I've bought two items from LiveAuctioneers, the first went well and the second was a horror show.
The purchase from Pacific Global(which appears to be affiliated with Liveauctioneers in some way) was for an 1834 Capped Bust Half Dollar(the first pictures.) The coin they sent which is hardly worth its weight in scrap has no resemblance to the pictured coin.
So I requested a refund. After sending the coin back and 20 emails, a refund was processed. I told Pacific Global that I'd write a review, but guess what? When Liveauctioneers processes a refund, the coin disappears from your "Won Items" list and it then is impossible to write a review. So all the people who have been scammed by Pacific Global can't speak publicly about it on Liveauctioneers.
Further, Liveauctioneers shows reviews in a way to maximally benefit themselves and the auctioneers. To wit: The 5 stars reviews are listed first, then the 4 star, then the 3 star, and so on. To get to the one star reviews, you almost always have to click "Show more reviews." So if an unscrupulous auctioneer sells ten good items, they're in the clear- they can rip off people until the cows come home, because those 1 star reviews will never show at the top, they'll always be behind the ten people who actually received legitimate merchandise.
Buyer beware! Avoid Liveauctioneers and Pacific Global(a fly-by-night company.)
So I thought I would share several experiences with Liveauctioneers.com with you in hopes that those out there heed caution. First off, Liveauctioneers.com is a platform for auction houses, they do NOT personally run auctions, they just have a site that auction houses go through to do their auctions. I bid on several pieces of jewelry and an autographed guitar from the auction houses, 1st Asset Collections, IRS Liquidations, Federal Government Liquidation, US Auction Gallery and High End Memorabilia (none of these are true United States government run auction houses, it is JUST a name).
Here is what I can tell you: The pieces of jewelry from 1st, IRS, US Auction and Federal were new. They have their "estimates" in the thousands and their certified appraisal for replacement in the thousands as well. Long story short, the estimates mean nothing, and their appraisals are done my a gemologist company that no jeweler or other gemologist has ever heard of and they aren't worth the piece of paper they are written on.
Every single piece of jewelry that I purchased was of lower quality than what was stated in the listing. For example a ring that was "appraised for replacement" at $7K-8K, was worth $600. Three of the necklaces that I purchased were completely scratched (the auction house said I had unrealistic expectations of what I was receiving???).
Some of the pieces that I received were not even the pieces that were in the photos. A lot of the times their descriptions for the quality of jewelry put a range on it. So it could be a near flawless diamond to an average diamond, and more or less you are going to be getting the average diamond.
I purchased a 1 carat ring that was listed as a D (which is colorless) and SI (which is the affordable grade of diamonds, nice, but not overly expensive). It came back as a .9 carats, G (which is way lower) grade, and an I3 (which is as low as you can get for inclusions, or spots in the diamond). Lastly, I "won" a guitar signed by the Foo Fighters for $900.
It was a cool looking guitar not like many autographed ones out there. It had been 17 days since I won and other than the invoice to pay within 24 hours, I did not receive any contact info about when my guitar would be arriving. I looked back at the listing and it said it could take up to 30 days! I also noticed on Liveauctioneers.com that the next week there were two auctions for the exact same guitar.
The photos for the guitars were exactly the same as mine. Not one difference. Everybody's signature is always a little different, but these guitars were the same. How could this be? I contacted the auction house and asked why it takes so long for them to send it Fed Ex, did they even have the guitar?!?!
They replied that they did NOT have the guitar and they "auction" off items for cheaper prices in the hopes that they will "sell" a couple of them and then go to another seller and get a discount for the quantity they are buying. So basically they are auctioning off something they do not have, and I don't know how they could get that exact same guitar with the exact same signatures from the Foo Fighters on 3 different guitars.
Do they personally know the Foo Fighters and ask "hey, can you guys sign these 3 guitars real quick"? Completely shady. So what did I do about all of this? I put up a F*&@ing stink about it to the auction houses, Liveauctioneers.com, and the BBB. You can check out my reviews there. In the end, I did get refunded by every single auction house, but after many emails and saying that I would not at all mind bringing legal action because of fraudulent and misleading practices (as I would easily win).
Though they have a Buyer's Fee which is around 19-25%, so you are not going to get that back most of the time. Liveauctioneers.com and the BBB did help with mediating between the auction houses for resolution. I do feel that Liveauctioneers.com is somewhat responsible for these auction houses and their practices and should do a better job at weeding out quality auction houses and questionable auction houses.
The bad ones make the good ones look bad as well. What did I learn? For what I have experienced it is the old saying if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. Make sure you read the entire listing description. Contact the auction house for any questions about quality and guarantee of the jewelry and refunds. Look up on the BBB and online for reviews on these auction houses, you won't find many good ones.
Realize you are not able to handle and see the items up for bid personally, so you have no idea about the authenticity. If you want to buy something at auction, then I would say go to a live auction. I hope this helps with your questions and concerns about Liveauctioneers.com. If you would like to contact me personally, please do so. If I can help out just one other person, then I have done my job.
Their online site on liveauctioneers.com, sub Jasper52, said they would provide combined shipping, just email them prior to auction, which I did. I had "Kaye" respond a few days later saying they would respond with the total as soon as they got in touch with the sellers. At first, I had only two sellers, suddenly, I had 3 sellers I purchased from. I looked at the seller numbers 3 times, and knew they had changed them. Then when I got the invoice, they did not give me any combined shipping, and charged me full shipping. I had bought 30 items, thinking they provided combined shipping, like all other online auction sites.
Now I get my invoice, and the shipping is more than I paid for the items! Shipping came to over $200 for small stones (semi-precious). It's been 4 days and 4 emails later, I am still getting the same invoice price! No combined shipping as stated.
My suggestion? Go to local auctions. You can't/won't get a deal from these people, in fact, you will be paying through the nose. My shipper is from India, which it probably costs about $10 total to ship from there, but I am getting $200 in shipping prices. I feel like just not paying, if it wouldn't affect my credit.
Plaintiff Gardiner S. Robinson (consignor) v. Defendant Gary L. Nadel (self-claimed auctioneer)
Charge: Fraudulent Auctions Conducted August 11 & 12, 2014 & Grand Theft
This posting is a complaint against Gary L. Nadel and his Cassidy Galleries of Pompano Beach, FL. Please take note that Gary Nadel is an unlicensed auctioneer in the State of Florida and similarly his Cassidy Galleries is an unregistered business. Therefore Gary Nadel has been operating illegally in Florida, information which he failed to disclose when first contacted by a third party to offer his auction services to me. Nor did his Florida licensed bid caller, Steven A. Nadel (father and owner of Tyler Galleries, Miami) take any action whatsoever to stop his son from conducting an allegedly illegal and fraudulent action on the above mentioned dates.
Among various illegal acts allegedly committed by Gary L. Nadel against me are the following:
Failed to comply with Florida’s DBPR regulation requiring an auctioneer to deposit all auction proceeds into an escrow account, thereby automatically disqualifying himself as an auctioneer.
Non-payment to date (one year after auction) for any goods received and supposedly “auctioned” by him (I allege that in reality no genuine auctions ever took place).
Failed to produce a professional contract for services meeting Florida’s DBPR regulations for auctioneers.
Denied any access to my goods (dispossession of consignor) since their original removal.
Failed to respond to any and all written inquiries from consignor for proper accounting of goods.
Final tally of auctions was three weeks late and found to be entirely fraudulent and unacceptable. Allegedly all valuations were entirely fictitious.
Refused to respect my reserve pricing and sold goods far below my price requirements
When advised of my intention to sue he claimed goods return for goods never returned to me (which I am treating as stolen goods), presumably, I allege, to use my money to underwrite his legal expenses, or to generate more free income for himself.
Most of my goods have now gone missing, and to date even in the discovery phase of my lawsuit Gary Nadel still has avoided any disclosure as to the buyers or to the whereabouts of my goods, which is legally required of him as defendant.
It is further alleged that the above mentioned auctions were merely a “show”, with virtually no legitimate bidding. It is similarly alleged that the Defendant liquidated most of the consigned goods for cash pre-auction at an estimated 10%-20% of their true market value.
Additionally, Gary Nadel sold some of my goods to his bid caller, Steven A. Nadel (his father), a blatant conflict of interest never agreed to by me, and at unacceptably low concessionary pricing, which goods subsequently appeared on the website of Tyler Galleries, Miami, also owned by the bid caller. I am still trying to recover these goods or get acceptable compensation for them. Steven Nadel has also refused to cooperate with my attorneys’ Cease and Desist Order requiring him to cease sale and to return my goods.
The value of my claim against Gary L. Nadel is: $65,000 minimum (plus applicable legal expenses). The value of all uncompensated goods is conservatively estimated at $97,000. Mr. Nadel had calculated his final, belated tally due for less than $20,000. As stated in point #6, last year this settlement was rejected outright because all his final tallies were found to be entirely fraudulent and otherwise unacceptable, particularly in view of points #7 and #8 above, which I allege to constitute outright robbery of the consignor.
Given the foregoing illegal actions committed by Gary L. Nadel, the matter is now in a Broward County court in Florida, with Mr. Nadel still attempting to stall the outcome of the case. To be fair to the defendant, until my lawsuit is ruled on, Gary L. Nadel is given the presumption of innocence. Readers of this posting should reach their own conclusions.
Meanwhile, in the event that any reader may wish to contact me, the Consignor, regarding any issues you may have with the above mentioned auctioneers, please feel free to contact Mr. Robinson at: 561-883-1180 (afternoons & evenings to 9 pm). I would welcome contact with anyone who has had similar negative experiences at the hands of Gary L. Nadel. Otherwise, anyone who chooses to conduct business with Gary Nadel and his Cassidy Galleries of Pompano Beach, Florida, does so at extreme risk and with an alleged considerable likelihood of either never getting paid, or having consigned goods go “missing”. At least this has been my own experience with Gary Nadel and his unlicensed auction gallery.
Lastly please take note that as of May, 2013 Gary L. Nadel, under the former business name of Estate Galleries (which corporate name supposedly exists in Florida under his father’s name and at the same Miami address of Tyler Galleries), has been banned from conducting auctions in his home state of North Carolina by that state’s Auctioneer Licensing Board. This partly explains Mr. Nadel’s current presence in the State of Florida, along with the fact that his father, Steven Nadel, is still a licensed bid caller in the state and who is employed by his son as the bid caller for Cassidy Galleries.
LiveAuctioneers Reviews
I've bought two items from LiveAuctioneers, the first went well and the second was a horror show.
The purchase from Pacific Global(which appears to be affiliated with Liveauctioneers in some way) was for an 1834 Capped Bust Half Dollar(the first pictures.) The coin they sent which is hardly worth its weight in scrap has no resemblance to the pictured coin.
So I requested a refund. After sending the coin back and 20 emails, a refund was processed. I told Pacific Global that I'd write a review, but guess what? When Liveauctioneers processes a refund, the coin disappears from your "Won Items" list and it then is impossible to write a review. So all the people who have been scammed by Pacific Global can't speak publicly about it on Liveauctioneers.
Further, Liveauctioneers shows reviews in a way to maximally benefit themselves and the auctioneers. To wit: The 5 stars reviews are listed first, then the 4 star, then the 3 star, and so on. To get to the one star reviews, you almost always have to click "Show more reviews." So if an unscrupulous auctioneer sells ten good items, they're in the clear- they can rip off people until the cows come home, because those 1 star reviews will never show at the top, they'll always be behind the ten people who actually received legitimate merchandise.
Buyer beware! Avoid Liveauctioneers and Pacific Global(a fly-by-night company.)
So I thought I would share several experiences with Liveauctioneers.com with you in hopes that those out there heed caution. First off, Liveauctioneers.com is a platform for auction houses, they do NOT personally run auctions, they just have a site that auction houses go through to do their auctions. I bid on several pieces of jewelry and an autographed guitar from the auction houses, 1st Asset Collections, IRS Liquidations, Federal Government Liquidation, US Auction Gallery and High End Memorabilia (none of these are true United States government run auction houses, it is JUST a name).
Here is what I can tell you: The pieces of jewelry from 1st, IRS, US Auction and Federal were new. They have their "estimates" in the thousands and their certified appraisal for replacement in the thousands as well. Long story short, the estimates mean nothing, and their appraisals are done my a gemologist company that no jeweler or other gemologist has ever heard of and they aren't worth the piece of paper they are written on.
Every single piece of jewelry that I purchased was of lower quality than what was stated in the listing. For example a ring that was "appraised for replacement" at $7K-8K, was worth $600. Three of the necklaces that I purchased were completely scratched (the auction house said I had unrealistic expectations of what I was receiving???).
Some of the pieces that I received were not even the pieces that were in the photos. A lot of the times their descriptions for the quality of jewelry put a range on it. So it could be a near flawless diamond to an average diamond, and more or less you are going to be getting the average diamond.
I purchased a 1 carat ring that was listed as a D (which is colorless) and SI (which is the affordable grade of diamonds, nice, but not overly expensive). It came back as a .9 carats, G (which is way lower) grade, and an I3 (which is as low as you can get for inclusions, or spots in the diamond). Lastly, I "won" a guitar signed by the Foo Fighters for $900.
It was a cool looking guitar not like many autographed ones out there. It had been 17 days since I won and other than the invoice to pay within 24 hours, I did not receive any contact info about when my guitar would be arriving. I looked back at the listing and it said it could take up to 30 days! I also noticed on Liveauctioneers.com that the next week there were two auctions for the exact same guitar.
The photos for the guitars were exactly the same as mine. Not one difference. Everybody's signature is always a little different, but these guitars were the same. How could this be? I contacted the auction house and asked why it takes so long for them to send it Fed Ex, did they even have the guitar?!?!
They replied that they did NOT have the guitar and they "auction" off items for cheaper prices in the hopes that they will "sell" a couple of them and then go to another seller and get a discount for the quantity they are buying. So basically they are auctioning off something they do not have, and I don't know how they could get that exact same guitar with the exact same signatures from the Foo Fighters on 3 different guitars.
Do they personally know the Foo Fighters and ask "hey, can you guys sign these 3 guitars real quick"? Completely shady. So what did I do about all of this? I put up a F*&@ing stink about it to the auction houses, Liveauctioneers.com, and the BBB. You can check out my reviews there. In the end, I did get refunded by every single auction house, but after many emails and saying that I would not at all mind bringing legal action because of fraudulent and misleading practices (as I would easily win).
Though they have a Buyer's Fee which is around 19-25%, so you are not going to get that back most of the time. Liveauctioneers.com and the BBB did help with mediating between the auction houses for resolution. I do feel that Liveauctioneers.com is somewhat responsible for these auction houses and their practices and should do a better job at weeding out quality auction houses and questionable auction houses.
The bad ones make the good ones look bad as well. What did I learn? For what I have experienced it is the old saying if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. Make sure you read the entire listing description. Contact the auction house for any questions about quality and guarantee of the jewelry and refunds. Look up on the BBB and online for reviews on these auction houses, you won't find many good ones.
Realize you are not able to handle and see the items up for bid personally, so you have no idea about the authenticity. If you want to buy something at auction, then I would say go to a live auction. I hope this helps with your questions and concerns about Liveauctioneers.com. If you would like to contact me personally, please do so. If I can help out just one other person, then I have done my job.
Their online site on liveauctioneers.com, sub Jasper52, said they would provide combined shipping, just email them prior to auction, which I did. I had "Kaye" respond a few days later saying they would respond with the total as soon as they got in touch with the sellers. At first, I had only two sellers, suddenly, I had 3 sellers I purchased from. I looked at the seller numbers 3 times, and knew they had changed them. Then when I got the invoice, they did not give me any combined shipping, and charged me full shipping. I had bought 30 items, thinking they provided combined shipping, like all other online auction sites.
Now I get my invoice, and the shipping is more than I paid for the items! Shipping came to over $200 for small stones (semi-precious). It's been 4 days and 4 emails later, I am still getting the same invoice price! No combined shipping as stated.
My suggestion? Go to local auctions. You can't/won't get a deal from these people, in fact, you will be paying through the nose. My shipper is from India, which it probably costs about $10 total to ship from there, but I am getting $200 in shipping prices. I feel like just not paying, if it wouldn't affect my credit.
BROWARD COUNTY CASE NO. 2014 CA 015892 A001CE
Plaintiff Gardiner S. Robinson (consignor) v. Defendant Gary L. Nadel (self-claimed auctioneer)
Charge: Fraudulent Auctions Conducted August 11 & 12, 2014 & Grand Theft
This posting is a complaint against Gary L. Nadel and his Cassidy Galleries of Pompano Beach, FL. Please take note that Gary Nadel is an unlicensed auctioneer in the State of Florida and similarly his Cassidy Galleries is an unregistered business. Therefore Gary Nadel has been operating illegally in Florida, information which he failed to disclose when first contacted by a third party to offer his auction services to me. Nor did his Florida licensed bid caller, Steven A. Nadel (father and owner of Tyler Galleries, Miami) take any action whatsoever to stop his son from conducting an allegedly illegal and fraudulent action on the above mentioned dates.
Among various illegal acts allegedly committed by Gary L. Nadel against me are the following:
Failed to comply with Florida’s DBPR regulation requiring an auctioneer to deposit all auction proceeds into an escrow account, thereby automatically disqualifying himself as an auctioneer.
Non-payment to date (one year after auction) for any goods received and supposedly “auctioned” by him (I allege that in reality no genuine auctions ever took place).
Failed to produce a professional contract for services meeting Florida’s DBPR regulations for auctioneers.
Denied any access to my goods (dispossession of consignor) since their original removal.
Failed to respond to any and all written inquiries from consignor for proper accounting of goods.
Final tally of auctions was three weeks late and found to be entirely fraudulent and unacceptable. Allegedly all valuations were entirely fictitious.
Refused to respect my reserve pricing and sold goods far below my price requirements
When advised of my intention to sue he claimed goods return for goods never returned to me (which I am treating as stolen goods), presumably, I allege, to use my money to underwrite his legal expenses, or to generate more free income for himself.
Most of my goods have now gone missing, and to date even in the discovery phase of my lawsuit Gary Nadel still has avoided any disclosure as to the buyers or to the whereabouts of my goods, which is legally required of him as defendant.
It is further alleged that the above mentioned auctions were merely a “show”, with virtually no legitimate bidding. It is similarly alleged that the Defendant liquidated most of the consigned goods for cash pre-auction at an estimated 10%-20% of their true market value.
Additionally, Gary Nadel sold some of my goods to his bid caller, Steven A. Nadel (his father), a blatant conflict of interest never agreed to by me, and at unacceptably low concessionary pricing, which goods subsequently appeared on the website of Tyler Galleries, Miami, also owned by the bid caller. I am still trying to recover these goods or get acceptable compensation for them. Steven Nadel has also refused to cooperate with my attorneys’ Cease and Desist Order requiring him to cease sale and to return my goods.
The value of my claim against Gary L. Nadel is: $65,000 minimum (plus applicable legal expenses). The value of all uncompensated goods is conservatively estimated at $97,000. Mr. Nadel had calculated his final, belated tally due for less than $20,000. As stated in point #6, last year this settlement was rejected outright because all his final tallies were found to be entirely fraudulent and otherwise unacceptable, particularly in view of points #7 and #8 above, which I allege to constitute outright robbery of the consignor.
Given the foregoing illegal actions committed by Gary L. Nadel, the matter is now in a Broward County court in Florida, with Mr. Nadel still attempting to stall the outcome of the case. To be fair to the defendant, until my lawsuit is ruled on, Gary L. Nadel is given the presumption of innocence. Readers of this posting should reach their own conclusions.
Meanwhile, in the event that any reader may wish to contact me, the Consignor, regarding any issues you may have with the above mentioned auctioneers, please feel free to contact Mr. Robinson at: 561-883-1180 (afternoons & evenings to 9 pm). I would welcome contact with anyone who has had similar negative experiences at the hands of Gary L. Nadel. Otherwise, anyone who chooses to conduct business with Gary Nadel and his Cassidy Galleries of Pompano Beach, Florida, does so at extreme risk and with an alleged considerable likelihood of either never getting paid, or having consigned goods go “missing”. At least this has been my own experience with Gary Nadel and his unlicensed auction gallery.
Lastly please take note that as of May, 2013 Gary L. Nadel, under the former business name of Estate Galleries (which corporate name supposedly exists in Florida under his father’s name and at the same Miami address of Tyler Galleries), has been banned from conducting auctions in his home state of North Carolina by that state’s Auctioneer Licensing Board. This partly explains Mr. Nadel’s current presence in the State of Florida, along with the fact that his father, Steven Nadel, is still a licensed bid caller in the state and who is employed by his son as the bid caller for Cassidy Galleries.