Cheap Macbooks, netbooks and PCs to be found at technology auctions

Earlier today I was in Nottingham at an auction with a difference...it was a technology auction. I'd been invited along by Channel 5's The Gadget Show to help out with some filming they're doing for their new series. You can see the results of what went on at the end of August when the episode is broadcast. But what about the auction itself?

Simply put, it was fascinating. There were over 1,000 lots going under the hammer covering everything from top of the range iMacs and MacBook Pros through to Sony Vaio laptops, Acer netbooks, HP Touchsmart all-in-one computers, desktops, ebooks, headphones, digital photo frames, MP3 players, monitors, printers, scanners and loads more besides.

It all took place in what was once the Shipstone brewery in Nottingham, a formidable Victorian building that is now the home to auctioneer John Pye & Sons Ltd. There are several auctions a week, with technology forming a major part of the lots on offer. There were certainly some bargains to be had; by my reckoning a lot of what was on show went for well under half price.

To give a couple of examples, an HP Mini Intel Atom netbook went for £85, while a Compaq AMD Dual Core laptop went for £110. For the final price, you need to add a 15 percent buyer premium and then 20 percent VAT on top. Also, neither computer came with an operating system, so that would need to be factored into the final cost.

It was certainly interesting to see how many genuine bargains were on offer; with bidding on some items, especially Apple products, particularly fierce. I was told that during the week those attending the auctions tend to be independent retailers looking to pick up a bargain for their shops, while at weekends the auction house is more suited for the general public.

Hopefully we'll have something in the magazine about technology auctions in the future, but until then you can find out more by visiting the John Pye & Sons Ltd. website.