[Archive]

Posted By: scgaynor

Joe, I have never really priced it, but lets be conservative and say that the cost to produce an catalog with 1500 lots is $100,000 ($50,000 of that is shipping costs). If the prices realized are the same with the catalog or without (as has been my experience), why bear the expense of the catalog when it costs $5000 to produce a postcard or a bit more to produce a pamphlet. The catalog is still part of the business today, but I see a change in the near future in its usefulness. If you look at the newspaper and magazine business, they are scrambling to develop their websites as there is less interest in printed matter, they can be updated in real time and it is cheaper. I can't predict the future, but I see the same thing in the future for the catalog auction.

Barry, the one difference that I see between Ebay and the catalog is the lack of the 10 minute rule on ebay. I have been pushing that with them for years. Ebay is a good fair market value venue, and of course is still a huge part of what I do, but the catalog offers the chance for things to go crazy at the end as two bidders duke it out.

Scott