Is your house full of items you no longer need? Perhaps you have a couple of things you would like to sell. Then Auction is an excellent solution whilst giving you extra household income.
Selling at Auction is a simple and easy process. If you need some help deciding whether placing your goods for auction is the right decision for you, consider the following different case studies where Auction was used. Items sell for very different reasons and they are always cherished and valued by another person.
Case Study 1: Clearing a large house.
Peter’s mother had recently passed away, and the house needed to be cleared ready for sale. Peter really wasn’t sure whether the items had any value, or if people would be interested in buying them.
He contacted Abbeys Auctions for help as he had a large number of items. One of the Abbeys expert valuers visited the property to take a look. Peter received advice on what could be sold at public auction, what could be donated to charity, and what would need to be thrown away. The valuer discussed the strategy and approach that would be undertaken to take those items to auction. He gave an indication of the value that could be realised at auction, he outlined the selling fees and discussed appropriate pick up times.
Peter chose Abbeys because they were able to help clear the property with the items going for public auction. They headed straight to the Abbeys Showroom in Burwood whilst the other items were delivered to their respective destinations, including a couple of items being delivered to family members.
The Abbeys team then researched, photographed and catalogued the items. Some items were placed into the Weekly Estate auction and other items were placed into the Collectables and Classics auction which is held monthly. The expanded buyer base of Abbeys meant that Peter’s items were promoted far and wide, both online and by the buyers visiting the Abbeys showroom.
Once Peter had entrusted the items into Abbeys Auctions care, there was nothing more for him to do! No placing ads on eBay, Gumtree and Facebook, no haggling over prices and asking questions, and no visitors to the house!
Over the course of the next few weeks, Peter’s mother’s items mostly all sold. Peter was given the option to pick up the unsold items, and he was provided an itemised summary of what was sold. The selling fees were taken off the hammer price and the total sum was transferred to his nominated bank account.
Peter was able to clear his mother’s house and make a profit on the items sold. Everything was handled by Abbeys Auctions, leaving Peter free to deal with the other aspects of managing his mother’s estate. He was relieved and was able to spend the valuable time saved to attend to other matters.
Case Study 2: One or two items to sell.
Patricia had two pieces of art that had been handed down by her grandmother. As she was downsizing into a new apartment, she knew that some items weren’t going to fit into her new home. Not much was known about the pieces, so she took photographs and used the Abbeys Auctions appraisal form to request a valuation on the pieces.
The Abbeys team responded with some further detail on the pieces. One was quite valuable, produced by a well known sculptor, the other one was of sentimental value and whilst it was not worth as much, it was a lovely piece that could sell at auction.
Patricia knew these items weren’t going to fit into her new home so she agreed to sell them at public auction. After she was advised of the process, including the selling fees, she was able to drive them to the Abbey’s showroom in Burwood, where she was provided with a receipt of goods received.
The Abbeys team then researched, photographed and catalogued the items ready for the following week’s Estate Auction. The items were available for viewing both online and in the Showroom.
The following week Patricia was thrilled to find that both pieces had sold at auction, even the piece that was found to have little value. The selling fees were taken off the hammer price and the total sum was transferred to Patricia’s nominated bank account.
Patricia then used the money to buy something new for her new apartment to celebrate her next phase of life!
Selling via Auction is a Simple Process
Regardless of the different reasons why you have items to sell, the same simple process applies when selling items through Abbeys Auctions.
- Discuss items to be sold – either by arranging for a valuer to visit or emailing photos of the items to be sold using the Appraisal Form.
- Abbeys will advise which items are suitable to be sold*, discuss selling fees, terms and conditions and pick up / drop off times for items. (see Terms and Conditions)
- Once items are received, Abbeys will research, photograph and catalogue items into the appropriate online auction and perform all the necessary promotions for the auction.
- The auction is run. It is important to note that not all items are sold the first time. Based on the advice from the auctioneers, items may feature in 3 auctions before they are sold.
- Once all items are sold, Abbeys will provide a summary of sale including the cost of commission and fees that re taken out of the hammer price. Any funds will be deposited into your nominated account.
* There are some items that cannot be sold at Auction. A clear no-no is any unworked elephant ivory or rhinoceros horns. If you’re not sure, talk to us!
The benefits of selling via Auction
In all cases, selling via Auction saves you time and effort. We do the work for you! Other benefits include:
- Convenience: we do it all for you. From picking up all items that are saleable, to taking items fit for donation or disposal, we are here to help you prepare a home for sale.
- Expanded buyer base; auction creates a competitive bidding environment
- We do the marketing and promotion for you; thousands of people view our catalogues and bid at auction every week.
- Items are sold at the price determined by the market; no haggling necessary!
- Increased security for you and your home; no waiting for strangers to pick up and pay for items
- Quick process and turnaround. Goods can be collected quickly, which is particularly important in the case of estates or property settlements.
It’s really easy to sell items with Abbeys. Give us a call, or fill out the appraisal form, and give it a go!