Also has to do with location... more trucks, lower average price. When I first started bidding in 2002 average price of a complete, WO/W A2 was around $1000 if they had a dozen or more at Ft Lewis, but over $1500 if there were less than 5. When I bought mine there were 20 some trucks up at the same time, some went for more, some less. Ones that ran right there (no jump, etc) went over $1500, ones that needed jumps under $1200, but even non-runners were over $1000. Pretty clear folks were bidding off the description and not based on a real preview.
And the A2Cs always go for a premium, as do Winch trucks. I would have preferred a dropside but at Ft Lewis it's nearly always a 100% markup. My budget was $1200 for purchase, and that's pretty much were I landed.
One thing that drives the prices up is the common bidders, the bidders that bid on every single truck in the auction, every time. I recognize the numbers. It's kind of like live-bidding at an Impound auction, you get the junkyards bidding up every single car by the pound, so you have to go in knowing you'll pay at least scrap value. The junkyard might get cars for $5 but you sure as heck aren't. The yard guys know each other so they don't bid each other up too much, but throw a lone private party guy in... Same thing happens on GL. Of course with a live auction you can play mind games with other bidders, not so easy on Web auctions when it's all anonymous and you get panic buying.
Is that kind of like "the waterboy" schooling????
. Besides remember it takes 2 guys to make that price get that high.