Alderfer Auction

Working with Alderfer is pretty easy and the staff is very friendly. Mom had been working with them for years and now that I have my own stuff to sort, Alderfer Auction was the first and only place I called.

Had lost my job and needed to sell my valuable collectibles. I saw Alderfer received good prices on their online auctions. I asked several times what items would go into which online auctions. They replied the items would be reviewed and placed into the best place to get the most value. They ended up dumping EVERYTHING into a general auction. I am so sick at the prices received. Enlarged photo of JFK conferring with RFK went for $ 1. Turn of the century Order of the Red Men ceremonial wear was sold as Indian costumes and brought $ 25.
I agreed to a 25% commission and 35% for items below $ 50. I never imagined that my items would sell less than $ 50. I had potential buyers for one my listed artist items. I asked when the online auction would be so I could let them know. It never had an online auction and it sold for $ 20.
If your valuable item is not getting the online exposure, do not allow auction houses to dump your items. From what I see, the auction houses only spend time to list the items when they have already bought out the estate and are making 100% of the sales price.
You have heard of buyer beware. In this case, seller beware.

Absolutely dissatisfied with this entire organization. I was in contact with the women in the real estate department and was left by the wayside while they served their own needs first. I asked for help regarding a specific property, I followed all their requests, called exactly when they said to, etc. Then, when I call again after the agent got back from «being out of town» she said there was already an offer in on the home! When I called to talk to someone further they said it was because they were going through a «time of transition». Only use this company if you want questionable, shady behavior from an unethical group of people.

This place was a complete ripoff. Do NOT sell you stuff to them. There’s no question you can do better almost anywhere else. Including your own yard sale.

This place is a hive of activity on auction days. It’s very no-​attitude, people are friendly, they answer questions in person and promptly by email. They do a little bit of everything, real estate, office equipment, estate sales, coins and stamps, and cars, all periods. It’s really kind of a catch all, so it’s best to know what you’re looking for as you sift through table upon table of ceramics or antique glassware on preview days.
They also offer some online only auctions. The buyer’s premium is 10% and they discount for cash or check payments. Credit cards are accepted. You can sign up on their web site for notifications of upcoming auctions.

Went to my second auction here on Thursday, and it’s quite the experience. This was a book/​ephemera auction and I was interested in a few books. Of course, I got there late and missed most of the lots I was interested in bidding on. But I decided to stay and get a feel for what a non-​online auction feels like.
It was a gorgeous spring day and I was inside with the motliest crew of book geeks I’ve ever seen. Sorry folks, but for Pete’s sake, get some sun! I had to keep going outside to feel alive. With the smell of old books, a gillion dust mites puttering about, and people bidding on ancient books, I felt like I was in some dusty, dank corner of Sotheby’s. I’m partially annoyed, because the signed William Saroyan first edition, I AM ARAM, sold for $ 200. I didn’t go past $ 190, and someone else got it. I’ll tell ya, there are plenty of «Good Old Folks» up there in the Hatfield area that must have some $$ because they spent alot for those old books. As it turned out, they were mostly great deals since these books go for a lot more online.
So, what’s my review? Amidst all the kvetching and disappointment for not getting what I came for, I did get some good lots and had a great time. The people were all super friendly and they all had a great love for books and making some hay later on down the line. I really recommend checking out an auction here some Thursday. Find one that has stuff you might be interested in and make a day of it. Just hope it’s rainy so you don’t feel like such a vampire.