posted on June 22, 2003 04:26:24 PM new
Has anyone on this Board successfully bid and won an eBay Live Auction?
I see rare and desirable antique items I would like to own for myself, or turn over for a profit, featured on these live auctions. However, I read the fine print and all of these auction houses say that shipping is up to the buyer, that the auction house will provide a list of shippers for the buyer, and then the buyer makes arrangements with one of them. This seems so up in the air to me, a sure way to get ripped off with extravagent packaging and shipping fees, thus I am wary of bidding on these live auctions.
I am curious if anyone has gone through the process.
I am not hotcupoftea on eBay.
[edited a typo]
[ edited by hotcupoftea on Jun 22, 2003 04:28 PM ]
posted on June 22, 2003 04:31:01 PM new
these are professional dealers and they assume you want them professionally packed and shipped.they would not rip you off on shipping,they make their bucks on your high bids.
posted on June 22, 2003 04:40:43 PM new
Stopwhining, they all say they will provide a list of independent contractors who will package and ship. This means prior to bidding you don't have a clue as to how much shipping will cost. I mean you have to pay the person for their time to go to the auction house to pick up the item(s), package and ship. I've seen very few of these live auction houses who say they have employees who will package and ship. For example, say I win the bid for a set of 12 rare plates at $300. Then the shipper says it will cost $300 for time, material and shipping costs. Ouch!
That is why I am asking if anyone on this Board has actually experienced a transaction with a live auction house on eBay.
posted on June 22, 2003 05:27:08 PM new
if you call around for a few shippers who do business with high end auction house,you can get an idea how much.
[ edited by stopwhining on Jun 22, 2003 05:37 PM ]
posted on June 22, 2003 07:47:04 PM new
Depending on what you buy and who is on their "approved" list, you can expect to pay $75.00 - $125.00 per hour plus material for a professional moving company to to handle the packing and shipping. Actual shipping will be on top of that. As with any seller on Ebay, a buyer should ask questions before they bid. If the seller can't give you an exact price for s/h, then avoid them like the plague.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on June 23, 2003 05:59:36 AM new
why should the seller give you the exact quote on shipping and handling when he would not be doing the shipping and handling??
if bidder does not know or worry about the cost of shipping 6 dishes ,he/she has no business bidding in such an auction.
this is not like ebay seller who goes to the dumpster and find a box and filled it with peanuts and stand in line at the post office .
posted on June 23, 2003 07:28:31 AM new
I've dealt with two of them and have been very pleased. One was for a piece of jewelry and they stated up front shipping was $12 FedEx. They were very fast. When they mistakenly sent a "pay up" notice after I had received my purchase I complained and they profusely apologized and offered free shipping next time. And I will buy from them again.
The other auction was for glass. They didn't state the cost but I was pleasantly surprised that they only charged the actual USPS cost. It was packed extremely well. Another one I'd buy from again.
I have heard that there is another glass auction that states the shipping up front but takes weeks to deliver.
I was looking at the upcoming auctions and found some stuff that the auction house could not properly ID. So I'll be bidding again and hoping for bargains.
posted on June 23, 2003 07:38:11 AM new
Expect to pay from twice as much to ten times more than what is considered high shipping for a regular ebay auction. A friend of mine was charged $14.00 for a $400.00 item that was sent in a padded envelope for $1.25.
Shipping costs of more than $50 and higher are common. Read some of the feedback on these auctioneers.
posted on June 23, 2003 07:52:26 AM new
if these are high end professional dealers,they dont have employees whom they can spare to stand in line at post office.thats why they have ups or fed exp to come and pick up the packages.
now question-
amzn and other discount booksellers who ship books at usps media mail,do they take the books to the post office or do the post office come to them??
posted on June 23, 2003 08:33:25 AM new
The PO, FedEx, UPS etc. all come to them. I've been in shipping centers where they just pull the tractor trailers up to the door. And that includes USPS.
posted on June 23, 2003 09:45:26 AM new
Some of these eBay live auction houses are not in the United States. When I buy from a seller in Great Britain, I know the cost of shipping will be higher, typically in excess of $50. But if I were to bid with a live auction house outside the states, then the cost could be triple.
I did some inquiries and learned a customer whom I've met in the past purchased a President Hayes White House plate from a live auction house within the past month, one of the dishes designed and painted by Theodore Davis. I emailed him yesterday to ask about the purchase. He said he is delighted with his transaction. He is delighted in the sense that he is a fanatically obsessed collector, the plate wasn't identified correctly as a President Hayes White House china plate, thus he paid less because he wasn't competing with the obsessed White House china collectors. However he said the cost of shipping was high for the plate, over $50.
I guess I need to give it a try, choose something, engage in the process, and see what happens.
