"One man's trash is another man's treasure" is a motto I have always ascribed to. There's nothing more thrilling than finding an amazing treasure at a great price at a yard sale/garage sale/estate sale. A new company called Everything But The House (EBTH), is taking the thrill of discovery online. Everything But the House (EBTH) is a revolutionary online estate and consignment sale company that combines the personal touch of a local business with the convenience and reach of a global e-commerce company. EBTH presents sales based out of Cincinnati, Atlanta, Southwest Florida, Columbus, Lexington, Louisville, Indianapolis and Nashville, and is rapidly expanding to additional cities in 2015 - INCLUDING DALLAS IN MAY! With 60-75 sales a month and all items starting at $1, bidders from across the world find that there’s always something new to discover at www.EBTH.com.
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| Andy Warhol Signed & Numbered Screen Print Price Realized: $17,400 |
When a seller reaches out to EBTH, the first thing they do is schedule a free consultation. Their team learns more about the seller and their situation and does an initial evaluation of the items in their home. Once they have determined if EBTH is a good fit for both parties, they set a sale date and get to work.
Estate sales are a good fit when sellers have a house full of items to sell. EBTH experts work in their homes to sort, photograph, catalog (research and describe) all of the pieces that will go up for sale on EBTH. Importantly, they don’t just handle the items for sale; they arrange for pick-up of items that need to be donated or thrown away, and leave the home completely empty and clean when they are finished. They handle, literally, everything but the house.
Once cataloging is complete, they upload images and descriptions to EBTH. All items start at a price of $1 and sales last for seven days. There are no reserve prices! When the sale ends, they collect payment from the buyers, manage the pick-up process, arrange for any items that are being shipped, and process payouts to sellers. When sellers have just a few items or a small collection to sell, EBTH can arrange for a consignment sale. Sellers drop off items at their warehouse, where they sort, photograph and catalog these pieces and present them for sale on the EBTH website in the same fashion as larger estate sales. They work with a wide range of sellers. It’s not just homes full of antiques or museum-quality collections. Sometimes, homeowners have gems hidden in attics, buried in boxes in the basement, or even right under their noses on the bookshelf. Typically, their sellers are experiencing a major life event—a death in the family; moving an aging parent out of their home; retiring; moving across the country; relocating to a new, smaller home; beginning a new marriage. Generally, the sale proceeds are 3-5 times more than traditional estate sales, and their fee is 35 percent of final sale proceeds (much less than a traditional consignment shop).
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| Examples of the types of items shoppers can bid on. |
BUYING ON EBTH
Shopper (or bidders) on EBTH range from serious collectors to bargain hunters, design enthusiasts to DIYers with one thing in common: they love the element of discovery and the thrill of the auction experience. EBTH aims to make browsing and bidding on items easy, convenient and fun. They present items with crisp, high-quality photography and detailed descriptions written by subject matter experts. Items are grouped together by sale, but can also be searched by location (“Dallas”), category (“artwork”) or keyword (“lamp”). They kick off sales via email to their more than 110,000 registered users (so sign up for their list!). Interested buyers for local the sales can visit an in-person Sale Preview two days before the sale ends online. For out-of-town shoppers, shipping and delivery can be coordinated for items they purchase. Bidders can also “Follow” items they like to monitor the bidding action. As sales wind down, last-minute bids add 5 additional minutes to the clock to give everyone a fair shot (similar to a live auction).
Whether you are buying or selling, EBTH is a fantastic new way to shop. Enjoy treasure hunting and let me know if you buy (or sell) an amazing treasure!
This post was brought to you by Everything But The House. While I did receive compensation for authoring this post; product selections, descriptions, and opinions are 100% my own. Interested in a sponsored post or product review? Contact me for rates and details.