Gateway Gallery Auction — Local services in Guilford Township

Family. The folks at Gateway Gallery (which is a family owned business) treated me like family. I had just lost my mom (my best friend, really) and I had to unfortunately auction off a lot of her things. I was heartbroken and overwhelmed and met with several different auction houses. One was very nice, but I didn't really connect with them and the other wouldn't help me in a timely manner unless I auctioned her house along with them (in my humble opinion very cold). My Aunt suggested Gateway Gallery and John came out to my mother's home, sat down with me at her kitchen table and talked to me like a human being. He even took the time to give me some encouragement. I knew then that this is the auction for us. They showed me and my mother's items respect. The gentleman that came to the house to take everything away were just the kindest, most hardworking souls. My mom had a lot of things (very clean and organized, but a lot of things) and they worked their tails off and didn't grumble once. Anything I requested (boxes to help pack things up, returning of bins after the sale, etc) they honored. The day of the sale I could not watch or be present. Thankfully, some family did that for me and they couldn't say enough good things about the auction and how things were handled. A week after the auction I came back to pick up the bins and John personally came out to greet me and had someone help us load the bins. John then handed me all the paperwork I needed for the lawyer and a check from the sale. He couldn't have been kinder and the entire process (while so super sad) couldn't have been easier. John and his family treated me with so much compassion every, single step of the way. So grateful my Aunt suggested them. I really don't know what I would've done without their guidance,...

As a newbie to the Auction Experience, I had a positive introduction. I attended the preview and am very glad I did. It was easier to follow having gotten the lay of the land (several rooms, cases, ways of marking, etc).

At first, to be honest, I felt like they didn't really want to bother with me. I knew they were busy, so I walked away and started asking other "bidders" to help me understand how it worked. ( I would put up / create a flier with some easy - "this is how you do it" rules, instructions, tips. But maybe they don't have that many new people.)

In the end, the staff was supportive, the place has enough parking (maybe only just enough), it is clean and efficiently run. There were a couple of glitches with my online account and my on site bidding - so be careful to follow up / check if you are doing both (I had two different issues). The problems were easily solved once the right people came to the computer.

All in all it was sort of fun, but exhausting. Sensory overload. I was told that they sell about 1 item every 20 seconds. That's fast.

If I were local, I would go back again. The customers were generally very friendly and willing to "trade" if you want something from their lot.

Go! Be careful that you don't get too many "good...

My first experience with Gateway Gallery Auction was excellent from start to finish. All of the 13 lots that I purchased were exactly as expected. While I would have appreciated a little more in the descriptions, it strikes me that this auction house is thorough in their assessment of items - and only adds detailed commentary if an anomaly is noted. Regardless of the detail in the written descriptions; I very much appreciated the quick and complete responses that I received to my five or so questions regarding specific lots. The front office folks were pleasant and easy to work with. I drove from almost 400 miles away to pick up my items in person - and was very pleased by the accommodating actions of the staff who were packing items for shipping to other customers. They gave me space in their work area to pack my own items and were very helpful. In summary, a good experience and an auction house that I will keep in mind for my...