I went to an auction last night! I got there a little early so I could sign in and what not, only to find out there is no sign in, ok not a problem.. So the auction was posted in the paper to start at 5:15, but it started at 5:05, there was no auctioneer, it was the owner of the storage units.

So on to my question, is it the norm to start auctions earlier then what is posted in the paper? And is it also an accepted practice not to have a registration for the buyers?