Everything But The HouseReviews 794

Wow, first I bought a Barometer that was obviously damaged upon arrival but not described in the description or the photographs. They acknowledged the damage and asked for pictures of the box, which had no damage, ( to blame the shipper?). Still waiting for a promised refund/resolution. Then, last night, I place a bid on an item worth $5, the bid was $11, and I bid $12, but it recorded as a bid of $1295. 00! Speaking to them on the phone, they said they can't retract it "because the seller is expecting the money" I bet they are, for a broken worthless clock. Ive bought through auctions for years without an issue. That they can't see the difference between buyers remorse and a technical issue causing a grossly too high bid on an item is frankly criminal.

I purchased a small ceramic box called a Limoges for a gift. The EBTH professional photography hid cracked defects and a glued repair. The lighting made all types of reflections on the item that hid the crack. The write up made no mention of any damage either. It said it was in "Good condition - gentle signs of wear consistent with use ". The item had been broken and glued back together for heavens sake! EBTH said they didn't have to write in the ad that an item was damaged if they had a picture of it. I could not see any damage in their touched up pictures and no one else I showed the pictures could either. EBTH customer service said in one of the 5 pictures "the marketing dept" could see the damage so they were not refunding the money or taking it back for resell. There is no accountabilty. They only use first names. "Margaret" was the last person I spoke to and she was not helpful at all. Would not let me speak to anyone higher. They protect themselves only. Ebay has an easy return policy. Be careful with EBTH...

I'v read some pretty negative reviews about this company and its service. My experience has been fantastic. I find interesting things... and while yes the shipping costs can be more than you would get on Amazon, things are extremely well packaged. This site has allowed me access to some valued antique treasures that I would not be able to obtain elsewhere. Additionally, every time I have contacted EBTH asking a question for for assistance-- I have received exemplary customer service. I have bought jewelry, art, porcelain, silver, books. A whole variety of things. And again-- I have NEVER had a problem. I've been a regular user of this site for over a year-- obtaining things on an almost weekly basis. I obtained a set of Russian Imperial Everyday porcelain dishes from the Tsar's palace dating from the reign of Paul I, and I have obtained a Wedgwood basalt cup and saucer dating from 1780-- one of the earliest in existence. There is no way that I could ever experience these things without EBTH. So as an estate sale purchaser, I love this site and its service. I just wanted to put a good review out there because this group deserves to hear good things and not just bad things about what they are doing.

I contacted the company to auction items that I had and the entire process turned out to be a total farce. I was told I needed at least 100 items to have an auction, I gathered my things, organized them and waited for the sells rep. To come to my home and "evaluate" everything. He informed me that my new and current items were not acceptable for their site and I should put them on Craig's list. What I found more confusing is the items I had for sell were the same or similar items that was on the site. He informed me he would only accept my gold jewelry and some of my art. The site is called " EVERYTHING" but the house, this company must think they are one of the New York auction houses. Also they inflate their shipping cost. I purchased a key ring and was charged over 15.00 dollars for shipping. I had new leather, crystal, designer purses, collectables, instruments and more only to be denied an auction. You need to change the name of your company to ''SOME THINGS IN THE HOUSE, MAYBE"!

It was so disappointing to find out that a "14k gold chain" that I bought from EBTH FOR $500 was a Fake, moreover when I reported the incident to them they asked me how was i so sure it was fake and not real. That is because I was lucky enough that I was traveling to India, where I got it checked and learned I had been cheated. On top of all this, their team had the audacity to tell me that I needed to ship it within 30 days or else it will not be returned at all (I told them that i was going to reach the states in mid march, but they wouldn't listen). Some how I managed to send it back from another country or else would have paid $500 for a piece of copper.
Although they issued a refund, but this kind of service is not acceptable. Moreover they didn't take any responsibility for the money i spent to ship it from India to USA.

Have purchased 2 Atmos 540 Clocks through them. The first they didn't lock the pendulum and it rattled against the glass the whole trip. I reported it as it didn't work. No reimbursement, just send pictures we'll file a complaint about shipping.
So I fixed it, the chain had gotten twisted, and if I didn't know about them it would have cost me $350 to have repaired.
The second poor packaging and they dropped it. Crushed the frame, broke the back and front glass. This time I went to my credit card company and am having them get the money back. It is beyond repair.
What floors me is when I spoke to their customer service they feel they are entitled to keep your money even though you received a totally useless broken item.
Fool me once... NEVER buying through them again.
And their shipping cost are outrageous and it takes a month a half to receive anything.
Stay away!

Last July, I wrote a highly critical review of Everything But The House... and every word was true. To my delight, and that of other bidders, EBTH has changed dramatically.

We gave the company another shot and they delivered again and again. We've purchased multiple items over the past month, with every item delivered a week or less after payment.

For everyone who complains about shipping and taxes, I ask you to look carefully at charges and the associated costs. Taxes charged are your local sales taxes. If they're too high, talk with you local politicians. Since I moved to St. Louis in the late 1990's, our sales tax has gone from just over 6% to just a fraction under 10%. Because of their scope and size, EBTH is required to charge sales tax.

As for shipping costs, most of the time these costs make sense. EBTH uses heavy duty packing boxes, which are expensive, rather than ordinary storage boxes. While more costly, these boxes virtually assure items are not damaged in transit. Are there a few "head scratchers" when it comes to S&H charges? Sure. But for the most part, EBTH's charges are now much more acceptable.

Now for areas that still need improvement:

1. Descriptions. There needs to be more accurate descriptions, particularly on items that require critical measurements, verification of authenticity, etc.

2. Better photography. Photos can be deceptive. All shots should serve as full damage disclosure or proof of reproduction or authenticity.

3. Jewelry shots should show actual scale. Close ups of jewelry can make items seem larger and more impressive than they actually are. Photos need to show accurate detail. Maybe a shot of a necklace on a model's neck, a ring on a finer. Etc.

4. There needs to be more detailed research. I say this as someone who does research for a major sports memorabilia auction service. Research is severely lacking at EBTH. It's an easy fix. It just requires a little time, diligence and care.

Good job, EBTH. You've taken some critical steps to help improve your service. Keep going. The difference has been astounding. Strive for perfection for your customers and they will reward you with they loyalty as well as their hard earned money.

I rarely write reviews, but feel I need to warn others. I purchased several sets of draperies from the same location. When I initially searched, they were about 1 1/2 hours away and felt good about driving to pick them up. I ended up purchasing eight sets of draperies. They charged an average of $22. Each for shipping, a total of over $175.00. I contacted them to see if they would ship them together to save on the shipping charges, or let me pick them up in either Indiana or Ohio at one of their distribution centers (I am in Kentucky). They said NO WAY. These are all light weight - and the shipping charges should be much less. They could only ship because that was the sellers preference. I told them if the seller knew you were overcharging for the shipping, I was sure they would reconsider. They would not. This was a very frustrating experience to me, I will NEVER use them again.

I reported them to BBB. Beware - they will not work with the customer at all.