In this digital age, when things are bought and sold at the click of a mouse over Internet, Gandhinagar in Vijayawada is still preferred by many to buy or sell pre-owned furniture.
The Taluk Office Street in Gandhinagar is dotted with quite a few auction halls, which offer dining tables, wardrobes, cots, office tables, etc but not through the traditional way of auctions.
Generally, employees, who get transferred to other places or those who arrive in the city, visit these halls for furniture. Businessmen, who plan to set up new store or those, who wish to discard old furniture zero in on auction halls, explains A. Anil Kumar of Sri Saikrishna Auction Hall.
People walk into the outlets and check out for the desired dining table or cot and if they are convinced of the quality and price, a deal is struck, of course after a lot of bargaining. No guarantee is extended on the products, he adds.
But why are these outlets called auction halls? A few years ago, outlet owners used to conduct auctions every Sunday at 5 p.m. in their respective outlet premises. When two or more customers desire for a particular product, then an auction was conducted and the one, who bids the higher price used to get it, replies T. Purna of Sri Srinivasa Auction Hall.
With the government insisting on licences to conduct auctions, the practice was done away. But that has not stopped people from coming to the area, though the number is declining over the years for different reasons.
With showrooms offering EMI options, most people from middle income groups are opting to buy furniture from them. People from low income groups still visit these outlets as they are confident of getting quality products at affordable prices, he says.
