Schur Success Auction Services - Colorado's Onsite Auction Experts

Just to be clear… There are only a few Red Rocks Benches available

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:17:00 +0000

10:13 pm, July 15, 2008 Denver

The media has given a great deal of attention to the sale of benches from Red Rocks Amphitheater. We appreciate the coverage and their help in getting the word out about these valuable pieces of history. Just to be clear, for right now we have only a limited number of benches available. What you see on the on-line site (www.Success-Auctions-Online.com) is ALL we have right now. We can't find row 1 for you nor can we find seat 77. Just what's on the auction site.

This is the first time we've offered Denver memorabilia online like this. However, perhaps with all of this demand, we might get more benches to sell. In the meanwhile, there's just a few, so don't miss out.

Thanks for your interest, and we hope to see you on-line!

Red Rocks Amphitheater for sale – one piece at a time!

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:40:00 +0000

July 13, 2008 Denver, CO

Well, not the whole theater. The City & County of Denver is selling a few of the original old-growth benches to hobbyist or collectors who want to own a piece of history. Red Rocks is renovating and replacing the old wooden benches. In order to make the pieces available to the community, the City has chosen to sell a limited number of the seats through its on-line auction site, http://www.success-auctions.com/.

The pieces, sold in small lots, all measure approximately 2 ½ x 5 1/2 inches, and range from 5 feet to 10 feet in length. All are original, old growth, clear heart lumber, and many still have the original seat numbers on them. There are only a few lots available, and the auction ends this coming Saturday, July 19, 2008, at 5:00 pm Mountain.

According to Kris Deutmeyer, City of Denver Purchasing Dept., “The City wants to make sure we do what’s right and dispose of these items properly”. He added “we’ve had lots of inquiries from people who want to own a piece of Red Rocks, and this is the best way to do it”.

“We’ve sold Denver artifacts for years” said Shannon Schur, CEO of Schur Success Auction Services. “This is just another piece of Denver History being made available to the pubic – it’s just the first time we’ve done it exclusively on-line” she said.

The wood can be milled and used for other projects, or simply saved as-is for a memento. Anyone who's ever been to the beautiful outdoor theater will appreciate the memories such a piece will bring. Will it have collector value? Who knows? All we know is, if you want it, you can "get a piece" for just a short time.

For Here or to Go? A lesson in customer service.

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:10:00 +0000

I stopped at a popular fast-food restaurant today, and ordered a soda and an ice-cream cone. Not a difficult order by any means. The rub came when the cashier asked "for here or to go?". Really? Does it matter? Are you going to respond differently when I say "here" as opposed to "to go"? Are you going to put he cone in a bag?

The point is, customer service has become substandard, and we, all of us, have accepted that fact. We are ok with pitiful service. We're ok with being ignored. If the cashier looks at us, we feel honored. If they get most of our order correct, we're happy. "Have a nice day" has become cliché. I don't know about you, but I don't like it. Not one bit.

I've chosen to do something about it. If I get poor service, I'll let management know. If they don't seem to get it, I let their bosses know. But I also let management know when I get good service. I'll thank the server, and ask for the manager. I'll explain why I'm pleased. I'll tell them why I appreciate the care I was given. It's not a matter of how much I spend, but rather a matter of the attitude of the person taking care of me.

Our tag-line at Schur Success Auction Services is "our process is personal". That means we should be paying attention to you as an individual. We should be listening to what you say, answering your questions, and generally make you feel valued as a customer. You are important to us. We should demonstrate this attitude with every interaction we have with you. Every time. Without you, we're out of business.

You're entitled to be treated as an individual - an individual that matters to us and our staff. I want to make sure we are doing just that. Please let me know how we're doing - good or bad - because what you say is important. Call me. (866) 290-2243, x 2. And thank you.

Rich

Why Auctioneers prefer not to quote rates over the phone…

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:47:00 +0000

The answer's simple really. We want to make to make sure we price our service properly, and since every sale is unique, our pricing structure needs to be customized for each seller. Let's start with the basics.

Auctioneers are commissioned sales people. By and large, we earn our money by doing a good job of selling your assets. What we sell, who we sell it to, how much we have to sell, and how much it will bring are all questions we ask before we set a fee or a rate. Here are a few of the key issues we need to explore before we set a price.

Labor: In order to sell your assets, we need to determine how much labor it will take to set up or stage your property. It takes a lot more time and effort to set up a restaurant for auction than it does a small fleet of vehicles. Will your auction attract a small crowd or a large crowd? Labor is one of our biggest expenses, and we need to have a pretty good idea of what it will take to make your event a success, whether it's 2 people or 15.

Assets: What we're selling makes a difference. An all day sale that nets $10,000 will have a significantly different price structure than a 2-hour sale that nets $250,000. Larger revenue sales don't necessarily mean higher costs. Will we be selling just a handful of items or will we be selling hundreds or thousands? Are the items fairly common or extremely unique? What you're selling, and how much it could potentially bring, is a huge factor in how we set fees.

Location: Are we selling from your location, or are we moving your merchandise? There are costs involved in moving things, and we need to calculate the pros and cons of selling on-location versus selling elsewhere.

Technology: Will this auction be simulcast on the internet? This option might bring more bidders or larger bids, but there's a cost involved in bringing reliable technology to the sale. There's also a cost of having the staff available to operate the systems, whether we use our staff locally or outsource it.

Will we need to bring in audio or visual equipment for the sale to be a success? What about pre-catalog inventory? How much time will be needed to photograph each item? Technology adds an element to sales that needs to be factored in.

There are dozens of questions we need to ask to make sure we're conducting an auction event that meets your expectations and brings us both a valuable return on our investments. We prefer to ask you these questions in person, or somehow get an idea of what we're dealing with before we tell you "how much".

Some auctioneers will quote their rates to you over the phone, without knowing all of the details of your sale. They may be very confident that their rates will be appropriate to cover their expenses and earn their profits. Some auctions are so similar to other auctions that we can do that without hesitation. For example, we conduct storage auctions at more than 70 locations, and we know from experience that our standard rate works just fine. Each and every one of our clients gets exactly the same rate.

However, unique sales need unique approaches and therefore the more we know upfront, the better we can quote a fair rate for each client. If you're having just one auction, then we need to treat that pricing as unique.

One thought about auctioneers discussing commission rates. It's against the law for us to discuss rates with each other. Having that conversation, even in generalities, could be considered price-fixing, and is a clear violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust act. That doesn't mean you can get comparison quotes, but it does mean we can't help you with what someone else might quote.

Will we ever quote a rate over the phone, sight unseen? You bet. Somewhere between 2% and 98% plus costs. We'll narrow it down for you once we meet in person.

Carmine’s Cucina – SALE CANCELLED

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:29:00 +0000

May 13, 2008, Denver, CO

The Denver Department of Finance cancelled the May 16^th sale at Carmine's Cucina on Jersey Street. The taxpayer has settled with the department of revenue, and the lien has been lifted.

Please come see one us at one of our other auctions!

Thanks!

Carrie Underwood – Dinner for 2 – and you’ll be helping transform lives!

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:36:00 +0000

May 4, 2008 – Colorado Springs, CO

At Schur Success Auction Services, we believe in taking care of our community. Both Shannon and Rich serve on the Board of Directors for the Youth Transformation Center. The organization is part of the Restorative Justice movement, and focuses on alternatives to school suspensions and long-term incarceration. It gives at-risk and at-promise youth some of the tools they need to be responsible members of the community and gives them alternatives to some of the negative behaviors they have learned or adopted.

Our Board and our Staff work hard to deliver services to the community, but we could always use more support. We could use your help, and we could use your money. To that end, we've put together a little on-line auction to introduce you to our mission.

OUR MISSION
The Youth Transformation Center is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering youth to generate new possibilities for their lives through personal accountability, empathy, and leadership skills that shape positive social behaviors.

OUR OBJECTIVE
Statistics and studies clearly show that banishing and ostracizing children through suspension, expulsion, and juvenile incarceration has done little to build strong characters in our young people that will lead to responsible and productive adulthood. The restorative justice movement, now reaching critical mass around the world, provides an effective alternative that promises long-term, positive results.

The Youth Transformation Center is proud to offer cutting-edge restorative justice training for youth and their adult leaders, alongside programming services that open a pathway to a reduction in juvenile crime and violence to build stronger, safer communities.

To support this mission, we have donated 2 tickets to see Carrie Underwood at the World Arena in Colorado Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Our friends at Classic Transportation have donated a Limo ride for you and a guest to take you not only to the concert in style, but to dinner courtesy of the Olive Branch in beautiful downtown Colorado Springs.

Please, help us spread the word about our important mission. Know that if you're the winning bidder, you'll have a fantastic night to remember, and you'll be making a lifelong difference to a young member of our community. If you can't go to the concert, pass on the information to someone who could go. Pass it onto your friends. Make a tax-deductable donation to the Youth Transformation Center, PO Box 38074, Colorado Springs, CO 80937. Tell them Rich and Shannon sent you.

Thanks so much.

To see details about the event and the on-line auction, click here.

Understanding the “Bulk Bid” in a Dept. of Revenue or tax lien Auction

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:07:00 +0000

May 2, 2008 Colorado Springs, CO

Whenever Schur Success Auction Services conducts an auction for the Dept. of Revenue, or the Dept. of Finance, the sale is always conducted in the same format.

We start the sale by asking for a bulk bid or a single bid to purchase everything for sale in the auction. We'll ask for increasing bids for the bulk purchase the same way we ask for increasing bids on a single item. For example, we'll ask for $20,000 and then $25,000, and then $30,000 etc. Once we get to the top bid, we give that bidder one last chance to increase his or her bid. At that point, we lock in the bid at that top amount, and announce the "bulk bid" price. For example, let's say its $35,000.

Even though we lock in a "bulk bid", that doesn't mean that bidder wins and gets everything. The next step is to sell each item individually. We'll go item-by-item and get the top bid for each item. As we go along, we keep track of the total of all the individual bids. If the individual bids total more than the bulk bid, (for example, $35,000) we declare that the bulk bid is "null and void". That means each individual bid is a finalized sale, and the individual bidder wins the items they were bidding on. They can then pay for and remove the items they won.

If we sell all of the items individually, and we still don't reach the total amount of the bulk bid, then none of the individual bids are valid, and all of the items in the auction go to the bulk bidder.

To demonstrate:

Bulk bid = $35,000 / Individual bids = $29,500: Bulk bidder wins it all for $35,000

Bulk Bid = $35,000 / Individual bids = $35,200: Bulk bidder loses, and each individual bidder wins.

Sometimes, the bulk bid is so low, we'll exceed it very quickly. Sometimes, the bulk bid is so high, that we may "call" the sale after just a few minutes – in other words, we know that we'll never reach the bulk bid price by selling items individually, and we'll declare the sale over in favor of the bulk bidder.

Most of the time, we need to go through the whole sale to see which way it will go. If you decide to place a bulk bid, it is still wise to bid on the individual items that you want – that way if you lose the bulk bid, you can still be the winning bidder on the items you really want to purchase.

The process to obtain a bulk bid only takes a few minutes. But the process to see of the bulk bid wins may take a long time. The benefit to being a bulk bidder is that you get everything in the sale, and can turn around and sell off the things you don't want – but have guaranteed that you keep everything you do.

The drawback to the bulk bid process is that nothing is officially sold until we declare which way the sale will go. That means nothing can be paid for or removed until we make the declaration.

Sometimes, we're asked to help people establish a bulk bid amount. Understandably, we can't do that. Nor can we advise people on how much to bid on individual items. We don't mind sharing with you information about sale prices for similar items, but beyond that, you'll need to decide what level of bidding you're comfortable with.

If you have specific questions about this process, please feel free to call us at (866) 290-2243, or email us at contact@success-auctions.com .

We'll see you soon!

Auction Dates do Change – We apologize for the Inconvenience – Especially those who came to the Cold Stone Creamery

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:50:00 +0000

Colorado Springs. Tuesday, April 29, 2008

To those of you who showed up on Monday to the Cold Stone Creamery Auction for the Department of Revenue – we're sorry. Sometimes, auction dates and schedules do change, especially with Dept. of Revenue or Self Storage Auctions. People have the option to pay their debts right up to the minute the sale is scheduled to begin. Because this does happen, auctions may be cancelled.

We can't speak for other auctioneers, but we make every effort to keep our website current with cancellations and changes. It's a wise practice to check the website before you attend any auction, especially these kinds of sales. Most consignment auctions, or auctions held for reasons other than tax liens, usually go as scheduled. But if you'd like to save yourself a trip, check the website before you leave. Check OUR website – we keep it as current as possible. There are many other websites that carry our auctions, but we don't have control over them. Our site will always have the most current data.

When in doubt, feel free to call us at (866) 290-2243. We'll gladly tell you if there's been a schedule change.

To those of you who came to the Cold Stone Creamery in Colorado Springs on Monday. We understand that there was mention of the sale in the press (on radio, TV, and the papers). We supplied updated press releases to those outlets with the changes, but not every press release gets picked up. We posted a sign in the window with the correct date, and of course our website was updated. We're sorry you didn't get the word before you made the trip. We'll do everything possible to prevent that from happening again.

In this particular case, the State had to move the auction date to comply with notification rules to the taxpayer. We'll see you on the 6^th for the Cold Stone Creamery Auction – and of course, you'll check our website the night before.

Auctions? Frogs? Organic Tomatoes? Peppers? Huh?

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:22:00 +0000

I know, it sounded weird to me too. But here's the deal. Our good friend and auctioneer Linda Tegtmeier has an incredible green thumb, and is very active with the Front Range Organic Gardeners (FROG). This Denver-based gardener group is hosting an auction and sale on Thursday, May 15, 2008, at the Denver Presbytery Hall at 1710 S. Grant Street, Denver, CO 80210.

There will be more than 60 varieties of tomatoes (I didn't know there were 60 varieties of tomatoes) for sale. There will be vegetables, herbs, berries, even flowers, vines and ground covers. Now here's the neat part – it's all organic! ALL of the plants and vegetables were either seed-started by these Organic Gardeners, or were divided from their own organic gardens.

The sale will start at 6:30 pm, and the auction will start at 7:30 pm. Want to see something different and get some wonderful veggies at the same time? Don't miss out. Contact Linda for more details. You can email Linda at frogardeners@comcast.net or call her at (303) 744-7871.

You can also check out the Colorado Garden Clubs website.

Cold Stone Creamery – Colorado Springs – AUCTION POSTPONED – Now May 6th.

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:02:00 +0000

April 22, 2008

The Auction scheduled for April 28, 2008, at the Cold Stone Creamery in Colorado Springs, has been POSTPONED to Tuesday, May 6, 2008. The sale will start at 10:00, and the preview will begin at 9:00.

The equipment and furnishings here are very clean and in excellent condition. As with all tax auctions, this sale is subject to change without notice. It's always best to check the website for changes the night before the scheduled sale.

For questions about this sale, please call Rich at (866) 290-2243, ext. 2, or email Rich at Rich@Success-Auctions.com.

The full inventory is listed on our website under Cold Stone Creamery.

Colorado Springs Auctioneer earning Certified Auctioneers Institute designation

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:50:00 +0000

Colorado Springs, CO, April 17, 2008 – Colorado Springs Auctioneer, Rich Schur of Schur Success Auction Services, recently completed his first year of courses for the highly honored National Auctioneers Association (NAA) Education Institute’s Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) designation. The CAI designation is one of the most respected education programs in the country for Auctioneers. The CAI program is an executive developmental program offering coursework in management skills, business ethics, finance, marketing, etc. The nation’s most distinguished and respected leaders in the auction industry provide instruction to CAI students throughout the program. A three-year program, Rich joined fellow Auctioneers from across the country at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in March for the educational seminars.

Founded in Arvada more than 25 years ago by Ray Fenter, Schur Success Auction Services is Colorado’s Largest On-Site Auction company, and is the exclusive auctioneer for the City & County of Denver, and the Colorado Department of Transportation. The team conducts auctions across the country, and serves more than 75 local clients including the Department of Revenue.

Rich works the business with his wife Shannon, who owns the auction company and completed her coursework in 2004 earning her CAI designation. Both Rich & Shannon were the first auctioneers in Colorado and among the first in the nation to earn the designation of Benefit Auctioneer Specialist (BAS). Benefit and Charity auctions are a focus of the husband and wife team.

Shannon is a Past-President of the Colorado Auctioneers Association (CAA), and Rich is currently on his second term as a Board Member of CAA.

To learn more about Rich or Shannon, please contact Rich at: (719) 667-1000, or view the website at http://www.success-auctions.com/.

We'll miss you Kelly Fenter

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Alma "Kelly" Fenter. 1939-2008

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kelly Fenter on April 7, 2008. Kelly is the wife of our founder Ray Fenter, and mother of our President & CEO Shannon Schur. With her family at her side, Kelly finally lost her battle with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Ray and Kelly were married in 1956, and together helped build our family business. When Ray was first starting in the auction business, Kelly served as the office manager, set-up crew, clerk, cashier, and helped in every capacity possible. She also maintained full-time employment to ensure there was enough income to keep the young business afloat. She worked as a Stewardess for Ports-of-Call Airlines, and retired from State Farm Insurance after many years of dedicated service.

Kelly was an avid antique collector, and thoroughly enjoyed learning about and acquiring interesting pieces. She loved to play golf and to be outdoors. A smoker for many years, she developed emphysema and COPD that took a toll on her health in recent years. Rather than stopping for the roadblock these illnesses presented, she simply maneuvered around her health issues and found other ways to pursue her passions. In part to her health, Ray & Kelly retired to Arizona in 2000. Kelly enjoyed traveling, and would often join with Ray and their friends on motorcycle rides.

Kelly enjoyed spending times at casinos, and was a very devoted poker player. She also was a member of the Marine Corps League Auxiliary in Lake Havasu City.Calling to speak with Kelly was always hit or miss. If she was in the middle of an on-line poker tournament, or one of the many other on-line games she enjoyed playing, we knew it was better to call back later.

Kelly is survived by her husband Ray, daughter Shannon and husband Rich, son Alan and wife Patti, and 2 grandchildren, Virginia and Sean. She is also survived by her 5 sisters.Kelly will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Marine Corps League Auxiliary; JoAnne Sullivan, Treasurer, 595 Burkemo Dr, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406.

Schur Success Auction Services - Marketing Contest Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:30:00 +0000

January 6, 20008, Denver, CO.We're Winners!!!

The Colorado Auctioneer’s Association (CAA) held its annual conference this past weekend in Denver. In addition to the great educational programs and networking opportunities, there were several contests.

The first contest was the annual State Auctioneer Championship. We congratulate the new State Champion, Shawn Hagler, and we’d especially like to congratulate our very own Adam Kevil, who took the #2 spot in the state. Way to go Adam!!! We’d also like to thank all of our friends and customers who came out to participate in the auction and cheer on our contestants Shannon and Adam – thanks so much for your support.

A second contest was the CAA marketing and advertising contest, where our efforts to market are voted on by our peers. We’re proud to say that Schur Success Auction Services took First Place in the Fundraising category, and tied for First Place for our company image and general marketing.

So, if you would like award-winning auctioneers and an award-winning auction company to take care of your sales and appraisal needs, you’d Schur be making the right choice with us.

Schur Success Auction Services

Schur Success Auction Services staff joins board of the Youth Transformation Center

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Schur) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 04:56:00 +0000

November 13, 2007 – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Rich and Shannon Schur, of Schur Success Auction Services in Colorado Springs, were both named to the Board of Directors of the Colorado Springs based Youth Transformation Center, with Rich serving as the Vice-Chair. The Youth Transformation Center is a restorative justice organization designed to help youth, young adults, and the community at large. Here are some details about the organization:

OUR MISSION
Youth Transformation Center is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering youth to generate new possibilities for their lives through personal accountability, empathy, and leadership skills that shape positive social behaviors.

OUR OBJECTIVE
Statistics and studies clearly show that banishing and ostracizing children through suspension, expulsion, and juvenile incarceration has done little to build strong characters in our young people that will lead to responsible and productive adulthood. The restorative justice movement, now reaching critical mass around the world, provides an effective alternative that promises long-term, positive results.

Youth Transformation Center is proud to offer cutting-edge restorative justice training for youth and their adult leaders, alongside programming services that open a pathway to a reduction in juvenile crime and violence to build stronger, safer communities.

For more information about the organization, contact Jeannette Holtham at (719) 440-1983.