UBB.threads Forums General Interest Community Center Empire 2nd Auction

....OK, It's a Brocade buckel missing the keeper for a start price of $700.00.

Look, collectors who have been around see what it is. Let them keep doing what they are doing and IMO they won't be around long.
Here is why...you can't survive as an business/auction with the following percentage of unsold lots. Look at the edged weapons as an example from the last auction. They had 23 lots listed...only 9 received bids.
http://www.empiremilitaryaucti...atalog.asp?catid=151

Those of you who have been attending auctions for years will know how this is perceived. Also a real auction house is not going to run the unsold lots through again anytime soon. A couple maybe but not 60% of the last auction.
If they keep putting those Big Reserve numbers up there they will continue to get these same results.
On the other hand, if they want to charge whatever fee from the buyers and sellers it's their business. But 30% of zero is still zero.

-serge-

Don't forget the Luftwaffe second pattern wrist compass for $500!!! these are extremely common and there were un issued stocks of them found by the hundreds in 1945..available on Ebay for $75 to $125 and from dealers for $150...expensive dealers ask $250.00...just saying..we should support Empire as it and any other well run reputable auction should be supported..they are certainly reputable and well run but they should also solicit input from the "meat and potato" collectors..there is absolutely nothing wrong with constructive criticism...in three years they may very well have wished that they had followed some of it...cheers

I tried to tell these 5(now 4) "auction experts in their own minds" precisely this before they had the first auction. IMO There is a place in the hobby for a well run and legitimate auction venue with proper vetting and accurate descriptions. By this I mean a real auction with low and or at least reasonable starting bids,no reserves and a commission structure that resembles reality inre. to actual incurred operational expenses.
Good items at auction will bring fair value as evidenced by the DE that sold. Inflated starting bids have No place in a real auction. I've never noticed Barrett Jackson giving away nicely restored 63 Corvettes! Why? Because they don't have to
Jim

Jim, this could be a great opportunity for you and a niche that may need filled, as we have discussed here. Empire is obviously not filling it due in large part because they did not listen to you.
Start your own auction house. You wont need a board of experts because you already know it all. No need to worry about descriptions as you have an eye for picking these apart now, so doing it right yourself will be easy.
Jim, become the Barrett Jackson auction house this hobby cries out for!

Naw:
It's much more fun watching you guys bumble & stumble your way along.
Jim

and the buyer will spend his money for this he wants.

One items was not to long ago offered in Germany for 3500 Euro and was sold in the auction for $3000, I would say a good chance.

Jason was advertising for free In this section of the Forum by starting this thread to announce the auction without a premium membership there you go Jim W the RAT strikes again
Empire do Banner advertise for which they pay.I believe what Jason did here is whats known as trolling to some of you and it normally gets pulled pretty quick

Empire Military Auctions has a paid banner on GDC. As a courtesy, those who pay for a banner ad can have a free Premium Membership for the asking. Most never bother to ask as their banner is a link to their web site and they sell from there, not from our For Sale area. To me, that says that the post was correct.

Let me add that even if EMA did not have a banner ad, the post would have been allowed as a new militaria auction site is a good thing for the hobby. This is the same reasoning as to why GDC allows new books for the hobby, like the recent SA dagger book, to be publicized without paying a fee.

http://daggers.infopop.cc/eve/...93573/m/57610838/p/1

Dave

To clarify Ralf's excellent book was publicised by Wotan who is a moderator and allowed to advertise without a premium membership are you saying if Ralf (Mikatim)had posted announcing his book himself it would not have been pulled?

Dave and Vern you might want to review and update the section on advertising thats linked to from the home page you say there would only be 15 banner ads at anyone time but currently show twenty and Empire aint one of them.Also theres mention of a newsletter?Also no mention of the courtesy premium membership for banner advertisers you elude to above.I enjoy this forum but there can be inconsistency at times.If I have offended anyone please accept my appologies think I will keep quiet for awhile

You are correct. If the author of a new hobby related book cares to announce its availability, including pricing and ordering details, that post will stay. The same applies to notices about new forums, new shows, and new auctions. More books, auctions, forums and shows can do nothing but help the hobby and that is why we are all here.

As for inconsistencies, we'll work through those.

Dave

you will find this and that over all the years, I bought once a VT know for $68 from a dealer who normally will ask $700 for it. Many stuff is over expensive, some other stuff is balanced, some other stuff people consider as good priced ... who cares anyhow as the person who spends the money must know what he wants.

Bob,I was referring to the fact that he's plugging a for profit auction whilst his tab is blue..regardless of the fact his group contributes to the site.If that's the case, how many people in the consortium can post feeler posts that allow them to access a ready made customer base with so little input?

Why NOT throw a bone to the members here who do not have the big bucks (for a DE standard for eg..!!) and direct sell to the people that he and others target for their sales?

Is that so much to ask?

Doug,

Yes it is. If you want to sell, buy a premium membership or pay for a banner ad.

EMA paid for a banner ad and has not asked for a premium membership for any of its members. Since only Jason belongs to GDC as far as I know, he can have one for the asking.

As I said above "Let me add that even if EMA did not have a banner ad, the post would have been allowed as a new militaria auction site is a good thing for the hobby. This is the same reasoning as to why GDC allows new books for the hobby, like the recent SA dagger book, to be publicized without paying a fee."

I thought that was pretty clear, but maybe not.

Dave

Simply put, I would like to see more of a contribution from those who stand to profit from our site.Being 1/9 of a consortium that contributes a banner is all well and good, but if you don't contribute, don't ask for your premium membership and hardly post (except to advertise) it does leave a bad taste in some members mouths..

There are many full time and part time dealers here who contribute knowledge and items at lower than retail , for the benefit of our members.

Surely some of the largest dealers who stand to benefit from A) the knowledge of our base) and B) the purchase power of our membership could contribute in a more meaningful way...


Why does this have to be underscored?

Doug,

You seem to be asking why do some banner ad holders contribute by posting and others do not? I have no answer for that one, but I am thankful that they support us by buying an ad which helps keep GDC, including the ability to upload picture, free.

Same applies to Premium Members. Do they have to post in order to sell? Absolutely not ! Look at Bob Grant - Bygone Relics - who rarely contributes but continues to give GDC members first shot at a fantastic variety of "vet p/u" artifacts. Good for him.

Dave

I agree Dave, Bob is the type of dealer i like to see here with very favourable prices on his items.I have no problem with that..possibly I would just like to see a little more altruism from others , but that's just me!

Empire Military Auctions is live with their third auction.

http://www.empiremilitaryauctions.com/

Dave

PS: Our policy is that as a service to collectors, GDC will allow announcements of militaria shows, hobby publications, new websites, auctions, or any other event that increases interest in militaria.

I've been waiting for days now for a verification code so I can bid on something, anybody know who to contact, I have sent E-Mails to them already.

Gary

Try Jason Burmeister

[email protected]

looks like it was a slow auction in regards to sales.

I just spent the last 2 days at the Crossroads of the West and Small Arms Review shows(about 2000 tables total) which are held concurrently in Phoenix this time each year. From what I could seen and in talking to the many dealers I know sales were slow. The place was crowded but many of the people walking around had guns of their own they were trying to sell. You were able to walk right up to the ammunition dealers tables for the first time in months and I guess the panic buying is over for the most part.
Bottom line I expect is until the economy REALLY improves and the job market recovers is guns and militaria sales will remain slow.
Jim

Yes, Jim it's a tough time out there to sell for "Big Ticket" now.

Especially when you just started a business with partners and you have to split your profits four ways. Darn tough.

-serge-

Serge:
I promised a friend in this hobby that I would "lay off" Empire Auctions for now. I think their numbers and their practices speak for themselves. Enough said.
Jim

quote:

Originally posted by jim m:
I just spent the last 2 days at the Crossroads of the West and Small Arms Review shows(about 2000 tables total) which are held concurrently in Phoenix this time each year. From what I could seen and in talking to the many dealers I know sales were slow. The place was crowded but many of the people walking around had guns of their own they were trying to sell. You were able to walk right up to the ammunition dealers tables for the first time in months and I guess the panic buying is over for the most part.
Bottom line I expect is until the economy REALLY improves and the job market recovers is guns and militaria sales will remain slow.
Jim

Jim, I really don`t think that there will be any improvement.

The only way that any country can improve it`s economy is by manufacturing export. Given that here in Europe & the U.S. & pretty much everywhere else I travel everything is made in China the situation is extremely bad. You can`t even hope for government intervention to curb imports while they are still borrowing money from the yellow peril lest the debt is called in. Supplying our own domestic markets would be an excercise in damage limitation but I`m afraid to say that this is now very unlikely in a global market.

A wise man once said that international finance would be a destroyer of nations. How right he was!