o- What do Auction Houses offer collectors and buyers that the Art and Antiques trade / dealerships do not?
o-Qu’est-ce que maisons de ventes proposent les collectionneurs et les acheteurs que les Art et d’Antiquités de commerce / concessionnaires ne font pas?
o-Was Auktionshäuser bieten Sammler und Käufer, dass die Kunst und Antiquitäten Handel / Händler nicht?
o-Cosa Case d’Asta offrire collezionisti e acquirenti che l’Arte e Antiquariato commercio / concessionarie non fare?
o-Wat doen Veilinghuizen bieden verzamelaars en kopers dat de kunst-en antiekhandel / dealers niet?
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Debbie Homan
December 13, 2011
I am a dealer and i can tell you that auction houses ONLY use auction as a venue of sale. A dealer can offer many more options to get your item in to the best market including contracting an auction house for you for some items.
Kathy Moses Shelton
December 13, 2011
Having bought and sold at auction, I can only reiterate that the auction house is a business and therefore their main interest is in their commission. They will woo you to get you to go with them instead of their competitors, and you must be very careful about negotiating a deal with them—make sure their photography and insurance is included, or that they will pay for return shipping if the item is bought in, for example, and you won’t be paying extra for these. As an art and antiques dealer, I have found that many people would rather say “I bought that at Sothebys” for God know’s what plus the juice, when they could have bought a similar piece of merchandise from a dealer for far less. Bragging rights?
eBay is the same way…only interested in obtaining their listing fees. I had a bizarre experience a few months ago where I bought a painting which looked pretty good in the pictures—the cracquellure was there, it was unframed so you don’t get that new frame thing, the back looked okay. I shipped it to my painting restorer for close inspection. He pronounced it a pure fake, an outright forgery of a 19th century painting, saying that the stretchers and canvas were new materials, was no older than 5 years and that if you had the wood tested, it probably would have come from China. If I had had it in my hands, I’m sure I would have seen the edges of the canvas and the way they artfully stained the back of the panel to deceive a potential buyer into believing the painting was old or antique. Luckily I got a refund from Paypal, but eBay was not interested in knowing about it, especially when another book dealer from New York City posted the SAME painting a few weeks later at auction, just changing the name of the horse. I alerted eBay, even got someone on the phone, about the counterfeit painting, but they didn’t stop the auction and someone bought the painting. I’ve been lucky bidding at auction (real auction houses) and don’t do it now, but even the best of us can get caught when we can’t hold the object in our hands or turn it over to see the back and the bottom. There is no substitute for that. I love reading auction house catalogues, but earning from a trusted dealer is a wonderful thing. And I have learned so much from collectors who come through my booth at antiques show.
http://www.just-looking-antiques.com/
Amy
December 14, 2011
When dealing with any auction house, they should give their fees up front and if they don’t then ask, there are buyers and sellers fees. Ask for it in writing if they don’t offer and I would say if they don’t offer a contract then beware.
As for ebay, well buying a painting there from someone is another story. Buyer beware of forgeries of any period at any time. Look what is happening now in New York with one of the major galleries there. Forgeries are as old as the existence of man.
I am glad that Kathy was able to get her money back, most are not so lucky.
Eileen McCarthy
December 14, 2011
As many dealers buy at auction, collectors can expect to get a better price. Most but not all auction houses have expert valuers to give advice. The excitement of bidding during the auction and winning your lot.
John Fiske
December 15, 2011
Eileen, Many dealers also sell at auction where frenzied retails bidding against each other drive prices way above shop levels. Dealers also consign the pieces they want to sell anonymously — the highly questionable ones, those that are dead on the market…Dealers buy very strategically at auction in a way that retails do not.
http://www.fiskeandfreeman.com/
Harvey Silk
December 16, 2011
An antique dealer is a professional with a reputation. His name is is guarantee. He will stand behind anything he sells. If you pick up almost any auction catalog when you read the conditions of sale you will discover that you have absolutely no rights, that they auction company guarantees nothing, their opinions are just opinions you have to make your own decision, and it will never take anything back. As an oversimplification, one is a knowledgeable professional and the other is a simple commission salesman. But naturally the auction houses do have some advantages: one I have a piece that is in any way “wrong” it is sent to auction……….
Eileen McCarthy
December 20, 2011
John,You are right I know many dealers also sell at auction, I know some who do it at particular auction houses just because that house is very efficient at paying out after the sale, and it becomes the dealers bread and butter money.
Ewbank Clarke Gammon Wellers
December 20, 2011
Chris Ewbank • We all have our own axes to grind and let me state straight away that I am a UK auctioneer. There is one fundamental difference for sellers and that is that the auctioneers act for their selling clients and have the incentive to achieve the best results that they can whereas a dealer buying for themselves will naturally seek to purchase as cheaply as they can to maximise their own profit. Whether it is better to buy through auction or through the trade surely has to be looked at on a case by case basis by knowledgeable buyers and sometimes one will be better and at others the other will produce the best results. But when it comes to selling that inherent difference between the trade and the auctioneer gives the auctioneer a huge advantage and this has been the single most important reason in my view for the rise of the auction house through the last 40 years or so.
Ewbank Clarke Gammon Wellers
Paul Shutter
December 20, 2011
Hi Chris
Not all auctioneers do best by the client. their client believes the auction price is the best price they can achieve because of wide audiences however this is only realised when the auctioneer
1. catalogues the item correctly
2. puts it in front of the right people
3. use the internet effectively. i.e. descriptions alone don’t sell items online.
I’m sorry to say that every auction house I’ve ever dealt with across the world is guilty of providing next to useless photos online.
A true story. at the beginning of November this year. I requested images via the salesroom.com on a piece of furniture. I heard nothing after 3 emails and one phone call. so I left the lot. a week after the sale I contact them to see what it made… it didn’t sell so I re-requested the images, 2 weeks later they arrived and I bought it as an ‘aftersale’ at the reserve. it was cheap!
Sellers think that auctioneers are acting for them, which they are, but only so far as their knowledge of both the subject and technology allows. Auctions are widely thought of as being the safest option ” what it makes under the hammer is what it’s worth” this is not the case !!
maybe Lovejoy has a lot to de with this!!
http://www.pashutler.org.uk/
Chris Ewbank
December 20, 2011
Yes of course there are good auctioneers and not so good auctioneers and there are good dealers and not so good dealers and I respect what you say, but nothing alters the basic point which I have made which is that to a client selling goods they must in general be better off going to someone who is acting for them to achieve the best results rather than selling to someone whose financial interest is best served by giving the lowest possible price.
This is an age old argument and you and I will probably just have to disagree!
Chris Ewbank
Clarke
December 20, 2011
Paul A. Shutler • I agree with you 100% in general terms Chris, I was simply keen to point out that auctioneers are not as perfect as many like to make out and are mostly not amazing marketing machines, they simply use what is on offer to them. i.e. the.saleroom.com and the ATG, both powerful tools. dealers on the whole do not or is it cannot?
whilst writing my last comment a point came to me. I was debating whether I should include figures in my telling of the story. I chose not to as I thought it would be considered bragging.
Auctioneers however continually advertise ” highest auction price achieved at my auction house” this, without a shadow of a doubt, attracts buyers!!!
imagine I take out a full page advert “I sold this object for £1million” it’d be considered showing off and wouldn’t get me far. imagine the previous owner (aka your client) saw my advert…..what then!
http://www.pashutler.org.uk/
Nancy Nevens •
December 30, 2011
Now with most Auction Houses advertising and selling as they auction their merchandise on the internet I feel you get much better buys at Antique stores. There is to much competition at the Auction. I use to love going to auctions before the internet. All of my merchandise for my store is now bought from personal collections, homes, yard sales and flea markets. You end up paying to much for an item which then leaves not much of a profit margin for resale. I sell a lot of merchandise to dealers more than 50% of my sales. There is no buyers premium added on and it is fresh stock that has not been recycled.
http://onehorseshayantiques.weebly.com/
Jane Hudson
December 30, 2011
One funny thing about auctions especially if they are in close proximity is that they tend to swap inventory. Things get tired.
http://officialjeffandjane.com/
john Scott
February 1, 2012
I think auction houses can help one get a good price for their goods.
https://www.dealcent.com/