FAQ

Auctions can be exciting events for buyers and sellers alike. However, for some, auctions can also be somewhat confusing and worrisome. No matter what your experience, we want to ensure that you have only the best experience at our auctions. While most people are familiar with the basics of an auction, we find many people ask similar questions when we speak to them about our services and auctions. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions with accompanying answers. Of course, if you have additional questions or don't find the information here helpful you are more than welcome to contact us for a direct response.

What if I accidentally buy something? – We truly want you to only buy things on purpose! Every registered bidder is given a bid card to use during the auction. The card is used to bid with and as each item is sold the winning bid card number will be called out, along with the price by the auctioneer. If the process seems confusing, please contact one of our auction team members. Do you take consignments? - Yes! Most of the items we offer at auction are consigned to us by collectors, dealers, beneficiaries and/or executors of an estate, etc. We are always seeking quality consignments for upcoming auctions.

What is your fee for consignments? – As a policy, we do not publicly advertise our consignment rates. We encourage anyone considering selling items at auction to contact us before making a decision to contract with another provider. We will go over the cost involved to sell items at auction as well as the services we offer and benefits of doing business with us.

I only have one item to consign. Do you have a minimum? – There is no minimum to consign with us. We frequently have people consign with us who have acquired a single item through inheritance or maybe even at a yard sale who would like to sell the item at auction. We are more than happy to work with consignors to meet their individual needs and goals. As a general rule, we will

When do I need to get my item to you for your next auction? – In order to adequately market and advertise your consignments, we recommend that you get your items to us as early as possible. Generally, our deadline is four weeks prior to the auction date. Depending on printing and advertising deadlines, we can occasionally make exceptions but this is not always the case. Additionally, space in our auctions tends to fill up fast. Since we limit the number of lots in our auctions, we again recommend that we receive your items as early as possible to ensure inclusion and adequate marketing.

I am not in Salem, Oregon. How do I get my items to you? – There are many options available if you are not in the area or cannot bring your items to us. For smaller consignments, shipping by U.S. Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx tends to be the most cost effective. For larger collections or consignments, we offer pick-up services for a reasonable fee nearly anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.

Do you accept reserves on items? – A reserve is a confidential minimum the consignor is willing to take on an item. While there are advantages to having a reserve on an item, there are also advantages to selling an item absolute (without reserve). We do accept reserves on select items that meet certain criteria, but it is always best to contact us to discuss the item and reserve amount specifically. Typically, less than 10% of items offered at auction have reserves.

I have been collecting for years and have a large collection I'd like to sell. Can you help? – Absolutely! We can evaluate your collection and offer recommendations to maximize the results from selling your collection at auction. We are also more than willing to schedule an auction outside of regularly scheduled events to meet a consignor's needs.

To learn more about our services, please contact us through any of the methods below:

Mail: Capitol Auction & Estate Services, LLC, P. O. Box 710, Salem, Oregon 97308

Telephone: 503-990-6976

FAX: 503-991-5389

info@capitolauction.net