Introducing Sterling Sports Auctions

[spacktrack]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share with the board the details of my new auction company, Sterling Sports Auctions. The site, available at www.sterlingsportsauctions.com, is now live and will host the inaugural auction in a little over one month. I've partnered with Simple Auction Site to use their platform which is in place in several other auctions and provides a very user-friendly method of bidding and otherwise navigating the auction. I'm also pleased to join Net54 as a banner advertiser and thank Leon for letting me introduce my company on the board.

It's no secret that there are several auction options available to choose from within this hobby, several of which advertise on this board and some of which are run by board members. It is my goal to provide a reliable venue for buyers and sellers while shortening the overall process and focusing on the cards and customer service. There aren't many things that collectors ask for when it comes to buying or selling cards, and the goal of Sterling Sports Auctions is to simplify the process and take care of the little things that ensure dealing with an auction house is easy and enjoyable while offering quality items and achieving excellent results.

Some specifics regarding Sterling Sports Auctions:

A 15% buyer's premium
Competitive consignment terms for sellers
Paypal as a payment method--allowing flexibility for buyers and encouraging quicker payment
Consignor payments starting immediately following the auction based on when the buyer pays for the item you've consigned
Users can net auction wins against consignment proceeds for easy processing and minimum cash outlay
Reasonable shipping and insurance on every order
A consignment process that can take three to four weeks compared to several months
Monthly auctions meaning you're never more than a few weeks away from the next sale
An extensive mailing list, targeted advertising, and established relationships with collectors and dealers all resulting in a highly visible venue for your items
The first auction will be available for preview on April 21 with bidding to begin May 5. I encourage you to visit the site beforehand to look around, register as a new user and stay up to date as the auction approaches. Anyone from this board can use Net54 as a reference. If you've never bid with an auction house before, don't worry. Additionally, I'd ask you to consider trying the auction as a consigner with even just one item.

I am in the process of gathering consignments for the May auction and welcome anyone interested in discussing a possible consignment to please call or e-mail me through the contact info below. I am actively seeking single cards, group lots, entire sets, or whole collections from the 19th century onward and already have a nice mix of sports and non-sports items catering to a wide array of tastes and budgets.

I've worked with a great number of board members during my time at SGC and afterwards on my own, and I look forward to continuing those relationships, as well as establishing new ones, in this latest capacity.

Thank you,

Brian Dwyer
brian@sterlingsportsauctions.com
845-849-1276

[RayBShotz]

Brian is the best of the best in my book.
Congrats on your venture Brian and may this inaugral event be wildly successful!
I recommend other collectors check in on this.
RayB

Edited to add that I've Registered.

[cfc1909]

I wish you luck B sounds good.

[Mrc32]

Good luck Brian. I can't wait to see what you have in your first auction....and beyond.

[glchen]

Brian, have you decided on an auction closing process? I'm definitely looking forward to your auctions and best wishes.

[deadballera]

good luck Brian in your new venture.

Will be registering shortly...

[calvindog]

Brian, were you born to auction cards? I hope so.

[bijoem]

Brian is the best of the best in my book.
Congrats on your venture Brian and may this inaugral event be wildly successful!
I recommend other collectors check in on this.
RayB

Edited to add that I've Registered.


+1

[jp1216]

Good Luck Brian. I just registered.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Best of luck, Brian. Looking forward to your first auction.

[Jay Wolt]

Brian All the best in your new venture

[ethicsprof]

all the best in your new venture.
if you're half as good at this as were at sgc, we'll be delighted and you'll
have great trips to the bank.

all the best,
barry

[dstudeba]

Best wishes for the new venture, I look forward to the auctions.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Good luck man, can't wait to see the preview !!

[glynparson]

May you be truly successful. I'll be looking forward to the auctions.

[T206Collector]

There certainly is no shortage of baseball card auction houses. I'm not sure why that is -- anyone, why is that? -- but one thing that none of the other auction houses have is Brian Dwyer, who is undoubtably the best customer service person in the hobby. I expect nothing but the highest quality auction house, with the utmost integrity. I'm going to hit "submit reply" at the bottom and then surf right on over to your site and register....

[AndyG09]

Brian, best of luck on your venture!

I look forward to seeing some great material!

Best,

Andy

[DJR]

.

[GoldenAge50s]

--Wish you the BEST! Will be cking out your site on Fri!

[yanks4]

Brian.....All the best to you in your new venture...... I truly hope you can surround yourself with like minded individuals and if you do your company will certainly be very successful.....Good Luck, Marty Kohler

[snider4prez]

Congrats Brian! I will be signing up!

Trevor

[bigfish]

Brian, i signed up and wish you the best!

[egbeachley]

If you are going to auction non-sports cards too, you may want to post on the non-sports board. Both to get consignments and to get bidders.

[spacktrack]

Thank you for all the kind words and early registrations. I look forward to putting together offerings that include many board members as consigners, bidders, and winners.

To answer, a few questions:

The auction will be internet only. I will not be producing a catalog so that I can eliminate the lead time required to consign. My goal is to shorten the process while still putting together quality auctions and achieving great results. If you, or anyone you know, would prefer information by mail, I am already making arrangements with several collectors I know who prefer hard copy information, so I'll be happy to discuss specifics with anyone interested.

With respect to the auction closing process, the auction will enter into an extended bidding period at 10 PM EST on the final day after which time users who have placed a single bid in the auction are eligible to continue bidding on any item in the auction. Bidding will continue until no bids have been placed for 15 minutes or the time is 3 AM EST. I've always preferred to see the entire auction close at once but was not a fan of not knowing when it would end. I recognize that individual preferences may vary, but I hope that this system works well for all involved.

Eric, thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely be posting on the non-sport side and will be a banner advertiser over there as well. I hope to have an array of items that cater to all interests.

Thanks again everyone!

Brian

[wolterse]

Brian - Good luck. I especially like the feature of being able to pay via PayPal. I hope that other Auction Houses will follow suit.

I will be registering today. Look forward to seeing what ya got.

Erich

[Matt E.]

Brian,

Congratulations my friend. I'm sure Turner and I can dig up some cards to send you.

Sterling Sports Auctions and Grading Co. has a nice ring to it.

Seriously....Once again, CONGRATS!

www.sterlingsportsauctions.com

[E93]

Brian,
All the best on your new venture. I echo all the other positive comments people have made about you on this thread and have no doubt yours will be an auction house we can all trust and use for a long time.
JimB