Why Do Auction Houses Get A Free Pass When They Charge Excessive Shipping?

People tend to excoriate ebay sellers when they charge "too much" for shipping & handling, but no one ever complains when traditional auction houses do it. Why is that?

Is it because they are perceived as having the right to cover overhead, but online sellers are not?

Auction houses are already taking a 15-25% cut of whatever you buy even before shipping & handling, so why is it ok for them to overcharge?

I just received a lot from Kelleher auctions... a single document, not an oversized, heavy, or bulky lot. When they charged me $27 for shipping & handling, I presumed it would be sent via Express Mail, since they use discount postage for their smaller lots. Was it?... nope.

Well, ok then presumably it at least would have been sent Registered Mail, right?.... nope.

Ok, ok, Priority Mail insured then... nope.

1st class certified mail, with $8.75 of discount postage affixed.

I'm sorry, but 3x actual shipping costs is B.S.

So you might say "well, perhaps $27 is their minimum shipping fee, and had you won more lots it would have been defrayed across more material." Ok, if that's the case, then presumably their "minimum shipping fee" would be published somewhere as part of their terms and conditions or on their website... nope.

I sent them an email at the beginning of the week expressing my dissatisfaction on what they charge for shipping. Not even the courtesy of a copy and paste response... nothing at all.

Some will likely think that I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but if auction houses like Rasdale, Downeast, and yes even Aldrich can charge reasonable S&H minimums, and bigger auction houses like Rumsey and Siegel can at least ship via Express Mail for the $20-25 they charge for S&H, then Kelleher should be able to get by without ripping off customers.

Here endeth the rant.

I don't think they get a pass for tacking on unexpected margin. It's negotiable in just the manner that you are doing. If there is no response and you used a credit card, contact your card issuer and lodge a dispute on the basis of breach of contract, or charging for a service not provided. I believe you only have 60 days to do so. After a couple of charge-backs, any auction house would learn that they can only pass through actual cost.

You sent an email "at the beginning of the week." Today is Thursday. With only 2 or 3 days having passed since your email, I'm not sure you have a right to complain about non-response yet. It's a business, they get tons of email. Allow 2 weeks. Or phone?

I agree with you I think they know we are a captive audience. I only have 5 auction houses that I deal with and I can't afford to get blackballed from any of them.

As for communicating with Kelleher I think the front office screens emails and complaints rarely get passed on to management.

Not only that, Kelleher was at the big international in Sweden that just ended and will be at NAPEX in Virginia this weekend.

2 weeks? Heck no. This isn't the 1990s. At my job, we answer all customer service issues within 2 business days at the outside, ideally within 1 business day. This isn't some huge MNC with thousands of emails incoming daily.

If they reply, I'll follow up or revise my post accordingly.




Are you telling me that their office is closed and unmanned when auctions are being conducted? I don't think so... especially when I received an email from their office just this afternoon asking me for a street address for catalogs rather than a PO Box. That tells me their office is staffed.

I'm a tiny player in their world, so my satisfaction likely doesn't rise to any level of importance; my continued participation won't affect their bottom line one way or the other.

*shrug*

I had the same experience with Kelleher. The problem was I only won a couple small lots so would easily be sent by first class certified.

My point was simply that the senior employees are just returning from one big show and heading to another. Obviously, I don't know what happened to your e-mail. Maybe it was deleted without further consideration. However, if it was forwarded to one of the higher-ups for consideration, they might not have had a chance to review it.

Just for the sake of playing devil's advocate here, since there's no insurance on Certified Mail, is it possible that their total included a fee for 'self-insurance?' Now with that question having been asked, if that's the case and its not disclosed, its bs. If its not the case, then that's upper case BS. And their lack of a response is an even larger font BS!

I only buy from a couple of auction houses, or I'd be destitute. Postage is expensive, because auctioneers are risk-averse people who use next day/signed for services. But postage is always at cost, and the items are packed so as to minimise that cost. An arbitrary minimum fee would be highly unpalatable. Postage is lost in the noise if you're buying bulky, more expensive lots. If you win one item, it be becomes a more serious factor.

I have my own insurance, so I tell the auction companies how I want it sent and to delete their insurance.

A recent Kelleher auction resulted in a certified letter shipping rate of $8.00 when I asked them to remove the insurance and to send it certified.

Somehow I don't think it costs $18.00 to self-insure an item that invoiced for $200...

Kelleher Conditions of Sale 4.c

"All charges for handling, delivery and insurance obtained by Kelleher on behalf of the purchaser shall be added to the purchase price; a minimum charge of $20.00 will be made. Risk of loss in transit shall be on the purchaser."

What is not being discussed here is the COMPLETE INVOICE .....Kelleher is a excellent firm to deal with ,as you can see I get a $11.00 discount on a $17.00 shipping fee and actual postage over $8.00 .

If your going to make a charge ,please tell us the whole story . I found Kelleher being a honest firm to deal with going all the way back to the days I would fly into Boston ,15 years ago .I learn to live with the cost of packing and shipping and insurance from all the auction firms .

I am sure they did not pay face for the stamps used.

In the end if I want to bid on their lots, I adjust my bidding accordingly. I accept that is how they do business.

Kelleher's new policy is to give a 2% discount if you pay within 15 days, even if you use a credit card. I love to use my CC and get my free miles but I often have to pay 3% for using the card. Kelleher's policy is a 5% savings for me and I love it!

On the other hand I've had a lot of trouble dealing with them in the last 6 months and I don't think management even knows there's a problem.