All the books at the auctions will be sold on an 'as-is' basis, which basically means what you see is what you get. Auction houses also charge a Buyers commission, which is around 20% of the sale or 'hammer' price, which you will have to bear. They could also charge a sellers commission, which is collected from the seller.

You can get a catalogue or list of all the books available at the auction. Use this catalogue to find books that you are interested in. Check out the rates at which they are available elsewhere in the market, because the aim of taking out time and bidding at an auction is to get the book at lower rates than elsewhere.

You might also be able to check out the physical condition of the books before you buy them. You will also need to get registered with the auction house, sometimes for a nominal fee. If you are unable to attend the auction, then you can call them a day in advance and they could also arrange for you bid via telephone.

The best way to benefit from auctions is to first go with an expert or an experienced person and observe him or her. That way you can become familiar with the auction procedures and hence will end up making fewer mistakes. Unless, you have lots of money lying around, do not get emotional while bidding.

Set a maximum price you are willing to bid for before entering the auction hall. Stick to that figure. Once you start buying regularly at auctions, then store those books properly in a dry place, so that they remain in good condition for you to re-read them and also if you decide to re-sell them.

With new technologies entering into the auction arena, you can now attend online auctions, where the books are displayed on the Internet sites with the final auction date mentioned. You can post your bid against that book and after the final date, you can find out if your price was the highest bid.

The problem in online auctions is that you cannot physically check the books and some lesser-known sites could also be indulging in counterfeit books. Moreover, the traditional auction has a different atmosphere, which the Internet cannot emulate, since many people attend book auctions not only to buy books but also to be part of a bigger like-minded group whose common love is books.

So, research carefully, and attend a few book auctions to get the correct feel and you could soon grab good deals in book auctions.