In an absolute auction, what can happen to items if no bids have been received?

In an absolute auction, the property is sold to the highest bidder without any minimum price or reserve. This means that the items are committed to be sold, and if no bids are received, the items do not automatically get sold at that moment. Instead, the auctioneer may choose to withdraw the items from the auction entirely, allowing for the possibility of reselling them in the future or at a different auction.

While it might seem that items could be left unsold until the next auction, in an absolute auction's context, the focus is on immediate sale without reserves. Therefore, the auctioneer's authority to withdraw items is an accepted practice rather than leaving them for a future auction if there is no interest shown at that time. This ensures that the auction remains effective and that sellers can make decisions about their items promptly. Thus, the correct outcome if no bids are received is that the items may be withdrawn.