Heritage auctions a joke

[sflayank]

I just won one psa card for $65
Final cost 97.50
Thats right 97.50
14 bp
13 s&h
5.50 sales tax
Now i know we've discussed them before
Obviously could be shipped insured for $3.50
Also if you win a card for less than 70 you still have to pay 14 bp
So if ypu win card for 50 bp is 28%
Also another "criminal act" they charge sales tax on the bp and the shipping and handling
I didnt know i was purchasing the bp and the handling
Why didnt the south florida collection go to them...thats part of it
Along with the fact they have the worst website ever designed

[rhettyeakley]

Along with the fact they have the worst website ever designed

Hunt’s has something to say about that! I like Hunt’s but their website feels like it is from 1995.

[markf31]

Also another "criminal act" they charge sales tax on the bp and the shipping and handling
I didnt know i was purchasing the bp and the handling

It's not criminal, its the law. Sales tax is based upon what a buyer is paying, in total, and not what the auctioneer is charging his client, nor what the seller is receiving.

Normally, auctioneers where a buyer’s premium is charged include in their terms and conditions that the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium constitutes the total purchase price. Sales tax is charged on the total purchase price.

Additionally, as I understand it, shipping is not taxable if listed separately, but handling or servicing is taxable. So when you have a combined shipping and handling/servicing charge, shipping becomes taxable.

Neither of those two acts are criminal, in fact its quite the opposite that it would be criminal for Heritage to NOT handle their invoices in that manner.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Which costs did you not know about when you bid on the card you won for $79?

[iwantitiwinit]

Larry I agree those costs seem excessive but they are clearly spelled out in the auction specifics. You are free to bid or not bid so I don't see there's really much of a valid gripe.

[x2drich2000]

and it can be explained again - read the T&C and know the tax laws for your state before you bid and if you don't like it, don't bid.

$14 bp - "Minimum Buyer’s Premium per lot is $19, except for Sports Collectibles lots wherein the Buyer’s Premium is $14 per lot." - https://sports.ha.com/c/ref/terms-and-conditions.zx?view=terms

$13 = $6.40 for shipping to residential invoice under $199 + $6.43 for the first item (sport card graded) - https://sports.ha.com/c/shipping.zx

5.50 sales tax - HA can't break the law - http://floridarevenue.com/faq/Pages/FAQDetails.aspx?FAQID=1277&IsDlg=1

[Fballguy]

I paid them via paypal on May 21st. Haven't heard a word. Called them yesterday and they confirmed my item hasn't shipped yet. Now that's a joke.

[Fballguy]

Larry I agree those costs seem excessive but they are clearly spelled out in the auction specifics. You are free to bid or not bid so I don't see there's really much of a valid gripe.

Using this logic, nobody should gripe about paying their taxes. It's all spelled out for you. Not to start this again....but just because something "is"...doesn't make it ok.

[Bpm0014]

Along with the fact they have the worst website ever designed

I couldn't agree more. I belong to every auction house imaginable and Heritage by far is the most difficult to figure out! It is so confusing.

[Exhibitman]

Using this logic, nobody should gripe about paying their taxes. It's all spelled out for you. Not to start this again....but just because something "is"...doesn't make it ok.

Griping about taxes is All-American; but griping at a private company for complying with the tax laws is misplaced. You need to bitch out the state government, not Heritage.

[Shankweather]

The shipping and minimum buyer's premium are killers for low price auctions. Moral of the story, only buy big time cards from HA.

[drmondobueno]

Even though everything is disclosed? Or did you not read up? Or did it just not sink in?

My last purchase through Heritage was a while back and the total juice- sales tax, S&H, premium, exceeded 28% of the bid price. At the end of the day I realized, even though I bid what I was comfortable with, that the whole experience with Heritage left a bad taste in my mouth and I did not see the value in the “service” provided by Heritage. Just the way I see the world.

I have not done business with Heritage since, especially after thinking through their disclosure of employee right to bid. Just because it is legal does not make it right.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I paid them via paypal on May 21st. Haven't heard a word. Called them yesterday and they confirmed my item hasn't shipped yet. Now that's a joke.

In my experience they are uneven. It tends to be better if you have won lots before, or win something more substantial, but not always.

[iwantitiwinit]

Using this logic, nobody should gripe about paying their taxes. It's all spelled out for you. Not to start this again....but just because something "is"...doesn't make it ok.

You don't have the option to pay or not pay taxes, you do have the option to bid or not bid. Griping about something you have no control over is a bit different than griping about something you can avoid.

[sflayank]

Everyone here knows what its about
GREED...
why charge the same bp for 50 card as a 70 card..GREED
.btw...after i saw the invoice it took 20 minutes on their website to find their rules
Ive been bidding in all auctions as u guys know for 20 years...
So i ended up paying 50% over the price of the card
Imagine winning a 50 card in NY
50 +14 +13+6...$83
66% over the price of the card
GREED GREED GREED

[Peter_Spaeth]

The site explicitly tells you how much BP is going to be added to your "bid." It does the math for you. What more can you possibly want?

[sflayank]

No gripe just passing along information
We all know why heritage is in texas...so they can break the laws of the other 49 states
Btw...what law requires them to charge sales tax to out of state residents of certain states?
Congress has yet to pass an interner sales tax law
Also why do i have to sign into paypal to sign into heritage? Whats that all about?

[Rich Falvo]

I log into Heritage directly without signing into PayPal.

[Fballguy]

You don't have the option to pay or not pay taxes, you do have the option to bid or not bid. Griping about something you have no control over is a bit different than griping about something you can avoid.

You can't avoid it if they have an item you want and nobody else does.

It's funny that people defend the right of AH to price gouge...but more than likely would be outraged at the Gas stations who charged $10 for a gallon of gas and $7 for a bottle of water a few years ago during Hurricane Sandy. Maybe if the gas stations only charged $8.33 per gallon with 20% buyers premium it wouldn't have made the news.

[Peter_Spaeth]

You can't avoid it if they have an item you want and nobody else does.

It's funny that people defend the right of AH to price gouge...but more than likely would be outraged at the Gas stations who charged $10 for a gallon of gas and $7 for a bottle of water a few years ago during Hurricane Sandy. Maybe if the gas stations only charged $8.33 per gallon with 20% buyers premium it wouldn't have made the news.

Big difference between necessities and collectibles. Just because nobody else has it doesn't mean you have to buy it.

[Snapolit1]

The buyer's premium is the Auction House's premium. Charging "shipping and handling" on top of that is BS. Give me a break. Charge for postage. Your time getting it in the mail and .7 cents worth of foam peanuts and 3 cents of cardboard is what you are making your 20% for.

[Fballguy]

In my experience they are uneven. It tends to be better if you have won lots before, or win something more substantial, but not always.

Yeah...It's my first time with them and not a huge purchase.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Which costs did you not know about when you bid on the card you won for $79?+10000

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[DerekD]

No gripe just passing along information
We all know why heritage is in texas...so they can break the laws of the other 49 states
Btw...what law requires them to charge sales tax to out of state residents of certain states?
Congress has yet to pass an interner sales tax law


Heritage has an office in Florida now, so they now collect sales tax on all Florida wins.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Yeah...It's my first time with them and not a huge purchase.

Patience. You may be rewarded with a huge supply of packing peanuts. :D

[Fballguy]

Big difference between necessities and collectibles. Just because nobody else has it doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Now you sound like my wife. ;)

It comes down to what you collect and opportunity. A card collector can pass on a card because there's no shortage of cards (in most cases) and there will be plenty of opportunity to pick it up in the future. So I buy your comment here.

But, memorabilia in many cases is a once or twice in a lifetime proposition. So there's a greater "need" to pick it up when you see it because it might not come around again. You can poke holes in the definition of need in this context...but we're collectors. It's in our blood..and when we see an item that's attainable we feel the "need" to acquire it. Otherwise, you're just a window shopping.

[Fballguy]

Patience. You may be rewarded with a huge supply of packing peanuts. :D

I can only hope...I like to recoup as much of the BP as I can in recycled shipping supplies. ;)

[Peter_Spaeth]

I can only hope...I like to recoup as much of the BP as I can in recycled shipping supplies. ;)

LOL if I am remembering correctly each time I have won the card or at most two cards have come in a huge box stuffed with peanuts. Now the value might not cover the entire BP, but at least part of it.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Now you sound like my wife. ;)

It comes down to what you collect and opportunity. A card collector can pass on a card because there's no shortage of cards (in most cases) and there will be plenty of opportunity to pick it up in the future. So I buy your comment here.

But, memorabilia in many cases is a once or twice in a lifetime proposition. So there's a greater "need" to pick it up when you see it because it might not come around again. You can poke holes in the definition of need in this context...but we're collectors. It's in our blood..and when we see an item that's attainable we feel the "need" to acquire it. Otherwise, you're just a window shopping.

I hear you, yeah on cards there are very few I would call a once or twice in a lifetime proposition.

[robertsmithnocure]

Larry,

What is the sales tax in your location in Florida?

[Vintageclout]

The buyer's premium is the Auction House's premium. Charging "shipping and handling" on top of that is BS. Give me a break. Charge for postage. Your time getting it in the mail and .7 cents worth of foam peanuts and 3 cents of cardboard is what you are making your 20% for.

Do you work for free? Are you kidding me or what. The 20% BP has to cover a MASSIVE amount of overhead including employee salaries, benefits, rent, Internet/software, catalogs (incl. catalog postage), advertisement, etc. Look at the “big” picture before making unrealistic assumptions.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Do you work for free? Are you kidding me or what. The 20% BP has to cover a MASSIVE amount of overhead including employee salaries, benefits, rent, Internet/software, catalogs (incl. catalog postage), advertisement, etc. Look at the “big” picture before making unrealistic assumptions.

Not to mention that most businesses presumably want to do better than break even.

[Eric72]

Perhaps someone can create auction software that would only display the final cost of placing a bid...including BP, S&H, sales tax based on buyer’s location, etc. And, behind the scenes, the software would compute everything to ensure minimum bid increases are still enforced.

Also, the person who consigns the items could access a screen which only displays the amount they would realize for the items they sell, considering the particular deal they struck with the AH.

The best part...no mind-numbing arithmetic to keep track of. Who wants to devote time to the grueling process of addition (or even worse, MULTIPLICATION) in the middle of all this excitement?

[Snapolit1]

Do you work for free? Are you kidding me or what. The 20% BP has to cover a MASSIVE amount of overhead including employee salaries, benefits, rent, Internet/software, catalogs (incl. catalog postage), advertisement, etc. Look at the “big” picture before making unrealistic assumptions.

No, I don't. Nor do they. If they are getting 22% or 20%, why do they need to charge a "handling" charge on top of that. Please explain.

Not like they are making anything.

I charge my clients an agreed up on rate. I don't then charge them extra for "handling" something.

Are you suggesting that the $25,000 they get for putting a $100,000 card in a box is meagher compensation?

[Peter_Spaeth]

No, I don't. Nor do they. If they are getting 22% or 20%, why do they need to charge a "handling" charge on top of that. Please explain.

Not like they are making anything.

I charge my clients an agreed up on rate. I don't then charge them extra for "handling" something.

Are you suggesting that the $25,000 they get for putting a $100,000 card in a box is meagher compensation?

Why do law firms charge for courier services, copying, other "disbursements" etc. in addition to hourly fees? You may not but many do.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Using this logic, nobody should gripe about paying their taxes. It's all spelled out for you. Not to start this again....but just because something "is"...doesn't make it ok.

Taxes aren't voluntary, I don't understand how you can't see the difference.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

No gripe just passing along information
We all know why heritage is in texas...so they can break the laws of the other 49 states
Btw...what law requires them to charge sales tax to out of state residents of certain states?
Congress has yet to pass an interner sales tax law
Also why do i have to sign into paypal to sign into heritage? Whats that all about?

If they have an office in a given state they are required to charge sales tax in said state. I feel like we've been over these points ad infinitum.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

You can't avoid it if they have an item you want and nobody else does.

It's funny that people defend the right of AH to price gouge...but more than likely would be outraged at the Gas stations who charged $10 for a gallon of gas and $7 for a bottle of water a few years ago during Hurricane Sandy. Maybe if the gas stations only charged $8.33 per gallon with 20% buyers premium it wouldn't have made the news.

I gotta stop reading this thread.

I wouldn't buy gas at a station that charged those rates. Wild huh?

[Shoeless Moe]

Sent an email about consigning to Heritage, Goldin, Lelands, REA, MEARS, SCP, Memory Lane, and Love of the Game, partly so many as a test.

Heritage, SCP and Love of the Game didn't even respond.

Goldin, Memory Lane, Lelands, REA, and MEARS all replied whether they wanted the item or not, some did, some did not. It's called common courtesy and the Customer Service to get me back.

The others I can cross off the list.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Sent an email about consigning to Heritage, Goldin, Lelands, REA, MEARS, SCP, Memory Lane, and Love of the Game, partly so many as a test.

Heritage, SCP and Love of the Game didn't even respond.

Goldin, Memory Lane, Lelands, REA, and MEARS all replied whether they wanted the item or not, some did, some did not. It's called common courtesy and the Customer Service to get me back.

The others I can cross off the list.

email me. I bet you get a response! :)

[Vintageclout]

No, I don't. Nor do they. If they are getting 22% or 20%, why do they need to charge a "handling" charge on top of that. Please explain.

Not like they are making anything.

I charge my clients an agreed up on rate. I don't then charge them extra for "handling" something.

Are you suggesting that the $25,000 they get for putting a $100,000 card in a box is meagher compensation?

Don’t ever start an auction business. You’ll go under in 3-6 months. It’s a BUSINESS, not a soup kitchen!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Heritage might piss off a few people around the edges, but they're obviously doing phenomenally well. If they perceived they weren't, then maybe they would revise some of these horrible charges.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I keep coming back to the fact that customers vote with their wallets. If these practices were so outrageous the companies in question would go out of business, like the hypothetical $7 per gallon gas station.

[Fballguy]

Do you work for free? Are you kidding me or what. The 20% BP has to cover a MASSIVE amount of overhead including employee salaries, benefits, rent, Internet/software, catalogs (incl. catalog postage), advertisement, etc. Look at the “big” picture before making unrealistic assumptions.

Yep...All the things Ebay has to pay for as well.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Yep...All the things Ebay has to pay for as well.

Volume.

[Fballguy]

I gotta stop reading this thread.

I wouldn't buy gas at a station that charged those rates. Wild huh?

During Hurricane Sandy your options were severely limited. So you don't have to buy in either scenario...but if you choose not to, you go without.

[Vintageclout]

Volume.

Exactly Peter!

[Snapolit1]

I buy from Heritage, and still gnash my teeth at some of the charges.

I stay at hotels where they charge stupid things.

I also lease cars where stupid mysterious charges show up on my invoices.

Not happy about them and have no problem telling the powers that be that they piss me off. Freedom of speech lives.

[x2drich2000]

Yep...All the things Ebay has to pay for as well.

Ebay is not an auction house. Ebay is a platform an auction house (or private person) uses. Ebay is the equivalent of SimpleAuctionsite or CreateAuction. Seller's simply use Ebay's platform.

[Snapolit1]

How does REA get by with no shipping or handling fees. (I don't think.)

Poor guys must be starving to death.

[ibuysportsephemera]

The BP is known and experienced bidders factor the cost of the BP into the final amount. My problem with almost all of the AH's is the outrageous S&H that most charge. These are the unadvertised charges that seem arbitrary and really drive up the cost of bidding. How about at least giving us a range of your S&H fees, so it is not a surprise after the auction is over?


Jeff

[Fballguy]

Sent an email about consigning to Heritage, Goldin, Lelands, REA, MEARS, SCP, Memory Lane, and Love of the Game, partly so many as a test.

Heritage, SCP and Love of the Game didn't even respond.

Goldin, Memory Lane, Lelands, REA, and MEARS all replied whether they wanted the item or not, some did, some did not. It's called common courtesy and the Customer Service to get me back.

The others I can cross off the list.

The industry standard is mediocrity...though some here sound afraid to admit it. Until someone comes along and forces them to improve it will be status quo. They've gotten away with since ancient Rome I hear. ;)

[Snapolit1]

REA.

As a courtesy to bidders, REA will be paying for all packing, shipping, and insurance charges for winning bidders, pro-vided payment is received within 14 days in accordance with section 26 of these terms and conditions, with the following ex-
ceptions: 1) International shipments. If you are shipping to an address outside of the United States, you must pay all packing, shipping, and insurance charges. If you are an international bidder who desires to have your item shipped to a US address, we will gladly do this for you and offer free shipping where applicable. 2) Unusually large or heavy items inherently requiring significant special packing, crat-ing, and shipping (such as stadium seats and large photographic displays). These lots are clearly identified in their respective descrip-tions as requiring special packing and shipping charges. Winners of these lots will be billed for packing, shipping, and insurance charg-es with a separate shipping invoice (to allow us to communicate with winners to be responsive to their shipping preferences).

[T206Collector]

It is very disappointing to learn that I am competing against collectors who do not factor in the BP, S/H and Sales Taxes when they bid. If we both value the same card equally, I will always lose because after the fact the collector didn't realize he was paying more than its worth!

I recently dropped out of bidding on an item in Heritage because the same grade of the same card was available on ebay for less -- but only if you realized that the BP, S/H and Sales Tax was going to push you over that line. And it finally explains why that phenomenon occurs.

[Snapolit1]

Don’t ever start an auction business. You’ll go under in 3-6 months. It’s a BUSINESS, not a soup kitchen!

How is REA doing with their no handling charges? Maybe I will run an auction house after their model.

[Fballguy]

Ebay is not an auction house. Ebay is a platform an auction house (or private person) uses. Ebay is the equivalent of SimpleAuctionsite or CreateAuction. Seller's simply use Ebay's platform.

Wrong. It's an auction house. Probably the biggest in the world.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

During Hurricane Sandy your options were severely limited. So you don't have to buy in either scenario...but if you choose not to, you go without.

So now you're comparing price gouging during an emergency to an internet sports memorabilia auction? Analogies are not your strong suit.

[Vintageclout]

REA.

As a courtesy to bidders, REA will be paying for all packing, shipping, and insurance charges for winning bidders, pro-vided payment is received within 14 days in accordance with section 26 of these terms and conditions, with the following ex-
ceptions: 1) International shipments. If you are shipping to an address outside of the United States, you must pay all packing, shipping, and insurance charges. If you are an international bidder who desires to have your item shipped to a US address, we will gladly do this for you and offer free shipping where applicable. 2) Unusually large or heavy items inherently requiring significant special packing, crat-ing, and shipping (such as stadium seats and large photographic displays). These lots are clearly identified in their respective descrip-tions as requiring special packing and shipping charges. Winners of these lots will be billed for packing, shipping, and insurance charg-es with a separate shipping invoice (to allow us to communicate with winners to be responsive to their shipping preferences).

With all due respect, ONE Auction house has ultimately decided to absorb the shipping related costs against their revenue. ONE out of the “x” number of a seemingly infinite number of auction houses. I tip my hat to Brian for somehow getting to a level where he can absorb these costs, but that doesn’t make it the standard and/or appropriate practice for a profitable business model. Shipping and handling is a significant cost with regard to postage fees, INSURANCE, and labor costs. I was a Controller at MetLife for 20+ years and perfectly understsnd the rationale for monitoring expenses vs. revenue. Bottom line is the success of any business practice all boils down to their respective earnings results.

[robertsmithnocure]

How does REA get by with no shipping or handling fees. (I don't think.)

Poor guys must be starving to death.

It is impossible to say without knowing how much REA averages on the seller's premium.

[Vintageclout]

It is very disappointing to learn that I am competing against collectors who do not factor in the BP, S/H and Sales Taxes when they bid. If we both value the same card equally, I will always lose because after the fact the collector didn't realize he was paying more than its worth!

I recently dropped out of bidding on an item in Heritage because the same grade of the same card was available on ebay for less -- but only if you realized that the BP, S/H and Sales Tax was going to push you over that line. And it finally explains why that phenomenon occurs.

+1000. It simply amazes me that there are still collectors who don’t bid according to the buyers premium that is part of the item’s total value/cost. Once again, the buyer’s premium does NOT impact the buyer; it negatively impacts the CONSIGNOR. If there was no Buyers Premium, the hammer bids would simply be 15-20% higher.

[ALR-bishop]

With all the money you made in the REA auction Larry maybe Heritage just thought you could afford it :)

[Snapolit1]

If I ran an AH or was employed by one, I would appreciate the optics of a stupid handling charge on top of a commission on top of a shipping charge. If you need money that badly, I'd bury the cost in the BP or shipping, and not have yet another line item appearing on the customer's invoice. It has nothing to do with controlling costs, but in avoiding common sense things that suggest to your client's price gouging.

If you including the internet and breakfast into the price of the hotel room and don't charge $15 for each believe me you will get a lot fewer complaints. It's called common sense.

[Fballguy]

So now you're comparing price gouging during an emergency to an internet sports memorabilia auction? Analogies are not your strong suit.

And refuting them is not yours. ;)

I'm sure the AHs are barely making ends meet with their inflated buyer's premiums and oh so exorbitant extra slow shipping charges.

[Fballguy]

+1000. It simply amazes me that there are still collectors who don’t bid according to the buyers premium that is part of the item’s total value/cost. Once again, the buyer’s premium does NOT impact the buyer; it negatively impacts the CONSIGNOR. If there was no Buyers Premium, the hammer bids would simply be 15-20% higher.


False

It's not part of the total cost...It's an add on. In almost all cases the item can be had for less on eBay.

[Vintageclout]

If I ran an AH or was employed by one, I would appreciate the optics of a stupid handling charge on top of a commission on top of a shipping charge. If you need money that badly, I'd bury the cost in the BP or shipping, and not have yet another line item appearing on the customer's invoice. It has nothing to do with controlling costs, but in avoiding common sense things that suggest to your client's price gouging.

If you including the internet and breakfast into the price of the hotel room and don't charge $15 for each believe me you will get a lot fewer complaints. It's called common sense.

True, but the customer/client typically will never be satisfied and then complain about the augmented hotel rate! Bottom line is everyone wants something for nothing, and for the most part, that is NOT the world we live in.

[robertsmithnocure]

With all due respect, ONE Auction house has ultimately decided to absorb the shipping related costs against their revenue.

Any of the auction houses can absorb these costs if they want to. Assuming that buyer's premiums are equal, the auction houses can just make it up with their seller's premium. For example, if REA can charge an extra 1% seller's premium across the board in one of their $10,000,000 auctions then I would bet that extra $100,000 more than covers that free shipping.

At the end of the day, as long as the charges are disclosed, then a buyer should just figure out what is the NET number that he is willing to pay for an item and discount that number by the different charges and bid that number.

[ALR-bishop]

False

It's not part of the total cost...It's an add on. In almost all cases the item can be had for less on eBay.

Unfortunately in my case this is not the case. If it were I would just be buying on eBay.

[bensie]

Everyone here knows what its about
GREED...
why charge the same bp for 50 card as a 70 card..GREED
.btw...after i saw the invoice it took 20 minutes on their website to find their rules
Ive been bidding in all auctions as u guys know for 20 years...
So i ended up paying 50% over the price of the card
Imagine winning a 50 card in NY
50 +14 +13+6...$83
66% over the price of the card
GREED GREED GREED
They're running a business, not a charity. I fail to understand how some of you simply can't grasp that concept. Read the T&C before bidding. If you don't like them, don't bid. There are several auction houses I won't place bids with because the terms are unfavorable to me.

[Huysmans]

If I ran an AH or was employed by one, I would appreciate the optics of a stupid handling charge on top of a commission on top of a shipping charge. If you need money that badly, I'd bury the cost in the BP or shipping, and not have yet another line item appearing on the customer's invoice. It has nothing to do with controlling costs, but in avoiding common sense things that suggest to your client's price gouging.

If you including the internet and breakfast into the price of the hotel room and don't charge $15 for each believe me you will get a lot fewer complaints. It's called common sense.

Note to all auction houses;

Remove ANY listed charges from Steve's invoices including shipping and handling, and triple his BP.... he'll be happy with paying a lot more in the end as long as an additional "line" doesn't show up on his invoice...

"It's called common sense"

[Shoeless Moe]

Sent an email about consigning to Heritage, Goldin, Lelands, REA, MEARS, SCP, Memory Lane, and Love of the Game, partly so many as a test.

Heritage, SCP and Love of the Game didn't even respond.

Goldin, Memory Lane, Lelands, REA, and MEARS all replied whether they wanted the item or not, some did, some did not. It's called common courtesy and the Customer Service to get me back.

The others I can cross off the list.

Ok since I've posted this both Love of the Game and Heritage have replied, so not sure if this post did the trick or what, but giving them the benefit of the doubt regardless, I do apologize to both as they too have now replied.

Only SCP has not. Problem out at the beach instead of in the office this past week.

Oh and Heritage said they have a $5000 minimum consignment, that's news to me as I have consigned to them 3-4 separate occasions in the past and never met that $$$ amount. Close but not 5K. Hmmmm.

[Peter_Spaeth]

False

It's not part of the total cost...It's an add on. In almost all cases the item can be had for less on eBay.

That is completely false in my experience. PWCC holds half the highs on commodity cards I would bet.

[Vintageclout]

False

It's not part of the total cost...It's an add on. In almost all cases the item can be had for less on eBay.

With all due respect you are 100% incorrect. Fur example, if a card is worth say $100, a collector typically bids roughly $80 because they know with the BP they will be paying close to that $100 value. If there was no BP (like eBay), they would bid up to $100. That is COMMON knowledge, and I would estimate that at least 90% (conservatively) of Collector’s realize that concept.

[insidethewrapper]

I agree, with all the money they pull in , you would think they could design a website which is easy to understand and use. So confusing.

[oldjudge]

There is no web site more transparent than Heritage. Every bid shows what your bid is both with and without the buyers premium. The solution for the OP is easy. If you don't want to pay the fully disclosed charges in the future, don't bid. My guess is that somehow Heritage will make it through without you.

[earlywynnfan]

The site explicitly tells you how much BP is going to be added to your "bid." It does the math for you. What more can you possibly want?

Hey, Larry, how about answering this?? Because YOU clicked the bid button, which stated exactly how much you were paying with buyer's premium. To complain about it now makes you look like a whiner.

[Catsavior]

First off greetings to everyone as I am a fairly new member and have not yet made a post. I do surf the pre WWII forums since I collect T206 and other oddball old stuff. I buy from many auction houses and I think Heritage is the only one that uses a flat buyers premium up to a certain dollar amount that then switches over to a percentage. All they are doing is protecting the profits, which is all fine and dandy.

My issue is with the shipping. Yes the packaging will be the only thing left if a nuclear bomb falls on my house, but they are still making a nice tidy profit above and beyond the buyers premium. I looked through some old invoices.

Auction House Date Card Quantity Value Cost for Shipping
Heritage 5/30/17

[Catsavior]

First off greetings to everyone as I am a fairly new member and have not yet made a post. I do surf the pre WWII forums since I collect T206 and other oddball old stuff. I buy from many auction houses and I think Heritage is the only one that uses a flat buyers premium up to a certain dollar amount that then switches over to a percentage. All they are doing is protecting the profits, which is all fine and dandy.

My issue is with the shipping. Yes the packaging will be the only thing left if a nuclear bomb falls on my house, but they are still making a nice tidy profit above and beyond the buyers premium. I looked through some old invoices.

Auction House Date Card Quantity Value Cost for Shipping
Heritage 5/30/17 1 $126.00 $10.30
Heritage

[Catsavior]

Sorry for the double post and cut-off:)
Heritage charged me $8.00 to ship two cards value at $74.00 on 5/15/17. On 7/16/17 they charged me $12.65 to ship one card value at $52.00. On 10/28/17 Sterling charged me $18.00 shipping for twenty-nine card value at $1200.00. Both auction houses packaged well and the stuff got here quickly. To Heritage's credit they do list everything on website. You just need to be careful when calculating the total value of a bid.
Michael Schlegel

[sflayank]

1st of all the thread is for information purposes only
Those who cant read or understand shouldnt respond
Everyone knows theres a 20 % buyers premium...duh
Show me where it says
Sorry but we need to make money on postage and charge tax on it
Either way not the point
Point is now everyone is aware of the fact...period
To the person who thinks their website is good...congrats...youre a unique person

[RedsFan1941]

i think you are the last person who should criticize people who don't "read or understand"

[sflayank]

So based on the last few posts
Their postage charge is just random
Hmmmm

[Peter_Spaeth]

In a hobby rife with fraud of all sorts, including rampant card alteration, nothing seems to get people going like shipping charges.

Federal jury finds an elite hobby figure fraudulently manipulated the market? Yawn. Heritage overcharges a few bucks for shipping? Earthquake!!!!!

[RedsFan1941]

So based on the last few posts
Their postage charge is just random
Hmmmm

thank you for making my point: i think you are the last person who should criticize people who don't "read or understand"

[Fballguy]

All that being said...lo and behold...I receive shipping confirmation from Heritage today. Finally...only 10 days after Paypal payment.

Coincidence I'm sure.

[sflayank]

.
My generation learned how to read
2 cards $72+ $8postage
1 card $50+ $10 postage
1 card $65 $13 postage
Seems pretty random to me
Closed conversation...

[markf31]

Point is now everyone is aware of the fact...period

Yes, now we are all aware of the fact that you either didn't read, or didn't understand, or chose to ignore the user agreement that you explicitly agreed to by registering and then bidding with Heritage. Got it.

[BeanTown]

To the OP, did you win anything from Christies? Would like to hear your thoughts about their shipping charges. I completely agree with Jay that Heritages website is really good. It takes little time to figure out how to navigate it, and once you do.... You will agree its pretty darn good.

[calvindog]

With all due respect you are 100% incorrect. Fur example, if a card is worth say $100, a collector typically bids roughly $80 because they know with the BP they will be paying close to that $100 value. If there was no BP (like eBay), they would bid up to $100. That is COMMON knowledge, and I would estimate that at least 90% (conservatively) of Collector’s realize that concept.

Joe, you're being kind on that 90% figure.

[Exhibitman]

Heritage also has a shipping calculator. I won a lot in the last auction and knew going in what the BP was and what the shipping was. The invoice was within a few cents of the estimate that was readily calculated with the info available before I bid. It can't get much more transparent and idiot-proof than that, though I do understand that idiots are quite ingenious.

As for the taxes, again, the AH has to remit the taxes--or you do via the use tax. They don't make a dime on that; it is in fact a big cost center because someone has to track, remit and file returns all across the country for all the sales. Heritage just happens to have facilities in several jurisdictions, so it is obliged to collect the tax. Real convenient when you want to have a rep pick up a big consignment. Not so much if you want to dodge your tax obligations.

[slipk1068]

What kills me is AH's that charge 10% sellers premium on top of a 20% BP. What entitles these people to 30% of my collection?

Defenders are going to come up with all sorts of reasons why this is acceptable as well as negotiable, but I still say it is wrong. When I am ready to sell, I will shop my collection as if it is worth 1K, and consign everything to a big AH that doesn't gouge the little guy.

[Exhibitman]

David, as you say, it is negotiable. I cannot recall the last time I paid a commission/sellers premium/whatever you call it. There is an AH that will work with most any consignment. You just may not get REA or Heritage interested.

As for why they deserve to get paid, well, selling is a heck of a lot of work. All you ever see is the end product. Someone has to market and get the consignments, take photos, write copy, create the web site, load the images and copy, set pricing, collect funds, account for funds, remit to the appropriate persons, pack and ship orders, handle customer service, run the back office parts of the business, etc.

[Peter_Spaeth]

What kills me is AH's that charge 10% sellers premium on top of a 20% BP. What entitles these people to 30% of my collection?

Defenders are going to come up with all sorts of reasons why this is acceptable as well as negotiable, but I still say it is wrong. When I am ready to sell, I will shop my collection as if it is worth 1K, and consign everything to a big AH that doesn't gouge the little guy.

Nothing entitles anyone to anything. There is no coercion, only voluntary private contracts. If you don't want to consign, don't, it's that simple. Shop for a better rate. Or sell yourself.

[sb1]

There are other options out there.

In a perfect world the AH would charge no consignors fee, a very low buyers fee(say 12 1/2%) charge at or near actual shipping plus insurance(often less than actual) AND pay consignors two weeks after the auction ends.

If you would like to find this AH, PM me and I can hook you up!


Scott

p.s. my current auction ends Saturday June 2nd.

www.brockelmanauctions.com

[barrysloate]

None of the fees are hidden so do a few quick calculations before you bid. Yes, Heritage can be a bit pricey and I think you do a little better bidding on higher value items with them. If you win a $75 card you will probably get hit with some higher costs.

I have no problem with Heritage charging sales tax because it is the law and they have to. And they are not keeping one penny of it, as all they collect goes to the government. My only issue is it is hard for me to be competitive when another bidder is free of the sales tax obligation. He has a nearly one increment advantage over me so it makes it more difficult to win something.

So I prefer bidding with an auction house that doesn't need to charge me the tax. But I don't begrudge those who do, and I calculate everything before I bid. If you think a company charges you too much, find another to do business with. There is no shortage of auction houses.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

There are other options out there.

In a perfect world the AH would charge no consignors fee, a very low buyers fee(say 12 1/2%) charge at or near actual shipping plus insurance(often less than actual) AND pay consignors two weeks after the auction ends.

If you would like to find this AH, PM me and I can hook you up!


Scott

p.s. my current auction ends Saturday June 2nd.

www.brockelmanauctions.com

Still don't know how you do it. My Parsippany auction is $6 flat consignor's fee per lot ($3 for N54 members) and 10% BP for live cash bidders, 13% for live cc bidders and 18% for absentee.

The Other Scott

P.S. We have an auction Tuesday. Since we're plugging :)

[oldjudge]

There are other options out there.

In a perfect world the AH would charge no consignors fee, a very low buyers fee(say 12 1/2%) charge at or near actual shipping plus insurance(often less than actual) AND pay consignors two weeks after the auction ends.

If you would like to find this AH, PM me and I can hook you up!


Scott

p.s. my current auction ends Saturday June 2nd.

www.brockelmanauctions.com

Scott--That can't be. It's too good to be true. Certainly only a mad man would dream of such a thing.

[Forever Young]

+1000. It simply amazes me that there are still collectors who don’t bid according to the buyers premium that is part of the item’s total value/cost. Once again, the buyer’s premium does NOT impact the buyer; it negatively impacts the CONSIGNOR. If there was no Buyers Premium, the hammer bids would simply be 15-20% higher.

Agreed

[CW]

.
My generation learned how to read
2 cards $72+ $8postage
1 card $50+ $10 postage
1 card $65 $13 postage
Seems pretty random to me
Closed conversation...

I can't say for certain, but if they use FedEx for delivery the cost can be based on distance from shipping point to destination. That might explain the variations in shipping charges.

[Kenny Cole]

As the saying goes, vote with your feet. If you don't like the situation, don't bid with them. That's the decision I made, although it wasn't based on shipping charges. Pretty easy and I don't regret it at all.

[RedsFan1941]

the assumption that an auction house is an auction house is an auction house amuses me in threads like this. while i think all AHs should provide certain essentials and services, the reality is our hobby has two major auction houses, some midsize ones, some that are run almost as a hobby or second source of income by their owners and others that literally consist of one person who could afford the auction software. when you consider the different margins (not to mention goals of the owners involved) it's not surprising things like shipping time, consignor checks and customer service vary. i can almost guarantee that if i started an AH with the business model of using it to sell things from my collection and take whatever consignments trickled in, i would be one of the most competitive in the hobby.

[mechanicalman]

the assumption that an auction house is an auction house is an auction house amuses me in threads like this. while i think all AHs should provide certain essentials and services, the reality is our hobby has two major auction houses, some midsize ones, some that are run almost as a hobby or second source of income by their owners and others that literally consist of one person who could afford the auction software. when you consider the different margins (not to mention goals of the owners involved) it's not surprising things like shipping time, consignor checks and customer service vary. i can almost guarantee that if i started an AH with the business model of using it to sell things from my collection and take whatever consignments trickled in, i would be one of the most competitive in the hobby.

I would consign with you, Ronnie, because I think the write-ups would be amusing.

[egbeachley]

Because everyone else considered the minimum BP and relatively high shipping, it’s quite possible you won the card for $15 - $20 less than expected. In this case your shipping and tax were free.

[bigfish]

Don’t ever start an auction business. You’ll go under in 3-6 months. It’s a BUSINESS, not a soup kitchen!


Steve, have you thought about opening up a soup kitchen? I think it would be a feel good story and a perfect way to round out this thread in a positive way...

:)

[Vintageclout]

Joe, you're being kind on that 90% figure.

True Jeff....I guess I was just trying to be nice....LOL!

[Exhibitman]

None of the fees are hidden so do a few quick calculations before you bid. Yes, Heritage can be a bit pricey and I think you do a little better bidding on higher value items with them. If you win a $75 card you will probably get hit with some higher costs.

I have no problem with Heritage charging sales tax because it is the law and they have to. And they are not keeping one penny of it, as all they collect goes to the government. My only issue is it is hard for me to be competitive when another bidder is free of the sales tax obligation. He has a nearly one increment advantage over me so it makes it more difficult to win something.

So I prefer bidding with an auction house that doesn't need to charge me the tax. But I don't begrudge those who do, and I calculate everything before I bid. If you think a company charges you too much, find another to do business with. There is no shortage of auction houses.

Barry, we go through this same discussion every few months here. If you aren’t being charged sales tax you are obliged to pay use tax which is the same exact tax but remitted by the buyer. Either way you are supposed to pay.

[A2000]

I always thought Heritage was pretty upfront with their charges. If you're not sure if you have to pay sales tax, they even have a link for you before you can click to confirm your bid.

[robertsmithnocure]

Barry, we go through this same discussion every few months here. If you aren’t being charged sales tax you are obliged to pay use tax which is the same exact tax but remitted by the buyer. Either way you are supposed to pay.

Thanks Exhibitman,

I do not know why people can't understand this. Whether the auction house collects the tax on you behalf or not, you still owe it.

[pokerplyr80]

Everyone here knows what its about
GREED...
why charge the same bp for 50 card as a 70 card..GREED
.btw...after i saw the invoice it took 20 minutes on their website to find their rules
Ive been bidding in all auctions as u guys know for 20 years...
So i ended up paying 50% over the price of the card
Imagine winning a 50 card in NY
50 +14 +13+6...$83
66% over the price of the card
GREED GREED GREED

They have decided it's not worth the time and cost of photographing, listing, and shipping a card for less than 14 bucks. I dont fault them for that. And I doubt they're making much of a profit on those cards. I do agree with your point about their website though. Trying to navigate it without linking through to the specific auction I'm looking for is frustrating to say the least.

[Fballguy]

Thanks Exhibitman,

I do not know why people can't understand this. Whether the auction house collects the tax on you behalf or not, you still owe it.

It's actually you AH defenders who don't understand...The OP's grievance was against have to pay additional tax because the AH charges an arbitrary shipping and handling charge. Not that he had to pay taxes. So many people in this thread keep missing that point then accusing the OP of not understanding. It's humorous.

[barrysloate]

Barry, we go through this same discussion every few months here. If you aren’t being charged sales tax you are obliged to pay use tax which is the same exact tax but remitted by the buyer. Either way you are supposed to pay.

Adam- could you please clearly explain what use tax is? If, for example, I live in NY and bid in REA, which is in NJ, is there still some tax that is supposed to be paid? Sorry if I'm a little lost.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Basically Use tax is sales tax paid by the purchaser if the sale is interstate. Nobody, or almost nobody, pays it, but we're all supposed to.

[savedfrommyspokes]

Basically Use tax is sales tax paid by the purchaser if the sale is interstate. Nobody, or almost nobody, pays it, but we're all supposed to.

In my state, as long as the purchase is for re-sale, I am not obligated to pay the use tax.

[Leon]

I think the OP (hi Larry) might just have an axe to grind with the AH. It might be because a buddy of his got axed OR he just can't read the rules? Reading comprehension is fundamental to knowing what you are doing. And it seems to be a lost art on the OP. Anyone saying that Heritage is screwing them out of sales tax money is acting like an idiot. You heard it here first.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

In my state, as long as the purchase is for re-sale, I am not obligated to pay the use tax.

of course, the same as a sales ta exemption.

[Rhotchkiss]

I think the OP (hi Larry) might just have an axe to grind with the AH. It might be because a buddy of his got axed OR he just can't read the rules? Reading comprehension is fundamental to knowing what you are doing. And it seems to be a lost art on the OP. Anyone saying that Heritage is screwing them out of sales tax money is acting like an idiot. You heard it here first.

Leon, seems that, lately, there is rash of net54 members who can’t read, but sure can write!

[markf31]

It's actually you AH defenders who don't understand...The OP's grievance was against have to pay additional tax because the AH charges an arbitrary shipping and handling charge. Not that he had to pay taxes. So many people in this thread keep missing that point then accusing the OP of not understanding. It's humorous.

What you dont seem to understand is the fact that Heritage details and spells out ALL of their charges on their website and in the agreement that is signed by bidders at the time of registration. Heritage details and specifies that handling/service charges WILL BE CHARGED. And by law, when the handling and shipping are combined, tax MUST be paid on that charge. Those are the facts that you and the OP either are ignorant to or simply cant comprehend.

[Vintageclout]

leon, seems that, lately, there is rash of net54 members who can’t read, but sure can write!

+1,000!

[Fballguy]

Leon, seems that, lately, there is rash of net54 members who can’t read, but sure can write!

Yeah...And most of them are into some serious auction house worship.

[sflayank]

What is wrong with you people
All that is said is that in a heritage auction you can buy 1 psa card for $50 and depending on where you live pay 50 60 70 % more than your bid
Nobody said its not in their rules
Whats not in their rules is that i can buy a card for 50 and so can my neighbor and both of us pay different shipping charges
When one of you brilliant people explain that please feel free to enlighten us all

[sflayank]

Leon...start a poll 2 choices only
Who thinks their website sucks or is fantastic

[robertsmithnocure]

It's actually you AH defenders who don't understand...The OP's grievance was against have to pay additional tax because the AH charges an arbitrary shipping and handling charge. Not that he had to pay taxes. So many people in this thread keep missing that point then accusing the OP of not understanding. It's humorous.

Exhibitman's post (and my follow-up) were both directed at barrysloate, not specifically the OP. It seems as though you have a difficult time with following the different posts on this thread.

[ullmandds]

Leon, seems that, lately, there is rash of net54 members who can’t read, but sure can write!

but they don't write well!

[tschock]

What is wrong with you people
All that is said is that in a heritage auction you can buy 1 psa card for $50 and depending on where you live pay 50 60 70 % more than your bid
Nobody said its not in their rules
Whats not in their rules is that i can buy a card for 50 and so can my neighbor and both of us pay different shipping charges
When one of you brilliant people explain that please feel free to enlighten us all

As they used to say, let's go to the video tape.

I just won one psa card for $65
Final cost 97.50
Thats right 97.50
14 bp
13 s&h
5.50 sales tax
Now i know we've discussed them before
Obviously could be shipped insured for $3.50
Also if you win a card for less than 70 you still have to pay 14 bp
So if ypu win card for 50 bp is 28%
Also another "criminal act" they charge sales tax on the bp and the shipping and handling
I didnt know i was purchasing the bp and the handling
Why didnt the south florida collection go to them...thats part of it
Along with the fact they have the worst website ever designed

Now, if that's ALL you said, implying that was your only gripe, then why rant about the other stuff? Your original gripe that started the thread didn't even deal with the disparity between shipping costs. That was tacked on later. Granted, and as with myself as well, getting old does cause us to tend to forget things.

Maybe that is what's wrong with 'all these people'?

Added: I figured I'd chime in because I tend to kill off threads and this one deserves that fate. :)

[CW]

Maybe this is worth a new topic, but for those who don't like Heritage's site or find it hard to navigate, what specifically is so difficult? You say it sucks, but what sucks about it?

While it may not be perfect, I always found Heritage's site one of the easiest to use and navigate in the auction field.

First of all, you don't need to login with Paypal, Facebook, or anything like that. The Login page clearly shows you can login with Heritage credentials:

https://i.imgur.com/0qFtDAe.jpg




Once you login, you should either be directed right to the "sports" page or the main Heritage page. If you are on the main Heritage page, simply click "Departments" and then "Sports":

https://i.imgur.com/WlP9VBF.jpg




This takes you to the main sports page where you can search every single sports auction Heritage has running. If you prefer to search a specific auction, you can click the "all auction and buy it now" tab to select a certain auction to browse:

https://i.imgur.com/yALEp5r.jpg




OR you can scroll down the page and see a list of current or past sports auctions. Underneath each one you can click the "view lots" button to browse or search that auction:

https://i.imgur.com/fS4XmGN.jpg




Once you are browsing a certain auction, you can scroll through the lots easily and see thumbnail images of each item. You can also track or bid on lots without even opening that lot page. Very convenient.


Finally, if you want to pull up your watch list or bid list, simply click on "My Heritage" in the upper right hand corner of any page:

https://i.imgur.com/cmc40rN.jpg




So browsing lots, searching auctions (past and present), and seeing your bid or watch lists is all right there at your fingertips.

What exactly is so difficult with Heritage's site?

[tiger8mush]

What exactly is so difficult with Heritage's site?

I like the site and like how it shows the total bid when you are placing a bid (that includes bp). Only AH I don't like navigating is Hunt.

[sflayank]

All it does is show the breakdown as to how you pay 50% premium
I do notice that nobody can tell me how 2 idenricle items sent to 2 identical addresses have different postage
So lets move on to a different subject
Is there any other auction house where people win cards and the same night theyre reselling the card in the same auction house?...yes i know the rules in texas..heritage buys and sells their own cards in their own auctions..thats why
The so called "winners"are offering their "winnings" for sale right after the auction ends.you think heritage is paying sales tax on the cards they win themselves or sre they reporting non payment. Hmmm

[mechanicalman]

Darn it, Chuck. If you explain it, it makes it so much harder to bitch about! :D

[sycks22]

I've never had an issue with Heritage that they didn't clean up within a day. Great customer service. Most auction houses if you talk to them after the invoice you can waive the insurance which will save you a bunch on your over all invoice.

[Snapolit1]

[QUOTE=CW;1782549]Maybe this is worth a new topic, but for those who don't like Heritage's site or find it hard to navigate, what specifically is so difficult? You say it sucks, but what sucks about it?

When you do subject matter searches, it's very hard to tell whether what they are showing you is for sale now vs. what's for sale in two months vs. something they sold 2 years ago.

I like the guys who bought something for $70,000 last December but they will entertain an offer for $290,000. Yep, sure you would buddy.

[petecld]

Thank you CW! Couldn't have said it better myself.

Peter

[x2drich2000]

Heritage's shipping & handling is clearly provided on their website. Not only do they now have a calculator on each item to automatically show you the estimated shipping, they have a whole page dedicated to show how the amount is calculated. https://sports.ha.com/c/shipping.zx If you are being charged something different, I would either a not say anything if it is less, or call them and find out why it is more. Everytime I have talked to them on the phone they have been extremely helpful.

As far as their site, I think it is one of the better sites. Bids are clear, BP is shown so I don't have to think about it, it is easy to search their archives or see what is coming up, etc. One of the features I think is unique to them that I really like is the ability to bid on multiple lots at 1 time. If I'm bidding on 50 or 100 lots to get my initial bids in it, it sure beats having to go into each lot individually to place the bid.

[OriolesHOF]

I've always had a good experience with Heritage. I'm not a tech guy but I find the site easily navigated. In fact, I regularly refer to the archives for non Heritage auctions. With regards to shipping rates, I consider them a bit on the high side but I accept it because I find their packaging of my winnings to be exceptional. Some other AH's, not so much. Fifty plus years ago, my mother packed my daily egg salad sandwich school lunch with much more care than some packages I've received from some auction houses.

[keithsky]

Heritage auctions aren't too bad in my opinion pretty easy to navigate around. They're shipping leaves a lot to be desired as far as when you pay and when you get your item but other than that I'm happy with them. The worst is Hunts auction. Its terrible it's like going back in time to the 1980s on their website. You would think the amount of money they generate with some of the major auctions that they have that they put a little money into their auction website. There's usually one picture per lot which when you have something like a baseball bat game-used you want a few pictures of the bat they only show one not sure why it's so hard to take multiple pictures of certain lots so you can get a better view. If you email them and want more pictures they will send them but why in the heck do you have to keep doing that every time you want to see something you're interested in. If you take the time to send me pictures when I ask for them why not just put them on your website. Definitely the worst one to navigate around in my opinion. The descriptions are vague and not enough pictures for each lot. Their Louisville Slugger auction every November they have some fantastic stuff but one picture for a lot it's ridiculous

[CW]

Maybe this is worth a new topic, but for those who don't like Heritage's site or find it hard to navigate, what specifically is so difficult? You say it sucks, but what sucks about it?

When you do subject matter searches, it's very hard to tell whether what they are showing you is for sale now vs. what's for sale in two months vs. something they sold 2 years ago.

I like the guys who bought something for $70,000 last December but they will entertain an offer for $290,000. Yep, sure you would buddy.

Fair enough, thanks for clarifying.

I just went to the sports page and did a search on "Lou Gehrig". I get these results which show how much time is left in the auction. You can also select between the two tabs for "available items" or "sold items". As you scroll down, yes, eventually you will get into sold items or items that are "coming soon". I think it's just a matter of getting used to glancing over to the right to see if the item is current, sold, or coming soon.

Hunts site is pretty bad, even Huggins and Scott sucks somewhat because certain searches do not give you a thumbnail image, but Heritage's site is pretty good, in my opinion (Ch.uck W.o|f)

https://i.imgur.com/LqiJOch.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yb8XOe1.jpg

[perezfan]

I used to dislike the Heritage Website a lot.... until I played around with it for a while and learned some of the features. Now I'd have to say it's my favorite Auction Site of all. Very informative, and easy to navigate (once you invest a bit of effort to learn it).

In addition, Heritage ships to me before I've even paid, and their packaging is stellar (important for the kind of stuff I buy). I find their shipping charges to be very much in-line with the other "big boys" in the hobby, with the exception of REA of course.

As for the worst...

Completely agree with Hunts, who typically shows you one single panel of an autographed Baseball (among other atrocities). For group lots, they'll often picture 4-5 items out of a dozen, and leave you guessing about the rest. And their search function is a joke... you will befuddle their 1980s technology if you try to use more than one key search word.

Also eBay's Mobile Site is worthless. You cannot do sh!t with it, and even when you click on "Classic Site", it automatically defaults you right back to their crappy mobile site after a couple more clicks. They need to scrap it!

[Fballguy]

So I won two items at Heritage...a few days apart. I called and asked if they could combine shipping on them, which they agreed to. I make paypal payment on the 21st of May and 10 days later, I finally receive notification of shipment.

And the very next day I receive a large box from Dallas, TX. I put the box aside in part to pleasure delay and in part because i was enjoying my Friday afternoon and didn't want another AH screw up to change my mood.

Ultimately...after a beer and a glass of wine, I figured it was time. The box seemed appropriate...more than appropriate actually for what I had won. So I was optimistic. But upon opening the box, amidst a sea of packing peanuts and double boxing, I find, only the item pictured below. Thirty 1950 Bowman football cards. Plus the invoices for both items. You've got to be kidding me. They forgot to include my second item? A football pennant? You'd think 10 days would've been enough time for them to double check their work.

So I go out to the website and realize...despite combining shipping...and despite using a box big enough to hold 20 pennants....they sent the pennant separately. And that second package is yet to arrive. Which is odd because it was shipped at the exact same time from the same location.

Assuming the pennant arrives today, not much to criticize here except the slow shipping but I think the picture below explains why shipping charges are so high.

<a href="http://imgbox.com/w5hu8OMn" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/39/e5/w5hu8OMn_o.jpg" alt="image host"/></a>

[JollyElm]

I have no idea how pertinent this is, but here's the info for anyone interested. I'm awaiting receipt of a high number 1961 PSA 8 Mickey Mantle All Star card I got off of ebay with the 20% discount coupon code. In looking at recent graded sales of the card, something jumped the f_ck out at me!!

I saw that a PSA 6 went for $864 at Heritage Auctions (highlighted in red)!! YOWZA!!!! Here is a copy and paste of a chronological list of 6's sold (from February on) this year. Look at the price disparity between that one card and all of the others!! When I clicked on links to view the cards, they all seemed completely similar to each other. None had such ferocious 'eye appeal' or centering, etc., that it would warrant paying three times what everyone else was paying. And a very similar 6 sold for $247.50 only two days after Heritage ended and one sold a week earlier for $240 (FWIW, an 8 is a BIN on ebay for $615.55 and a 7.5 for $600). I know absolutely nothing about Heritage Auctions and don't have a dog in this fight, but, man, something does not seem right here...at all.

DATE PRICE GRADE LOT # AUCTION HOUSE AUCTION / SELLER TYPE CERT
6/5/2018 $247.50 6 362334896731 eBay probstein123 Auction 40813246
6/3/2018 $864.00 6 41049 Heritage Auctions Sunday Internet Sports Collectibles Auction Ended Jun 3rd Auction 27574548
4/27/2018 $240.00 6 152987726535 eBay gleherrin_0 Best Offer 31685826
4/15/2018 $292.00 6 142746810628 eBay pwcc_auctions Auction 26033888
3/20/2018 $300.00 6 282888881390 eBay trepidation34 Buy It Now 28652074
3/15/2018 $375.00 6 302666108544 eBay jl4jc2001 Best Offer 28971850
3/9/2018 $319.99 6 112850757046 eBay amerlegends Buy It Now 28687728
3/4/2018 $245.50 6 263513056059 eBay vintagecardboardforme Auction 25835103
3/4/2018 $294.00 6 192460131594 eBay pmsbcc Auction 28648880
2/27/2018 $244.00 6 362247417468 eBay probstein123 Auction 28468211

[Fballguy]

This is exactly what I'm talking about but some would rather be ostriches and pretend it's not so. I did the same research with a different card and got the same results. It took about 5 minutes...which is apparently too much for some here.

But let the believers believe...the buyers premium suppresses bidding to the point of equilibrium. :rolleyes:

I have no idea how pertinent this is, but here's the info for anyone interested. I'm awaiting receipt of a high number 1961 PSA 8 Mickey Mantle All Star card I got off of ebay with the 20% discount coupon code. In looking at recent graded sales of the card, something jumped the f_ck out at me!!

I saw that a PSA 6 went for $864 at Heritage Auctions (highlighted in red)!! YOWZA!!!! Here is a copy and paste of a chronological list of 6's sold (from February on) this year. Look at the price disparity between that one card and all of the others!! When I clicked on links to view the cards, they all seemed completely similar to each other. None had such ferocious 'eye appeal' or centering, etc., that it would warrant paying three times what everyone else was paying. And a very similar 6 sold for $247.50 only two days after Heritage ended and one sold a week earlier for $240 (FWIW, an 8 is a BIN on ebay for $615.55 and a 7.5 for $600). I know absolutely nothing about Heritage Auctions and don't have a dog in this fight, but, man, something does not seem right here...at all.

DATE PRICE GRADE LOT # AUCTION HOUSE AUCTION / SELLER TYPE CERT
6/5/2018 $247.50 6 362334896731 eBay probstein123 Auction 40813246
6/3/2018 $864.00 6 41049 Heritage Auctions Sunday Internet Sports Collectibles Auction Ended Jun 3rd Auction 27574548
4/27/2018 $240.00 6 152987726535 eBay gleherrin_0 Best Offer 31685826
4/15/2018 $292.00 6 142746810628 eBay pwcc_auctions Auction 26033888
3/20/2018 $300.00 6 282888881390 eBay trepidation34 Buy It Now 28652074
3/15/2018 $375.00 6 302666108544 eBay jl4jc2001 Best Offer 28971850
3/9/2018 $319.99 6 112850757046 eBay amerlegends Buy It Now 28687728
3/4/2018 $245.50 6 263513056059 eBay vintagecardboardforme Auction 25835103
3/4/2018 $294.00 6 192460131594 eBay pmsbcc Auction 28648880
2/27/2018 $244.00 6 362247417468 eBay probstein123 Auction 28468211

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

This is exactly what I'm talking about but some would rather be ostriches and pretend it's not so. I did the same research with a different card and got the same results. It took about 5 minutes...which is apparently too much for some here.

But let the believers believe...the buyers premium suppresses bidding to the point of equilibrium. :rolleyes:

Wait what? you were complaining about BP. The post you quote is talking about the rules of Heritage which certainly seem to imply that their employees can shill and pointing to his example as evidence. Yet "This is exactly what " you're talking about???!!! Seems like an entirely new (and much more disturbing) topic to me.

[bensie]

I have no idea how pertinent this is, but here's the info for anyone interested. I'm awaiting receipt of a high number 1961 PSA 8 Mickey Mantle All Star card I got off of ebay with the 20% discount coupon code. In looking at recent graded sales of the card, something jumped the f_ck out at me!!

I saw that a PSA 6 went for $864 at Heritage Auctions (highlighted in red)!! YOWZA!!!! Here is a copy and paste of a chronological list of 6's sold (from February on) this year. Look at the price disparity between that one card and all of the others!! When I clicked on links to view the cards, they all seemed completely similar to each other. None had such ferocious 'eye appeal' or centering, etc., that it would warrant paying three times what everyone else was paying. And a very similar 6 sold for $247.50 only two days after Heritage ended and one sold a week earlier for $240 (FWIW, an 8 is a BIN on ebay for $615.55 and a 7.5 for $600). I know absolutely nothing about Heritage Auctions and don't have a dog in this fight, but, man, something does not seem right here...at all.

DATE PRICE GRADE LOT # AUCTION HOUSE AUCTION / SELLER TYPE CERT
6/5/2018 $247.50 6 362334896731 eBay probstein123 Auction 40813246
6/3/2018 $864.00 6 41049 Heritage Auctions Sunday Internet Sports Collectibles Auction Ended Jun 3rd Auction 27574548
4/27/2018 $240.00 6 152987726535 eBay gleherrin_0 Best Offer 31685826
4/15/2018 $292.00 6 142746810628 eBay pwcc_auctions Auction 26033888
3/20/2018 $300.00 6 282888881390 eBay trepidation34 Buy It Now 28652074
3/15/2018 $375.00 6 302666108544 eBay jl4jc2001 Best Offer 28971850
3/9/2018 $319.99 6 112850757046 eBay amerlegends Buy It Now 28687728
3/4/2018 $245.50 6 263513056059 eBay vintagecardboardforme Auction 25835103
3/4/2018 $294.00 6 192460131594 eBay pmsbcc Auction 28648880
2/27/2018 $244.00 6 362247417468 eBay probstein123 Auction 28468211
You should look at more cards. I've found that a lot of times, the closing price of heritage auctions is lower than eBay by a considerable margin. Sometimes auctions go bananas and there's no explicable reason for it. I had a 1955 Jackie Robinson that went for well over 2x market price. It was off center too, so not likely it went to a card doctor or something...

[Fballguy]

The point I’m making is that items are cheaper on eBay, where there is no BP.

Shill bidding can occur anywhere...though this example does seem extreme....and obviously the BP alone isn’t the entire difference.

Wait what? you were complaining about BP. The post you quote is talking about the rules of Heritage which certainly seem to imply that their employees can shill and pointing to his example as evidence. Yet "This is exactly what " you're talking about???!!! Seems like an entirely new (and much more disturbing) topic to me.

[bensie]

The point I’m making is that items are cheaper on eBay, where there is no BP.
Sorry, but you're wrong.