Auction House thievery Lelands style

[hcv123]

That said, I was advised by an old friend and store owner that people often "bid against themselves". As a result of what my friend shared, I chose not to bid in their auctions for years. Recently I have, but am always wary. Never thought to question the insurance - that's pretty slimy!

[Fred]

If they don't purchase any insurance at all, then they would have to self-insure the packages. There's probably a very good chance a Fed-ex package is going to be delivered so perhaps they feel they'll bite the bullet if they have to.

As long as they cover the loss, then I guess they're doing the right thing in that respect.

Is it ethical? It's probably not that it's unethical more than it is a perception issue. If they lose you as a bidder, then my guess is they'll have paid the price.

Why not ask to speak with Josh Evans, I'm sure he'd take your call.

[calvindog]

Josh is awesome on the phone, I agree ❤️

[perezfan]

I suppose you could have driven to New Jersey, picked up the card yourself, and saved a bunch of money on Shipping/Insurance. Or you could've flown to NJ to pick it up, probably at about a "break-even" rate.

Seriously, these exorbitant shipping/insurance charges are something I've always been suspicious of... not necessarily with Lelands per se, but across all auction houses (REA excluded). At least it sounds like your card arrived safely and undamaged, which is lots better than the alternative.

[Rhotchkiss]

There are usually at least two sides to every story, but based solely on your side, it appears Leland’s flat out stole $200 from you; charging you for insurance they never procured. That’s no bueno. And, just stupid business. You buy a $60k card, likely pay immediately, and they do this? That’s what I call penny wise, pound foolish. I expect they lost you as a customer. Unfortunate all around.

Meanwhile, REA sent me a shipping confirmation the day after the auction ended, the cards came the next day, and If I paid shipping and/or insurance, it was peanuts. REA is a class act, they know how to do things, and they are pound wise.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

There are usually at least two sides to every story, but based solely on your side, it appears Leland’s flat out stole $200 from you; charging you for insurance they never procured. That’s no bueno. And, just stupid business. You buy a $60k card, likely pay immediately, and they do this? That’s what I call penny wise, pound foolish. I expect they lost you as a customer. Unfortunate all around.

Meanwhile, REA sent me a shipping confirmation the day after the auction ended, the cards came the next day, and If I paid shipping and/or insurance, it was peanuts. REA is a class act, they know how to do things, and they are pound wise.

REA is by far my favorite auction house. Brian is smart, not a pig and his is the only auction house which I don’t need to call to ask where my cards are. He takes a loss on shipping but he understands the value in keeping the customer happy. It shouldn’t be so difficult to not use shipping and insurance as a profit center but this is our hobby. In addition he doesn’t bid on his own lots and doesn’t have wildly misleading scans, both of which Heritage is guilty of and is unwilling to change.

[painthistorian]

Hi Steve- I do agree with you now although Lelands has always treated me fairly.

[pokerplyr80]

8.25% of 60k is about 5k, not 600. Sounds like they knew what they were doing. I would be interested to hear their side though.