Estate Sale Frustrations

[ColoradoPhonograf]

I thought this might be of interest because we all seem to encounter a situation time to time.

I was looking at Craigslist last night and was doing a search of local garage sales and typed in "Victrola" as my search word. I saw an estate sale which was advertised to start today at 9:00am. In the description was "electric deluxe Victrola" with this picture:


I knew it was a bit odd but it looked original and untouched. I looked in the "Look for the Dog" book and figured out it was a period model Victrola Chippendale. I was revved up and couldn't hardly sleep. The metal tag inside VE CHIPPENDALE No. 0 with a serial # 501 I put a roll of $100's in my pocket that would choke a horse and got to the house at 8:15am. I was relieved to see only one other person was standing there waiting. I talked to the lady and she said the seller was out putting up signs at the local corners and that the sale wouldn't start till 9:00am. I was happy with that and I knew the lady ahead of me wasn't interested in a Victrola by any means. About 20 minutes later the lady conducting the sale came outside and was arranging things and we chatted. She then said "Well, if you are here for the Victrola...it's been sold" I told her that is why I was there and she said "I had a guy call me at 4:00am this morning and he bought it". I said "You advertised the sale as starting at 9:00am and we've been standing here". She said he made her an offer and she accepted. I was pissed off and told her it was unethical and just plain low to sell things before the sale date. I should have stuck around to see the machine in person but I was too mad. I told her that I had cash in my pocket and most likely would have paid more than the offer that came in. I also told her a few other things....... but I digress.

Do ethics play any part of anything anymore in this society? Thanks for letting me vent.

ColoradoPhonograf

[recordo]

very annoying and I'd never have the guts to telephone anyone at 4am!

[penman]

I hate when that happens!!!!!!!!!!! Didi the sale say "No early Birds"?

[Swing Band Heaven]

I think I would of been tempted to as how much the other person had paid and then make her a much better offer.....although would that be too unethical.....probably. Even if you had made a much better offer, if would of been interesting to see if she would of accepted....even if you didn't actually go through with it.

S-B-H

[antique1973]

Sorry to hear the bad news. Sleazy sellers take the fun out of "the hunt" for sure.

[phonogfp]

That really is annoying. I'd like to think that I'd take SBH's advice and make a counter-offer, but I don't know if I'd have the nerve.

Many years ago I was in an antique shop, and saw a phonograph with a price tag on it. I carried it to the desk, and said I'd take it. The owner said she'd have to call another guy, because he had said "he might buy it." You can imagine my reaction to this. Well, she rang up the other fellow, and he offered $10 more than the marked price, whereupon the owner asked me if I'd be willing to pay $10 more than his offer. My wife and I were dumbfounded. I did my best to keep my cool - always - but said, "Is this a shop or an auction house?" Even at $20 over the marked price, it was a good deal (which was why I wasn't going to try dickering the price down), but the principle of the thing really galled me. "Okay, I'll pay $_____, but if this goes on any further, the other guy - if there is an other guy - can have it." The owner spoke quickly into the phone, then hung up. The other guy didn't want it. I paid for the machine, commenting that I had never seen such goings-on in a shop before. Even now, 30 years later, the memory irks me.

Here's another story to make you feel better! I went to an estate sale where everything was priced. Everything, that is, EXCEPT 3 lots of phonograph-related items. There were parts, incomplete machines, 78s, empty cabinets, etc. It looked like old inventory from a repair shop. These three lots were to be "auctioned" off. Interested parties were to write their bids on each lot and deposit the paper into a locked box - one locked box for each lot. I followed the instructions, but since I was interested on only 2 lots, I submitted 2 bids. We waited around until noon, when the bids were to be opened. To my chagrin, the salespeople decided to accept the single bid from a fellow who combined all three lots into one bid. His single bid was greater than the sum of my two bids, but not by much. The man wasn't there, of course, when the bids were opened. I suggested that they give him the remaining lot for the difference between the sum of my bids and his single bid, but they wouldn't do it. I pointed out that had the written instructions stated to make one bid on all 3 of the lots, I'd have done the same thing, but I followed their instructions, and now had driven 120 miles and wasted my day for nothing. Too bad for me - the other guy got everything.

But just remember all the times things have worked out...!

George P.

[Skihawx]

I'm a big fan of Period Victrola's and knew what is was
the moment I saw the picture. I do think this one is a
bit gaudy. Maybe we will see it turn up at one of the
shows or on eBay. When I was a kid an antique dealer told
me about a cylinder phonograph with a some kind of glass cover.
I was only about 18 or 19 and didn't have a lot of money. I
could never come up with an offer get the woman to go to
the seller. It was never high enough I never even saw a
picture or got to look at it. That must be a machine that
made it into someone's collection by now.

[saxymojo]

Hi

I would have asked how much the 4 am buyer was paying, then told the seller you saw one sell 4 times more that amount recently, and it was in really bad condition.

Regards Marcel

[larryh]

This is a common ploy at home sales. I knew dealers who always read the sale bills the days ahead and would show up the night before the sale and say they couldn't make it the next day and often they got what they went for with no one to hassle them. People also show up hours before the sale and pressure the seller who basically feels like a sale is better than wondering if it will sell. None of it is right in my mind either, but its the way the game is played in the real world anymore. Maybe it is ethics as the world has none anymore. I too went to a sale with an interesting sounding phonograph, it was said no sales before 8 am. I got there 45 minutes early to look at things and as I walked up a guy was loading the machine in his car. Again the seller said they knew they advertised it as 8 am but wanted to sell the merchandise and when people came really early they just decided to take the money.

I got a bad taste in my mouth at Union years ago when as I was browsing the tables I ran across some nice period phonograph dealer magazines, can't recall the name. As I handed them to the seller two fellows walked up that obviously were people he knew, they indicated they would like the magazines and he grabbed them from me an informed me they were already sold as he handed them to the other people. Didn't set very well with me, but what do you do at that point. Collectors have always been rather competitive and will sometimes go to great lengths to beat you out of something you want.

[bbphonoguy]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience ColoradoPhonograf. There's so much I'd like to say about ethics, that I could go on forever. I'll just sum it up with my personal view that, if I'm so desparate to get an item that I'm making phone calls at 4am, and buying things behind people's backs, then my hobby has turned into an obsession, and I'd better learn self control or find another hobby. I'm sorry that you got punished for doing the right thing, but it's people like you that keep the world livable by at least following the rules, like a decent human being. Too bad the seller and buyer you dealt with don't even have enough sense to be ashamed.

P.S. If I was running a sale, and someone called me at 4am regarding a particular item, I would politely get his name, and have him describe himself so that I could recognize him when he arrived, then I'd tell him thanks for the information, because there is NO WAY I will be selling ANYTHING to ANY $%#*@!!! who is rude enough to call me at such an outrageous hour!