You may recall my blog post from a few weeks ago entitled “Are You F*cking Sh*tting Me?” which dealt with greedy auctioneers, their 30% premium on sales, and their outrageous shipping charges. A few geniuses wrote in personally to tell me that I didn’t have to shop at auctions if I didn’t like their policies. Well, duhh… They probably work for auction houses.
I don’t shop at auctions as a rule because I detest their policies. The point is, these greed-heads get away with their crap because we encourage them by accepting their bullshit in hopes of wangling profit from people to whom our idea of “a lot of money” is no money at all. But I must admit, I’ve been sniffing around the auction of the library of a former customer to whom I sold some wonderful stuff. It’s in a far away state, and I have no colleagues within easy reach to check on condition or completeness for me. Here’s what the auctioneer says about his condition reports: Any condition statement that is given as a courtesy to a client is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. [The auctioneer] shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. All lots are sold “as is” according to our condition of sale and are not returnable. In other words, they’ve got me by the short hairs once again.
What’s the answer? Boycott auctions! (Good luck with that one, Greg.)
Well, before I could get any momentum behind my National Auction Boycott, I discovered another outrage to add to the burgeoning Are You F*cking Sh*tting Me list. In fact, this one is SO outrageous that it’s hard to take seriously.
I don’t do a great deal of business with UVA, but when their prior librarian was there, he’d buy a thing or two. In order to get paid, I was supposed to submit to UVA’s new automated payment system called “eVA.” At first, I was unable to do so, and the kindly librarian arranged an alternate form of payment. But I knew that arrangement wouldn’t last (especially since he retired awhile back). So, eventually, I signed up for “eVA.”
Imagine my astonishment when I began receiving monthly bills from “eVA.” That’s right. They wanted ME to pay THEM, so that they could pay me for the goods I’d sold to UVA. Here’s a copy of my bill from October.
In case this is too small for you to read, my monthly bill is $96.13.
Are You F*cking Sh*tting Me?
So do you just shred them or fire them back to UVA with a copy of your blog?
Hard to believe.
Please don’t tell me that they are Republican Congressmen.
Bill Leavenworth
I´ve long thought that Auction Houses were a “necessary evil”. These days I´m not so sure about the “necessary” half of that tag? Back in the day – 1970´s-1990´s – I can recall visiting Sotheby´s in New Bond Street, London, and asking to speak to a Departmental expert. After numerous failed attempts, I came to the conclusion that these shadowy figures came in late morning, went to lunch almost immediately, came back from lunch very late and went home very early?! I eventually gave up asking … Viewing auctions I frequently came across glaring errors & omissions in books as described in their catalogues; I used to point these out to any member of staff who was in attendance, quite politely. Imagine my confusion as the Lot came up at the Auction, and NO mention of the error/omission that I´d correctly pointed out, being made at the time of the sale. Caveat emptor, even when others do their work for them! I could go on, and on, but lifes too short, so I´ll simply add a final cautionary tale of more modern auction practise; during the recent Covid Lockdown period, a Scottish Auctioneer, having sold a not inexpensive photographic album lot to a (ABA/PBFA member of long-standing) colleague of mine, would not post the item to him – they´d closed their shipping Dept. for the duration – and would not permit him to personally come and collect it – Covid quarantine concerns – yet they´d quite happily taken his money in full payment for it. If that isn´t “obtaining money under false pretences”, then I don´t know what is? (My colleague did eventually manage to arrange to drive the 300 mile round trip to collect it, some time later; I didn´t ask if they charged him for storage in the interim? But I wouldn´t be at all surprised …… ). P. S. The charges that you mention being made by eVA on behalf of the UVA are invidious! I would definitely tell them to get lost – or is that too polite? P.P.S. I have in the past and still do know the odd person who works for an Auction House who is a perfectly nice and friendly individual; it´s just the monstrosities that they work for who are a LOT less than perfect.
Wait till they institute AI and digital currency…f*cked won’t describe it.
One of our ABAA collogues recently purchased a map at auction for $230,000, now priced at $7.6 million. Just image the outrage of the consignor.
Jeff