[Dracha]

I was just browsing the antiquorum website , and I noticed that the sale prices on watches seem (to me at least) to be lower than what they go for on a virtual (*bay) auction site..

As Hank just posted these 2 watches, that will be for sale (?) at Sotheby's
https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=39839
I was wondering if there really is a price difference between the 'brick and mortar' auction houses (Christies, Sotheby's , etc etc) and the online auction places

so my question is , is it just my imagination or are prices lower in brick and mortar auctions ?

-Rene

 

[SnapIT]

I would think that an auction held in the flesh would have fewer bidders therefore possibly a lower ending bid. Ebay auctions have world wide audiences. A sale room can accept phone bids but this depends on the publicity given to the list prior to the sale. For a small local event you may well have only a few interested parties so achieve a far lower sale price.

Conversely, you may have to attend far more auctions to find a specific item you are looking for. Virtual auctions have very little real time overhead in that regard. Five minutes with a targeted search will tell you the state of the market today, tomorrow or whenever you happen to have five minutes to look at the latest offerings on line.

So its a matter of weighing up the advantages of either situation. I think they both have tangible benefites. The serendipity of the live auction and the clinical aspects of the online seen make for a rich mix.

 

[Dracha]

Hi SnapIt , thanks for your well thought out reply !

I agree with you that the *bay auctions pull in a much wider audience but sometimes I question the 'quality' of the pieces whereas a 'brick and mortar' auction house SHOULD have an independent resident expert that grades the pieces and put a starting value on it

Both places have their pro's and cons and you're right, cant beat the experience of a 'real' auction as opposed to sitting behind a screen!

Rgds
-Rene

 

[botudi]

Well after a long week of research I've arrived to the conclusion that online auction (ebay) is not for me. Even if I admit you can find nice stuff at attractive prices , I'm not willing to take any of the riscs that are involved in transactions of this kind.... So even if I have to wait a little (or much ) longer to find what I want (or what I find to please me), I'm goind to rely only on the ,,brick and mortar'' side of this business.;-)