OT: AH Does It All Wrong

[Buythatcard]

I have bid with so many AH's over the years. Most of them are great and some of them just plain suck.

My latest experience was with an AH that I never dealt with before.

It started off with a bad taste in my mouth.


Auction ended 8/23 and I won 1 item.
I went out of town on 8/24 and planned to be home on the 29th.
Received invoice on 8/24.
I received an eMail on 8/27 telling me that my credit card would be charged if I don't pay today.
I received another eMail on the 28th that my credit card was charged
Give me a break. This AH doesn't allow you to breathe. I would have paid on the 29th which is less than 5 days from the time I received the invoice.

It doesn't stop there.

When I got home from my trip I received a phone call from Postal Connections. Apparently, this AH uses a 3rd party shipping company. I am ok with that. They tell me it will cost $9.03 to ship 1 card which has a declared value of $40. I know that it should not cost more than $3.50 to ship and include insurance. It was a lost cause trying to argue with them.

Got the card last night shipped First Class Parcel in a bubble envelope. A receipt was included showing the shipping costs breakdown. There was a charge of .99 for the bubble envelope.

Who the heck charges for the bubble envelope?

I sent off an eMail to this AH and have told them to remove my name from any future auctions.

[bobbyw8469]

Sounds like you were dealing with Wheatland. They used Postal Connections for me as well. I was charged $12.50 to ship three raw cards. I didn't hem and haw...I just paid it. But I thought to myself, on Ebay, you get your stars dinged for charging $2 to ship a raw card, and $3 to ship a graded card. And enough star dings can keep you off Ebay. These assholes dinging stars need to start dealing with these auction houses that you and I deal with!!!

[btcarfagno]

The third party shipping can be terrible. I dealt with one that wanted to charge me $50 to send a photo that I paid $250 for. Not even framed. Just an 8x10 photo. $50. I sure as s%&t bitched about that.

Tom C

[chipperhank44]

Is the shipping high? Yes, but.....

Straight from the AH's terms:

Payment: Invoices will be sent out within 2 business days of the completion of the auction, and payment is required within 5 business days of the close of the auction. You may pay using credit card or PayPal by clicking on the link on our website. On the 5th business day following the closing date of the auction (the Friday following the close of the sale), all unpaid balances will be charged to the credit card associated with your account. Upon payment in full of your invoice, your items will be transported to Postal Connections in Lancaster, PA. They will package your items for you, and contact you for payment of shipping & handling fees. All shipping inquiries, if any, should be made prior to placing any bids in the auction. The winning buyer is responsible for all shipping charges.

All shipping inquiries, if any, should be made prior to placing any bids in the auction. Their email address is _________, and phone number is _____. Upon payment in full of your invoice, your items will be transported to Postal Connections. They will package your items, and contact you for payment of shipping & handling fees. The winning buyer is responsible for all shipping and handling charges, and will pay Postal Connections directly. Under no circumstance will bidders be offered a refund on their auction purchase if they are dissatisfied with the shipping fee.

[gregr2]

I had the same experience with Wheatland (super high third party shipping costs) and have since decided I don't need to bid in their auctions anymore. I was charged $21 to ship a lot of 224 raw cards.

Interestingly enough at right about the same time I won a lot from Sean (Investinbaseball) of 440 cards and his shipping was $6.00.

Greg

[Buythatcard]

They should also include in their policy that you will be charged for the bubble envelope.

I should have read their policy but I didn't and that was my mistake. But I know I won't make the same mistake twice.

One by one I drop these AH's off my radar. I will stick to the ones that have been fair to me.

[btcarfagno]

That doesn't absolve the auction house of the fact that the way they handle shipping their items is a lousy way to do business. The way that they word their "washing of the hands" regarding shipping tells us that they know the shipping rates are going to be insane but that this is the way that they choose to do business.

Stuff trumps all, but I would think that if they have consignors, that they would be pissed about this. Number one, it limits those willing to bid at all in the auction, or number two, it means buyers factor in the insane shipping charges and pay less for the item itself.

Tom C

[chipperhank44]

Completely agree that just because it's their policy, doesn't make it right or customer friendly.

You can learn an awful lot about an Auction House by reading their Terms and Conditions.

[earlywynnfan]

My first thought was Wheatland, too. I was charged like $25 to mail two baseballs!!!!! I called the shipper to question the charges and was given the breakdown, which included $2 worth of packing peanuts. (I'm not kidding.) I sent Wheatland a long email asking to be removed from their list, and they got me a refund for much of the cost and, from the sound of it, chewed out the shipper.

[buymycards]

It looks like this is a franchise operation. It's hard to believe they get any business with these prices.

http://www.postalconnections.com/

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by buymycards

It looks like this is a franchise operation. It's hard to believe they get any business with these prices.

http://www.postalconnections.com/

I didn't ask to be removed, but I will no longer be bidding on their stuff.

[Shoeless Moe]

I won a framed item from an AH in May. Item was approx $500, shipping charge was $240!!!! I was like whoa whoa whoa. You need to put that in the description. They said it was my fault for not knowing, that in very small print it said shipping extra. Which I figured but not $240, that should be called out, bold letter, and not extra, but substantial.

However they said would re-check with their shipping, well turns out it shipped Fed Ex and they wound up charging me $30.

Had I not said anything they still would have shipped it Fed Ex the exact same way, but charged over $200.

Funny thing is now I must be on their banned list because every time I email them to consign something they don't even reply.

So needless to say I'm done with them.

[glynparson]

I have never had a problem buying from
Wheatland auctions. I believe I may have won something from each auction. I have found them to be kind and friendly. I understand the op may not have approached this situation in a very professional manner. Is it true you cussed out Stacy on the phone from the outset? You get further with nice people like chuck, Stacy and Bill if you treat them with some respect. They obviously were able to help another individual who had shipping issues. maybe if had you approached them in a nice manner as opposed to being vulgar from the get go you may have had a different experience. This is not chuck's full time profession so he outsources the shipping due to the odd sizes and bulk that is sometimes required, he simply does not have the time to package everything himself. I feel $9 is certainly high for a $40 card but at the same time it's not ok to cuss out a woman over it either. Also wheatland didn't charge you for the bubble mailer postal connections did. You can always pick items up for no charge or have a friend from eastern pa do it for you. Just my opinion and for the record I do know chuck bill and Stacy for 10-20 years between the three and I can assure you they may use a third party shipper that isn't cheap but they are honest hardworking people.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I have never had a problem buying from
Wheatland auctions. I believe I may have won something from each auction. I have found them to be kind and friendly. I understand the op may not have approached this situation in a very professional manner. Is it true you cussed out Stacy on the phone from the outset? You get further with nice people like chuck, Stacy and Bill if you treat them with some respect. They obviously were able to help another individual who had shipping issues. maybe if had you approached them in a nice manner as opposed to being vulgar from the get go you may have had a different experience. This is not chuck's full time profession so he outsources the shipping due to the odd sizes and bulk that is sometimes required, he simply does not have the time to package everything himself. I feel $9 is certainly high for a $40 card but at the same time it's not ok to cuss out a woman over it either. Also wheatland didn't charge you for the bubble mailer postal connections did. You can always pick items up for no charge or have a friend from eastern pa do it for you. Just my opinion and for the record I do know chuck bill and Stacy for 10-20 years between the three and I can assure you they may use a third party shipper that isn't cheap but they are honest hardworking people.

It is, to me, always better to take the friendly approach and privately try to work out issues first. If that doesn't work then there is the board/public approach. Wheatland is an advertiser, so there is that, but I too have always found them friendly and approachable. I am quite sure had this been approached a little differently there would have been a better resolution. I do think Wheatland should consider other shipping options though. I didn't care for what I read about their shipping company. All of that great marketing and professionalism costs money. I just want my item shipped safely to me, not a marketing campaign. I once bought 10-12 individual lots of single cards from an "I Sold It" ebay company. They used shippers like this. I got charged something like $150 total for the 12 boxes and the total value of all of the lots was something like $200. I was pissed and swore off anymore I Sold It ebayers who charged those "mandatory system" shipping charges....

[Wheatland Auctions]

Hi Everyone – I have debated about responding to this thread, but decided that I at least wanted to express our feelings and thoughts behind our shipping policy. As an auctioneer and the owner of Wheatland, and with a husband who owns a sports card shop in our hometown in addition to his full time job, we have been involved in this industry as buyers and sellers for many years. When we decided to focus my auction company on the Sports Card & Memorabilia business, it was because of a strong love and lifelong enthusiasm for the hobby as both a collector & seller. We have been excited to be a part of this business, love working with and helping collectors, and treat everyone as we would like to be treated. At the start of our business, we did shipping in-house. We were doing live simulcast auctions at that time, so many lots sold to our live bidders and some went online. When we made the switch to all online bidding, we could no longer keep up with the shipping while still preparing for the next auction. With limited space in our current offices and storage spaces and a small staff, we needed to enlist the help of a professional shipping company. Postal Connections is owned & run by a local family who purchased into that franchise – they are an honest and trustworthy company, which was important to us as they would be handling rare and valuable merchandise. They operate a store front, and as such cannot give away packaging supplies that their employees use when preparing shipments, which they do according to FedEx/UPS safety guidelines. Our goal is to ultimately be able to bring shipping in-house again, but in the meantime, they have been an invaluable part of our team, and they are invested in getting all auction shipments out safely in a reasonable and timely manner.

When any issue arises, I personally work with each buyer to come to a resolution. I am always happy to call or visit Postal Connections on behalf of any buyer, and work to negotiate a fair outcome for all. The overall feedback that we have received about Postal Connections is overwhelmingly positive – I most often hear that the quality of their packing is excellent, and damaged items are extremely rare.

Because of our growth over the past few years, we are excited for some new changes coming our way. We have recently begun working with Simple Auction Site to reconfigure our website and to begin to implement their bidding platform, which will be familiar to many auction bidders. Additionally, we are making plans to bring shipping back in-house. While this may not be implemented by our next auction, we hope to have it in place in 2016. Thank you to all who bid & consign with us – we will continue to work hard to bring high quality, exciting sports memorabilia to auction for you!

[ksabet]

Originally Posted by Wheatland Auctions

Hi Everyone – I have debated about responding to this thread, but decided that I at least wanted to express our feelings and thoughts behind our shipping policy. As an auctioneer and the owner of Wheatland, and with a husband who owns a sports card shop in our hometown in addition to his full time job, we have been involved in this industry as buyers and sellers for many years. When we decided to focus my auction company on the Sports Card & Memorabilia business, it was because of a strong love and lifelong enthusiasm for the hobby as both a collector & seller. We have been excited to be a part of this business, love working with and helping collectors, and treat everyone as we would like to be treated. At the start of our business, we did shipping in-house. We were doing live simulcast auctions at that time, so many lots sold to our live bidders and some went online. When we made the switch to all online bidding, we could no longer keep up with the shipping while still preparing for the next auction. With limited space in our current offices and storage spaces and a small staff, we needed to enlist the help of a professional shipping company. Postal Connections is owned & run by a local family who purchased into that franchise – they are an honest and trustworthy company, which was important to us as they would be handling rare and valuable merchandise. They operate a store front, and as such cannot give away packaging supplies that their employees use when preparing shipments, which they do according to FedEx/UPS safety guidelines. Our goal is to ultimately be able to bring shipping in-house again, but in the meantime, they have been an invaluable part of our team, and they are invested in getting all auction shipments out safely in a reasonable and timely manner.

When any issue arises, I personally work with each buyer to come to a resolution. I am always happy to call or visit Postal Connections on behalf of any buyer, and work to negotiate a fair outcome for all. The overall feedback that we have received about Postal Connections is overwhelmingly positive – I most often hear that the quality of their packing is excellent, and damaged items are extremely rare.

Because of our growth over the past few years, we are excited for some new changes coming our way. We have recently begun working with Simple Auction Site to reconfigure our website and to begin to implement their bidding platform, which will be familiar to many auction bidders. Additionally, we are making plans to bring shipping back in-house. While this may not be implemented by our next auction, we hope to have it in place in 2016. Thank you to all who bid & consign with us – we will continue to work hard to bring high quality, exciting sports memorabilia to auction for you!

They are probably great people, but I feel that collectors just despise when they are getting gouged on shipping...and because of the business model these third parties always gouge on shipping. While its appreciated that you came on and explained yourself, I think it is more appreciated that you are switching back to in house.

This is similar to the outrage that eBay charges final value on shipping. Makes no sense other than to nickel and dime the crap out of people.

[Buythatcard]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I have never had a problem buying from
Wheatland auctions. I believe I may have won something from each auction. I have found them to be kind and friendly. I understand the op may not have approached this situation in a very professional manner. Is it true you cussed out Stacy on the phone from the outset? You get further with nice people like chuck, Stacy and Bill if you treat them with some respect. They obviously were able to help another individual who had shipping issues. maybe if had you approached them in a nice manner as opposed to being vulgar from the get go you may have had a different experience. This is not chuck's full time profession so he outsources the shipping due to the odd sizes and bulk that is sometimes required, he simply does not have the time to package everything himself. I feel $9 is certainly high for a $40 card but at the same time it's not ok to cuss out a woman over it either. Also wheatland didn't charge you for the bubble mailer postal connections did. You can always pick items up for no charge or have a friend from eastern pa do it for you. Just my opinion and for the record I do know chuck bill and Stacy for 10-20 years between the three and I can assure you they may use a third party shipper that isn't cheap but they are honest hardworking people.

Where does it say that i was vulgar with Stacy. I NEVER spoke to anyone at Wheatland. I Never cursed anyone on the phone. I don't even know who Stacy is. Try reading the post more carefully before you come on here and say the op was vulgar. FYI, I never mentioned the name of the AH in this post. Others have mentioned a AH which may not even be the one I was talking about. Get your facts straight!!!!!!!!

[sportsguy]

Classy and professional reply Stacey! You've been a breath of fresh air in this industry and your response was spot on. I apologize that you have to deal with people who take to vulgar name calling and unprofessional messages to you instead of trying to contact you professionally and asking you to help resolve his issue (many of us know that you are great with providing excellent customer service to buyers and consignors - people have mentioned that you have resolved third party shipping issues in the past when it has been brought to your attention).

I was raised to treat people (especially women) with respect and, unfortunately, not everyone lives by those same guidelines.

I like your thoughts on internalizing shipping as third party shipping is always a little more because they need to run their business and need to charge for their staff and supplies. Keep up the great work and thanks for your professional response.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by sportsguy

Classy and professional reply Stacey! You've been a breath of fresh air in this industry and your response was spot on. I apologize that you have to deal with people who take to vulgar name calling and unprofessional messages to you instead of trying to contact you professionally and asking you to help resolve his issue (many of us know that you are great with providing excellent customer service to buyers and consignors - people have mentioned that you have resolved third party shipping issues in the past when it has been brought to your attention).

I was raised to treat people (especially women) with respect and, unfortunately, not everyone lives by those same guidelines.

I like your thoughts on internalizing shipping as third party shipping is always a little more because they need to run their business and need to charge for their staff and supplies. Keep up the great work and thanks for your professional
response.

Really no dog in this fight and not egging on.

But, I have to say it's a tad weird when someone has two posts and the first is them explaining they are the person they are shouting accolades to in the second.

Kind of steals credibility.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by justind

really no dog in this fight and not egging on.

But, i have to say it's a tad weird when someone has two posts and the first is them explaining they are the person they are shouting accolades to in the second.

Kind of steals credibility.

lol!!!

[sportsguy]

Originally Posted by JustinD

Really no dog in this fight and not egging on.

But, I have to say it's a tad weird when someone has two posts and the first is them explaining they are the person they are shouting accolades to in the second.

Similar to Glyn, I happen to know the business and people involved in it and wanted to provide my thoughts. I think it's OK to get feedback from people that isn't always negative.

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by sportsguy

Similar to Glyn, I happen to know the business and people involved in it and wanted to provide my thoughts. I think it's OK to get feedback from people that isn't always negative.

So are you saying you are not Stacey, the owner of Wheatland, as you claimed in this thread? http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=187273

[Leon]

Originally Posted by x2drich2000

So are you saying you are not Stacey, the owner of Wheatland, as you claimed in this thread? http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=187273

That is their company login. I have emailed them about our rules. They are the same for all members.


.

[ksabet]

This reminds me of when Johnny says to Daniel...."You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you, little twerp? No, you had to push it. Well, now you're gonna pay!"

[glchen]

Originally Posted by x2drich2000

So are you saying you are not Stacey, the owner of Wheatland, as you claimed in this thread? http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=187273

This is crazy. It's like a retailer stuffing Yelp with their own reviews. To me, this makes a lot of their previous posts lose credibility. People should know you can't get away with these kinds of shenanigans on this board.

[Luke]

Such a weird thing to do. I thought her first post was fine. It was well written, and addressed the concerns that had been brought up. Why she would give herself a pat on the back with her other account is unfathomable to me. It is for sure hilarious though. I nominate JustinD's post (#19) for post of the year.

[Bliggity]

Originally Posted by sportsguy

Classy and professional reply Stacey!

No scam here. Clearly she's just the Rickey Henderson of the auction world and likes to promote herself in the 3rd person. Honest misunderstanding.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by LukeLyon

Such a weird thing to do. I thought her first post was fine. It was well written, and addressed the concerns that had been brought up. Why she would give herself a pat on the back with her other account is unfathomable to me. It is for sure hilarious though. I nominate JustinD's post (#19) for post of the year.

Lol, thanks.

Have to admit, I looked disbelievingly at that previous post history a few times before I jumped in.

[slidekellyslide]

Whoops....That was almost as funny as Bruce threatening to sue himself.

[autograf]

Awkward..........

[D. Bergin]

Well this thread took a weird turn.

[Shoeless Moe]

..it could just be a case of Bruce & Caitlyn.

[conor912]

Wow.....shilling your own post. Now I've seen everything.

[D. Bergin]

Let me tell you fellas, who's a great guy. It's Dave, he's such a great guy, with his boxer avatar, and just the way he types. Classy, classy Dave.

No, no, you humble me. It's not me that's great, it's Dave, he's fantastic.

You know what? I agree with you and I'm not gonna fight this fact any longer. Dave IS a great guy.

Now that's what I've been saying all along. Great Guy! Great, great guy! Free 3rd Party Shipping for all classy guys named Dave with Boxing Avatars.

You humble me Dave, thanks for the generous offer.

[sportsguy]

This is Chuck and it's my account. I was proud of Stacey for sending a professional message and confronting the issues, so I added my comments to support her and let people know that the poster took things far as far as inappropriate messages. I am not a big blogger, so apologize as I thought my name was likely shown or linked. I was aware of the messages she received from the poster (not appropriate to curse out anyone) and am proud of the way she handled herself. I also know the time and hard work that people like Stacey and Bill put into providing good customer service because I know they work hard to take of issues, include 3rd party shipping. They REALLY would like to internalize shipping which would help things.

[Buythatcard]

Originally Posted by sportsguy

This is Chuck and it's my account. I was proud of Stacey for sending a professional message and confronting the issues, so I added my comments to support her and let people know that the poster took things far as far as inappropriate messages. I am not a big blogger, so apologize as I thought my name was likely shown or linked. I was aware of the messages she received from the poster (not appropriate to curse out anyone) and am proud of the way she handled herself. I also know the time and hard work that people like Stacey and Bill put into providing good customer service because I know they work hard to take of issues, include 3rd party shipping. They REALLY would like to internalize shipping which would help things.

This posting has become confusing to me. I am hoping that someone can explain to me wtf some people are talking about. I started this posting and was complaining about the shipping practices. Then I read that the poster cursed out Stacey. Who is this poster that you are all talking about? It can't be me because I never called Wheatland. Who actually claimed that the poster called and cursed?

[Shoeless Moe]

What's on second.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

What's on second.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg

This thread is absolutely hilarious. Dave's quote is especially funny, or the guy proposing to be Dave's alter-ego.

Let's keep this one at the top for awhile. Reading through this had me LMAO.

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Let me tell you fellas, who's a great guy. It's Dave, he's such a great guy, with his boxer avatar, and just the way he types. Classy, classy Dave.

No, no, you humble me. It's not me that's great, it's Dave, he's fantastic.

You know what? I agree with you and I'm not gonna fight this fact any longer. Dave IS a great guy.

Now that's what I've been saying all along. Great Guy! Great, great guy! Free 3rd Party Shipping for all classy guys named Dave with Boxing Avatars.

You humble me Dave, thanks for the generous offer.

I'm confused, are there two Dave's?

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by sportsguy

This is Chuck and it's my account. I was proud of Stacey for sending a professional message and confronting the issues, so I added my comments to support her and let people know that the poster took things far as far as inappropriate messages. I am not a big blogger, so apologize as I thought my name was likely shown or linked. I was aware of the messages she received from the poster (not appropriate to curse out anyone) and am proud of the way she handled herself. I also know the time and hard work that people like Stacey and Bill put into providing good customer service because I know they work hard to take of issues, include 3rd party shipping. They REALLY would like to internalize shipping which would help things.

Hi Chuck, do you work for Wheatland? How did Stacey have access to your account?

[gregr2]

So is Chuck Stacey or not???

[Leon]

Originally Posted by gregr2

So is Chuck Stacey or not???

I think Chuck is Stacey's husband.

[gregr2]

Originally Posted by Leon

I think Chuck is Stacey's husband.

Oh well that might help explain some things!!

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Leon

I think Chuck is Stacey's husband.

Does Bill know?

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Leon

I think Chuck is Stacey's husband.

I agree. Additionally, Wheatland is directly associated with VSM Sports Card Outlet in Lancaster County, PA.

If they shill their Net54 account, I wonder what they might do with their auctions.

Best regards,

Eric

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Beastmode

I'm confused, are there two Dave's?

If you believe in the alternate universe theory, there are an infinite number of Dave's.

[mattsey9]

Originally Posted by Beastmode

I'm confused, are there two Dave's?

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Leon

I think Chuck is Stacey's husband.

I used to work with Stacy. Her husband was not Chuck.

I used to play golf with Chuck, but his wife is Barbara.

My sister is Barbara, but Chuck is not my brother-in-law,

but I do have a distant cousin named Chuck, although I have never played golf

with him. Today I played golf with Ed and Jim, and yesterday with Bill and Jim.

Bill is not Ed, but Jim is Jim.

All of this is true, I swear, and I approve of this message, which hopefully will

clear up the confusing aspects of this thread.

[timn1]

C'mon guys,

There has been a little weirdness in this thread due to confusing identities, but don't we all have better things to do than hatch paranoid theories about auction house principals shilling their own posts? Someone may have made a mistake but still, don't we all at some point?

Obviously some folks have been unhappy with Wheatland's choice of shipper, but that's a fixable issue. Let's don't go crazy over the whole thing. Isn't it pretty clear that the Wheatland folks are basically honest folks just trying to make a living? Let 'em know how they can improve and give 'em a break-

N.B. I have never bid or consigned in a Wheatland auction, and I know no one involved in the company. Just trying to look at it sensibly from the outside.

Tim

[Luke]

They used their company account to come in and say how great the company is, without any disclosure as to who owned the company account. No, it is not clear to me that they are honest.