Idaho Falls

62 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Going once, going twice… Bidding with Bighorn Auction STORY AND PHOTOS BY NIKKI SIEGEL n BUSINESS | BIGHORN AUCTION COMPANY It starts with just $5. Then the games begin. Bighorn Auction Company has been auc- tioning off items of all shapes and sizes for over 13 years. Big or small, old or new — no matter what item is up for auction, the bidding starts at $5 every time. "It could be a $20,000 car," said Randy Owen, owner of Bighorn Auction. "You get in and play as far as you dare — it's just a lot of fun." The interior of the store changes 100 percent on an almost weekly basis. The only real store staples are Mickey Doodle and Buddy Bear, the two dogs who hang around the auction house all day. To accommodate its numerous wares, which mostly come from household and business liquidations, Bighorn Auction moved from its small shop on 1st Street to a much larger building on Holmes in January this year. "A lot of times we find that the kids [who have inherited an estate] aren't living in- state, so it just makes it easier [to have the bigger building]," Kim said. When it was first started in 2003, Bighorn held live auctions only; now with grow- ing demand and shorter attention spans, auctions are held almost entirely online, enabling Bighorn to reach customers in all 50 states and some internationally. "It's pretty hard to get people at one time to sit through a live auction and not be on their phones and distracted," said Mckenzie Wadsworth, Bighorn's marketing director. "It's a fast paced world today." The online auctions are open for a week, and customers can bid anywhere they have internet access — whether that be at home or abroad. "Online they can [bid] on the bank fish- ing," Randy said. "They can be on vacation on the beach." All auction items, which are sold on con- signment, are posted on Bighorns website with a unique lot number, photo, descrip- tion and current bid price. Since the auction house staff doesn't know ahead of time what items will come in, hours are spend researching the goods and cross-checking the facts found. "You really just don't know what you're going to get in," Kim said. "And it's always fun to unpack the boxes. Sometimes you find things you haven't seen before. It's pretty interesting. Every auction you learn something new." Unlike many bidding services available online, Bighorn Auction allows anyone McKenzie Wadsworth, Bighorn's marketing director, with office pup Mickey Doodle

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