Quote:
Originally Posted by sb1
Forty-four auctions over the past fourteen years and I have never charged a sellers fee. And, in consigning over twenty-five years I have never paid a consignors fee, except for one time years ago when I paid 5% to a small AH. And further I get points back on nearly all consignments that I give to other AH's. It's not an urban myth, it's reality.
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I've only consigned a few times over the years but have never been charged a seller's/consignor's fee, dealing with several different auction houses. It has never even been a subject of negotiation. BTW, my items are modest or low valued cards, hardly anything to get the AH's excited.
I'll bite my tongue a little on this notion of calling people stupid, as a few have suggested, but I must express some wonderment. Many of these auction items go for large dollars to people who I would assume can afford it and who I also assume have incomes or assets that relate to some level of intelligence or sophistication. The most I can fathom is misunderstanding the BP rules or getting caught up in the frenzy ONCE, and that's giving the benefit of the doubt. To suggest that the auction house is engaging in some sort of "trickeration" or subliminal deceptive practice just to line its pockets is stu..., um, far fetched, IMO.
That being said, it would be interesting to see one or more houses advertise and conduct an auction with no BP and then compare results. Of course, the consignor would have to agree to a seller's fee and have the opportunity to opt out or wait until the next auction, and the AH should advertise prominently and often that there is no BP so the "regulars" won't get confused. Any takers?