Everything But The House

I'm a good customer, But happens that I had 24 items on my trade, bidding, called my attention that in a matter of 5. Minutes. All my 24 items were over bid
Only some one with control from inside can see my profile. I did not like that. I feel cheated.

I am a fan of antique jewelry and I really love shopping on EBTH.com. They have a lot of great items and often at great prices. Unfortunately, the delivery option they often use has proven unreliable. Out of about ten items ordered over the past 6 or 7 months, two have been lost in the mail. I am particularly upset about the most recent one, a pair of irreplaceable victorian earrings. The worst part about these items being lost in the mail is that when you contact EBTH about it, they will tell you they can't do anything about it until it has been 30 days, at which point they will file a claim with FedEx and send you a refund. So twice I have been in this waiting game position of being without both product and money, and would have really preferred that EBTH make an effort to track down the missing items rather than force me to wait until they were lost forever and then issue a refund.

Until this practice is changed, I will no longer spend more than $200 on EBTH.

I've had good success purchasing small items via this company, but just know that shipping is based on the value of the piece, not on the distance. For example, a vintage dresser in good condition but not particularly valuable might ship for $150, while a similar brand-name piece will ship from the same sale to the same destination for twice that amount or more. No doubt this is to ensure a minimum profit, but for an auction site, this is not cool.

I have purchased few items from EBTH and very happy with my purchases however, My last purchased was a table yesterday and I noticed the auction didn't end at the time that was Listed. The auction was suppose to end at 6:27 but instead ended 6:34. That few minutes cost me $150 more I've never experienced this at any auction before. Not sure if it's illegal but very dishonest. I believe that table is my last purchase from them.

I have been a fan of this site for over a year now and have made many purchases, I have received every one, almost all have been in good condition when received and those that weren't they compensated me for. Communication has been an issue for them off and on but they have managed to come through in the end.
Although I have had my problems with them I have believed that they had good intentions and wanted to do right for the customers... I actually decided to consign a large number of items to them to sell and had a rep come to the house to review my items... she arrived and stated that I needed 100 items to list a individual sale, I easily had that, original paintings, deco furniture, tables, antiques, craft items, and so on. I had been watching the site for a while and knew more than she did about what they were marketing. She supposedly got a phone call and while she was on the phone the number of items needed for the individual sale listing rose from 100 items to 200 items and I would need to deliver the items to the warehouse and send an inventory ahead so they could decide what they wanted. She left saying she would get back with me.
I felt very disrespected by this person and decided a donation would be a better option for these things than working with her. She did call back the next week...
I used to find deals here but there are very few to be had any more, the sales have become far less interesting than they once were and noticeably fewer. I am sorry to see this happen as I know there are good people working hard to make this work who have no control over the decision makers. I have gone on too long here, I will still watch for a good deal but will be less enthusiastic about the site as it slips into failing mode... such a shame.

I bought 2 full size baker sofas a armoire and 2 chairs. Upon arrival at warehouse no one from EBTH was there. No problem I was early. When they did arrive no one knew where the stuff was. Not the warehouse and not the low level employees. 2 hours later they found the crate upon getting home I realized I was missing the 4 couch pillows. But still I would buy from them again. You go through the headache for the good deal.

I have "won" 3 items this month but they have yet to ship. What I have noticed though is, watch out for the "vultures". There is a link to "sales ending" and my theory is that dealers wait to pick off those who think they may have gotten a good deal. The vultures wait until the last minutes and pick a price just high enough to win your item. So if you aren't diligent that last hour(even last seconds!) you WILL lose. So know that this is not a place for bargains, and be willing to pay, meaning put your high Bid in appropriately, for what you really love. That being said, after having read the rest of these reviews I hope I actually receive, INTACT, things I have won.

I discovered EBTH roughly three years ago. Overall, I like going to the site and check for items that I am interested in a number of times a week. But in the past two or so years, I have come to purchase from them less and less. But first the good things.

Timing:

The items up for auction are put well ahead of time, so you often have at least a week before the closing date arrives.

Photos:

The photos of objects are very well done, leaving very little question to various details of the items.

Transactions are quick and arrive fast, very well-packed, and seldom without any problem.

Now, the Not So Good.

Shipping: Shipping is absolutely out of line, more than it isn't. I have bought things from other auctions sites that are much lesser known than EBTH, and further away from their location, and yet have paid a fraction of the cost for similar sized items. I haven't paid attention to whom EBTH currently uses, but one auction house I deal with always uses FedEx and there is never a problem, shipping is low and in line with the item and distance. But not so with EBTH.

The first time I won something on EBTH, it happened to be a small piece of furniture. I never received it. Instead, I was given various reasons why it was late, or where it is now, or why the shipper is behind. After a month and a half of this, I called and cancelled the order. Their reply was that, "well, it seems you've waited long enough for the item, so we'll refund your credit card." Nice.

Photo Depictions: As I said earlier, their photos are very good and close to professional. However. Be careful with antiques and older items. Because they will tweak the photos to make them appear cleaner or brighter than they actually are. I had two items from them where this occurred. One was a very low-key painting. It was down in browns and deep earth tones and very monochromatic. In the EBTH photos, it appeared at least three or four times brighter than in actuality. The subject was very discernible, crisp, and can be seen readily from a distance. However, in reality the painting is so dark, that even in a very brightly lit room, WITH a painting lamp attached to its frame, it still is extremely dark and difficult to make out, so much so that I have never hung it on the wall. It looks too much like a black hole to nowhere. Too much tweaking with Photoshop going on.

The second item was with these very lovely large bronze 19th century bronze mantle urns. In the photos they appeared bright, clean, and polished. However, in reality, they were very dark, heavily tarnished, and dirty. I have no problem with this, as this is to be expected with older items. What I do have a problem with is that tweaking photos to completely change the appearance, giving them almost a new look, is not honest. I would understand doing this and being up front that the reason is to provide as much detail of an object as possible, then including one photo of actual tones to give its current shape. But EBTH doesn't do this.

Expediting Fee: Read the guidelines carefully. What you may not be aware of initially, is that once you win an item, there is an additional fee called an Everything Expedited Fee. It gets added on to the invoice and I have no idea if it is a set fee or a percentage based on the sale price. It may be the latter because on the invoice for the Urns, the amount is an odd amount ie., $8.09. Now why do this? That too me should be part of their cost for doing business. I am no fan of this current practice of breaking down every business's accounting steps and charging for them, like the utility companies do. I did not ask for that order to be expedited, and really I nor anyone else should have too. That should be normal business practice. A customer purchases something from you, and it is in your best interest to get it processed and out as soon as possible. It shouldn't be handled as if that business is doing you some kind of favor. Well, let's see… if you want your package within two months, it will cost you a little more… Buying from people was never this seedy in the past, but now these past two decades nothing is gratuitous anymore.

Conclusion:
For these two glaring reasons, I have come to use EBTH much less than previously. My biggest complaint are the shipping prices. As of this past year, I have yet to see anything shipped below $35. I could understand it if it had to do with the handling materials, but I receive items from another site with the same level of packing and care and sometimes more so, at a fraction of the cost. So, I don't buy that excuse.

This is also one of the same reasons I shop less and less with eBay. Sellers are abusing the shipping costs there as well, and have been for years. They complain, whine, and blame it on eBay, but I've sold through eBay countless times and never found their commissions or their shipping calculations out of hand. But then, unlike most sellers these days, I packaged items in size appropriate boxes, weighed them individually myself and didn't rely on the USPS Flat Rate boxes with static pricing on them. Too often, that would mean putting an $8 item in a $10.35 or more Flat Rate box. This lazy approach cost the buyer much more than it should, and too many sellers are doing this now.

So, If you think you are going to save some money buying on EBTH or eBay for that matter, think twice and very carefully. Yes, the item you may be interested in will have a very inviting selling price, but the shipping will either be equal to or more than what you buy it for. And typically, by quite a lot, thus killing whatever savings you think you will make. When eBay and similar sites such as this first began, this was hardly ever a problem. It really was worth shopping for used items this way. You seldom paid anything more for something than what you would expect in a garage sale. Today? Now you find things being sold for a small percentage less from what they cost new. And that is both greedy and ridiculous.

And I'm sorry, a 10% savings on something is hardly worth the effort just to say that you saved something.

Be careful. It is written Charleston or Month Pleasant sale, but accually the sale is from Ohio. At the end of the auction if you did win, they charge you the shipping whithout your will.

Packing was awful. Lampshade all squashed. Shipping fees cost me more than the article! But I do love their stuff. But I would but never sell with them.

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.

Read every single word in their listings! I recently purchased a Ball Watch Co. Watch that stated the watch was in running condition... only thing is way down in the listing it stated the crown was dented and loose. Well, the stem is trashed and therefore it will cost me a couple hundred dollars to get the watch repaired! They had the watch authenticated (according to the listing) so they knew it was bad! But to get their 30% they got a sucker like me to bite! When I protested they said the watch was as listed. This is the FOURTH time I've had a problem with EBTH.COM and the first time they've refused to make it right. I'm done with them.

This site offers an wide range of objects, from fake jewelry to Porsches. Beware the scant information offered on size, condition, and material something is made of. Also, they don't know what Art Deco is, so search for that style knowing you're going to get a little of everything.

I have purchased several items locally from EBTH and I was very pleased with the results. I will not buy anything that has to be shipped any more because the shipping costs were much higher than quoted. I also had a problem with my last local purchase. I won two lamps and they were a very good price, however I was not notified about the pickup location or time. Fortunately I was able to contact someone (not locally) and I was able to pick up the lamps at the warehouse for an extra $20. I can not take that chance again. So... beware!

I have used EBTH for a number of large items in the past. Last week I was unable to meet a pick up date due to ice storm across the entire Midwest. Customer service has been dismissive and unhelpful even though I called ahead of time and tried to make alternate arrangements. One employee told me that they are going to change the rules so that if you miss a pick up you forfeit. Be careful what you bid on!

I've made several purchases on this site and am very happy with most of them. However, I've noticed that more and more items are no longer available for pick-up. The sale will say it's a Los Angeles sale but it appears they are shipping the items out of Ohio. I find this very misleading even if it is a Los Angeles based estate. They are shipping truck loads of stuff to their main warehouse where the then charge exorbitant fees for S & H. It's all a scheme to earn $$ on the shipping. This is shifting more of the profits to them and away from the clients they are doing the estate sales for. Because of the shipping costs the bids will be naturally lower leaving a lesser payment to the client.

https://www.ebth.com/items/*******-assorted-wood-and-metal-baskets
Here is a listing that is 'shipping only.' For my zip code the cost of shipping is over $45! Who is going to pay that? The current bid is "zero." I doubt it will get any bids at all. I've noticed that they have more and more unsold items in their sales because of their new shipping program..

I love EBTH. It has become a bit of an obsession. I bid on and win a large number of items. However, there seems to be two classes of shipping. Small items they mail or send UPS themselves for a decent (slightly high sometimes) fee and then larger items are shipped using a shipping service ShipHawk which provides a method for websites to get automated quotes for shipping via truck. ShipHawk rates are ridiculously high. It is not unusual to see rates $50-900 for shipping art or moderate size furniture. We have made a game of guessing the shipping rates for some items with friends and coworkers.

Local pickup is the best option most times, but beware, they only allow pickup during a very narrow time frame. Sometimes they even charge a warehouse pickup fee, which is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. I have been doing online auctions for years and never been charged a pickup fee when I am picking it up at their location.

Finally, items that are shipped by EBTH themselves are generally very well packaged. Especially small items. I received a huge box that had 6 glasses all wrapped and tapped up in copious amount of bubble wrap. They were in perfect condition. I have found, however, that some EBTH locations do not adhere to such high packaging standards, especially with heavier items. I received a marble mantle clock with bronze decorative pieces weighing about 40 lbs. it was wrapped 3 times with small bubble wrap and placed in a box too large for the item with a little filler paper. One small fragile sticker on a corner did not properly warn carriers. Nor was it marked HEAVY, which would have been appropriate as marble and bronze are heavy and the weight was more than one would expect from a box this size. It had obviously been dropped or banged up as 2 corners were caved in. Of couse, the marble broken and bronze pieces knocked loose. Such a shame, I was really looking forward to this item.

I had a similar shipping problem with a large antique Chinese vase with brass stand and lid. The lid and stand were left in place and wrapped with Saran-type plastic wrap and some filler paper. It arrived shattered. The company did reimburse me, but they fail to comprehend the excitement and pleasure from winning an auction is your love for the piece and anticipation of its arrival. The long expensive shipping process removes much of the joy. Having a piece that you watched and bud on for days and won in a bidding war at the last minute taken away because they failed to make an effort to package it correctly is devastating. It is so disrespectful to their customers, the sellers and to the items they say they care about.

Hey EBTH, fix your shipping irregularities soon. Almost all the complaints here are due to shipping. Catch a clue!

I love my bed, but your website said delivery would be pre-arranged. That did not happen. While I was at work, I received a phone call from the delivery men at my house. They left my bed frame on my porch. What happened to pre-arranged delivery? I am not happy.

I've been an EBTH customer for several months, excited about the opportunity to easily watch sales and purchase items for local pick up in Dallas, TX, thus not having to pay shipping. Without notifying their customers, EBTH changed their format to instead of local warehouses storing all products listed under sales listed IN dallas, to now sending them up to Blue ash, OH because they said they can ship quicker out of their distribution center. This defeats my entire reason to use the app. Not only that, you have to check every item bc some are still local. I've also seen them incorrectly list a TN sale in Dallas. Sucks for the owner of the goods, they probably didn't get as much sold. I also have a friend who had a ton of extra art and gave to EBTH to sell, in which they had to do in two separate sales. If your item doesn't sell they keep it. Halfway during the sale they moved the location from being listed under dallas to listed under blue ash (even though they had already moved the merchandise to blue ash) to try and get more interest. The second sale they were to list in OH to begin with and it showed up on the app but not on the website. Seems hard to keep up with, especially if you're trying to sell stuff with them. Some of the bidding conveniently goes up at 3am when a sale first comes on... although shill bidding isn't permitted. Wonder what they do with what doesn't sell.

I've bought a few items on EBTH over the last year and have been pretty pleased with the items themselves. A point of contention is that the shipping is always higher than what is quoted to you and the packing is iffy depending on the seller. For the last jewelry lot that weighed maybe 8 oz they charged $20 to ship in a small flat rate priority box. Inside everything was jumbled together in a plastic bag... all the necklaces were tangled and two items were broken.

Like most online buying experiences I was having fun browsing and looking at all the different and unique items all from the convenience of my own iphone. I purchased jewelry, furniture (via pickup), vintage household knick knacks, art, records, harmonicas, you name it. I can handle a few things here and there that are inaccurately described and move on with my day. However, today was the day I deleted the app. I purchased a serigraph and when I received it the condition was much worse then described and depicted in photos. This piece had water damage with brown staining around the verso and cracks in the verso on the lower 30% of the item. The listing stated there was discoloration but the piece was in "good" condition. Well, $430 later plus shipping to CA I received a very water damaged piece. I sent off to a paper restoration company and they said that there was not a process they could complete that wouldn't damage the piece further. I emailed EBTH to let them know that I was upset about the misrepresentation. They stood behind their representation and told me a fair piece would have physical tears in it. I honestly don't see how dark water damage, dirty handling, folding and cracks in verso would be considered "good" condition. Either way, the arrogance and lack of any accountability got the better of me and I will do something more worthwhile with my time then purchase through them.

Be cautious: my 2nd problem in 6 months. First was a broken item. They finally fessed up and paid. So that was good. But their website leaves a lot of questions with NO answers. When you purchase something check your bid and your information CAREFULLY because at times they must do an autofill. And it is always wrong. Shipping is expensive and so is losing (not quite but still unknown circumstances) an item. Finding a phone number is impossible on their site. JUST NOT USER FRIENDLY