“This event has continued to exceed my expectations for growth year after year,” said Larry McDaniels, promoter of the Charlotte Racers Expo. “We continue to have growing interest in the auction, and it’s all quality consignments – no junk or Cup stuff in our auction. The trade show has also quickly turned into a one-stop shop for racers, with numerous exhibitors selling items at the show and taking orders for larger and custom items on-site. It really is amazing how much a racer can accomplish at our event for the upcoming race season.”
“To help with the flow of the event, we have breaks scheduled in the auction so that auction buyers have time to also browse and buy in the trade show, plus eat lunch without missing lots they want to bid on,” McDaniels continued. “Most exhibitors are set up to take both cash and credit cards, so everyone needs to come prepared to buy so they don’t miss out on the deals.”
The auction portion of the Charlotte Racers Expo is filling up with consignments but plenty of high-quality lot numbers are still available. Last year’s event sold out of consigned lots prior to opening day and the show management is encouraging those with consignments to take advantage of the free pre-consignment process as soon as possible.
“We already have a large selection of quality auction merchandise pre-consigned for our event,” said McDaniels. “We had very high quality lots last year, and this year I think the quality will be even better. A lot of top-tier racers and teams have consigned items, as have retailers and manufacturers who needed to liquidate their overstock and clear their shelves.”
McDaniels reiterated that the auction portion of the Charlotte Racers Expo features no buyer’s premium for those wishing to bid on items for sale. The price that a buyer bids is the price that he/she will pay. Only bidders who use credit cards to settle their accounts will entail any type of extra fees: only 5% will be added to cover the credit card processing fees.
“We’re firm believers in only paying the price you bid,” McDaniels commented. “Anyone who’s been to an auction knows that figuring out any sort of extra fees or premiums is difficult. It can keep you from bidding on something you want because you’re not sure how much extra it’s going to cost above what your bid amount is. We’ve eliminated that fear by eliminating those extras.”
He also explained his consignment strategy. Unlike some auctions, Charlotte consignors do not get charged for advanced lot number reservations. To maximize variety for bidders and increase value for consignors, the lots are scattered throughout the two-day event where over 1200 lots will be auctioned.
“It’s not fair to anyone to have everything in one small chunk of time during the auction,” he explained. “Consignors want to have their merchandise exposed to as many people as possible, and bidders want variety so that the bid prices are as reasonable and fair as possible. So anyone who still has merchandise to consign, they can rest assured that their merchandise will be spread throughout the auction the best way we possibly can.”
The Charlotte Racers Expo will open to the general public on Saturday, January 24, at 8am and remain open until 7pm. On Sunday, January 26, the show and auction opens to the public at 9am and closes around 3pm. A more detailed schedule is available online at CharlotteRacersExpo.com.
Tickets for the event are only $10 per day with $5 discount coupons available from various speed shops, chassis manufacturers and racing parts retailers across the region. A list of those locations is also available on the event website. All ladies are admitted free. Fans can also “like” the Charlotte Racers Expo on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @CLTRacersExpo for insider information, contests, freebies and discounts.
