Old Kinderhook Auction Company — Local services in Town of Kinderhook

Consignors should be cautious: Old Kinderhook doesn't exactly attract or encourage bidders to bid. In an auction with 671 lots, I had genuine interest in possibly bidding on 18 lots, all with starting bids at or above $200--so not random little knickknacks but purchases which require at least a modicum of consideration. I asked for specific additional photos of these 18 lots 13 days ahead of the auction. Instead of trying to provide any photos, I got a call from Old Kinderhook telling me bluntly "No, we're not gonna do that." The guy said that they'd maybe provide additional photos for 1 or 2, but if I needed more than 2 lots, I should fly to New York to visit in person. Is it really more practical for me to fly to New York instead of the auction house just taking photos? Could you really not even try to squeeze in taking the specific photos I requested in the 13 days before the auction? I found it so weirdly off-putting, especially because I've already bought from Old Kinderhook before, so they should know that I'm not randomly wasting their time. Anyway, after the odd phone call, and without the additional photos I requested, I'm much less likely to bid on the lots I was originally interested in--which probably hurts the consignors as much (if not more than) the auction house. I suspect there will be many no bid and single bid items if they treat potential bidders this way. In all seriousness, I've bid in hundreds of auctions around the US and internationally, and have cumulatively spent very substantial amounts of money at auctions. I've literally never once had an auction house refuse to provide additional photos before--honestly...

Old Kinderhook Auction Company gets 5 solid stars! Great items and reasonable hammer prices with fair buyers premiums. However.... HOWEVER... the two UPS stores and other shipping companies listed by Kinderhook command - and get - the most outrageous packing and shipping prices on the planet! They will sometimes negotiate, but since there is not a lot to choose from - the shippers in this remote area will charge you plenty to get your item to you. I am going to stop bidding here because of this policy. A $200.00 picture frame cost almost $290.00 to send to California. With the buyers premium, tax, shipping and cost of the frame it amounted to $513.00 for a $200.00 frame ! ...

BUYER BEWARE! I am extremely disappointed in my experience with Kinderbrook. I won a very small whitetail shoulder mount on LiveAuctioneers with them for $70. They tried to charge me $499 to ship it to SC, when I have had them shipped for $70-$100 from NY. They threatened to file a dispute against me when I was very communicative with them about not being able to afford the shipping fee. Then ultimately filed a dispute, but the threat was very upsetting. This company needs to do better. I was very communicative about trying to make it right and their response was downright predatory. Highly recommend reconsidering your purchase options before getting tied up with...