Tuesday, 16 June 2020
A sign of things to come?
We received an email from Bamfords antiques auctioneers today as we are on their mailing list having bought and sold via them occasionally. Below is an excerpt -
As we come through the final weeks of lockdown, we continue to make changes to the way we serve our clients. It is not easy but the changes we have made have had a huge impact on the way auctions work from the initial valuation through to the marketing, selling and delivery to buyers.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your recent patience and support. Although we had eight weeks when sales could not take place, I am very pleased to say that with our additional online bidding platforms our May Three Day Antique and Fine Art, Interiors and Library, Grand Tour and Sale of Curiosities Auctions all had record sales, not only in sale total but also the number of individual lots sold at 90-95%. This upholds the long-held belief that in times of economic uncertainty and when markets are volatile, investment in antiques becomes more popular than ever.
In other words they appear to be doing better online than before the lockdown. Auction houses have used online bidding for years of course, but that isn’t a result I’d have expected. A sign of things to come perhaps.
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4 comments:
It would be interesting to know the demographic here; the most assiduous antique-hunter I know is pushing ninety and unlikely to adapt to the new format unless assisted by her grandchildren - still, she's a game old bird and I wouldn't put that past her.
Recent ebay experiences* suggest that there are a lot of people out there with excess time and money on their hands; I wonder whether the influence of afternoon television ('Cash in the Attic''Celebrity Antiques Road Trip' etc) has played a part in bringing in a new customer base.
*A fascinating lesson in supply and demand courtesy of my niece; apparently Fat Face harem trousers, which were regularly fetching around £7.50 pre lockdown, are now changing hands for £25+, with bidding wars occasionally driving the price up into the thirties or beyond.
"As we come through the final weeks of lockdown"
Really - what ever gives them that idea?
We have a local garden centre who are selling plants online, and they deliver hanging baskets or trays of bedding plants to the customer's door. Of course, the main point of a garden centre is having a day pootling about and a nice lunch and the wife buying lots of Christmas stuff in July, but some businesses are trying harder than others.
Macheath - we have paid more for online products because of the convenience and time saved in not having to visit shops and go trawling around the shelves. I don't think we'd go as far as your Fat Face harem trousers example, but for us they aren't a must have!
microdave - maybe auctioneers are optimists, but I think you are right, they have no idea how to go back to normal.
Sam - and those businesses will probably thrive, although as you say the main point of garden centres is to pootle about and have a nice lunch.
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