Everything But The House

Two pieces of jewelry purchased were sold as 14 k and were 10 k. Despite proof of testing they did nothing to compensate which is fraud.

I was initially so excited to find this website and saw so many interesting items. I found a small oil painting that I loved and continuously bid until I won. I ended up paying a fairly high price for small painting, but it was exactly what I wanted... or so I thought.

The problems started when I had shipping questions. I sent numerous e-mails but no one responded. Huge red flag! After a MONTH of winning the bid, I finally relieved my painting in the mail. I was horrified when I opened the box.

In all pictures on the website, the paint was bright colors that were somewhat muted (a sunset). The actual painting is super vivid colors. I would actually use the word garish to describe the color of the sky in some places. It is bright turquoise around the edges of the sunset which take up a significant amount of space on the painting. It looks so unreal as the sky is obviously never this color.

I am an avid amateur photographer with a calibrated monitor so the fault is not on my end. It looks like there was a ton of Photoshop manipulating done to the photos to make the piece more attractive. I think they decreased the saturation to the overall piece and lightened the shadows on the ground piece. There are details on the ground in the photo I can barley see in the brightest of light on the actual piece.

This experience has left me somewhat heartbroken as the painting was a spurge for me and I anxiously waited a month for it. The painting was supposed to go as the final piece in a gallery wall, now it is going to be banished to a wall that isn't very noticeable in my home. What a huge disappointment and waste of money.

They are not staffed or structured correctly for this type of business. Great concept poorly executed.

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.

When EBTH started out, they lived up to their name: Everything But the House. They would sell everything so that the sellers, generally the adult children of aging parents or parents who had passed, would have a one-stop shop to clean out a now un-needed house for sale. So, when the time came when my parents moved into an assisted living facility, I advised my sister and parents to use them. I was not terribly bothered by the high mark-ups on valuable items, because I saw that as off-setting the cost of them selling small-ticket items and literally selling everything but the house! BIG MISTAKE. THEY ARE NOT EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE. They are now, "we're going to sell your best stuff of our choosing, charge a ridiculous amount to do it, and leave you with a house full of stuff that you are going to wind up spending all the money we made you to deal with so that you are really no better off than when we started." I would never use them again. If you choose to use them, make damn sure you know just how much crap you are going to have to deal with yourself so you know what it will really cost to sell, "everything but the house."

I purchased necklace for a little more than I wanted, but being my first attempt with EBTH I went ahead until I won it. That was on June 26 and they immediately charged my card for the sale amount plus $22.58 for UPS ground. UPS Ground you say? Yes for a necklace they apparently need to ship with the same method used for a marble statue. Anyway, I started calling 10 days later and was informed of the 10 day policy which of course is 10 BUSINESS days. On the 10th business day I noticed that my item had been updated to "ready for pickup" yea! Finally! Um, apparently not. My necklace then sat for another 7 days! Until it started moving again. More emails and calls to customer service that basically say it is on the way... we promise. Then a few more days (5 past the original date of delivery) and UPS said it was out for delivery! Of course it has to be signed for, so I'm trying to figure out when it will actually show up so I don't miss it, but WAIT it is stuck at out for delivery. Yet another email to our friends at EBTH who at that very moment file a claim with UPS. HUH? It took 20 days to get so close NOW it is lost and UPS's fault? The latest email with the "customer service shipping specialist" said that only items over $999 go anything but ground and they will probably eventually find it. "Maybe next time I should buy something more expensive so I can get express shipping." I can't make this stuff up. Can I get my money back? NO WAY. "We need to be patient and wait this process out". I'm serious she actually typed that. She also said that they are "at the mercy of UPS because they are the ones that lost it". Incredible.
I just looked at the status of my order on their website which they have changed just today. --Status: Fulfilled --Shipping Status: NA Wow, just wow.
This has been rather cathartic typing this whole tale of woe. My advice is to only buy something if it is a smoking hot deal and if you can wait months to get it - maybe.

I have bought two items from this company and I'm impressed with service and shipping. Pleasure to deal with…

In September 2021 I purchased item - (ITMG*******) Bottega Veneta Matte Silver Tone Mirrored Aviators from Ebth. An online auction. The item was defective. I bought the item to my local Bottaga Venetta store located in Miami to see if anything could be done. They contacted their headquarters in Italy and reported back to me that the glasses I bought were counterfeit. EBTH refuses to acknowledge this and issitist that I take my time to contact Bottagea Venetta again and get the information in "Writing". I do not believe it is my roll as the buyer to prove that this product is a counterfeit since I have already spent too much of my time on the purchase. I supplied the Name and Address for EBTH to follow up on the info they required but they refused. Buyer beware when buying brand named product from the company with no integrity and unknowledgeable "Eperts."
I dealt with Ryan Stroble <*******@ebth.com> at EBTH

I am on the fence with this auction site. So far, out of the six auctions I have won, with only three have I been satisfied. The cause of my dissatisfaction with half of the auctions relates to inaccurate descriptions of the items. In July, I won a "pair" of Waterford lamps that were listed as a matching set, with both possessing the etched Waterford mark. Upon receipt, it was obvious that while these were similar in look and design, they were not a matching set. One was considerably lighter (6 pounds lighter - I weighed them!) and it did not have the Waterford mark. It is complete misrepresentation to call a lamp a Waterford lamp if it does not possess the etching. SO, I basically bought one Waterford lamp and a somewhat similar knock-off. Had the description been accurate, I would not have bid on the item. I have also had bad luck with auctions in Denver, which is where I live. The items I won have not been accurately described. One set of tables had scratches all over them, even though the condition on the site said "good". The pictures did not capture the extensive scratches. Not sure if they do this on purpose or by accident, but the end result is a dissatisfied customer. Lastly, I just returned from trying to pick up a fabric bench that I won last night, and like before, the description said "good" and did not clarify that there was staining to the top of the fabric bench. The staining was obvious when I went to pick up the item. Again, not sure if they think they don't have to provide accurate descriptions or what, but ultimately I am reluctant to bid on any future Denver auctions. I am starting to realize that EBTH's categorization of "good" condition runs the spectrum of excellent used condition all the way down to barely fair.

I have won items that needed to be shipped and items for local pickup.

For the shipped items: One invoice was for 1 lot and sent quickly and very well packaged. The second was for 2 lots. One lot was sent quickly the other never arrived. Many calls to customer service ( while not helpful, they were pleasant) a box appeared on my doorstep. Two items that did not belong to my order. I immediately called customer service to let them know. They said they would contact the warehouse and send out a return label. They did not contact me back for 3 weeks on that item (somebody else must have been calling them looking for those items) Never did receive the second part of the lot that I won, but after numerous calls, they did credit my account.

Pickup items: Three at the home and once at the warehouse.

The warehouse pick up was pretty organized. I had bought quite a few lots and each lot was in a box ( we had to empty the box at our vehicle and return the box) and my entire invoice was in 1 place.

Home pickups were disorganized and items were spread all through the house, leading to an adult version of a scavenger hunt. Pick up was between 1 and 6pm. At 5pm they were calling people to come pick up their items and the house was over half full. All of this might be avoided by having more time between the end of the auction and the pick up date. For all 3 home pickups the auction ended the evening before the date of pick up.
I did overhear one of the employees telling a customer that he had been bidding against her. Not ethical, and it has soured me on dealing with this company. I do not know if this was an isolated incident, or a regular way to drive up bids.

Employees seem young and inexperienced, but for the most part are pleasant and try to help.

EBTH provides really wonderful products at value prices, easy to use app and well-packed and fast shipping.