Siegel Changing Auction Platforms

Just received this email from Siegel:

"Dear Client,

We have exciting news to report, which should make your internet bidding experience in Siegel auctions even better.

Starting with our Outstanding United States Stamps sale on October 19-23, bidders will have the option to use a different, time-tested internet bidding platform provided by Auction Mobility.

To make everything as easy as possible, currently approved Siegel bidders at SAN are already approved. All you need to do is follow the instructions below and create an account password.

At the Login screen, click on FORGOT PASSWORD.
Enter your email address and click on SEND RESET EMAIL.
You will receive an email with a link to set password.

With the new platform, you will be able to bid, track your bids and purchases, place bids in advance of the sale, mark watch lots and participate in the live auction. We also plan to have more frequent "countdown" auctions over the next year.

To make the transition go smoothly, we will maintain our presence on Stamp Auction Network for the next few sales, but eventually you will need to bid through the new platform if you wish to bid online. Of course, we will continue to accept book bids, phone bidding and agent bidding."

Interesting. Anyone familiar with the bidding platform they are moving to?

Haven't heard of Auction Mobility but of course SAN is also a "time-tested internet bidding platform" so I wonder if the move is to get "away" from other philatelic auction sites rather than being lumped in with them on the same platform.

docgfd - I yield the floor to my esteemed colleague, if the moderator wishes to remove this thread and consolidate discussion. Lol

Could be. I suspect a reduction in Siegel's overhead costs were in play as well.

I'm equally happy to yield...moderators have at it !

Just got the same email. Very interesting. That can't be good for SAN long-term. I recall seeing references in SAN marketing emails to some auction houses not liking the new provenance feature implemented at SAN, as it more clearly reveals rehashed/churned items offered repeatedly by one or more auction houses. I wonder if that factored into the decision at all... although Siegel isn't typically guilty of offering material over and over again (see Aldrich, Kelleher, Paradise Valley, as examples of houses that typically show up when seeing numerous repeats in the provenance section for a given lot). Usually if Siegel re-offers an item it's because the purchaser is selling or died, it's a subsequent owner, etc.

SANs agent bidding has been useful for confidential bidding in advance. Not really an issue with Siegel, but certainly with a few others.

Does participate in live bidding mean with live sound?

It means live lot bidding where you can bid against the floor from SAN in real time. Not all auction houses have sound in their live bidding though.

I used SAN for years and prefer to stay on that system,they always gave me a fast respond to any issues ,there lay out of auction lots for viewing makes it easy to follow between the different firms .

I find SAN easy to use and have had bad experiences with alternate platforms over the years, so I have a bit of trepidation over this, but no choice but to give it a try (especially since Siegel doesn't give out start bids before the auction, so live bidding is a must).

I do hope the audio is clear. Siegel auctions are the most entertaining I've sat through.

I'm not, but in poking around their website it appears that the auction experience can vary greatly based upon the needs of the auction house. By that I mean that they have a base software which is then customized to meet the specific needs and design criteria of the auction house. Their testimonials page has a couple video demos and links to sites using the software.

I do like that the software apparently allows bidding via mobile app.

I'm interested in seeing how this transition goes. It seems like a good solution for larger auction houses, but I wonder if it would be beneficial to mid-range auction houses, both from a cost perspective and one of reach/accessibility to our demographic.

It is Siegel's in-house auction platform. I just registered and apparently now you have to register for each individual auction.

How does SAN get paid for regular auctions not including specific paid features? Do auction houses give a percent or some type of fee? SAN has always worked for me, but it is rather primitive technically and terrible on mobile. This is big news.

I think this is an unfortunate move for the collector. SAN put all of the major auctions accessible at one place, and SAN agent bidding was really nice if I didn't have time to view the live auction. I felt confident that the auction house wouldn't know my maximum bid. I do wonder if the provenance feature influenced Siegel's decision.

Does anyone know if SAN will still have Siegel's auctions on the calendar, and have access to images, listings and realized prices? I would presume that they need some cooperation from the auction house, or it would take a lot of effort to import on their own.

Interesting news. SAN is convenient, but does have awful site design & user interface. Perhaps competition will lead SAN to invest some time & money in improving their site.

I think there is one aspect to it that's a plus WRT future clients and the growth and maintenance of the hobby. From a technical and design perspective SAN is (and looks) old, and I can't imagine it does well at attracting new clients of a younger demo who expect certain "freshness" in the overall design, appearance, and function.