The final straw(s)

[brooklynbaseball]

Originally Posted by tazdmb

While I agree you have to be "Greedy" to be an auctioneer as you eat what you kill. That being said, when I consign things to auction, I personally feel it is obnoxious to have to pay a consignor fee to an auction fee that is already making 20% on the back-end. The variable costs to add my stuff is minimal and does not justify 20%, knowing that the item will sell for less than FMV as the buyer will consider the juice before making a bid.

I much rather buy and sell things here at close to FMV or consign to auction houses with minimal/no consignment fee.

As for Hamilton's quote, i think we are way past "occasional".

And not to mention, on top of the buyers premium, many auction houses pad the shipping costs by 2 or 3 times. I understand the costs associated with running an auction, printing catalogues, labor costs etc, but blatant gouging to get every last cent out of a buyer is obscene.

[brooklynbaseball]

For those who have expressed interest in my collection, I am going to attempt to sell my full (up until the past couple of years) signed plaque set together as one unit. I realize that most would rather "chase" the set slowly, but as I have been amassing the set for so long, I would rather try to keep it together. Almost every card is slabbed, those that aren't (maybe 5%) have stickers from TriStar, Mab, or the like. I additionally have hundreds of duplicates, both in raw and slabbed form. I also would like to attempt to sell my full Perez Steele hof set (sans Satchel Paige, which I sold, expecting to purchase a better quality one) as one lot also. All of the "higher ticket" cards have been authenticated, and while the signed cards are not 100% of the same printed set, all of the original cards are included. I also have a 500 home run signed baseball set, Including Ruth, Ott, and Foxx, excluding Pujols, Ortiz, and maybe one or two others. That set I will probably break up. The rest of my "stuff", includes many signed Mickey Mantle items, signed photos affixed to plaques (with ORIGINAL Goldin coa's), baseballs, and probably another closet full of items that I have not touched since Superstorm Sandy hit here (yes, I lost quite a bit there too). I will be happy to provide a detailed list to anyone that would like to look my inventory over, but it will most likely take me a couple of weeks to complete a spreadsheet, scan, photograph, and retrieve items from safekeeping. I do list some items on ebay pretty regularly, and the asking prices are often high, but I am always willing to negotiate off of those listings. I do appreciate the input and comments (with one noticeable exception), and to Mr Williams, Richard Simon and those of you on here who I have had the pleasure of exchanging correspondence over the years, your work educating the community is one of the few things I can look back on with a smile. From personal experience, I know that there are those that will come after you for calling them out. You provide a service here, and while I am unsure of the long term future of the signed memorabilia industry, I am appreciative for the work you have done...

[alexanderautographs]

Really suggest you find an an on-line auctioneer with access to invaluable and liveauctioneers, work hard for a low rate, reserve with no buy-in fee, and watch him. Auctioneers have access to markets you can't imagine, and actually earn their fees.

[alexanderautographs]

Originally Posted by brooklynbaseball

And not to mention, on top of the buyers premium, many auction houses pad the shipping costs by 2 or 3 times. I understand the costs associated with running an auction, printing catalogues, labor costs etc, but blatant gouging to get every last cent out of a buyer is obscene.

It's an old auction game...you never know the shipping until you get the bill! Christie's London once whacked me for $320 to send a Beatles signed album page. True story. Often you can persuade them to use your own Fedex number, if you have one, and waive all claims.