Auctioneer Definition

Dictionary.com defines an auctioneer as:

A person who conducts auctions by accepting bids and declaring goods sold

Wordnet says:

an agent who conducts an auction

In order to properly answer the question What is an Auctioneer we must first understand what an auction is.

An auction is typically a public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder. The person conducting the auction is known as the Auctioneer or Agent. The auctioneer is the agent between the seller of the property and the potential buyer(s), also known as bidder(s).

Before The Auction

Generally it is the responsibility of the auctioneer to have product knowledege on the item(s) he or she will selling at auction. Therefore it is crucial that proper market research is done on each item that will sell prior to the auction.
All items that will be offered at public auction must first be inspected to determine the current condition (new, pre-owned, damaged, etc.). Items are then inventoried, assigned an individual lot number, and cataloged.
In addition each item must be displayed in numerical order according to the lot number assigned (e.g., lot 1, followed by lot 2, lot 3, etc.).

Advertising The Sale

Properly marketing an auction will determine the success of your auction. Aside from product knowledge, and auction set up, the auctioneer must know who his potential buyers are, and get them to attend the auction. Therefore advertising and marketing play an important role in the auction business.

Day Of Auction

Each person attending the auction must register and receive a bid card in order to be able to bid on item(s) at the auction. Bidders are identified by the unique number assigned on their bid card. Once all potential bidders have registered it is time to start the auction. The auctioneer will now conduct the auction, accept bids, and declare the item(s) sold to the highest bidder!