the finest auction team in the world” said Hogan.

The success of RIAC in 2012 was not by mistake or chance, but rather was the result of a number of true lifetime collections RIAC was entrusted to sell which included: The Gateway Collection, The Michael Barrett Collection, The Howard “Doc” Janecek Collection, The William Ashby Collection, The Anthony Urbanowski Smith & Wesson Collection, and the estate of world class Colt Firearms dealer Bobby Smith, to name a few. “We consider ourselves to be extremely fortunate to be able to offer these collections back to the market place. It’s a tremendous success for us as a company to secure one of these collections in a given year let alone all of them” said Hogan. Notable sales for the year include an original 16 inch Colt “Buntline Special” estimated at $325,000-$475,000 which commanded a world record price of $546,250, an original Half Octagon Half Round Winchester “1 of 1000” estimated at $275,000-$450,000 realized $402,500,   Serial Number 1 Exhibition Engraved and Cased Colt Navy Cartridge Revolver Presented by Colt to Lewis Sheldon Colt Paymaster During the Civil War rang the bell at $368,000, and an Outstanding Factory Cased Gold Plated and Relief Engraved SA Viktor Lutze Presentation Walther Model PP Pistol estimated at $70,000-$120,000 realized a staggering $241,500.

As 2012 draws to a close RIAC promises to hit the ground running in 2013 with their first of three Premiere auctions scheduled for early May.  “This year we did the unthinkable,” said Hogan, “but don’t think my staff is content with these results for a single year-- who knows, next year we could shoot for 50!”