FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How do I liquidate an estate? How do I sell you my antiques?
Here’s how the process works: When you're ready to sell, call or email us. Be prepared to give a brief description of the items. Don't worry about size, type of wood, etc. We'll ask you a series of questions about age, condition, the "look" of the items and by your answers, we'll know if it's something we'd like to see. If so, then we’ll make an appointment to come see the items and if we agree on a price, buy them on the spot. Small items we will mostly likely remove at that time and come back for the bigger items within a few days.
If you prefer to email and send digital photos, even better. You don't need very detailed, close-up photos, just some general photos of the various rooms or pieces is sufficient.
To send an email please go to our contact page. Please include your name, phone and, most importantly, the location (town and state) of the items you’re selling. If sending photos, please know that if the file sizes are too big or there are too many photos in the email, it may bounce back. If that happens, you might try either reducing the size of the photos (1mb max) or just limit it to 3 or 4 photos per email. You can also send the photos in a word doc, PDF, or zip file. If you need some help or instructions on how to email photos, give us a call.
You can also text photos to: 914-312-8622. Again, don't forget to tell us the location (town, city, state) of the items.
We usually respond to emails within 24 hours. If you have not heard back from us, it’s possible we did not receive your email so feel free to follow up with a phone call.
What are some items you don’t buy?
Glad you asked. We are not interested in any of the following:
How far in advance should I call to make an appointment?
Not more than a few days. We tend to make appointments only a few days to a week or so in advance. Sometimes, if our schedule permits, we’ll come over the same day or morning you call. We always come ready to buy and remove items on the spot or within a day or two.
Do I have to bring the items to you?
No, we prefer to come to your home. Often, while we’re there looking at the pieces you called us about, we see other items of interest to us that you may not have even considered would be of value. But, if you prefer to bring things to us you’re more than welcome. It’s best to call before coming. And remember, you’re always welcome to email a photo.
I have some silver to sell. Do I need to polish it?
Short answer: no. Long answer: As a rule of thumb, you don't need to polish anything, whether it's furniture, silver, etc. You don't need to dust anything, repair anything or clean it. We'd prefer to see the items in as-found condition. And sometimes, you might hurt the value by trying to make it look nice. We will buy all the sterling silver you have, no matter the condition or amount.
How can I do my own price and value research on line?
Searching the internet for values can be difficult and often misleading. Difficult if you don’t know exactly what it is you have or what it’s called; misleading because what you might find is a price that someone is asking for a similar item rather than what it actually sold for. Resellers can ask whatever price they’d like. But that's not necessarily the true value. The asking price is often way more than market value.
Think of it this way. You’re selling your home and you’d like to ask 2 million dollars. Well, go right ahead. No one will stop you. But if all the recent comparable sales in your neighborhood are in the $400,000-$500,000 range, then that’s what your house is probably worth and no one in their right mind will pay your price.
Most antiques and second hand dealers rely on auction records that show recent, actual sales prices for similar items to inform their buying decisions. And it’s best if these sales results are within the last 2-3 years. Markets are constantly changing. An item’s sales price 10 years ago has no relevance to its value today. So, it’s best to look at auction records when doing your own price and value research. If you find similar items, try to match size, condition, details, quality, manufacturer, etc. These all affect value.
One auction venue often consulted is eBay. Caution: many sellers tell me they found their item “selling” on eBay for X price. But these sellers neglect to look at eBay's "sold & completed sales" section. This section is where you’ll find items whose auctions are finished with actual sold prices. Often, these prices are much, much less than the “asking” or “selling” price people first see. So disregard the “asking” prices and look only at sold or completed sales for the true market value.
If you do find a similar item to yours offered at a retail shop, remember that the shop has other costs besides the actual item: rent, utilities, personnel, advertising, maintenance, insurance, trucking, labor, and, often, refinishing and repair of the piece before it can be sold. And, the longer a piece sits in inventory, the more it actually costs the shop. Furthermore, asking prices for antiques are almost always negotiable so it’s rare to see an item sell for its list price.
Is there a formula you use when buying? Do you pay 10%, 50%, 75% of what you can sell for?
There is no formula. Every situation is different and there are many factors that go into the process. The more labor that is involved in purchasing and removing the items and the more time it may take to sell an item combined with whether there is a high or low demand are all taken into account when we make offers. Sometimes we might only make 10% on a very small, quick sale, while other times we may need to make 75% if we need trucks, extra labor and months to get our money back.
Where do you sell the items you buy?
We do not have a retail shop. The vast majority of the items we acquire get sold at auction or through various on-line venues. Given that we’re often buying large quantities, we get way too much inventory to refinish, clean up, market and sell in a retail setting. We would be drowning in inventory. It can take months and months, sometimes years, to sell items in a retail setting. So we find selling in volume at auction is the most effective way to turn over merchandise. And we use auction sales and values to guide us as to what we can pay for items. Given that we have little to no price control when selling at auctions, we never really know how much we’re going to get for an item. It’s a guess. Sometimes we guess right, sometimes we guess wrong. It’s our risk. When we're selling items individually on-line, it requires a great deal of time and labor to photograph, write up descriptions and then pack and ship items once sold.
Do I need to quote you a price or will you make me an offer?
We recommend you give some thought to how much you’d like to get for your items. It’s helpful to both you and us if you have some figure in mind. But we understand that it’s sometimes difficult for people not “in the biz” to come up with a price. So, we’re always ready to make an offer but we ask that you, as the seller, be ready to either accept or decline our offer. And, if you don’t like our offer, we would appreciate you letting us know how much you would accept. We try to avoid coming out to your home, spending time examining items, making an offer and then having people tell us they’re just not sure or ready. If you’re only trying to get some idea of what something might be worth, you might want to consider getting an appraisal first.
If you prefer to email and send digital photos, even better. You don't need very detailed, close-up photos, just some general photos of the various rooms or pieces is sufficient.
To send an email please go to our contact page. Please include your name, phone and, most importantly, the location (town and state) of the items you’re selling. If sending photos, please know that if the file sizes are too big or there are too many photos in the email, it may bounce back. If that happens, you might try either reducing the size of the photos (1mb max) or just limit it to 3 or 4 photos per email. You can also send the photos in a word doc, PDF, or zip file. If you need some help or instructions on how to email photos, give us a call.
You can also text photos to: 914-312-8622. Again, don't forget to tell us the location (town, city, state) of the items.
We usually respond to emails within 24 hours. If you have not heard back from us, it’s possible we did not receive your email so feel free to follow up with a phone call.
What are some items you don’t buy?
Glad you asked. We are not interested in any of the following:
- big entertainment centers and TV cabinets (although we do buy some vintage wall units from the ’50’s, ’60’s & ’70’s)
- sectional sofas (unless unusual from the 1950’s-70’s)
- sofa beds, massage chairs, lift-up chairs
- contemporary sofa & love seat sets
- anything from Ikea, Bob’s, and Raymour & Flanagan
- mica & lacquer furniture from the 1980’s or later
- kitchen cabinets from your recent renovation job
- exercise equipment (except for Concept 2 rowing machines)
- appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washer & dryers, microwaves, ac's, toaster ovens, etc.), although we do buy vintage stereo equipment
- pots & pans
- fur coats
- hospital beds, walkers & wheelchairs
- pot belly stoves
- mattresses & box springs, futons
How far in advance should I call to make an appointment?
Not more than a few days. We tend to make appointments only a few days to a week or so in advance. Sometimes, if our schedule permits, we’ll come over the same day or morning you call. We always come ready to buy and remove items on the spot or within a day or two.
Do I have to bring the items to you?
No, we prefer to come to your home. Often, while we’re there looking at the pieces you called us about, we see other items of interest to us that you may not have even considered would be of value. But, if you prefer to bring things to us you’re more than welcome. It’s best to call before coming. And remember, you’re always welcome to email a photo.
I have some silver to sell. Do I need to polish it?
Short answer: no. Long answer: As a rule of thumb, you don't need to polish anything, whether it's furniture, silver, etc. You don't need to dust anything, repair anything or clean it. We'd prefer to see the items in as-found condition. And sometimes, you might hurt the value by trying to make it look nice. We will buy all the sterling silver you have, no matter the condition or amount.
How can I do my own price and value research on line?
Searching the internet for values can be difficult and often misleading. Difficult if you don’t know exactly what it is you have or what it’s called; misleading because what you might find is a price that someone is asking for a similar item rather than what it actually sold for. Resellers can ask whatever price they’d like. But that's not necessarily the true value. The asking price is often way more than market value.
Think of it this way. You’re selling your home and you’d like to ask 2 million dollars. Well, go right ahead. No one will stop you. But if all the recent comparable sales in your neighborhood are in the $400,000-$500,000 range, then that’s what your house is probably worth and no one in their right mind will pay your price.
Most antiques and second hand dealers rely on auction records that show recent, actual sales prices for similar items to inform their buying decisions. And it’s best if these sales results are within the last 2-3 years. Markets are constantly changing. An item’s sales price 10 years ago has no relevance to its value today. So, it’s best to look at auction records when doing your own price and value research. If you find similar items, try to match size, condition, details, quality, manufacturer, etc. These all affect value.
One auction venue often consulted is eBay. Caution: many sellers tell me they found their item “selling” on eBay for X price. But these sellers neglect to look at eBay's "sold & completed sales" section. This section is where you’ll find items whose auctions are finished with actual sold prices. Often, these prices are much, much less than the “asking” or “selling” price people first see. So disregard the “asking” prices and look only at sold or completed sales for the true market value.
If you do find a similar item to yours offered at a retail shop, remember that the shop has other costs besides the actual item: rent, utilities, personnel, advertising, maintenance, insurance, trucking, labor, and, often, refinishing and repair of the piece before it can be sold. And, the longer a piece sits in inventory, the more it actually costs the shop. Furthermore, asking prices for antiques are almost always negotiable so it’s rare to see an item sell for its list price.
Is there a formula you use when buying? Do you pay 10%, 50%, 75% of what you can sell for?
There is no formula. Every situation is different and there are many factors that go into the process. The more labor that is involved in purchasing and removing the items and the more time it may take to sell an item combined with whether there is a high or low demand are all taken into account when we make offers. Sometimes we might only make 10% on a very small, quick sale, while other times we may need to make 75% if we need trucks, extra labor and months to get our money back.
Where do you sell the items you buy?
We do not have a retail shop. The vast majority of the items we acquire get sold at auction or through various on-line venues. Given that we’re often buying large quantities, we get way too much inventory to refinish, clean up, market and sell in a retail setting. We would be drowning in inventory. It can take months and months, sometimes years, to sell items in a retail setting. So we find selling in volume at auction is the most effective way to turn over merchandise. And we use auction sales and values to guide us as to what we can pay for items. Given that we have little to no price control when selling at auctions, we never really know how much we’re going to get for an item. It’s a guess. Sometimes we guess right, sometimes we guess wrong. It’s our risk. When we're selling items individually on-line, it requires a great deal of time and labor to photograph, write up descriptions and then pack and ship items once sold.
Do I need to quote you a price or will you make me an offer?
We recommend you give some thought to how much you’d like to get for your items. It’s helpful to both you and us if you have some figure in mind. But we understand that it’s sometimes difficult for people not “in the biz” to come up with a price. So, we’re always ready to make an offer but we ask that you, as the seller, be ready to either accept or decline our offer. And, if you don’t like our offer, we would appreciate you letting us know how much you would accept. We try to avoid coming out to your home, spending time examining items, making an offer and then having people tell us they’re just not sure or ready. If you’re only trying to get some idea of what something might be worth, you might want to consider getting an appraisal first.
What is an appraisal?
Many people innocently use the term "appraisal" incorrectly. They want to sell something and ask for an "appraisal" when what they really want is an estimate of how much we would pay for the item. When we come to give you an estimate, there is no charge assuming you are ready to sell.
But sometimes people really do need an appraisal, usually for one of three reasons: they’re getting ready to sell the items; to settle an estate; or for insurance needs. A formal appraisal is when we come to your home, examine your items, take measurements, photos, etc. and then write up a report detailing the items' pertinent information (age, material, type of wood, artist, etc.) along with a fair market value. When we're doing an appraisal, we are not buying anything as this would be a conflict of interest. We charge $450/hour (one hour minimum) to do appraisals. We bill for time spent on-site inspecting the items (taking measurements, photographing, etc.) and also for time spent off site researching and preparing the appraisal. Payment for the on-site portion of the appraisal is due at completion of that time when meeting on-site and we will invoice you for the balance of the time spent doing research and preparation. Sometimes we must charge for travel depending on location.
Please note the following legalese:
You hiring us to perform an appraisal constitutes an agreement and acceptance of the terms and conditions set forth below for an evaluation service (the "Appraisal") between you (the "Client") and Adams Unlimited, Inc. (the "Company") and forms a legally binding contract.
The Company reserves the right to refuse to provide an Appraisal for any reason.
In submitting its request for the Appraisal (including the submission of photographs), the Client represents it has the authority to do so, and is not violating the terms of any agreement with any third party and/or any applicable laws.
The Company shall provide an Appraisal service based solely on in-person inspection of items and information submitted by the Client. The Appraisal is the Company's estimate of the value the Client might achieve if the object were to be sold at auction or at a general sale (ie. tag sale, estate sale, etc.). Values are based on comparable auction records, information available to Company through subscription-based data bases, information available to the public at no charge and the Company's knowledge base. The Company has no obligation to consult with third party experts or other parties in formulating the Appraisal although they reserve the right to do so. The Appraisal is the Company's opinion and not a statement of fact. The Client acknowledges that such opinions of value may differ among appraisers and that values may and can change and fluctuate due to market conditions. In addition, an Appraisal may change upon further examination, research or in-person evaluation by either the Company or any other third-party expert.
The Company does not warrant or guarantee an object's origin, provenance, attribution, condition, date, age or authenticity. The Company makes no guarantee or warranty that the object will sell for the amount at which it is appraised should it be offered for sale.
The Client shall indemnify and hold the Company and its owners, employees, directors and officers harmless from and against all judgments, claims, liabilities, cost and expense, including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred in connection with, or arising from any breach by the Client of the terms of this contract, or from Client's negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct. In addition, Client will pay the reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred by the Company to the extent arising from the Client's breach of the terms of this contract. The Client's indemnification obligations pursuant to this contract shall include the reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred in the enforcement of these indemnification obligations.
Except to the extent arising from the gross negligence of the Company, the Company shall not be liable for any mistakes, erroneous attributions, authenticity issues or inaccurate values in the Appraisal due to market conditions, information not provided by the Client, information not shown in photographs submitted by the Client or changes in research or available information. In no event shall the Company's liability for any claim exceed the amount paid to the Company by the Client for the Appraisal.
This contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of laws principles. Venue for any dispute under this contract shall be the federal and state courts of New York located in Westchester County.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
If you only have one or two small items and are willing to bring them to us, we will charge $25 per item for a verbal appraisal, assuming no further research is needed. A third option is our "discount" photo-based evaluation service at $29.95 per item. You can just click HERE or click on "quick appraisals" tab above for information and instructions. Keep in mind, this service is not a formal appraisal and simply a brief sentence or two where we give you a “best-guess” appraisal based solely on a photo and your provided information. This type of appraisal should not be used for estate, charitable-donation or insurance purposes.
But sometimes people really do need an appraisal, usually for one of three reasons: they’re getting ready to sell the items; to settle an estate; or for insurance needs. A formal appraisal is when we come to your home, examine your items, take measurements, photos, etc. and then write up a report detailing the items' pertinent information (age, material, type of wood, artist, etc.) along with a fair market value. When we're doing an appraisal, we are not buying anything as this would be a conflict of interest. We charge $450/hour (one hour minimum) to do appraisals. We bill for time spent on-site inspecting the items (taking measurements, photographing, etc.) and also for time spent off site researching and preparing the appraisal. Payment for the on-site portion of the appraisal is due at completion of that time when meeting on-site and we will invoice you for the balance of the time spent doing research and preparation. Sometimes we must charge for travel depending on location.
Please note the following legalese:
You hiring us to perform an appraisal constitutes an agreement and acceptance of the terms and conditions set forth below for an evaluation service (the "Appraisal") between you (the "Client") and Adams Unlimited, Inc. (the "Company") and forms a legally binding contract.
The Company reserves the right to refuse to provide an Appraisal for any reason.
In submitting its request for the Appraisal (including the submission of photographs), the Client represents it has the authority to do so, and is not violating the terms of any agreement with any third party and/or any applicable laws.
The Company shall provide an Appraisal service based solely on in-person inspection of items and information submitted by the Client. The Appraisal is the Company's estimate of the value the Client might achieve if the object were to be sold at auction or at a general sale (ie. tag sale, estate sale, etc.). Values are based on comparable auction records, information available to Company through subscription-based data bases, information available to the public at no charge and the Company's knowledge base. The Company has no obligation to consult with third party experts or other parties in formulating the Appraisal although they reserve the right to do so. The Appraisal is the Company's opinion and not a statement of fact. The Client acknowledges that such opinions of value may differ among appraisers and that values may and can change and fluctuate due to market conditions. In addition, an Appraisal may change upon further examination, research or in-person evaluation by either the Company or any other third-party expert.
The Company does not warrant or guarantee an object's origin, provenance, attribution, condition, date, age or authenticity. The Company makes no guarantee or warranty that the object will sell for the amount at which it is appraised should it be offered for sale.
The Client shall indemnify and hold the Company and its owners, employees, directors and officers harmless from and against all judgments, claims, liabilities, cost and expense, including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred in connection with, or arising from any breach by the Client of the terms of this contract, or from Client's negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct. In addition, Client will pay the reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred by the Company to the extent arising from the Client's breach of the terms of this contract. The Client's indemnification obligations pursuant to this contract shall include the reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred in the enforcement of these indemnification obligations.
Except to the extent arising from the gross negligence of the Company, the Company shall not be liable for any mistakes, erroneous attributions, authenticity issues or inaccurate values in the Appraisal due to market conditions, information not provided by the Client, information not shown in photographs submitted by the Client or changes in research or available information. In no event shall the Company's liability for any claim exceed the amount paid to the Company by the Client for the Appraisal.
This contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of laws principles. Venue for any dispute under this contract shall be the federal and state courts of New York located in Westchester County.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
If you only have one or two small items and are willing to bring them to us, we will charge $25 per item for a verbal appraisal, assuming no further research is needed. A third option is our "discount" photo-based evaluation service at $29.95 per item. You can just click HERE or click on "quick appraisals" tab above for information and instructions. Keep in mind, this service is not a formal appraisal and simply a brief sentence or two where we give you a “best-guess” appraisal based solely on a photo and your provided information. This type of appraisal should not be used for estate, charitable-donation or insurance purposes.
I’ve seen ads offering “free appraisals.” Are those legit?
Don’t be fooled. What these dealers are offering is instead a free estimate; an estimate of what they would pay for your items. That is not an appraisal. You will only know what that dealer wants to pay for an item. If you want to find out its true value, hire an appraiser.
Is there more than one type of appraisal?
Yes. A fair market value appraisal is defined as “what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller.” Fair market value appraisals are based on current and recent sales of similar items. Such sale information is culled from auction houses and other markets that we’re familiar with. These types of appraisals are typically done for estates and/or for people who are selling off their belongings due to downsizing or moving. Keep in mind that even though we may assign a value to an item, there is no guarantee that you will get that price when you try to sell the item. But it is a good starting point for you to use should you want to sell the item.
An appraisal done for insurance purposes is known as a replacement value appraisal. Values assigned to property for replacement value are typically much higher than those in a fair market value appraisal. Here we assign a value to an item based on what the owner would have to pay should he need to go out and replace the item due to a fire, theft, damage during a move, etc.
Will you appraise my items and buy them, too?
The short answer is “no,” but there are exceptions (we’ll get to that later). The person doing an appraisal should not be the same person buying your items. It’s a conflict of interest. When you hire and pay an appraiser he/she is working for you and you alone. But when you ask a buyer to come and make you an offer, that buyer or dealer is working for himself, not for you. If you ask a dealer to appraise items that he might want to buy, he might be tempted to assign a less-than-accurate value to the item. A good appraiser will make it clear in his appraisal report that he has no interest in the items.
Now, back to the exception. In some instances, several weeks or months after we’ve done an appraisal, we’ve been contacted by the customer asking if we might have any interest in buying any of the items. The owners had sold or dispersed the estate items but still had some things left. In some of these situations we have bought some of the items but usually for less than the appraised value since we have to make a profit.
Suppose I’m not ready to sell, don’t want an appraisal but just want to get some idea of what you might buy and how much you might pay. Can I still call you?
Sure. We realize there are times when people might be contemplating a move down the road or getting ready to liquidate an estate but need some time to figure out what to keep, how to distribute items to heirs, etc.
People like to have some idea of our potential interest and some idea of what we might pay. Often, we can tell you over the phone based on a brief description or emailed photos if we might have any interest at all in something.
But if you’d prefer that we come to look at your items even though you may not be ready to sell, we offer a refundable “paid estimate” service for $100 in Westchester. Other areas a bit more depending on our travel time. Here’s how it works: assuming it sounds like there are things that we might be interested in, we’ll come to your home, look around, and give you some potential offers. If you sell us anything at that time, there is no charge. But if you don’t, we charge $75-100. If you call us back within a month offering to sell us anything we saw at the first visit, then, assuming we can still use it, we’ll come and buy it and refund the $75-100. As most people realize, time is money and we just can’t spend all day driving around looking at furniture and collectibles when people aren’t ready to sell.
Keep in mind, there is no guarantee we will buy the item(s) down the road. We often buy based on our current inventory. It’s possible that something we wanted to buy a month ago is not of interest to us 4 weeks later because we are overstocked with similar items. Also remember that this service is not an appraisal, only an estimate of what we might pay for an item.
Is there more than one type of appraisal?
Yes. A fair market value appraisal is defined as “what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller.” Fair market value appraisals are based on current and recent sales of similar items. Such sale information is culled from auction houses and other markets that we’re familiar with. These types of appraisals are typically done for estates and/or for people who are selling off their belongings due to downsizing or moving. Keep in mind that even though we may assign a value to an item, there is no guarantee that you will get that price when you try to sell the item. But it is a good starting point for you to use should you want to sell the item.
An appraisal done for insurance purposes is known as a replacement value appraisal. Values assigned to property for replacement value are typically much higher than those in a fair market value appraisal. Here we assign a value to an item based on what the owner would have to pay should he need to go out and replace the item due to a fire, theft, damage during a move, etc.
Will you appraise my items and buy them, too?
The short answer is “no,” but there are exceptions (we’ll get to that later). The person doing an appraisal should not be the same person buying your items. It’s a conflict of interest. When you hire and pay an appraiser he/she is working for you and you alone. But when you ask a buyer to come and make you an offer, that buyer or dealer is working for himself, not for you. If you ask a dealer to appraise items that he might want to buy, he might be tempted to assign a less-than-accurate value to the item. A good appraiser will make it clear in his appraisal report that he has no interest in the items.
Now, back to the exception. In some instances, several weeks or months after we’ve done an appraisal, we’ve been contacted by the customer asking if we might have any interest in buying any of the items. The owners had sold or dispersed the estate items but still had some things left. In some of these situations we have bought some of the items but usually for less than the appraised value since we have to make a profit.
Suppose I’m not ready to sell, don’t want an appraisal but just want to get some idea of what you might buy and how much you might pay. Can I still call you?
Sure. We realize there are times when people might be contemplating a move down the road or getting ready to liquidate an estate but need some time to figure out what to keep, how to distribute items to heirs, etc.
People like to have some idea of our potential interest and some idea of what we might pay. Often, we can tell you over the phone based on a brief description or emailed photos if we might have any interest at all in something.
But if you’d prefer that we come to look at your items even though you may not be ready to sell, we offer a refundable “paid estimate” service for $100 in Westchester. Other areas a bit more depending on our travel time. Here’s how it works: assuming it sounds like there are things that we might be interested in, we’ll come to your home, look around, and give you some potential offers. If you sell us anything at that time, there is no charge. But if you don’t, we charge $75-100. If you call us back within a month offering to sell us anything we saw at the first visit, then, assuming we can still use it, we’ll come and buy it and refund the $75-100. As most people realize, time is money and we just can’t spend all day driving around looking at furniture and collectibles when people aren’t ready to sell.
Keep in mind, there is no guarantee we will buy the item(s) down the road. We often buy based on our current inventory. It’s possible that something we wanted to buy a month ago is not of interest to us 4 weeks later because we are overstocked with similar items. Also remember that this service is not an appraisal, only an estimate of what we might pay for an item.
What's the difference between you and a consignment shop?
We buy outright. A consignment shop will take your items and sell them for you. They do not buy the items. Once the item sells, the shop takes a commission, with the amount usually depending on the value of the item and the length of time it takes to sell it. Consignment shops usually don’t take much furniture as they have limited space. They also very often will charge you to transport the items to their shop.
On occasion we sometimes will manage an auction consignment for clients. We will consign your item with an auction company where we get a preferential industry commission rate. We then oversee the transportation, manage all paperwork and communication and then take a small fee once the item sells.
Can I donate furniture to you?
If we’re interested in it. Sometimes, people selling furniture or other collectibles realize that the tax deduction they can get by donating is way more than the amount they’d realize by selling outright. We work with a charity and can occasionally arrange a tax-deductible donation for you. It’s a three-way transaction. Here’s how it works: the charity has no interest in getting furniture or other donations, all they want is money. If we are interested in your items and you prefer to donate them, we will write up a receipt from the charity with a value you’re comfortable with, take the items and send the charity money. You get a deduction, the charity gets needed funds, and we get merchandise. We will not take furniture that we cannot sell. We strongly recommend you first consult with your accountant to know if a tax deduction will benefit you and what forms you may need to fill out.
On occasion we sometimes will manage an auction consignment for clients. We will consign your item with an auction company where we get a preferential industry commission rate. We then oversee the transportation, manage all paperwork and communication and then take a small fee once the item sells.
Can I donate furniture to you?
If we’re interested in it. Sometimes, people selling furniture or other collectibles realize that the tax deduction they can get by donating is way more than the amount they’d realize by selling outright. We work with a charity and can occasionally arrange a tax-deductible donation for you. It’s a three-way transaction. Here’s how it works: the charity has no interest in getting furniture or other donations, all they want is money. If we are interested in your items and you prefer to donate them, we will write up a receipt from the charity with a value you’re comfortable with, take the items and send the charity money. You get a deduction, the charity gets needed funds, and we get merchandise. We will not take furniture that we cannot sell. We strongly recommend you first consult with your accountant to know if a tax deduction will benefit you and what forms you may need to fill out.
Do you run estate sales or tag sales?
We do not have a tag sale service but we can help:
If you'd like to run the sale yourself but need help with valuations we can advise you on pricing and set-up. We would charge our standard appraisal fee ($300/hour) and then you would keep all the proceeds.
If you'd like to run the sale yourself but need help with valuations we can advise you on pricing and set-up. We would charge our standard appraisal fee ($300/hour) and then you would keep all the proceeds.