Jeremy Jager of Big Fellas Auction was featured in a recent On the Block interview concerning his first auction on Proxibid. In this post he discusses shipping issues associated with his house and another auction.

One of Jager’s customers bought a coin at his auction and was sent an invoice for shipping of $7.05. “This covered the packaging at $4.95, insurance at $1.50, and 70 cents for delivery confirmation,” Jager said The customer thought that was exorbitant. “I explained the pricing, and he must have been okay with it because he never wrote back.

“However, the next day I got a call from a lady saying her package was damaged and that some of the items were broken.” No problem, Jager said. He went to the post office and filled an insurance claim because he knows that shipping is associated with a company’s reputation. Bidders want quick, inexpensive shipping whenever possible.

On that score, Jager was disappointed two days later in the role of bidder rather than auctioneer. He had paid $35 for a $5 currency note from an auction company doing business on Proxibid. “The price they charged to ship me a piece of paper was $12.58.”

Since then Jager has been reading terms of service from other auction companies. “I see that some companies are making money off of shipping at a high price to buyers,” he notes, charging handling and miscellaneous fees.

Shipping is one of the main criteria in Proxiblog rankings. Items should ship within 7-10 days at reasonable cost with adequate packaging and insurance, if appropriate or requested. We discourage auctioneers from asking bidders to contact local shipping companies, giving out credit card data, especially if the house is paying for APN clearance. We also have showcased auctioneers who promote good shipping policies, such as Scott Strosnider and Ron Krause.

Case in point: Recently Proxiblog won one inexpensive item from Strosnider’s “Scott Auctions.” Two weeks later, we won several other coins in another of his online auctions. Strosnider, as Krause, combines shipping for good returning customers. In our case, the inexpensive item was shipped with others, saving $10 in the process.

It’s those little things that make a satisfied or unsatisfied customer. Satisfied customers return. Unhappy ones bid elsewhere.

Proxiblog is an independent entity with no connection to the auction portal Proxibid. Our intent is to uphold basic numismatic standards as established by the American Numismatic Association and the National Auctioneer Association and to ensure a pleasurable bidding experience not only on Proxibid but also on similar portals such as iCollector and AuctionZip.