Surprisingly, quality can be found at auction

I have a 17 year old daughter. Kayla has a sophisticated palette when it comes to deciding which products are worth using and which are not. She has great taste and strong opinions — especially when it comes to clothing and shoes, cosmetics, and health and beauty aids. Generic or store brands just don’t cut it.

So when I gave her a gift pack of Nexxus hair care products (among other things) for Christmas last year, I thought she would at least try them. I know this brand is sold at better hair salons. But for months, the gift pack sat unopened.

Until this week.

It took Kayla 5 months to get to it, but she finally broke down and tried the conditioner. Apparently, she ran out of whatever she was using previously.

The first thing she asked me was, “Did you get that at the auction?”

"Yup."

At $4, it was a bargain I couldn’t pass up. In fact, there were two packages available, and I bid on and won both. I kept one for myself.

I am well-aware of Kayla’s aversion to auction goods. But you know, I think she realized something when she saw the very same conditioner I got for cheap at the auction (in a gift pack with other hair products too!) priced at $17 alone at her favorite hair salon.

“You know, Mom...”, she continued... “that conditioner is really nice. It doesn’t feel like it sticks onto your hair like some other brands I’ve tried. My hair feels really clean, and soft.”

Many people make assumptions that merchandise at auction is flawed, out-of-date, or somehow of lower quality than what can be bought at the stores. While that’s sometimes true, more often than not, what you’ll find at most merchandise auctions is fine. Sometimes products are sold with damaged packaging, or it’s a slow-seller that stores want moved off the shelves. There are varied reasons why stuff winds up at auction.

It’s always a good idea to check over what’s being sold at preview time before an auction begins — and you can even ask a question once something is put up on the block. When bidding, there’s always an element of chance. That’s true. But if the price is right, more times than not, it’s worth the chance because the product is fine.

Now, there’s only one problem. Whatever comes through an auction isn’t likely to come through again and again. Now that Kayla has a new favorite hair conditioner, the only way to replenish her supply is to go to the salon and pick up a new bottle at $17.


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The photo above is Kayla posing for a photo before her Junior Prom last month.