Antique & Estate Consignment

Since 1946, Absolute Auctions has enjoyed a reputation based on honesty, reliability, friendliness, expertise and a full-service approach to the auction business. We never forget that as our client, your trust and confidence in us is vital to the success of our company.

We also understand how important it is for you to choose the right method for selling your merchandise.

If you are looking to get market value for your assets without spending a lot of your own time and money advertising, displaying and liquidating them, then the Auction Method is the ideal marketing method for you.

To ensure your merchandise reaches the broadest audience possible, we market our auctions:

  • On the Internet
  • On our website
  • In local newspapers and national antique/auction publications
  • Social Media Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest
  • Estatesales.org
  • Estatesales.com

Our Dynamic Online Only Auctions model enhances all the positive benefits of the auction method of marketing by adding the following features:

Benefits to selling through Online Auctions:

  • Better Display: Items are showcased in natural surroundings
  • Full service method of auction from antiques, personal property to vehicles, equipment and real estate.
  • Safe, secure environment- Nothing is moved or handled by the public
  • Everything cataloged with multiple photos per item
  • Less handling which equals less liability and less breakage
  • Bidding occurs 24/7 worldwide from home or office
  • Everything is search engine optimized (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.)
  • Greater exposure via World-Wide web
  • Email notification to over 68,000 proven buyers on our database
  • More time on the market, at least 10 days as compared to one night
  • No large crowds onsite. Therefore, no parking issues.
  • Lower costs as items are not moved from location before sold.

***NOTE*** Most bidding on Dynamic Online Only Auctions comes in on the final days, hours, minutes and seconds of each auction.

 We are successfully conducting over 700 Dynamic Online Only Auctions a year in the tri-state area to settle estate, contents of homes, businesses, real estate, vehicles and equipment, and charities. Contact us for a free auction assessment of your needs.

In short, we tell the world about you!

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Online auctions are rapidly growing in the auction industry, making selling and buying easier and more commercially feasible for all parties involved. As time has progressed, and live auctions became synchronized with real-time online bidding, the market place for offering items to the world has and continues to keep growing. Bidders are able to find particular items further and further away, while allowing sellers with niche market pieces from specialty collections to rare and unique items to reach the proper prospective bidders.

Absolute Auctions & Realty Inc. integrated the online component to our live auctions over twenty years ago, and quickly realized the benefits to both buyers and sellers the role that online bidding played. As time has progressed and technology has constantly improved, we addressed the needs and wants of both buyers and sellers across the tri-state region, and in turn developed what is widely known today as our Dynamic Online Only Auction (DOOA) program. Through this method of selling, items can be sold remotely in a home or business, or at our auction center in Pleasant Valley, NY. Not only is this method much more cost effective for sellers, but buyers in many cases, never have to travel until they know they are a successful purchaser of an item(s).

If items are being sold onsite, remotely in a home or business, the first step to selling through a Dynamic Online Only Auction is an auction assessment. Sellers can contact our office and speak with a staff member to schedule an appointment, or can take photos of the location where items are located including aerial photos of rooms, space, items, etc. and send them via email to our office. A representative from our company would come to your home or business where the items are located. The representative would review all assets, logistics of setup and removal, parking, etc. At AAR we pride ourselves in making sure that we find the simplest, smoothest form of auction for you and your needs.

A Dynamic Online Only Auction in a home or business can generally be setup by a two person team in one day. A team would come to the location to lot, photograph, and catalog all the items to be sold, and portray each lot in its best light for the world to see. We utilize professional photography equipment to shoot all of your lots to make sure that everything from the construction of a piece of furniture to the marks on a piece of jewelry are clear and visible for bidders to see. Taking multiple photos of items with strong search engine optimized (SEO) titles descriptions, allows your items to be found on major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.

Once the auction is setup in the home, and all lots are photographed and cataloged, data is transferred into our proprietary system and posted live for bidding at AARBids.com. Once your auction is posted live online, bidding commences immediately for 7-10 days, or whatever predetermined time frame. Lots begin to end 30 seconds apart at a predetermined date and time at which time bidders are either successful or outbid by other buyers. The “D” in our DOOA auctions stands for our Dynamic ending feature on our online system, where if a bid comes in within the last two minutes of a lot’s scheduled closing time, the clock extends two minutes to allow under-bidders the opportunity to bid again. This extension of time continues until bidding has stopped for a full two minutes.

Buyer’s from all over the world have come to enjoy this method of auction, as many are not traveling unnecessarily to a sale in hopes of possibly being the high bidder. Through this model bidders do not travel to pickup or have items shipped until they are the high bidder and have successfully paid for their purchases.

Why would someone sell at auction instead of pricing their items?

Auctions are fast and efficient, and they reflect the true fair market value of merchandise. When an item is “priced” it is usually either under priced or over priced. Either way, the seller takes a risk. If the price is too low, it sells to the first bargain hunter who finds it. He then sells it for the profit that should have been the seller’s. If the price is too high, the item does not sell. It then has to be advertised again at a lower price or negotiated through haggling with one person at a time. At auction, all serious potential buyers are brought together to compete, and the seller is assured of fair market value. It is a time-honored process that is also hassle-free.

How does consignment work?

Consignment refers to the agreement made between you and Absolute Auctions to sell your merchandise at our auction, after which we are paid a percentage of the sale price and you are paid the balance.

Absolute Auctions earns our percentage (or commission) by providing the following services:

  • Storage prior to auction; if brought to out facility
  • Cleaning/polishing/minor repair if required
  • Creation and cataloging of each lot (a “lot” is one item or a group of items sold as one unit)
  • Photographing of each lot
  • Advance auction marketing in print ads, via email notices and on websites
  • Online bidding
  • Complete printout of consigned items, with lot-by-lot breakdown of commission earned and balance due to you, sent with your check 30 days from the date of the auction
Can you come to pick up my items for auction?

Yes, we do offer pick-up (trucking) service at a reasonable hourly rate for items that are too large for you to transport to our Auction Center, or for estates with a large number of items to be auctioned. To schedule trucking, you may contact the Absolute Auction Center Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm at (800) 243-0061. Any trucking charges incurred will not be charged up front; they will be deducted from your consignment check after your items have been auctioned.

Onsite Auctions

In certain cases, we may recommend auctioning your merchandise onsite at your location.

It works in the following way:

  • The merchandise does not come to the Absolute Auction Center, instead, it remains at its current location, where it is photographed and cataloged in place.
  • These items are marketed as their own auction
  • After the auction, successful bidders are instructed to pick up their purchases at your location during a scheduled pickup date you have approved prior to the auction.

If it is determined to be the best selling method for your particular merchandise, the selling onsite has several advantages:

  • If time is of the essence, the sale of your merchandise can take 1-3 weeks. Through the use of our extensive marketing program and depending on the types and quantity of items to be auctioned – we can hold a separate event just for your merchandise.
  • Large items – for example, collector cars, RVs, over-sized furniture, and professional equipment – do not have to be moved, which is not only more convenient and less costly, it also minimizes the potential for damage.
  • Specialty merchandise, such as boats, shop tools, grand pianos or pool tables, can be showcased in their “element,” which adds to their appeal.
  • Sizeable collections or large groups of similar items, for instance a fleet of surplus municipal vehicles, can be previewed on-site at specific times with minimal impact to the seller.

 

How do I send you my list of items?

Before you begin, it might help to familiarize yourself with the types of merchandise we would and wouldn’t recommend for auction. To make that easier, we have created a brief self-evaluation form, as well as a general list of items we do and don’t take.

Click here for the Consignment Information form

Once you have reviewed your items, you can email us your list. Please remember that providing descriptive photos and the history of an item are also very helpful. Once we have evaluated your items, we will let you know if we think they have a good market at auction.