posted on April 20, 2005 08:28:44 AM new
I have an art item I'm going to put up for auction. It is going to have a reserve of $20,000.00. (biggest auction ever)
I usually deal in yard sale finds.
I want to make sure that I and the buyer are protected against any potential fraud. (stolen credit cards, bogus money orders or whatever else bad people come up with.
I want to know things like; Do I sell international, and if I do what are the safest ways to accept payment. Do I use an escrow service? And if so who, where and how. Pros & Cons.
It is a breakable art object. What is the best way to ship or should it be professionaly packed and shipped from 3rd party? Who...I don't have a clue.
I just wouldn't want high bidder to freak because I had wrapped what thought was great but they might be horrified.
posted on April 20, 2005 08:48:59 AM new
Perhaps, if I may say so, eBay may not be the best venue for this item, particularly if you deal mostly in "yard sale finds." At that price level of art/art object, the expertise and proven record of the seller provides the trust that what he or she sells is indeed exactly what it is. This is especially true of fine art, where most buyers want to handle and examine the piece. So can you guarantee this item to be what you say it is (written appraisal)? How are you going to insure it? And professional packing would seem to be a given in this case.
You may be better off at a major auction house for this piece. Not expert advice, but advice nonetheless.
posted on April 20, 2005 09:22:53 AM new
Thanks for your response. Advice and opinions are exactly what I am looking for. Yes I have proof of what it is. Original box, Original insert authentification documents hand signed by the director of Rosenthal. I also have two old appraisels from certified fine art appraisers.
It's the shipping options and the pay options I would appreciat advise on or anything else that comes to mind.
So I thank you for your input.
posted on April 20, 2005 09:42:04 AM new
I recently had a $20K item on myself on eBay. It was truly an antique, one of kind and had a lot of history behind it. I even had the 100 year old provenance history. There was a huge amount of interest but no bids. I had more offers to "donate" it to a museum than buy it. After doing research, I find that few items in art or antiques sell in the $20,000 range. Having said that, after extensive research, I determined that other than hand delivery, the best method of shipment was going to be by USPS registered mail. There was no way I could consider FedEx or UPS even if I had a 3rd party insurance
vendor.*
I think the chances are very slim of selling and item in this price category, unless its housing or a vehicle, etc. Its not impossible just the odds are stacked against you. Best wishes for a good sale!
posted on April 20, 2005 10:00:36 AM new
If you have that item in your possession now, the first thing you need to do is contact the carrier of your homeowner's insurance policy and get a rider on it. A standard policy will only have an upper limit of $1000.00 if it is stolen or destroyed. The biggest problem in shipping will be trying to collect on a claim if it's damaged in transit. The carrier will say it was caused by improper packing and will try to deny liability, regardless of how much you insure it for. The only foolproof way to protect it in transit is to have a full service moving company pack and crate it and transport it. Be sure to take full replacement coverage and not actual cash value coverage. This method could be expensive, but if you inquire around, some carriers specialize in this type of service an a reasonable price. Before you even think about listing it, you should get on the phone with Sotheby's or Butterfield and discuss it with them.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on April 20, 2005 10:35:15 AM new
if you have a copy of soethby or christie catalog,you may find the names of shipper they recommend you use for shipping anything to them and back to you.
or
you can ship fed exp or UPS and insure it with U-PIC or DSL.
Ebay bidders do bid on high ticket art objects,such as Tiffany studio lamps,Lionel trains,Buddy L trucks etc
I recall someone put up her aunt's Tiffany dragonfly lamp and the final bid was like 30k,thats was years ago and the infamous Buddy L truck for 80k.
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
posted on April 21, 2005 09:15:35 AM new
DSI will also covers USPS and others. You may want to call them for a quote. See if they will start the insurance NOW - as well as a rider like Sparkz recommended.
Have you checked into some of the live auctions within ebay? They may also be able to advise on shipping and you may stand a better chance to get your price if you use them.
I would, for sure, have a 3rd party pack the item for you. You could photograph it from every possible angle and have the packer sign off on it before you release it to them. There are many 3rd party shipper so try to get the best in your area.
If you have a highend antique store (no mall type store) in your area - you can check and see who they use and recommend.
As for payment - protect yourself first - call your bank and see if they can help. I don't think I would even think about paypal. Make it clear that the item won't be shipped until everything is final.
If you sell yard sale item mostly - don't do while you have this listed and you may not even want to list anything for 30 days prior. JMHO
Good luck - can we watch???? Want to post a photo??
posted on April 21, 2005 01:11:27 PM new
Wow, you guys sure came up with allot of new things for me to think about. I will look into some of the live auctions on ebay. Right now I need to keep running auctions so that I have income, getting ready to move, part time job is down to a trickle. I don't think I will list it until I check out some of my other options.
Here is a front pic of it.
I try putting the address. I have'nt been in here in a long time (different ID) Someone stole the button for putting in a picture.
Where did it go or how do you post pic now?
posted on April 21, 2005 05:06:28 PM new
my experience tells me that you would be MUCH better off going to southabies or Butterfields (both major auction houses). I found a contact in Bulgaria who had Olympic Torches... I bought 6 1972 torches and 1 1980 torch for $4500 including shipping. I put 5 of the 1972 torches up on ebay and got between $1200 and $2000 for them. I then went to Superior galeries and agreed to pay a 15% sellers commission (along with a 10% buyers fee the buyer had to pay). I got $3700 for the 1972 torch and $2500 for the 1980 torch. Even after commission, it was well worth going to the live auction... Highest end material needs high end promotion and relyablity to the buyer (I would never buy fine art online because it is almost alway fake).
posted on April 22, 2005 02:50:58 PM new
How can something be very unique... either it is or it isn't unique. I would bet on Isn't for this item. However, it is very nice.
posted on April 22, 2005 05:28:36 PM new
I think the best thing to do with this object is to send it one of the large auction houses, as others have suggested.
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.With all respect to your letters and certificates, it seems like this nice piece is something that they made more than one of. While all would be genuine Rosenthal, the original original would be worth lots more than the follow-up 1 of 100 "originals", or the follow-up to that 1 of 1000 "pieces".
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.Though you come looking for help from scams, I think that this is admittedly not your field of expertise. Send it to the auction houses. This is fair for both buyer and seller, and this way the buyer knows what they're getting and you know exactly what you have. You'll get the best price, and you won't have to worry at all about payment and shipping.
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.If you're 100% sure of what you have, and intent on selling on Ebay...then accept bank transfer only if it sells, and ship by USPS Registered Mail fully insured. If it goes International, ship parcel post insured, and there will be no insurance available to you beyond $5000.
