CONSIGNMENT

By consigning something for sale you are asking someone else to store, advertise and sell your item or items for you and collect and account for the proceeds. This does not come cheap and usually doesn't happen quickly. The two primary avenues of consignment are to a dealer or to an auctioneer.

Many dealers will take consignments to place on their showroom floor but they must be priced in accordance with the rest of his inventory. And they often will place a time limit on the arrangement. If the item doesn't sell in "X" number of days you must pick it up and remove it from the store. For this service a retail dealer will charge you anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the final sale price.

You can also consign to an auction house. The auctioneer will require a commission based on a percentage of the final sale price, often 20 - 30 percent, but you can, if you and the auctioneer agree, place a minimum bid, the reserve, on any item to assure that it does not sell for a garage sale price. If bidding doesn't reach the reserve you take the piece back and probably will have to pay the auctioneer some reasonable expenses for the transportation, storage and handling of the item. Just make sure you have all aspects of the agreements in writing before embarking on the sale.

If you discover that you have what may be some very valuable articles such as 18th century furniture or art you may want to consult the appraisal services of major regional and national auction services.

No matter how you decide to dispose of some of the excess baggage of your life, be sure you know what you are disposing of and what the ramifications may be on family members who have or think they may have a claim or right to the merchandise. Be careful.

Consigning your items to an auction is one way to sell them Go to a few and see what you think. (David Glynn, Turkey Creek Auction, Citra, FL)
 

  Send your comments, questions and pictures to me at P0 Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or info@furnituredetective.com

  Visit Fred's website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is available for $18.95 plus $3.00 S&H. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

  Fred and Gail Taylor's dvd, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE", ($17.00 + $3.00 S&H) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of "COMMON SENSE ANTIQUES by Fred Taylor" ($25.00 + $3.00 S&H) are also available at the same address. For more information call (800)387-6377, fax (352)563-2916, or e-mail info@furnituredetective.com.