NonSports Forum

Net54baseball.com
Welcome to Net54baseball.com. These forums are devoted to both Pre- and Post- war baseball cards and vintage memorabilia, as well as other sports. There is a separate section for Buying, Selling and Trading - the B/S/T area!! If you write anything concerning a person or company your full name needs to be in your post or obtainable from it. . Contact the moderator at leon@net54baseball.com should you have any questions or concerns. When you click on links to eBay on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. Enjoy!
Net54baseball.com
Net54baseball.com
T206s on eBay
Babe Ruth Cards on eBay
t206 Ty Cobb on eBay
Ty Cobb Cards on eBay
Lou Gehrig Cards on eBay
Baseball T201-T217 on eBay
Baseball E90-E107 on eBay
T205 Cards on eBay
Baseball Postcards on eBay
Goudey Cards on eBay
Baseball Memorabilia on eBay
Baseball Exhibit Cards on eBay
Baseball Strip Cards on eBay
Baseball Baking Cards on eBay
Sporting News Cards on eBay
Play Ball Cards on eBay
Joe DiMaggio Cards on eBay
Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
Bowman 1951-1955 on eBay
Football Cards on eBay

Go Back   Net54baseball.com Forums > Net54baseball Main Forum - WWII & Older Baseball Cards > Net54baseball Sports (Primarily) Vintage Memorabilia Forum incl. Game Used

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-01-2018, 08:23 PM
gidyup24 gidyup24 is offline
member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 8
Default Consignment Fees

Hello members,

I wanted to get your advice on something.

I have sold a few different items to high end sports auction houses for $10,000+.

I have always just assumed the consignment fees are non-negotiable (15-20%). However, I was informed that sometimes you can negotiate the seller fees.

My question is, should I have been able to negotiate ZERO fees on those items $10K and above? If not, what is the dollar amount where auction houses will eliminate those seller fees?

Any advice would be much appreciated for any future sales I might have.

Thanks!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-01-2018, 10:15 PM
bigfanNY bigfanNY is offline
Jonathan Sterling
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NJ
Posts: 2,110
Default

Most auction houses don't charge any fees when you sell items to them. But it dose not surprise me they would try.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-02-2018, 05:35 AM
hcv123 hcv123 is offline
Howard Chasser
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 3,422
Default Presuming you mean consigned?

If you consigned items most auction houses would not charge a consignment fee for10k+. If you actually sold the items to them and they deducted a fee - shame on them!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-02-2018, 06:39 AM
Leon's Avatar
Leon Leon is offline
Leon
peasant/forum owner
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: near Dallas
Posts: 34,196
Default

To be clear there are sellers AND buyers fees. On a 10k consignment you generally shouldn't need to pay a sellers fee and can usually get a few percent back from the buyers premium. If the AH says no to any points back just PM me, I will hook you up with several AH advertisers that will.
__________________
Leon Luckey

Last edited by Leon; 03-02-2018 at 08:29 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-02-2018, 07:03 AM
bobbyw8469's Avatar
bobbyw8469 bobbyw8469 is offline
Robert Williams
member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 9,016
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leon View Post
To be clear there are sellers AND buyers fees. On a 10k consignment you generally shouldn't need to pay a sellers feel and can usually get a few percent back from the buyers premium. If the AH says no to any points back just PM me, I will hook you up with several AH advertisers that will.
That's good to know. Would that only apply to $10,000+ consignments Leon?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-02-2018, 08:15 AM
MVSNYC MVSNYC is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,517
Default

There's no set rules, but I doubt a consignment valued under $10k, you'd get any percentage back from buyer's premium. I'd even think the piece might need to be valued $15K+, but if Leon can hook you...jump at that.

Last edited by MVSNYC; 03-02-2018 at 08:17 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-02-2018, 08:32 AM
Leon's Avatar
Leon Leon is offline
Leon
peasant/forum owner
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: near Dallas
Posts: 34,196
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbyw8469 View Post
That's good to know. Would that only apply to $10,000+ consignments Leon?
Not necessarily. Every situation and company is different. I have a pretty good rapport with most of our advertisers and am always eager to help them and our members. I have given serious thought to having a Net54 consignment consulting service but haven't moved forward on it yet. I have been able to help numerous members in the past. And I work cheap ie....free.

.
__________________
Leon Luckey
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-02-2018, 08:32 AM
bobbyw8469's Avatar
bobbyw8469 bobbyw8469 is offline
Robert Williams
member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 9,016
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MVSNYC View Post
There's no set rules, but I doubt a consignment valued under $10k, you'd get any percentage back from buyer's premium. I'd even think the piece might need to be valued $15K+, but if Leon can hook you...jump at that.
I'm not looking at a percentage back from the buyer's premium, but consignor's paying a seller's premium, with this many auction houses to choose from, is ridiculous. For consignor's that DO pay it, that means the auction house is getting 30% (maybe more) off YOUR consignment. 20% from the buyer and 10% (at least) from you. That is too much, IMHO.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-02-2018, 08:38 AM
MVSNYC MVSNYC is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,517
Default

AH's have been doing this for 25 years+, nothing new...in fact, historically the seller's premium used to be 20%.

I think more and more these days, you can negotiate.

Last edited by MVSNYC; 03-02-2018 at 09:09 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-02-2018, 09:08 AM
khkco4bls khkco4bls is offline
Kevin O'Gara
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: long island
Posts: 1,696
Default

Wow Robert Edwards charged me 15 10 and 5% on my items it was 60000 worth of memorabilia kind of upset knowing I should have gotten zero
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 03-02-2018, 09:08 AM
khkco4bls khkco4bls is offline
Kevin O'Gara
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: long island
Posts: 1,696
Default

That money should have gone in my pocket
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 03-02-2018, 11:08 AM
ruth-gehrig ruth-gehrig is offline
Mich@el K. Tr0tnic
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,886
Default

Just as helpful as knowing consignment fees, I would be curious to know which auction houses send your info to the IRS
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 03-02-2018, 08:31 PM
gidyup24 gidyup24 is offline
member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 8
Default

Thanks for all the helpful information. Has anyone ever known Heritage give a portion of the BP in addition to waiving the sellers fee?

I've also been curious, is there a dollar amount that triggers and AH to report to the IRS? I've never received any tax info before, and always have to report it on my own.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-04-2018, 10:29 AM
insidethewrapper's Avatar
insidethewrapper insidethewrapper is offline
Mike
member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,345
Default

When we are talking about very low consignment fees ( even zero) are we talking the total amount of a consignment offered to the AH of $10k+ or an individual item ?
__________________
Wanted : Detroit Baseball Cards and Memorabilia ( from 19th Century Detroit Wolverines to Detroit Tigers Ty Cobb to Al Kaline).
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 03-05-2018, 11:34 AM
Runscott's Avatar
Runscott Runscott is offline
Belltown Vintage
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 10,651
Default

Just to chime in with more data...

I have never paid a consignment fee, and as Leon mentioned, for large consignments I have always gotten a small % kick-back of the buyer's premium. But of course you have to ask for these things if they are not offered. If the AH says "No" I would pick another one - there is always someone who wants to make money off your stuff. I have also gotten a guaranteed minimum sell price on a consignment (not a reserve) - the item did not hit the minimum and the AH paid me anyway, as agreed, at a loss to them; of course, overall they still did quite well off me.
__________________
$co++ Forre$+

Last edited by Runscott; 03-05-2018 at 11:36 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 03-05-2018, 12:55 PM
Aquarian Sports Cards Aquarian Sports Cards is offline
Scott Russell
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 6,297
Default

As an auction owner, but of a different type than the large online houses I can offer some perspective.

First, sellers commissions in the general auction world can still run up to 40%!!! In competitive specialty fields the trend has been the seller's fees dropping and a portion of that being passed on to the buyers. This is due to the competition to get great material.

If you have something that is not considered great material an auction house is less likely to discount or eliminate the seller's commissions let alone share buyer's premium.

The total amount of your consignment may not have a ton of bearing on your commissions as it is really more dependent on each individual lot. If you consign 100 lots worth a total of $60k that 's a TON more work than one $60k lot.

For instance, our auction is a small live only auction. A normal sale grosses about 20k. We want individual lots of $50 and up, but at every auction we have lots that go for $20. We charge a buyer's premium of 10% and we have 7 employees at the auction plus all the hours of cataloguing and photography, advertising and hall rental etc... If we charged no seller's commission on ANY item we'd net $2000 which wouldn't cover costs. Now if you have an item that I know will interest some of our well-heeled buyers I almost don't care what it sells for, I will sell it for no commission. For example I have a guy considering selling a DR J. Rookie in 8 and a Rose Rookie in 4.5 along with some other decent cards. I would take the Dr J. and the Rose at no commission, but his other cards come through our doors a lot more often and won't attract any buyers on their own so commission on them can range up to 20% depending on price realized.

Anyway, on my end my commissions aren't some mysterious process, rather they're a practical reality, but again my auction is world's away from an REA or a Heritage where their average items are the kind of things I get maybe once or twice a year.

Any questions about auction practices in general feel free to PM me!
__________________
Check out https://www.thecollectorconnection.com Always looking for consignments 717.327.8915 We sell your less expensive pre-war cards individually instead of in bulk lots to make YOU the most money possible!

and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecollectorconnectionauctions
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 03-05-2018, 01:27 PM
Exhibitman's Avatar
Exhibitman Exhibitman is offline
Ad@m W@r$h@w
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Beautiful Downtown Burbank
Posts: 13,042
Default

If it is commonplace stuff, esp. graded cards, the BST here or eBay is the best way to sell it. I've had some AHs reject my recent consignment efforts and have readily sold the items on eBay at better than the net with the AHs would have been.

Except in rare cases, in the sports field if an AH wants to charge a commission and BP, I wouldn't consign to them because there are plenty who don't charge a commission. In other fields, though, you may not be able to negotiate even over a great item. I was amazed that I wasn't able to get rid of the commission with an entertainment memorabilia AH, even with a strong consignment. They simply refused to discuss it. Rather than handing them nearly 40% I opted to sell the items myself. If that is a failure I can always go back there.
__________________
Read my blog; it will make all your dreams come true.

https://adamstevenwarshaw.substack.com/

Or not...

Last edited by Exhibitman; 03-05-2018 at 01:30 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 03-05-2018, 02:20 PM
Aquarian Sports Cards Aquarian Sports Cards is offline
Scott Russell
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 6,297
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Exhibitman View Post
If it is commonplace stuff, esp. graded cards, the BST here or eBay is the best way to sell it. I've had some AHs reject my recent consignment efforts and have readily sold the items on eBay at better than the net with the AHs would have been.

Except in rare cases, in the sports field if an AH wants to charge a commission and BP, I wouldn't consign to them because there are plenty who don't charge a commission. In other fields, though, you may not be able to negotiate even over a great item. I was amazed that I wasn't able to get rid of the commission with an entertainment memorabilia AH, even with a strong consignment. They simply refused to discuss it. Rather than handing them nearly 40% I opted to sell the items myself. If that is a failure I can always go back there.
At least now people won't think I'm lying!
__________________
Check out https://www.thecollectorconnection.com Always looking for consignments 717.327.8915 We sell your less expensive pre-war cards individually instead of in bulk lots to make YOU the most money possible!

and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecollectorconnectionauctions
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
$5,000 minimum consignment? Exhibitman Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 13 12-06-2017 07:08 PM
consignment question Archive Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 10 12-22-2007 10:25 AM
Consignment Questions Archive Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 12 04-11-2006 12:50 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:41 AM.


ebay GSB