In an age where more and more people are undertaking do-it-yourself activities around the home, discount tools have become ideal gifts for both men and women. Indeed, anyone with do-it-yourself tendencies appreciates a good set of tools.

With this appreciation, comes the ever-present desire for a good deal when shopping for tools. Luckily, there are several methods for acquiring tools that can save you a bundle of money. Equipment auctions are one such method.

In-house equipment auctions work in very much the same way as regular auctions. At first, the equipment is set up in a large warehouse style room where potential bidders can walk through the displays and take notes on the numbered items in view.

After a few hours, everyone collects in another room, where the items are individually auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Some equipment auctions are done "silently," and in this case, the items are presented in the room as with other normal style auctions, but the bidders simply put their name and what they can afford on a piece of paper and put this in a confidential box next to the item they want.

At the end of the day, the highest bidder will have first chance to purchase the equipment. While this is common practice with small items, silent auctions are not commonplace with equipment.

Of course, the most consumer-friendly auction is the online one. With such giant websites as ebay.com and auctions.shopping.yahoo.com ruling the space, it is now very easy for people to purchase equipment online often at prices far below normal retail levels.

If you want to find a great deal on almost any type of equipment, online auctions are the way to go! One good technique is to contact equipment suppliers and dealers ahead of time who can provide you with a quote on both new and used equipment.

In this manner you will know ahead of time how high you should be willing to bid at auction. Put simply, once you know how much it is all worth, then you can go into the auction with a little more certainty and understanding.

Whichever method you choose, equipment auctions present an incomparable way to purchase tools at a significant discount.