Auction business travels farm show circuit

GIFFORD, Ill. — Purple Wave Auction was among the over 175 exhibitors at the two-day Midwest Ag Expo that drew large crowds from Illinois and beyond.

“It’s going real well. There’s been a lot of interest and we’re happy with the turnout,” said Paul Grabowski, Purple Wave Auction territory sales manager in southern Illinois.

Winter is also show season for businesses, allowing them to promote their goods and services to current and prospective customers.

“This is my third show already this year,” Grabowski said.

The show at Gordyville USA featured a broad range of businesses, promoting farm, industrial and outdoor power equipment, along with a multitude of services.

Purple Wave Auction is in its 26th year and headquartered in Manhattan in northeastern Kansas. The online auction platform serves customers coast-to-coast.

“It’s entirely online. The asset sells right where it sits. We send an internal employee out to take all the pictures and videos, and then it’s on our website from 30 to 45 days. We call it ‘soak time,’ the longer the better, and then it sells to the highest bidder regardless of hammer price because we are a no-reserve auction platform,” said Keegan Bedeker, Purple Wave Auction east-central Illinois territory sales manager.

“My territory includes Will County near Chicago down to Macon County and all the way over to Indiana and includes 11 counties.”

“Basically, we’re straightforward, we’re simple. We take the work out of it. We handle everything for you and handle all the cash transactions. If it’s a titled vehicle, we will do all the title work. We try to keep it as simple and easy for the buyer and the seller,” said Grabowski, whose territory is basically from Tuscola south.

“You don’t have to dedicate a whole day to inspecting the items. It’s all done online. You can set a maximum bid and walk away. It’s really simple,” Bedeker added.

“Straight, simple, sold is kind of our motto. Transparency between the buyer and the seller is also huge for us.”