The Alternative to Absentee Bidding - Antique Auctions Online

Don't you just hate when you see an antique that would look perfect in your collection but the auction is happening that day (hey, you can't always get around to flipping through all the catalogs right away) and they don't take last minute absentee bidding? Online bidding at antique auctions online would be so much better wouldn't it? But then you have to worry about whether or not you're working with a real auction house or just some guy out of his basement. Wouldn't it be nice to find antiques offered from a real, professional auction house where you can bid online? Well, if you've always dreamed of that, now's your chance.
Real Auction Houses, Real Auctioneers, All Online
Antique auctions online don't have to mean shopping at eBay and hoping that your seller is the real deal. There are now several online auctions available where you can make purchases from a respected auction house that actually offers you the same guarantees that a traditional auction house does and where an actual, human, licensed auctioneer conducts the bidding.
These miracles of the modern world can be found online, though you do still need to be careful. You need to make sure when you pick an online auction house that they are the real deal.
How to Check if the Antique Auctions Online That You Found are Legitimate
So you found a perfect antique that will be available from an online auction house. Now you need to check whether or not the place is real or if it's just some guy who has a slick web site but will sell you made in China replicas. How do you go about checking it out?
Simple. Every state has licensing requirements for their auctioneers. They must apply for a license, submit to certain types of training, and offer certain types of guarantees to their customers before they may sell anything in the state. What you need to do is to note the home state of the auction house you want to work with and then search for "auction license requirements [name of state]." This should show you the web site for the state department that takes care of licensing auctioneers. You can then peruse their web site to find out if they have a list of licensed auctioneers.
If they do, just look for the name of the company that you want to work with. If they don't, pick up the phone and call them. Ask for the clerk in charge of registering auctioneers and ask point blank whether or not the auction house you want to work with is licensed and whether or not complaints have been registered against them.
Additional Ways to Be Sure
In addition to the above, which will tell you only whether the antique auctions online that you are considering are actually legitimate, you should also consider contacting the state's Better Business Bureau office to find out of the auction house is a member and or if they have ever had complaints registered against them.
Finally, you can simply search on Google to find out about the auction house by name and see what people are saying about them. Then check the Twitter and Facebook feeds for more real time comments and you'll know if you've got a legitimate online antique auction or not.



Bid live online in upcoming live auctions at http://www.icollector.com/about.aspx. William J. Walberg is a freelance writer who writes articles in the auction and technology industries.