{"id":33098,"date":"2019-02-24T17:44:37","date_gmt":"2019-02-24T17:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=33098"},"modified":"2019-02-24T17:44:37","modified_gmt":"2019-02-24T17:44:37","slug":"bargain-auctions-offer-istanbul-consumers-more-bang-for-buck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=33098","title":{"rendered":"Bargain auctions offer Istanbul consumers more bang for buck"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nISTANBUL: \u201cGoing, going, gone!\u201d resonate the enticing chants of auctioneers in the narrow streets of a trendy Istanbul neighborhood, fascinating onlookers who are surprised, not so much by the fast pace of the bidding, but by the prices in such economically troubled times.
Auctions may have a reputation for being the staid preserve of the wealthy to joust politely for rare collectibles or master paintings that can go for millions of dollars.
But this is not the case in Balat, a historic neighborhood on the shores of the Golden Horn estuary frequented by tourists and locals alike who enjoy the hipster cafes and historic churches.
Here, secondhand objects, from used furniture to toys, go for knockdown prices.
Istanbul doesn\u2019t have a tradition of jumble sales, although there are secondhand shops.
But, about five years ago, low-price auction houses began to spring up in Balat, giving residents another way to rid themselves of unwanted goods.
And with shop prices rising as the Turkish lira has tumbled, losing nearly 30 percent of its value against the dollar last year, the auctions offer a welcome alternative.
Auction houses now regularly pack in the crowds, and for many, it is their first time.
\u201cI came here for a walk with my son but when I heard the chant and saw the sign that it is free to join, we popped in out of curiosity to see what an auction looks like,\u201d said Murat, standing in front of the cashier, having won the bidding for a laser pen for his son at 10 lira ($2, 1.7 euros).
\u201cI have never been to an auction before. I always thought it is for rich people.
\u201cI really like the ambiance here. It was quite fun and the prices are very reasonable.
\u201cI will definitely come again,\u201d he said.
The auction houses go all-out to create an experience that draws people in.
Auctioneer Ali Tuna invites those who hesitate at the door to come in and take a seat.
Cracking jokes to put people at ease, Tuna banters with the audience like a standup comedian.
Wearing a black fedora style hat and a clip-on mic, he skillfully describes every item to the crowd, walking it around to give people a closer look, be it a simple pen, dagger or silver mirror.
\u201cI must keep the ambiance dynamic,\u201d said Tuna. \u201cI cannot let the energy die down.\u201d
To some, \u201cthe guy with the hat\u201d is half the reason for coming back.
\u201cYou meet different people, some are coming to satisfy their appetite for antiques and some merely for five-penny items,\u201d said Tuna.
An entertaining atmosphere, almost like a show, is important to the business model.
As the commission charged for selling bargain items is low, the houses need to auction a large volume of goods, so having a room packed with clients is critical.
Some auction houses double as cafes, adding to the attractiveness of the atmosphere and provide organizers with another revenue source.
\u201cIt\u2019s really fun here,\u201d said Hulya Sahin, a middle-aged woman.
\u201cI join the auctions as a social activity.\u201d
Then there is the excitement of bidding, and getting a good deal.
\u201cTen lira, 10, but I am looking for 15, now 20, now 35, 40 and 50,\u201d Tuna chanted with increased tempo, holding up a blue Ford model car.
\u201cIt was very competitive,\u201d remarked Nil Su, a university student, who paid 50 lira to get the model for her younger brother.
\u201cI could have bought it at a much lower price but for that man,\u201d she said, smiling, as she pointed to an older man sitting in the front row who kept raising the bid.
Still, many believe the auctions offer a good deal, which isn\u2019t something to be sniffed at, given that Turkey has faced a sharp surge in its inflation rate, which hit a 15-year high in October at more than 25 percent.
\u201cWith the current state of the economy, people\u2019s purchasing power has drastically dropped,\u201d said Yavuz, who both buys and sells items at the auctions.
\u201cHere they can find products at more affordable prices.\u201d
Ercan Altan, who has transformed his coffee house in Balat into an auction house, said that not all starting prices were as low as $2.
\u201cThere are some products you cannot start the bid from $2, like this gramophone,\u201d he said.
\u201cWe start, let\u2019s say with 1,500 lira ($280) and sell it to the closest bid.\u201d
Arda Gurler, who runs an online auction website for old documents and engravings, said the Balat auction houses were not for serious collectors \u2014 but acknowledged that wasn\u2019t the point.
\u201cIt is like a spontaneous theater over there. When you stay five minutes, you enjoy the ambiance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISTANBUL: \u201cGoing, going, gone!\u201d resonate the enticing chants of auctioneers in the narrow streets of a trendy Istanbul neighborhood, fascinating onlookers who are surprised, not so much by the fast pace of the bidding, but by the prices in such economically troubled times.Auctions may have a reputation for being the staid preserve of the wealthy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":33099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle_east_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}