From One Auction Buyer and Reseller To Another
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About this ebook
This edition is the easy-to-follow guide offers detailed and practical advice on successfully buying, consigning and e-commerce reselling of valuables and inventories through live regional auction houses. The book’s straightforward language introduces little known profit outlets and potential passive income streams and through the lucrative, fast-paced industry of auction buying and selling
The content cuts through the traditional misconceptions surrounding auctions and simplifies the process of buying with the purpose of reselling exclusively for profit. ecommerce reselling, sales outlets and resources are explained in detail. Entrepreneurs and selling beginners seeking financial independence and freedom can easily grasp the hidden explosive income and passive goldmine potential auction houses may provide.
The book stresses obstacles that author overcame in learning how to buy and sell knowledgeably. Proven strategies and steps create a blueprint for success for individuals seeking innovative primary and secondary sources of income. The author shares his experience and observations directly from the auction floor and behind the computer monitor. His online store sells rare books, fine art and collectibles. Auction houses have become a staple source for his operations to acquire inventory for e-commerce and passive income sales outlets.
This edition concisely breaks down the elements of how regional auction houses operate. The book simply defines staple auction terms including appraisals, value estimations, bidding options, strategies and increments, previews and advance research, reserves, buyer and seller premiums, warranties, shipping and delivery options. An extensive database of website resources and references is included along with a glossary of relevant auction industry and online usage terms.
The book stresses proven ecommerce sales strategies for reselling auction purchases. Emphasis is concentrated on optimizing selling exposure through major and innovative online ecommerce outlets including eBay, Amazon, Walmart and Facebook Marketplaces, Etsy, Craigslist and Barter Exchanges as well as direct selling vehicles such as consignment shops and estate liquidation services. eBay and Amazon’s proactive consumer marketing programs are showcased stressing their innovative seller promotional and marketing tools for success. Cultivating positive buyer feedback from even difficult customers is emphasized as critical to longevity and cultivating additional passive income ideas. Other distinctive chapters focus on selling precious metals, their derivative products and fine jewelry.
“From One Auction Buyer and Reseller to Another” emphasizes how global Internet exposure, technological advances and easily employed live bidding applications have distinctly changed auctions and live auctioneers. Online bidding has radically expanded the worldwide base of auction participants and opened explosive new income opportunities. Broader participation has also introduced complicated ethical issues involving authenticity, non-paying and shill bidders, shared marketing data, sales tax legislation and collusion.
The book’s clear and practical instruction empowers both novice and seasoned professional to maximize their selling potential. Dynamic opportunities continue to broaden. Vickers’ publication is an essential reference book for enabling individuals to expand their financial resources and destiny.
Marques Vickers
Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions. He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86. Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com. Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography. His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.
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From One Auction Buyer and Reseller To Another - Marques Vickers
From One Auction Buyer and Reseller To Another
Published By Marques Vickers at Smashwords
Copyright 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
THE BUYING PROCESS
PART 1 BUYING FROM REGIONAL AUCTON HOUSES
Protocol For Buying At Auction Houses
Previews, Descriptions and Informational Material
Pricing Estimations
Four Methods of Bidding
Bidding Increments and Buyer’s Premiums
Bargaining, Payment and Delivery
Buyer Default
Shipping
Warranties
Jewelry Lot Identification
Research and Instinct
PART 2 THE EVOLUTION OF ONLINE BIDDING
Online Service Contracts with Auction Houses
Marketing Data
Non-Paying Bidders
Vetting and Online Monitoring
Enrolling to Bid
Bidding Online
Newer Minimum/Maximum Bidding Capabilities
Auction Results Databases
PART 3 BIDDING ON AN AUCTION FLOOR
Evolution of Onsite Bidding
Collusion, Shill and Employee Bidding
Exchanging Trade Secrets
PART 4 ONE SINGLE BIDDING INCREMENT MORE
Bidding Philosophy
Visibility Tactics
Bidding Tactics
The Difference of a Single Bid Increment
PART 5 THE ETHICS OF RESELLING AUTHENTICITY
Provenance of a Collectible
Questionable Merchandise
PART 6 AUTOGRAPHS: PASSING THE SIGNATURE TEST
Comparative Resources
The Analysis of a Signature
Professional Grading Systems
CONSIGNING PROPERTY
PART 1 CONSIGNING & SELLING THROUGH AUCTION HOUSES
The Process of Consignment to an Auction House
Reserves and Price Estimations
Reporting Documents and Seller’s Premiums
RESELLING YOUR PURCHASES
PART 1 RE-SELLING YOUR AUCTION PURCHASES
Emerging Online Sales Vehicles
eBay Overview
eBay Auctions and Merchant Stores
eBay Feedback
Amazon Overview
Amazon Marketplace and Webstores
Fulfillment by Amazon and Amazon Prime
Walmart Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace
Etsy
Bonanza.com
Craigslist Overview
Transactions and Listings on Craigslist
Online Store Builder Software
Barter Exchanges
Taxation on Barter Transactions
Additional Online Auction Websites
The Future of National Online Sales Taxation Policies
Consignment Stores
Estate Sale Liquidations and Agents
Upscale Antique Fairs
Embracing Social Media
PART 2 CULTIVATING POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Philosophy Behind Customer Feedback Programs
Return Procedures
Dealing with Difficult Clients
PART 3 SELLING PRECIOUS METALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
Precious Metal Refineries
eBay and Auctions
Storefronts, Antique Shows and Traveling Buying Shows
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
PREFACE
This book is designed to help you avoid the roadblocks I endured learning how to buy knowledgeably at regional auction houses. It is an effort to help you realize a profit sooner.
I began buying and reselling rare books and collectibles professionally in 2009 following a five-year residence in southern France. I returned to my hometown in California and a job market unwelcoming to middle aged professionals.
Like many individuals whose rounded experience does not integrate well into precisely squared job descriptions, finding a permanent source of income proved challenging.
The information age has created innumerable opportunities, but maintaining relevant marketable skills and a professional network is more challenging outside of ongoing employment. Bridging the technology skills gap is critical to finding alternative income sources.
The most common request I have encountered since beginning my online selling operations is whether or not it is possible to earn a respectable livelihood. My response is definitely yes. There are ample examples of successful, self-employed entrepreneurs in numerous marketplaces worldwide.
The second most common inquiry is whether such an online enterprise can be as lucrative as a more structured and salaried position working for an established company (assuming one can actually find one). My response is a more tentatively qualified yes because business success is never preordained or certain.
Business success is a combination of educational preparation, imagination, research, decisive decision-making, timing and good fortune. Competently operated businesses may still fail despite previous success. Markets shift, customer preferences evolve and credit access may tighten making continuity problematic. Thus risk is inherent with entrepreneurship and perseverance imperative.
This book is designed to walk you through an elemental part of the success process.
The basic tenet of successfully operating an online business is: buying inventories low and reselling high. This equation for profit is easily digestible, however, the mechanics to accomplish this objective are less so.
The road to online selling success may take several detours along the way. There is no single format guaranteeing success. However, without exception, access to a reliable sourcing of resalable inventory is imperative.
One of my principal sources of inventory has been regionally based auction houses. In my case, the majority of these auction houses are located on the West Coast of the United States. Regional and special interest auction houses proliferate throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
Regional auction houses differ from major international entities such as Christies, Sotheby’s or Bonham’s based primarily by terms of scale. Regional auction houses have become a staple marketing component for numerous online resellers, flea market vendors and traditional retail establishments.
Larger operations do not necessarily translate to only appealing to larger clientele. Larger auction houses have made concerted efforts over the past decade to broaden their client base and consignment offerings. However, their very size, structure and particularly fixed operating expenses inhibit their ability to offer lower priced inventory to resellers.
There are certainly advantages to working with major auctions houses, particularly for higher priced merchandise. Most resellers establish buying and selling relationships with these major auction houses as their operations expand and client base becomes more affluent.
Larger auction houses typically have access to a larger international sales audience and offer significantly more staffing resources than their smaller competitors. Their commission structure tends to be competitive, but their selectivity restricts their consignments to larger minimum value levels and they charge higher additional service fees to consigners than the regional auction houses do. They cannot and will not guarantee higher returns on consigned property.
The ongoing evolution of the Internet continues to democratize the competitive playing field. The traditional disparity between regional auction houses and rival major auction houses has narrowed significantly. The expansion and capabilities of online bidding have essentially enabled previously modest regional operations to expand globally, creating a competitive international presence. International shipping capabilities, live bidding and contemporary payment options has made traditional geographic boundaries irrelevant. For both buyer and seller, this advancement has created unprecedented opportunities.
Participating in regional auction house sales should become an integral part of your product sourcing mix. An overview to understanding the mechanisms of buying and selling via auction houses is essential.
It should come as no surprise that the majority of professional sellers are unaware of how auction houses function.
After suggesting to one reseller that she attend a nearby auction, focused on her specialty, I was surprised initially by her reaction. She wondered about the need for a letter of introduction, if the auction was open to the public, how to avoid inadvertently bidding on an item, and finally, expressed her own concerns about being intimidated by the entire process.
Her apprehension is not unique. At one time I shared her perspective.
This view is not uncommon and based on a widely perceived notion that auctions are solely for the well educated, wealthy or those in the business. Wider attendance and exposure will certain de-mystify auction houses and the auction process.
Buying and selling via auctions is essentially a simple and straightforward practice. Navigating past the myriad of misconceptions and need not be daunting.
A growing public curiosity and interest over various forms of auctions including antiques, storage lockers, collectibles, real estate, and even pawned items have proliferated into expansive television programming. The focus of these shows extends to various aspects of the auction