Online Estate Auctions of Personal Property
An online estate auction is often a great method to sell the contents of an estate or when downsizing or moving. It offers many of the benefits of an estate sale along with the benefits of an auction.
An online estate sale may be the best way to sell items under the following circumstances:
- 1. Items are too large to be easily moved from the location.
- 2. There are many higher end modern furnishings that may not appeal to antique auction buyers but would sell well to others who would appreciate them.
- 3. The home is in a rural area without much traffic.
- 4. Access to the home is limited or parking is a problem such as in a condominium that doesn’t allow estate sales or in a city where there is limited parking.
Online auction items we’ve sold that were too large to move to our auction hall include a 1947 Chris Craft boat, Wells index milling machine and even a World War II Allison aircraft engine. The winning bidders provided their own shippers and riggers to transport their items after the sale.
Below are just a few of the items we've sold in past online estate auctions.
We find that antiques and collectibles sell well at auction in Massachusetts. To sell other personal property, an estate sale or online auction is a better option. For example, we sold Henredon furniture, which wouldn’t have appealed to antique dealers or collectors, for strong prices using an online estate sale.
There are different software platforms that can be used to run an online auction. Some applications run on an auctioneer’s website. We run our online auctions on one of the most widely used auction platforms available. The host website provides us with additional bidders who find our auctions through their site. Combined with mailing our large client list and advertising, we reach a large amount of bidders who view our offerings. This is especially important in rural areas that aren’t well travelled. The network of bidders is greatly expanded resulting in higher prices for consignors. An online estate auction in a small town can attract bidders from throughout the country and even around the world!
Running a sale in the Boston area or other heavily populated cities comes with a different set of obstacles. There is typically little parking and a traditional estate (tag) sale may not be a viable option. Condominium rules often also don’t allow the traffic and signs that are part of a traditional estate sale. With an online estate sale, winning bidders are provided with a pickup time period lasting several hours which creates less traffic and parking issues.
There are additional benefits to an online estate auction. Items can be grouped and sold together which keeps the cleanout after the sale to a minimum, resulting in more profit for the estate. We use credit card payment so that all items are paid for prior to pickup and helps ensure that bidders follow through with their commitment. The online estate auction is one of many options to sell estate contents. We can help you determine whether an online estate auction, live auction or a traditional estate sale is best for your situation.
For more information about Online Estate Auctions Of Personal Property In Massachusetts, please call 508-612-6111 or e-mail us.
