Everything But The House

This is an auction site. The site is one of the most well designed of the online auction sites I have used. The auction is on a timed schedule, with extended bidding for 5 min if a bid is received just before the stated end time. The quality of the photography is uniformly excellent, if not outstanding. Identification and description of the items is generally extremely good, given the range of objects that appear. Many of the items are what you might find at a house or estate sale. I visit the site because I'm an antique collector. This site is a lot of fun, and brings back the experience the days when I used to haunt estate and garage sales. The condition of the items is generally accurate, and I have used the site for over 2 years I recently did have an issue with an expensive vase I bought that was heavily bid on. This was because of an omission in the description, and this was quickly resolved to my satisfaction, noting that most auction houses have firm disclaimers with no recourse. The person I spoke to and subsequent email correspondence was clear and excellent.

For first time users, note that most auction houses charge the buyer a premium, usually 25%. EBTH does not charge a buyers premium, which is a big deal.

Shipping. With most auction houses, you have to arrange for shipping yourself, and you are in a hostage situation, so shipping costs can be high, for even the smallest items its hard to get away with less than a $50 pickup, packing and shipping charge. For large items, the cost is prohibitive. On EBTH, your shipping charge is calculated so you know beforehand what your total cost will be. They use a variety of carriers, so there is a variation in cost especially for bigger items, but generally for small items I've found their charges to be below what I've experienced.

I have shopped with this service for over a year but in the last few months something has changed. No longer are you allowed to pick up small items at a local auction. Now all smalls and art are shipped to their distribution center in Ohio so you must pay HUGE shipping fees to have an item of interest shipped back to your local area. Last month I won a grouping of porcelain items that were so poorly packed that they were ALL broken upon arrival. I sent pictures and filled out their report, then gave the box of broken items to the UPS driver. EBTH insisted I provide a picture of the exterior of the box, which I had given back to the UPS driver. The exterior of the box was not damaged, not UPS fault, it was that EBTH tossed the breakable items in not properly wrapped to smash against each other for the journey. It has been a nightmare to try and get the refund ($21 item plus about another $30 in shipping) It also seems dishonest that they may try and blame UPS. Last I checked they said they would refund but it had not shown up on my card.
The second week of December I won an auction for a rather expensive painting, intended for gift giving. The painting never arrived. I checked and there was no tracking number, they did not proactively communicate with me. After I sent them several messages they claimed they had lost the painting and that they would refund in several days. (I have not seen the refund yet) Funny, they want you to pay within 24 hours but they can drag on a claim process forever. BUYER BEWARE. Something is up with this company and the changes are NOT customer friendly. Their email to me explaining their changes is that it is supposed to help with their "global" market. Yeah, good luck with that when can't pack a box properly or find the item you need to ship. Unreal.

Descriptions are wrong. Customer service is terrible. They do not stand behind what they do. Damage is left out of pictures and descriptions.

I spent 9 months looking for a bouillotte floor lamp for my living room. I found a beautiful cast brass 6-way lamp with a marble base which was apparently unbranded. It looked to be a good quality lamp, so I bid on it. When the exorbitant shipping cost increased by $14 during the auction, I called Customer Service. They couldn't figure out why it went up, but agreed to honor the original quote should I win the auction. I was instructed to call back when I won. I did win the auction for $27 and was thrilled that I got it for such a good price, as the shipping was $158. But I can't complain since my whole cost would be $185. Unfortunately, expensive shipping doesn't necessarily mean careful, quality shipping. In this case it meant slow, and poorly packed. When I hadn't received the lamp two weeks after I paid, I called Customer Service again and was told that the lamp would ship by the close of business the next day. It actually took three more days. When I was finally able to track the two packages, the shade was on its way, but the lamp was returned to sender. I called Customer Service again, and was told that the lamp was damaged beyond repair. I requested a copy of the photo showing the damage. The upper socket was broken and one of the candle arms was broken. I was given a prompt refund and a $25 gift card to partially compensate me for my disappointment. I was also told I could keep the shade. I wish it had been damaged rather than the lamp. I can easily get another lampshade, but bouillotte floor lamps are really rare! I was even more upset when I unwrapped the shade, as it was marked Frederick Cooper! So I apparently lost out on a valuable Frederick Cooper lamp. I will probably give them another chance if I find something really great, especially since I have $25 to spend. Since items don't appear to be as well described as on ebay, you could get a deal if something turns out to have an unspotted label. But you are also at a disadvantage since you don't have the ability to ask any questions of the seller.