An auction house that doesn´t like to sell coins...
albertopaashaus
Posts: 15 ✭✭
Today I went through the weirdest situation ever...
Last Thursday, on the 19th, an UK company held an auction and one specifically coin went unsold.
A friend of mine was following it up and told me about it the next day. He knew I would be interested on it and I got in touch with the company right after I saw his message.
On their first e-mail they confirmed it was available. I replied and I said I was going to purchase it, but I would have funds available using my credit card on October 12th, as I had made a big number of purchases last month (over US$ 10k). That would be less then a month and a secure timeframe to gets things solved (most of the time, payments are made before the asked date).
To my surprise, they didn´t accept it.
I moved on with references and explanations, but I´ve got another negative answer.
As they said that by using credit card they could only send the lot to the address in my profile, from which I moved ten years a go, I went on another strategy: a loan from my bank.
E-mails were sent and the purchase interest was clear, the loan was arranged to be signed tomorrow (I am on a trip and arrived after the bank was closed) and I would have the money there by Tuesday or Wednesday, at the most, as I was going to make a cross wire transfer from my country to Portugal and then to UK.
To my surprise, when I asked to be invoiced on their rules, they said the coin was not available anymore.
I reinforced the fact that I wanted it, sent invoices and payment receipts for purchases made the last month, and that the coin was going to paid, that I was not going to fool around the company.
The British Lady that replied back was so politely unpleasant that I gave up buying the coin. And trust me, it would be an important addition to my collection.
This is the first time in my life that I saw a coin auction company that lives from selling coins make its best not to sell coins!
I will not say the name of the company, but trust me, colleagues, Douchebags Never Win 
Alberto Paashaus
Comments
If the coins are not owned by the AH then any post-auction negotiations require the consigner to agree.
Sounds like the consigner was not agreeable to your terms, which involved a several week delay in payment, and declined the sale. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the auctioneer.
Consigner is under no obligation to sell once the auction is over.
It's also possible they did sell the coin to someone else.
That's true, but I've managed things here to accept their terms in the end. But it was worthless, they said they have returned the coin (less than a week of the auction).
Alberto Paashaus
That's what I believe. If it was the case,they could have told it before.
Alberto Paashaus
Does the Auction company name begin with "L"?
Well, just Love coins, period.
From above the initials are DNW.
Sounds like the auction house would have had to go above and beyond to make this sale work. You made it pretty hard on them. Generally, if you're already trying to do a non-standard transaction, don't add non-standard payment issues into the mix. Hard to blame the auction house here.
Lol
Ain’t that the truth?
Well, just Love coins, period.
I possible did not make myself clear: 1. I asked for the coin; 2. They sent the terms; 3. I asked if it was possible to have another payment method (In one month I spent my funds abroad and I would have to replenish my account with proceeds from my country to Europe - almost 9k euros of purchases); 4. I managed the get the funds in advance with a loan and told them to move on; 5. They said the coin was not available anymore. All of that in 3 days.
As I told them:
"I just want make clear that the problem is not money, it is the beurocratic way to get it in a less complicated, but still legal way, abroad."
And
"I hope you understand I am not trying to gain time to postpone payment, that I am not trying to fool around 'company' and that the coin will be paid".
Alberto Paashaus
Hahaha! I wish it was that. I would not be so upset in order to write this post.
Alberto Paashaus
Simply,
USE another Credit card!!!!!!!!!!!!
The more comments are coming, the more gets easier to show they were creating obstacles to sell it, after telling the coin was available and starting negotiations:
Company:
"Many thanks for your email. Our payment terms are 5 working days. If payment is made by card goods can only be sent to the address we have registered for you - which is not in the USA.
If you require goods sent to an alternative address, we can only accept payment by bank transfer"
Me:
"I´ve just check my customer account and my address is not updated"
And then I told them I have moved from it ten years ago.
I said I would have to use two credit cards for the purchase (on October 12th, only one would be used, but this option was discarded right after the second or third e-mail).
The person insisted that if paid by credit card, it should be the address on my profile. I said I would sign a document exempting them from any responsibility on shipping.
After 13 e-mails of the most incomprehensible customer service I've ever seen in my life, after almost getting a loan and loosing money (the option of a loan was a despaired way for the problem of shipping using credit card as payment), and after getting "politely indifference" from the company, I gave up it.
But as one colleague said here, repassing the e-mails, and checking some sudden changes of arguments on the context, it seems like the coin was not there anymore the following day my message was sent...
Invariably, if it was not sold, it will show up again. I only hope it is not in the same place lol.
Alberto Paashaus
There is an explanation:
When money is sent from an individual from Brazil to a company abroad, we have to file forms for an export. That's time consuming and a lot more expensive. And to make things worse, the item must be sent to Brazil - which mail system is hell.
From an individual from Brazil to another abroad, the process takes only a day or two, it's legal and I can send the coin where there is a low risk of not being received.
That was explained in order not to pass this feeling of a "Nigerian scam" - I would be scared too - and receipts and invoices of my last month purchases were sent. I offered the option of sending other companies references - big good ones.
To answer the question, I was expecting comprehension. I am not a bad payer and unfortunately, I only saw the coin after the auction was over, by indication of a friend. If I didn't buy a large amount of items last month for reselling, money from Portugal was available the following day.
Alberto Paashaus
10 years and you still haven't updated your address?
OK, So still home with lingering flu but I felt the need to put my two cents in here. I would be astonished if DNW had no good reason to proceed as they did. Of all the major auction firms, I have found none easier to deal with then DNW, not to mention their scrupulously honesty and their going above and beyond in helpful attribution of price and rarity of specialty tokens and medals for me. I am, obviously, a small client of the firm, but am never made to feel that way. I bid higher than I normally would because of their integrity- the one time I got something that was seriously misdescribed (a North American item so understandable) they refunded me even before they received the item back. I recommend them without reservation.