Member Feature
Arkady Matusowsky - Kristal Auctions
We live in a world where practically everything has a “Made in China” sticker on it. Cheaper and reduced quality imports are flooding our markets and this reality is what convinced Arkady Matusowsky of Kristal Auctions and Royal Auction Academy to leave the retail industry and step into the world of Auctioneering.
In 1993, Arkady was working for a company that bought goods from army and government auctions when he first laid eyes on an Auctioneer in action. “I was fascinated with the speed that he was selling everything. Realising that cheaper imports were flooding our market, I had to look for something else for my family to survive. After one year, I started my own Auction business with a partner, but the company only lasted for a year due to limited resources and lack of experience,” Arkady said of his background and how he got involved in the Industry.
Arkady enrolled at the SA College of Auctioneering, under Hedley Harris and says he has never looked back. When asked about what inspired him to start his own Auction business, Arkady said it was the freedom that most appealed to him. “I was inspired by the will to become independent and work in my own time frames and earn a good salary. Also being able to help others to dispose their unwanted assets for a reasonable return”.
Having been involved in the Auctioneering Industry on and off for 28 years and running his own business for the last eight years, Arkady has had his fair share of challenges. “The biggest challenge for an Auctioneer is to win the trust of sellers and deal with the unrealistic reserve prices that some sellers dictate. They are sometimes impossible to achieve at an auction,” he said.
Kristal Auction was established in 2014, under the mentorship of Hedley Harris and is based in Andeon, Pretoria. However, the company conducts auctions all over Gauteng and surrounds. They specialise in all kinds of movable assets such as furniture, household and storage contents, catering equipment, machinery and tools, vehicles, etc and will soon be adding a new discipline to the company as part of their expansion plans.
“I am a SETA accredited Assessor, Moderator and Facilitator, and I’m currently busy with the accreditation of the Royal Auction Academy with Services SETA. We purchased a smallholding in Pretoria where our students will gain practical experience in Auctioning livestock and various movable assets to real buyers,” Arkady said of their plans to expand. This is also one of their biggest accomplishments.
Along with gaining practical experience in conducting auctions, the students attending Royal Auction Academy will also gain experience in receiving and lotting goods prior to the auction, as well as clerking, cashiering and dispatching goods to sellers and buyers.
We wish Arkady, Kristal Auctions and Royal Auction Academy all the best as they expand their business and step into a new sphere of Auctioneering.
Kristal Auctions
Auctioneering: Kristal Auctions | Auctioneers Pretoria | Auctioneers Gauteng (auctioneering.co.za)
Webiste: www.kristalauctions.co.za
Telphone: 012 372 3710
Cellphone: 072 385 4770 | 082 577 4439 | 072 720 7777
Email: [email protected] | [email protected]
Royal Auction Academy
Website: www.auctionacademy.co.za
Email: [email protected] | [email protected]
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