Interview Reflection

I interviewed my friend Brandon for this assignment. He is a familiar face to most local auctions and runs his own stand at local flea markets as well. I don't have my research question nailed down yet but the answers Brandon gave helped me understand more of the business side of his visits to auction houses. When he was first introduced to auctions by his older brother and uncle, he mainly bought things for himself, but when he decided to get into flea markets, he found that he could buy items at auction to sell for a profit at flea markets.

The interview didn't raise any new questions but did confirm the thought that most people in our area attend local auctions to spend time with family and friends, to socialize. Sitting in the old church pews catching up, while bidding on small odds and ends seems to be a good way to spend an evening. Brandon, his brothers, and uncle call them, "boy's night out", except for when one of the wives or a female tag-along (me) decide to join.

During my intervew with Brandon he said two things that did stand out. The first one was, "Everything has two lives, especially if it was successful the first time around", which basically means that anything that was a huge hit when it first came out will be a big seller again. The biggest "second wind" type of seller are toys, he is always on the look out for collector items. Transformers, Beanie Babies, He-Man, and Cabbage Patch Dolls are to name just a few. The second response was that "You may think you are getting a great deal, but the item might not even work when you get it home!"

I do think I will use this interview in my paper, either by quoting Brandon directly or using some of his responses as ways to find out more on auctions. I would definately consider Brandon an insider. His father used to take him to flea markets when he was younger so he pretty much grew up around the atmosphere in which my paper is focused. He still goes to auctions to get things for himself, but he thinks he will be doing the business side of flea markets and auctions for years to come.