Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

PSA: Walter Becker Estate Sale


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 118
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I have no actual facts to base this on, but it's possible that the Auction company and the Becker estate agreed to shift all fees from the seller to the buyer.  

My wife does auctions of manufacturing tools and in that industry a 10% buyers premium and 10% seller's premium is common. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Christie's and Sotheby's also have a buyers premium of 25% for the lowest price bracket. Usually they are on a sliding scale, so the percentage goes down as the price goes up over 400k.

So, no this wasn't someone from the Becker estate deciding anything, it's the standard operating procedure of the top tier collector's auction houses at the present time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/31/2019 at 8:40 AM, BadgerDave said:

I have no actual facts to base this on, but it's possible that the Auction company and the Becker estate agreed to shift all fees from the seller to the buyer.  

My wife does auctions of manufacturing tools and in that industry a 10% buyers premium and 10% seller's premium is common. 

I've bought a few things in that sort of auction and that sounds about right if memory serves.

On 10/31/2019 at 9:23 AM, tbonesullivan said:

Christie's and Sotheby's also have a buyers premium of 25% for the lowest price bracket. Usually they are on a sliding scale, so the percentage goes down as the price goes up over 400k.

So, no this wasn't someone from the Becker estate deciding anything, it's the standard operating procedure of the top tier collector's auction houses at the present time.

I almost hate myself for saying it, but I guess it's reasonable if people are willing to pay it. It isn't like anything went unsold! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I wish I had known there was a second sale coming.   I bookmarked about 50 items, mostly a bunch of tellies, LP juniors and about 35 amps.  I was away at parents weekend and was watching on my laptop in the hotel and on my phone when on campus, in the car or eating.  I bid on a couple but my bids were reasonable/rational, they fell way short. I was amazed at the prices they brought.  Then Saturday night, I returned to the hotel and discovered I had two winning bids.  Say what?  Turns out when  I logged on two times during the day by the phone link, I was not only clicking into the auction - -  I was also placing a bid for whatever was up at the time.  Shit.  It so happened I logged just in time to be the high bidder.  $1750 for some Metropolitan Orpheum acoustic.   Later I was the high bidder (again $1750) for some Harmony electric guitar.  So $1750 plus 25% plus 3% ($2240, I think) plus $195 shipping TIMES TWO. I never got a confirmation like eBay where I won the auction.   By the time I discovered this and before I could get their reply to my email or shut down the credit card, the sales went through.  That fast.   They said they'd go back to the bidder before me to see if they'd be interested.  Never heard back.  If I had known there would be a second auction, I would have asked them to put those up for sale again and cover the difference to keep the auction house whole on the fees, reduce my losses, etc.   I am still waiting for delivery.  I will have to resell them and take a major loss.  I hope to net out a grand and be out $4K.   Laugh all you want.  I am partly to blame but the email set up/link was not fair either.  Or the lack of  a confirming mail would have kept my bidding to the first one.   Could be worse.  I could be the owner or two $10000 Fender basses. Go ahead and hit the WTF emoji.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:wtf: :blink:

Damn dude, that's rough. I wonder how many other people that happened to. Maybe you can reverb/ebay them and get close. Never know what disappointed Becker collectors are out there that missed something.

If you're still waiting for delivery, find out if they've actually shipped them yet and make them your offer. They probably wouldn't mind collecting fees twice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have consigned these to Julien's to sell at an auction in May. Will avoid the cost of shipping to me and then my resale hassles.    Theye are going to value these at $2-4K.   We'll see what they actually fetch.   Oh, and the seller's fee is 20%.    Out of sight out of mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Pieman said:

  Oh, and the seller's fee is 20%.    

A 20% seller's fee on top of 28% buyer's commission and, I assume, another fee to the next buyer?  Damn!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...
On 11/26/2019 at 10:25 AM, Pieman said:

I have consigned these to Julien's to sell at an auction in May. Will avoid the cost of shipping to me and then my resale hassles.    Theye are going to value these at $2-4K.   We'll see what they actually fetch.   Oh, and the seller's fee is 20%.    Out of sight out of mind.

SEE THE POSTING FROM ME FIVE ABOVE THIS ONE^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Remember when I clicked on the cell phone link twice and each time became the bidder (and high bidder at that!) for $1750.  Plus fees each cost me $2240.  Boy, did I feel stupid. 

Surprise, surprise.   Check the on-line pre-auction bids below.  Even with a 20% sellers fee, I am currently  making a small profit.   Stupid but lucky me. At this point each new bid jumps $500-$1000.

This is part of the Juliens auction this coming weekend featuring the Cobain MYV Unplugged Martin now at $500,000.

https://www.julienslive.com/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/320

 

 

image.png.0bd85fd26a6b086fac5fb46307b80908.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, my mistakes ($2240X2) seemed to work out after all.  I was hoping to get back 1/2 of my money.

After the original auction, I couldn't find a completed sale for either that was over $700.  I dubbed these the "firewood guitars."

The Harmony, I believe, was a cheapo Sears guitar that didn't even have a truss rod.  I know nothing about Orpheums.

And at these prices, the buyer paid a 25% buyers fee and a 3% fee for internet bidding.

Thank you, Baby Jesus.  Or Walter Becker.

image.png.2a1fd4cd2b80018df424d853713f3fe3.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, I guess it helped (for you) that the buyers didn't have so many damn guitars to choose from in this auction when compared to the first insane Becker auction.

I'm honestly totally perplexed those two guitars went for that much this time around, especially the the Harmony.  There must have been insane Becker fans that feel they missed out on the last auction.  

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...