Trading Post Estate Sales

SHIPPING: Read item description to see whether your desired item is available for shipping before bidding. We do not ship large and/or fragile items. We do not know estimated shipping costs. If you are the winning bidder and would like your item(s) shipped, you must to print, sign and email or text us your signed invoice before item is dropped off at the UPS Store. All shipments are made through the Babylon, NY UPS Store (631-321-8810). We drop off all shipments during the week following the auction. We give them your signed invoice and they will contact you directly for payment. Please ensure all your contact information is correct on your account so that the UPS Store can reach you. Buyer is responsible for paying all the packing, shipping and any desired insurance charges. Please be aware that the shipping charges may be more expensive than the actual item you are purchasing, so please take that into consideration when placing your bids. If shipping is not paid for, item(s) will be considered abandoned property and will be resold or donated with no refund provided and your account suspended.

WAREHOUSE TRANSPORT (ALTERNATE PICK UP): We can transport certain items to be picked up at the Trading Post Warehouse located at 1865 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY by appointment only the week following the actual pickup day. Each lot has a transport fee that can be viewed in the description.

The transport fee's are payable BY CASH ONLY at time of pick up. Office phone number is 516-882-7775. 

What is a buyer's premium?

A buyer's premium is a percentage-based fee added to the winning hammer price. This helps cover the auctioneer’s expenses and administrative costs and off-sets credit card fees. The larger auction houses in major cities sometimes charge up to a 30% buyer's premium. Bidders may also be charged sales tax (depending on regulations of the individual state where the auction is held) on this additional fee.

Here’s an example ...

If you won an auction lot through “A-Z Auctioneers” with a 15% buyer’s premium and 5% state sales tax (the buyer’s premium is often taxed, but laws vary by state) here’s how it would work out:

You should note that buyer’s premiums vary depending on the individual auctioneer / estate seller using the AuctionNinja platform. Please be sure to read the terms for each individual sale. If you have questions about a buyer’s premium, please contact the auction house / estate seller directly. AuctionNinja does not control what individual sellers charge for their buyer’s premiums.

What is an absolute auction?

An absolute auction is a sale without a reserve price, where the hammer price is awarded to the highest bidder regardless of the hammer price. For example, in an absolute auction, a wine refrigerator could hammer at $1 because there was only one bidder bidding on that lot in the absolute auction.

What is a reserve?

First off, let's define reserve price. A reserve price sets a minimum required bid for the item to be sold. In many traditional auctions, reserves are undisclosed (the bidders have no idea what the reserve price may be -- a blind reserve).

On the Trading Post site, there are usually no reserves or minimums . While the majority of our auctions held are "absolute auctions," there are times that we clearly state a starting bid price in order to open the bidding on that particular lot. The process is very transparent.

What is extended bidding?

The AuctionNinja platform features extended bidding (a.k.a. "soft closing"). The AuctionNinja system will automatically extend the closing time of a lot (auction item) whenever a bid is placed within the last five minutes of its scheduled closing. This may occur multiple times on any given lot depending on the bidder interest in that lot. Once all interest and bidding in a lot ceases the clock will run out and the lot will close.

This is the fairest way to prevent “bid sniping” (someone submitting a high bid in the last seconds of any given lot’s closing in order to win said lot) and to give all bidders an opportunity to increase their bids if they wish. It is also the closest way to mimic a live, in-person auction, when the auctioneer gives bidders opportunities to increase their bids if someone jumps into the bidding at the last moment before hammering the winning bid. 

Sometimes I'm immediately outbid. Why?

Because all maximum bids are "masked" (hidden from other bidders), you do not know what any other bidder's maximum bid may be or when they placed it. Sometimes you will be outbid as soon as you enter your bid. This only occurs when another bidder had a higher maximum bid than yours already "on the board". Your bid set in motion BRG's automatic bidding system which raised the other buyer's bid above yours. The other bidder may have placed their max bid days, hours, or mere moments before you placed yours.

However, if you place a bid and there are no competing bids against your bid, the system WILL NOT immediately go to your maximum bid. In fact, if you are the only bidder by the time the lot closes, you will win the lot for the lowest possible dollar amount (based on whatever the opening bid was for that item), not your max bid. So if you place a max bid of $25 on a lot with an opening bid of $1 and there are no other bidders vying for that lot, you will win it for $1. NOTE: This only happens when there are no competing bids.

Why was I outbid by an amount less than the next minimum increment?

Occasionally our bidders are outbid by an amount lower than the minimum bid increment (see bid increments in our Terms & Conditions). All bidders may place their max bid at anytime. As a result, you may be outbid by what seems to be an incorrect increment. The AuctionNinja system will not default to strict increments like a traditional auction if an "odd" maximum bid was left prior to meeting the bid price which would engage the next bid increment. 

For example, let's say you place your maximum bid of $100 on a painting but another buyer wins the lot for $101. As stated in the bidding increments, you know the next bid should have been $105, not $101. The system will accept the $101 bid because that max bid of $101 was placed before the auction got to that next increment level.

Here's how: It's 4 p.m. on closing day and the painting is currently at $15. At 5:10 p.m. you place a maximum bid of $100. There are a few bidders at play and so by the time 5:45 comes around, the current bid is at $78 with you as the highest bidder. At 7:05 p.m. a new bidder joins in and places his maximum bid of $101. Since this new bidder's bid of $101 is above the minimum increment at the time she placed the bid, it is accepted by the system. Since there were no additional bids placed before the countdown clock ran out, the $101 bidder wins the lot because it is higher than your $100.

My max bid was the same as the winning bid (tie bid), yet someone else won it. Why?

In the case of a tie bid, the hammer will always fall to the first bidder. For example, the current bid is $50 (placed by someone else). What you don't know is that their max bid (which is masked from other bidders) is $200. You join the bidding and and place a maximum bid of $200 and are immediately outbid in favor of the other bidder. Even though two people have the same max bid, only one person can win the lot. That is automatically determined by bidding order -- the person who placed that maximum bid first.

1. USE OF SITE You may use the Site only in accordance with and subject to these Terms of Use. Once you complete and submit your registration you have opted-in to receive email communication from us and in order to remain a member of this Site, you must agree to receive email from us. Trading Post Estate Sales (TPES)

You must also authorize Trading Post Estate Sales to charge the credit or debit card you have entered on this site for the hammer price of an item which youwere the high bidder plus the buyer's premium and all applicable sales tax. Your card will be charged within 24 hours of auction end. Failure to keep valid credit card information on file will result in your use of the site being terminated.

To initiate your ability to bid with Trading Post Estate Sales, an itinital pre-authorization transaction will appear on your statement. This pending transaction will not settle and will drop off after 5 -7 business days.

You certify that you are an authorized user of this credit card and that you will not dispute the purchase payments with your credit card company provided the transactions correspond to the terms indicated in this authorization outline.

2. MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY The Site is available to members who are 18 years and older and who have not been suspended or removed by TPES for any reason. By becoming a member you represent that you are of legal age. As a member, you agree to provide true accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Site’s registration forms. In addition, as a member, you agree and acknowledge that you will maintain valid credit card info within your membership profile so long as you maintain an account with TPES.

3. BUYER’S CONTRACT  Bids placed on the TPES website are a binding contract and you are responsible for paying all amounts due to TPES including sale price, buyer's premium and all applicable taxes.. Please do not bid if you are unable to pay and take possession of the items in the specified time periods for each auction, sale or event. All sales are final. No returns, credits or exchanges.

4. ITEM DESCRIPTIONS All items are sold as-is, where-is. While TPES will do its best to list any damage, repairs or restorations, the absence of these descriptions or conditions must not be taken to imply that the lot is in perfect condition. Most of the items TPES sells are antique, vintage or used. You should expect signs of wear consistent with age. TPES does our best to measure the items properly but can not be held liable for a fraction of an inch measurements. We measures all art work with the frame as part of the measurement. For the most part TPES does not offers preview inspections so please study the photos and inspect them thoughouly before placing your bids.Feel free to email the auction manager as well as to the condition of items as they may have details. Conditions vary from item to item and TPES does not offer a condition report as condition is a subjective view and varys from buyer to buyer. All framed art is measured with the frame and is measured within a half inch. All furniture is measured within a half inch and sometimes not exact.

All sales are final. No returns, credits or exchanges.

5. BUYER’S PREMIUM A buyer’s premium of 18% will be added to the hammer price in all auctions and will be charged along with the hammer prices and applicable sales tax to the credit or debit card you have on file with TPES within 24 hours of the auction end.

6. SALES TAX All sales are subject to appropriate sales tax laws. Tax exempt buyers must provide the appropriate state sales tax exemption certificate prior to the end of the sale. Upon receipt of such information by TPES, your future purchases will not be taxed. Tax resale forms can be submitted in your membership profile. Please submit your tax form upon registering and before placing a bid. Your profile name and address must be the same as your resale certificate.

7. RETENTION OF CREDIT CARD INFORMATION By providing your credit card information to TPES, you authorize TPES to charge your credit card for the purchase amount of any successful bid plus the buyer's premium and any applicable taxes.

Your card will be charged within 24 hours of auction end. Failure to keep valid credit card information on file will result in your use of the site being terminated.

To initiate your ability to bid with Trading Post Estate Sales, an initial pre-authorization transaction will appear on your statement. This pending transaction will not settle and will drop off after 5 -7 business days.

You certify that you are an authorized user of this credit card and that you will not dispute the purchase payments with your credit card company provided the transactions correspond to the terms indicated in this authorization outline.

8. PICK-UP Successful buyers must pick up their items at the designated sale location within the assigned time frame as stated in the sale details page. A $25.00 per lot disposal fee will be charged for any items left behind by the winning bidder.

If after winning an item you determine you are unable to pick up your items during the scheduled removal times and dates, you must contact TPES within 24 hours prior of the pick-up date and we will determine if alternate arrangements can be made. These arrangements will be at the sole discretion of TPES and will be subject to transport, labor and/or storage fees. If an alternative method can not be arranged, TPES has the right to cancel the sale and retain the said items. TPES offers shipping on a very limited basis. If we agree to ship your items, you will be responsinle for the packing and shipping charge in a seperate charge. TPES will not be held liable for any damage or delays in shipping.

9. FORFEITURE OF ITEMS You will forfeit any items not paid for or picked up at the time of designated pickup in accordance with the Site’s Terms & Conditions. TPES at its sole discretion will reoffer the items or donate them to a charity of TPES’s choosing. TPES reserves the right to report your account to collections for the combined total of the original invoice amount and any moving or disposal charges. You membership with TPES will be revoked unless past due invoices and any additional charges are paid in full.

10. AS IS - WHERE IS All items and lots are sold on an 'AS-IS', 'WHERE IS' and 'WITH ALL FAULTS' basis 'WITHOUT EXCEPTION' with no warranty of any type expressed or implied as to the merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose of any goods offered in this sale. Trading Post Estate Sales and Seller expressly and specifically disclaim, without limitation, any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Removal is at the Buyer's sole obligation, risk and expense. No sale will be invalidated by reason of any defect or inaccuracy in any of the items or lots by reason of their being incorrectly described orally or written, invoiced or cataloged, and no liability will be borne by Trading Post Estate Sales, , licensees, employees and agents in respect to any such faults or errors. All marketing and information has been prepared only as a guide and is not offered as completely accurate, nor does it give the Buyers all of the information on the item or lot. Except as herein contained, there shall be no guarantees or warranties, expressed or implied, statutory or otherwise of any nature whatsoever. The Buyers will accept the items or lots in spite of any defects or conditions, known or unknown, visible or not visible, and therefore Buyers do by these presents remise, release, acquit, quit claim and forever discharge the Sellers, Trading Post Estate Sales,from any and all claims now and in the future. The Buyers should avail themselves the opportunity to inspect all items and lots. All Buyers are urged to physically inspect the item during the pick up period and before leaving the premises. All sales are final. No bids can be withdrawn during or after the auction for any reason. Buyer understands that these terms as well as all other terms and conditions can not be amended. Buyer also agrees that any oral, written or electronic representation made by Trading Post Estate Sales, shall not modify these "AS IS - WHERE IS" terms. Buyer understands that any description given in the catalog or written on the equipment is not guaranteed, and Buyer will rely entirely on their own inspection and/or investigations. All information and descriptions contained in advertising this sale are believed correct, but no responsibility is assumed by Trading Post Estate Sales or Seller for any errors or omissions.

11. PROHIBITED USE You agree not to sell, license, rent, modify, distribute, copy, reproduce, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, adapt, edit or create derivative works from content or materials on the Site. Use of the content and materials for any purpose not expressly permitted in these Terms of Use is prohibited. You may not decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or otherwise reduce the Site to a human-perceivable form, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law, and in that case, only if you notify us in writing in advance. You may not copy, frameset, enclose or otherwise distribute any part of the Site.All photographs and descriptions on this site are the property of TPES and any use not expressly consented for by TPES will be subject ot intellectual property rights violations and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

12. Cancelation of Items for sale Trading Post Estate Sales. reserves the right to cancel, delete or modify any purchase, item or auction for any reason and at any time with no prior notifacation. This applies to all sales, past, present and future.

Current Openings:

AUCTION MANAGER CONTRACTOR

Do you love estate sales? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? Have you dreamed about getting into the estates industry but don't know how or where to begin? If so, Trading Post Estate Sales (TPES) wants to talk with you! 

TPES provides estate liquidation services through online estate auctions and the demand for our services is growing everyday. We are expanding and need contractors to manage auction territories in CT, MA, NY (including territories throughout Long Island, Westchester, & NYC), NJ and beyond! 

We're looking for Independent Auction Manager Contractors to:

Manage Auctions

   • Catalog, photograph, edit and sort auctions 

   • Provide all relevant auction details and summary, including auction description/write-up prior to marketing

   • Staff and schedule previews and pick-ups 

   • Run additional marketing / advertising efforts, not already provided by TPES (e.g., post items on craigslist, tag     sale group sites, etc.)

   • Make calls and collect payment from declined cards

   • Provide auction revenue summary for proper client and contractor payout

Be a Brand Ambassador 

   • Provide optimal auction experience to clients and customers alike

   • Communicate clearly and professionally with clients, customers and back office staff

   • Promote TPES when opportunities arise 

   • Provide TPES with social media content as needed (unique story, behind the scenes, customer review, artsy    photography, blog post). Although not necessary, doing so will help promote you as a top referral pick.

Generate New Business Opportunities 

   • Estate sales leads when opportunities arise 

   • New contractor leads if opportunities arise 

In exchange, TPES will provide: 

Business Support

   • Free training (photography, systems, operations, etc.)

   • Web hosting through the TPES site

Competitive Referral Fees & Commissions

   • Referrals on estates in your designated area 

   • You keep the commissions on your sales 

Autonomy

   • You can be a creative as you want with additional marketing (beyond what TPES provides); 

   • You can be as active in securing estates as you want 

   • Flexibility to schedule sales as convenient for you and your clients

   • TPES will provide referrals in your territory, but you can seek out your own estates

Accounting Support 

   • Client close-out reports including accounting

   • Auto-debit customer payments

   • Accounting costs

   • Credit card fees and leases 

Marketing Support 

   • Listing for your estate on major estate sale sites (e.g., estatesales.net, estatesales.org, auctionzip.com) plus    additional exposure on these sites through TPES premiere status 

   • Membership fees and additional monies needed to operate the above sites 

   • Promotional banners for sales on website

   • Business cards

   • Lawn signage

   • Email blasts to buyer base from TPES

   • Email blasts through TPES email portal (when applicable) 

   • Website updates and design costs

   • Email hosting costs

   • Instagram, Twitter & Facebook account management and advertising

Requirements:

   • Clean Criminal Background!

   • 1099 / Independent Contractor / Self-Employment status

   • Valid Driver's License or Proof of ID

   • Excellent verbal and written communications skills

   • Reliable Transportation (Must be able to drive within a 2 hour radius of your home)

   • Smart phone, camera and ipad, laptop or computer

Send your letter of interest and/or resume to info@tradingpostestatesales.com