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Shipping is a hassle for most sellers. For buyers of large items, it goes beyond that. It is
a shame because some good items show up in the furniture category on online estate
sales. People have neat old heirlooms in their houses.
Dealers/managers that do these online sales are doing their online customers a
disservice by not having a freight company lined up to handle the shipping of these
large and potentially valuable items. I still remember being late to an in-person sale in
Atlanta while trying to buy an ANTIQUE Tiffany case clock that was sold here in poshy
Buckhead. A buyer was carting it out of the house, and I asked the sale manager what
they sold it for. The answer shocked me: “$500, but how do I get more selling it locally?”
Online auction estate sales are a good service. More and more of them are shipping.
One study I did with MaxSold showed that a seller can get 40% higher prices by offering
shipping. I offer free shipping on all my MaxSold sales. I will arrange to ship anything if
the buyer will pay the freight. It can be a hassle as a seller, but it can also be a
competitive advantage for obtaining an estate. It will also increase your revenue.
As a buyer, I am also looking for an edge in buying. When I see an item that is large and
way underpriced, I am eager to try to find a way to buy it and bring it home. I recently
bought a 1770s bachelor’s chest at an online auction that belonged in Colonial
Williamsburg. I was the winning bidder but had to figure out how to get it back to
Atlanta—no small feat, as I learned.
I tried some bidding services for shipping and that turned out to be a
disaster. UShip and Shiply were not great to use.
o It is impossible to express a precise window, which a seller generally
needs.
o Transporters genuinely do not bother to pay attention to the details of the
cargo, such as size and weight. To send this information back is
bothersome, and Shiply, in particular, interprets dimensions as a phone
number and blocks it, not wanting to be bypassed.
o Roadie does not want to ship over 300 miles.
In the end, I was scammed by a Shiply transporter and left him negative feedback. He
practically threatened to put a curse on my existence. With a protracted argument,
Shiply refunded my deposit. I finally flew to Baltimore, rented a Hertz SUV, and drove
the chest back. It was worth the trip, and I got it back for about $500.
My advice in the future would be to look at UPS’ end-to-end service if they have it in the
area. Driving it back yourself is also a good option. The seller worked with me on the
price given the shipping expense and hassle, so don’t hesitate to ask. Before going
through all of this trouble, also push the seller to give you all the photos you need so
that you can clearly see any flaws. You are often more of an expert than the seller, and
you must be sure about what you are buying before spending the money.