All sales of goods and chattels shall be at public auction unless the court from which an execution or order of sale issues, or a judge thereof in vacation, for good cause shown, on application of either party and due notice to the adverse party, makes an order directing the sheriff, or other officer holding the process, to sell them at private sale for cash, specifying the time, not beyond the return day of the process, during which such sale will continue. Before such sale, public or private, is made, the court shall order the property to be appraised by three disinterested persons; and it shall not be sold for less than two thirds of its appraised value.

In the case of a sale to satisfy a judgment in favor of the state, or one of its political subdivisions for delinquent taxes, if the sum bid by the purchaser for goods sold pursuant to this section is insufficient to pay the costs which the court has determined prior to such sale shall be paid out of the proceeds thereof, then the purchaser, in addition to the amount of his bid, must pay a sum which, with the amount so bid will be sufficient to pay the costs. The court may fix the amount remaining unpaid on such claims or obligations for the purpose of the sale, and to that end require the parties to the suit to furnish satisfactory evidence of such unpaid amount.