When hiring a liquidator, you want to ask these questions:
1) Does the liquidator you are considering
hiring conduct auctions as well as tag sales? Those good
and unusual items will almost always bring more money at auction. We strongly believe that
scarce antiques, unique items and quality equipment will bring more money through competitive
bidding. We conduct 10-15 auctions each year for those special, unique items and
equipment. Our average hall auction attendance is 275 registered
bidders
which means approximately 450++ people in attendance. Our hall auctions
combine several estates and/or collections-----due to the quantity and
quality offered, we can spend the necessary
amount
on advertising to attract the serious auction buyer.
Serious
collectors/dealers attend those good auctions.
2) Is the liquidator
willing to sell that special item via internet auction or other large auction
house? For example, the 10" vase shown in our literature we
sold for a client in 2005 on the internet for $10,000. We also work with and
recommend other auction houses for specialty items. We recently worked
through a Chicago auction house (Leslie Hindman) to sell fine art and Chinese porcelain
for a client. We do not overlook anything and always have art appraised as needed. We will
also contact other appraisers and get second opinions as necessary.
3) The following are some questions you should ask
before hiring a liquidator/auction firm:
Is the liquidator a member of the Better Business Bureau? Is the liquidator a
member of ISA (International Society of Appraisers)
or ASA (American Society of Appraisers)? Is the liquidator Bonded and Insured in
the State of Ohio?
These are all important questions!
4) Is the liquidator a licensed auction firm or an auctioneer?
Only a licensed auction firm or auctioneer can arrange
to sell your items at auction. You should know
that in order to arrange an auction in the State of Ohio they need to be
licensed by the Dept. Of Agriculture ----- Anyone who conducts or arranges
auctions without being licensed is in violation of Ohio Revised Code 4707.
Our auction firm is bonded in favor of the State of Ohio (50,000 security bond).
5) Always know advertising costs before entering into a contract
---you
want to spend more money advertising what you’re selling and
not the
liquidator’s services.
This involves smart advertising. For example,
if you’re selling the contents from a Strongsville or Bay Village home,
advertising in Chardon or Lyndhurst is not money well spent. Being a licensed
auction firm, we have access to inexpensive, effective means of advertising not
available to a liquidator who is not licensed by the State of Ohio. Advertising
for a tag sale and auction are not the same, knowing how and where to advertise
to attract the right buyer is important.
6) Does the liquidator offer website advertising?
This can be a tremendous
tool in selling your items, attracting more buyers and getting you a higher
price for what you have to sell. Our website address appears in all
advertising — showing photos of what is being sold, and a detailed bill of sale.
This helps in getting you more money for what you have to sell.
Beware of Liquidators that do not use a website in their advertising. In
today's market, website advertising with photos should be used. In addition to
the obvious reasons for not using website advertising, Liquidators may be
covering up for their lack of knowledge particularly on how to price your
valuables. Caution should be used with liquidators that do not show what
is being sold. You may also
want to ask the liquidator if they maintain an active email list.
We always send
a sale ad to potential customers via email/or regular mail.
This also saves our client advertising dollars.
7) Knowledge — Caution
-- you do not want guesswork when it comes to your
valuables. You want to hire an experienced liquidator-----
You want someone who can identify unmarked antiques, collectibles
and other valuables. We have attended hundreds of auctions, maintain an extensive reference library
and are members of ISA (International Society of Appraisers).
This gives us access to other appraisers around the country with their
specialties. We also participate in seminars and use the latest technological
research available.
8) Does the liquidator have a solution for what is left over?
Are they willing
to empty the contents and haul out the trash leaving the house/condo clean
and ready for the next owner or tenant ---- or do they just walk away when
the sale is over and they have their commission?
We always offer a solution.
If there’s enough left, we can put those items in our next auction. We can also
make an offer to purchase leftovers and give a fair price to remove the balance
of contents. We don't mind doing the necessary hard work of cleaning up after
the sale. Our labor rates are most
competitive.
9) Does the liquidator accept major credit cards?
This can often times assist in
getting more money for those good items.
We can accept Mastercard, Visa & Discover.
This can also make the difference in selling a particular
item.
10) Does the liquidator bring in his or her own merchandise?
Caution!
Is this going to
help you sell your valuables or is the liquidator going to concentrate
efforts on selling his or her own merchandise? And who pays the advertising bill
for the liquidator’s merchandise?
Occasionally, estates/contents can be combined to
make a good sale, but in fairness to all parties involved advertising needs to
be
equitably shared. We consider this practice to be the exception rather than the
rule at a tag sale. Auctions will often combine several collections or estates.
We always advise in your best interests as to the most profitable way to sell your assets. In addition to conducting liquidation/tag sales, we are a licensed auction firm. Often times we can determine the situation is such that assets can be divided between a tag sale and auction to get you the most money possible. We conduct 9-12 auctions annually for those good antiques and collections. We hold most of these auctions at the Ashland County Fairgrounds ------ a really good centralized location & a great facility. We will also go the extra step to sell that special item via internet auction. Some recent examples are: in 2005 we sold a book for $3,000, a Bakelite bracelet for $800, a pottery nativity set (little known potter Nicodemus) for $1,600, Majolica vase for $10,000, and most recently we sold a damaged, signed Tiffany Studios shade for a client for over $73,000. We can also recommend or arrange the right auction house for that rare or valuable antique. We recently sold a painting and Chinese porcelain for a client through a Chicago auction house for $6,500 and $11,000 respectively.