Consignment/Auction House Question

[bks14sr]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Definitely speak with Al. You will get straight talk, not pie in the sky mumbo jumbo, but honest opinions and a fair appraisal of what you have.

There are some real unscrupulous operators in this business. This board will direct you to the right folks.

Personally speaking, I've been shocked at the number of identical cards (different grades) selling lately in recent auctions. 8 of these. 9 of these. 7 of these. Did the AH call the consignors and tell them that the card they were excited to sell is buried on page 127 with 7 other of the same card. Man I would be pissed to find that out for the first time when I receive a catalog 4 months later.

I recently consigned in the REA fall auction, and exactly what’s mentioned in your last paragraph happened to me. Very pissed. I consigned my 54 Topps set (w/ Aaron and Banks broken out to a separate lot), 48 Leaf Robinson, 48 Leaf mid grade lot annd SPs, and 50 Bowman Robinson. Each had nearly 10 or more examples in this auction. This was glazed over when I asked prior to consigning of how they deal with similar offerings and whether or not we should hold until the next auction for better placement. Upon auction going live, sure enough, each card is flooded. My 10 lots sold for half to 3/4 of recent prices realized. View counts on my lots over the 3 weeks of the auction were lower than I’d get on BST here in a week. Essentially gave away my 54 Topps set. Expensive lesson to trust REA hype.

Unless you’re selling something that essentially markets itself, like some of the headliners, I see no reason to justify the 20% AH premium.