Chaos. Barely controlled chaos. That was the first thought I had at the Shipshewana Miscellaneous & Antique Auction.
When you picture an auction, at least when I’ve always pictured one, it’s of an orderly affair. Fast, but orderly. I haven’t been to many, although I have been sold in one (for charity, of course).
Before viewing the auction at the Shipshewana Flea Market, my impression was this: People sit in their chairs and raise their paddles as the auctioneer rattles off numbers. Then the gavel bangs. “Sold!” The next item is brought to the stage and the process begins again.
The Shipshewana Auction is not like that.
It seems like chaos. Like a free-for-all. It’s a bizarre bazaar. To the untrained eye, it’s just a bunch of vendors hawking their wares and shouting, via amplification, over the other vendors. It’s a crowded archipelago of BUY MY STUFF.
But as I learned, there is method to the madness. Lora Gates of Shipshewana Trading Place introduced me to this market, which takes place in the Antique Auction Building.
Are you curious about this auction that draws people from all over the country? Here’s everything you need to know about the Shipshewana Miscellaneous and Antique Auction.
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Table of Contents
Attending the Shipshewana Auction
Rows of tables line up and down the cavernous space. Browsers can find everything from neon signs, to children’s toys, to complete sets of silver.
Chinese vases. Tools. Corncob pipes. Lamps. Comic books. Rusted iron dutch ovens. A globe, and a gas can.
In the market for a slot machine from the 1940s? You might find one. Maybe an antique rocking horse would be perfect for the nursery. This would be the place to look.
Some items are obviously worth a mint. Others, like the two-foot statue of Nixon, may be considered by some to be junk, yet are destined to be someone’s treasure.
Each seller, or consignor, arrives early the morning of the auction or the day before to unload and set up. Staff then photograph the items and upload the images to AuctionZip.com.
Buyers can browse what’s available to see if there’s anything they’d be interested in before making the trip.
Consignors display their own merchandise, holding each item aloft for potential bidders as an auctioneer tries to sell it.
When an item is sold, an assistant logs the information in a computer. Shipshewana Auction collects payment, and the seller receives a check for any items sold, minus commission, about an hour after their last item is auctioned off.
It sounds orderly, in the way that all auctions are a bit of a free-for-all, and it is. Now imagine this happening simultaneously with multiple sellers all over the room, and you can see why it seems like chaos.
The room is an 80-foot by 200-foot barn with concrete floors. It echoes. Add six to nine auctioneers surrounded by as many clusters of buyers shouting out bids for this huge collection of antiques, and it’s a cacophony to rival a three-year-old’s birthday party when the pony arrives.
You can observe, like I did, and see it’s like a dance. Or you can enter the fray. A buyer number card is required. It’s only $5 and expires at the end of the calendar year.
Buyers have to be at least 18. The minimum opening bid is also $5, and sales tax is charged on all items.
Don’t even think about doing any side deals. Direct exchanges between buyers and sellers are strictly prohibited.
The Shipshewana Miscellaneous and Antique Auction takes place every Wednesday, year round, and the bell rings at 9am. In the winter, the barn is heated. In the summer, doors are opened to let fresh air flow.
All auction merchandise can be inspected prior to the auction, on Tuesdays from 7am to 5pm and Wednesdays beginning at 5:30am.
However, consignors have until 7am on Wednesday to set up, so if you go Tuesday, you may not see everything. Still, you’ll want to try to see as much as you can before the sound of the bell.
There are various rules for purchasing, like you have to pay that day and take your item(s) home, or you’ll pay a Buyer’s Premium and a storage fee. It’s advised to check out their Buyer Terms before participating.
Both buyers and sellers come from all over, and since items are different each week, many buyers are regulars, looking for that next great find.
If you’re interested in cattle, livestock auctions also take place on Wednesdays, and horse auctions are on Fridays.
What can you find at the Shipshewana Auction?
Auctioneers at Shipshewana Misc and Antique Auction focus on better quality antique, vintage items, and collectibles, but as one of their old time auctioneers said, “We sell anything from soup to nuts.”
Where to stay when attending the Shipshewana Misc & Antique Auction
You can’t get closer than Farmstead Inn. It’s across the street, and it was originally built specifically to provide convenient lodging for buyers and sellers at the flea market.
If you’re an RV-er, the Shipshewana Flea Market has its very own RV park.
Just down the road is Blue Gate Garden Inn, which is a great place to stay if you’re seeing a show at Blue Gate Performing Arts Centre.
Where to eat at the Shipshewana Auction
There’s a snack bar in the same building as the auction. Near the main entrance, Auction Restaurant serves up downhome food like chicken and noodles, meatloaf, and that Indiana favorite, breaded pork tenderloin.
What about the Shipshewana Flea Market?
If you’re attending the auction between May and September, don’t miss the Shipshewana Flea Market. This easy road trip from Chicago is the Midwest’s largest flea market and it runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
There are special weekend flea markets on Memorial Day and other select dates in the summer. You can learn more here.
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