In reference to the letter sent by Mr. Miller, I can
understand his frustrations with eBay Live. But since Heritage was mentioned by
name, I would like to point out a few inaccuracies, which I am sure
were unintentional.
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We at Heritage certainly understand the challenges and costs associated with running a major auction house. We've been doing it since 1976, for over 35,000 consignors and more than 1,000 auctions.
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Heritage has never, and will never, use stock images in a catalog or online, under any circumstances and in any department. We are proud of the accuracy and scholarship reflected in our catalogs, and would never do anything to knowingly or willingly compromise that.
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We hold far more than 30 auctions per year (50-60 live auctions each year in venues around the country all held concurrently on eBay Live, plus weekly Internet auctions in Movie Posters, comic books, currency and two in coins, as well as monthly Internet Sports and Marketplace auctions, the latter of which are also run on eBay Live. In fact we conduct over 225 auctions with over 500,000 lots per year!). Each lot in every auction includes a condition opinion. We take responsibility for describing the item in question, rather than shifting the responsibility to our bidders to call and ask for condition reports (although we are always happy to provide more in-depth reports for anyone who requires them).
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Heritage is not a "highly specialized auction house." In addition to movie posters, we deal in rare coins and currency, rare comic books and original art, fine and decorative art, sports memorabilia, music and celebrity memorabilia, political memorabilia and Americana, fine jewelry and timepieces, rare books and manuscripts, and autographs. In each of these divisions, customer service, both before and after the auction, is our #1 priority. We hire experts and support staff in each of these divisions in order to provide the best service possible to our consignors and our bidders.
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Our in-house shipping department is set up to safely and professionally ship everything from a single coin to a massive sculpture, all within reasonable time and at a reasonable cost. Shipping is not a profit center for Heritage, unlike any third-party shippers we might contract with. Again, we accept responsibility for safe, professional shipping rather than shifting that responsibility to our customers.
Thanks for the
opportunity to respond.
Grey Smith
Director Vintage Movie Poster
Auctions
Heritage Auction Galleries
3500 Maple Avenue, 17th
Floor
Dallas, Texas 75219-3941
800-872-6467 Ext.
367(24-Hour Voice Mail)Local:
214-252-4367 Office
Fax
214-443-8479
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.HeritageAuctions.com/MoviePosters
-----Original Message-----
From: MoPo List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Video Den Collection
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 3:46 PM
To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: [MOPO] FW: JOHN MILLER letter to MOPO subscribers concerning Ritchie's.com Movie Poster Auction Saturday 11/4Subject: FW: JOHN MILLER letter to MOPO subscribers concerning Ritchie's.com Movie Poster Auction Saturday 11/4MOPO:I have been by asked by its sender to forward the letter below to you.Dennis
From: John Miller [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 4:22 PM
To: Video Den Collection; Mike Orlando - Hollywood Canteen
Subject:To whom it may concern,In response to the various criticisms leveled at our auction house with regards to our upcoming Movie Poster Auction, I would like to clarify a number of issues as they pertain to Ritchies Inc. It is my intention that with a better understanding of our business some of the misconceptions surrounding this auction can be rectified.Firstly, I must apologize for not having certain "stock" images updated with current photos once the posters in question came into our possession. When considering the publication of our printed catalogue the issue of the use of stock photography seemed moot, given the nature of the printed medium. This is of course not the case with eBay live auctions and we should have recognized this. It is our intention to have the stock photos replaced with actual images within 48 hours. The underlying reason we felt comfortable with the use of stock images was the high quality of the posters in question. These posters are from an impeccable collection and each one is in excellent condition. We are confident buyers will be completely satisfied with these items.Secondly, please be advised that we have updated the eBay live auction site. All posters should now have an accurate condition assigned to them. We will continue to update the site in order to provide current and accurate information. If any further discrepancies appear, please do not hesitate to contact me directly and I will have them addressed immediately.For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ritchies Auctioneers, we are full service auctioneers and appraisers who have been in business here in Toronto for over 35 years. We deal in all manner of goods such as fine art, furniture, porcelain, silverware, glassware, jewelry, fine wine and even classic cars. All auctions are held live in our Toronto gallery and all items are available for preview in the days leading up to an auction. In 2004, we formed an association with Mike Orlando to offer vintage movie posters at auction. Around the same time, we began to hold our auctions simultaneously on eBay. This was by no means an easy transition and (as is apparently evident to most of you) we have yet to work out all of the difficulties. In the most general terms, the problem revolves around the question of customer service: how do we respond when our client based grows significantly in a short period of time, while we remain the same size. An example of this problem is the issue of condition reports. Due to the sheer volume of items that pass through our auction house and the resulting need for a degree of concision, our policy has been to publish rather general condition reports. Buyers interested in specific lots may then contact the specialist responsible for said items to request a more thorough investigation of condition issues. Highly specialized auction houses, like Heritage are able to avoid such procedures and provide highly detailed condition reports outright. When you hold over 30 auctions a year (we average three auction a month) you do not have that luxury.Another issue is of course shipping. As a medium sized Canadian auction house that sells over 15,000 different items each year, ranging in size from diamond rings and porcelain tea cups to grand pianos and automobiles, it is simply not possible for us to have a coherent company shipping policy. We ask clients to arrange shipping through a third party in order to protect us from liability during shipment, but also to allow our clients to get the best possible price. We do not make a dime on shipping, which cannot be said for many houses who have their own shipping departments. That being said, we are certainly available to assist clients with shipment - to recommend a number of local shippers, to liaise with chosen shippers on pick-up and delivery and to generally facilitate the movement of goods. Please keep in mind, there are many reasons why shipping from Canada to the United States is becoming more and more expensive and this often comes as a shock to collectors who typically ship within the continental US. In the past, these costs have been offset by the relative strength of the US dollar. Presently, this is not the case.As for the 20% buyers premium there is very little one can say to assuage the individual who inevitably pays (the premium for e-bay bidders in 22.5% but one can save themselves the 2.5% e-bay surcharge by bidding directly with us - I would certainly encourage everyone to do so). As a "full service" auction house our overhead and staffing costs are substantial, which is of course the antithesis of the typical internet business model. In reality, the higher premium hurts the consignor more than the purchaser as buyers may simply refrain from placing that extra bid. One may contrast our commission rates with local US auction houses, but the cost of doing business here in Canada in this day and age has made this an unavoidable cost.We will continue to study and act upon the criticism made by members of the poster hobby, in order to improve this auction and our practices in general. I wish to assure all of you that despite the often harsh and unforgiving characterizations made against us we will continue to welcome your input in this matter. We stand by our reputation as Canada's leading auction house and look to expand that reputation among our American neighbours.Sincerely,John MillerFine Wine & Vintage Poster DepartmentsRitchies Inc.288 King St. EastToronto, ON M5A 1K4Phone: 416.364.1864Fax: 416.364.0704e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]website: www.ritchies.comVisit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
