MaxSold

For the last couple of years I bought several items from Maxsold but everything changed.
On July 19.2020 I went to Auction #23194 which was located 5 Sawgrass street, Jackson NJ 08527 to pick the items that I won. When I got there I met the Maxsold rep "Audrey" and gave her my receipt. She looked for the staff but she couldn't find them. The owner was at the site so she asked the owner where are the staff. The owner said that she had a handyman working on the house and he probably took the items.

The Maxsold rep "Audrey" apologized to me and she told me when I get home to fill up the refund form and I will get 100% refund. After driving an hour to get back home I filled up the form and submitted to Maxsold.

Next day I called my credit card to let them know that I will be getting credit from Maxsold so MaxSold don't charge me any interest. The amount of purchase was $19.62.

Three days later I tried to login to my account to put a bid for an item and I received the message that my account was suspended. I submitted the form twice for reinstatement but they were denied. I called Maxsold several times but no manager was available.
"Your account was suspended due to a charge back that was initiated for a purchase you had made with us. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the suspension we are unable to reinstate your account.

We hope you will find other opportunities with other organizations, but we cannot continue to conduct business with you due to the risks inherent with having you as a member of our MaxSold Community.
Regards,

Rachel R.

Maxsold Support "

Only giving 3 stars because we didn't loose money (which I was nervous about at one point). But there were some major concerns:
1. Many photos that were taken by max sold staff were poor quality and one was even upside down (photo attached). This likely affected the price people were willing to pay. There should be a required standard for this or even a camera provided by max sold.
2. Photos were missed of certain lot items. I asked the team lead to double check because I thought it got missed. MaxSold assured me it hadn't. I checked the photos after and sure thing it was missed.
3. They should better explain what is needed for creating "lots". I spent hours organizing only to have them show up and say it's going to cost an additional $50 a person per hour (5 of them were there) for a few hours to organize before they can get started. This was an estate sale for my 50 year old mother who just died. The last thing a client wants to hear is that it's going to cost hundreds of extra dollars, but especially in this situation.
4. There is a missing item that seemed to have gotten picked up with a lot and i have emailed 3 separate email accounts about it and have not heard back.
5. There were lots of smoke breaks and dilly dallying (especially for $50 an hour).

Bid on a bicycle with odd amounts. First $30 which I was the high bidder with a max bid of $103.20 minutes later I checked the auction and the price had jumped to exactly $103. I waited an hour and the raised my bid to $116. I noticed within 10-20 minutes of bidding each time the bid was raised to the exact amount I bid. So it was smart enough to keep me as the high bidder but MaxSold made sure they were getting highest price they could without getting stuck with the item. It was so obvious that the proxy bidding amounts were being seen by someone at Maxsold and being raised within 10 - 15 minutes to the exact random amount. Shady Shady Business!

I signed a contract with Maxsold just prior to the onset of COVID, with the plan to sell the contents of my mother's home as an estate sale in May, 2020. Maxsold closed down when mandated, and I had to put the contents in storage until we could arrange the auction.
We finally opened for auction last week.
Maxsold did not offer any rebate on the cost of the auction, most of the work I did myself: photography of items, detailed description of items took me hours of prep. MaxSold still charged almost $500 service fee, and took a 30% commission. I ended up netting less than half of what I sold. Once I include the 5 months of storage, I have a net loss for tons of beautiful, perfect condition furniture pieces. I would have preferred to donate.

We bid on a nice wood dining table and 8 chairs and won with a $140 bid. When we went to pick up the item we were about 1/2 hour late. The seller refused to let us take the table citing we were not in time for the pick up window. We called MaxSold and MaxSold told us the rules is that if you are not there to pick up your item on time you forfeit it and do not get a refund. However, they went on to say that if the seller agrees to let us have the item it would be OK. So now we go back to the seller and he informed us that he would not release the table and chairs. He said that it was worth $10,000 and he was not letting it go for $140. I agree the table was worth far more than $140; but get real; $10,000?
Now the review is not negative against MaxSold because they have posted the terms an rules and they were willing to bend in this instance. It was the seller that was very greedy and heartless. So all this above is to say, be on time to pick up your item and read all the rules and terms with MaxSold

What a bunch of frauds. I purchased a dozen lots totaling over 2 grand at a recent auction in Virginia. I accidentally noticed that one of my lots had disappeared from the staging area. MaxSold had taken it and threw it on the garbage truck. I made them search the truck and get it back. Then after they left, another lot was missing. I tried to get a refund for a stinking 21 dollars and they refused. They lost my lot. Their incompetent staff threw it away with the things that did not sell. These people need to be watched every second. Find some company with decent customer service and some competency if you need to sell your products.

After bidders came to pick up their lots, one of their employees who managed the event told me she, Claire (with an Irish brogue) and Tammy could help sell on private consignment, my deceased brother's 43 watches and other related items which Claire said MaxSold wouldn't sell due to their small size. She sent me an email listing all of the items and her (Claire's) fees for replacing watch batteries, prep for selling the items on EBay, Mercado, etc., and mailing/shipping costs. A list of when EBay would reimburse her account was also included. Needless to say, she was never heard from again even though I sent two emails and left two voicemails for her without any response. When I contacted MaxSold MaxSold said she wasn't supposed to do that and they would speak to her. I haven't heard anything since and am filing a claim in small claims court. This is the last thing I needed during this grief period. I agree with Mel F that this is not a good deal for sellers.

A MaxSold Managed Auction is a DISASTER with respect to staff, lot sizes, pickup scenarios and commission fees... so basically EVERYTHING is a problem.

MaxSold made the lots so large that no one would bid high since they would have been stuck with many items they could do nothing with. They will not do single item auction due to "time it takes for return on their investment in preparing the auction" - i. E. Everything is rushed and moved along if you have alot of stuff

Pickup was a disaster as well, items left behind or refunds giving for miscataloged items by MaxSold. MaxSold gave the money back and left the bidder keep the item for free without my permission or approval.

Commission fees are way above the going rate for other auctioneers or online auction facilitators. We sold $5000 worth of stuff and MaxSold took $2450 of that, for who for what?

I would have been better off with a yard sale and/or facebook marketplace

I won an item and was charged at once. After that MaxSold have changed the pick-up location to 25 miles away. Maxsold.com sent me 2 emails reminding about pick-up and my responsibility for abandoning the lot. When I arrived to the pick-up location along with a hired truck I learned from Maxsold.com' subcontractors that my item is MIA and its owner decided to keep it. I wasted the day and $40 for a truck deposit. Maxsold.com has not refunded nor notified me until I contacted them. It took almost a week to reply: they offered me a refund and a worthless $20 gift card. They clearly do not respect own customers: 3 days between the auction's end and pick-up no one even raise a finger to warn me.

I can't say enough about Maxsold. I have told friends, family and anyone who asks. Our experience from the Initial Contract to the pickup after the online auction and receiving the final payment was seem less. Customer Service is your motto. Freeing myself of 62 of 63 lots of items and furniture has really hastened the process of emptying our home of 41 years.
The Cataloging and Pickup Teams were professional, respectful and enjoyable. We enjoyed having them at our home.
We will look forward to being customers of yours in the future.

I use this company because a friend recommended them I couldn't have been more exact or precise my explanation what was not to be touched or Taken has proceeded to empty my state things kept going missing and then MaxSold brought ins for other people who pick through everything and took everything and then did not admit to stealing it when I have to say hey bring my stuff back or compensate for me they had the nerve to say we didn't touch it we didn't take it and I kept on getting the run-around I was told I would get a phone call back and never received any of these people are C's if you use them in a stupid enough to make sure you stay in your house while they go through it and empty it or stuff will go missing

I purchased 2 items at auction and scheduled pickup at 4:00 pm on Friday. Went to the location, up a dirt road in the mountains, and no one was there. Called 2 different numbers for Max sold. One went straight to voice mail, and the mail box was full, and the other I spoke with 2 different reps 3 different times. No one was able to get in touch with them. Called on Saturday, and told to send an email. I did, and received an email back stating I had missed pickup. I did not and have a picture of the address. Can't get anyone to help me with this. Not impressed, to say the least. Since pickup was not available I believe MaxSold should send it to me. It's not large.

We used the services for a Seller Controlled sale and it was an easy process. As compared to garage sales that we have had in the past, we didn't have to barter over price and the marketing methods of MaxSold ensured that our sales was seen by a great deal of interested buyers. The last 1/2 of the auction was very exciting. The pickup process was very effective and all of our customers were pleasant and cognizant of the COVID rules. The service was painless and I will definitely be using MaxSold again.

This was my first time selling with Maxsold and I was apprehensive, but MaxSold were very helpful and I only had to do the simple things, like taking photos, doing a quick description and meeting the high bidders when they picked up. It was time consuming, but I expected that. The items I sold were good but I had no need for them and I wanted to downsize so that my children would not have to worry about dispositions if something should happen to me. I was happy with whatever was bid - some low prices, but also some surprisingly high prices. I accomplished what was needed - more space in my house and closets and cabinets. I will do it again at some point in the future if I can.

We are moving, down sizing to a house out of state. I thought using Maxsold would be our best option for paring down what we are not going to take. Our sale was small, only 46 lots, 14 of which did not sell. I am glad we opted for the hybrid sale option because otherwise we would have ended up OWING THEM money instead of getting a check for $87.26, which is about 9.2% of the total sale, as our cut. This type of service is best suited to whole house sales. We did too much work for the return value, I don't think we will be using them again.

Pickup was total chaos. People arrived hours ahead of or hours after their assigned times. Documentation for sell-managers is very unhelpful. Lot numbers were usually not included with invoices or pickup times. That means you have to collate the lists yourself. The cell phone app also flawed. You can't type in dashes, apostrophes, quotation marks, etc. Fees are also very high when you consider that the self-manager does most of the work. Overall, I would not recommend this for self-managers.

After years as a buyer, we've held two sales now. And just signed up for our 3rd! Unlike many other things, this MaxSold platform runs exactly as described... and you receive immediate support should you require any assistance. Recommended the Seller Managed Sale v. the MaxSold Managed as it's easy to create your catalog... you can do it at your leisure... and it's easy to manage the pickup. Plus, MaxSold staff is there (even on weekends) to help over the phone on pickup day. Best way I have found to sell off an estate, or sell down slow moving inventory. As with any auction, you must have realistic expectations of prices achieved. MaxSold twice now exceeded my overall expectation. Highly recommend this service!

I have been a regular Maxsold customer for years. Maxsold is an online auction site which allows bidders to bid online for items photographed and described on their website.

I recently bid on and purchased an item which was nothing like its description. It was listed as "antique burred wood". When obtained, it was clearly not wood but some veneer applied to some cheap substance. If you had seen this thing at a garage sale, you might have been generous to pay $5 for it. Instead, I competed with a number of other buyers who all must have read the description as I did, and I barely got the item for $340 after outcompeting other bidders. You can see from the photo I attached below, that if it really had looked like that, then it would have been a beautiful piece. But it wasn't an "antique burr walnut endtable". It was a $5 dollar item with veneer pasted on some substance. And the veneer wasn't even glued on all that well.

My husband picked it up for me, so I didn't see it till he got home (and he wasn't the one who bid). When I saw how shoddy it was and how it clearly was veneer stuck on something, and not actual wood, I immediately wrote to Maxsold and asked for a refund. Keep in mind that I have been a VERY loyal client, and spent well in excess of $10,000 on the site, as well as having a sale of my own. AND I have never asked for a refund since starting on Maxsold maybe more than 6 years ago.

I received a highly abusive and threatening email that basically said that if I wanted a full refund, MaxSold would give it to me but ban me from the site for violating their terms and conditions (because the item was removed from the site and I didn't register a complaint until after I saw it at home). Note that they made this threat after reviewing my file, so (a) they were well aware that I was a regular and very good client and (b) that despite spending well in excess of $10,000 at their site, I have never before asked for a refund. Note also that they violated their own manifesto which says that they will carefully describe items, and describe them "as we would want them described if we were buying or selling them".) Alternatively, they could provide me with a 40% refund and not ban me from the site.

I should also mention that in the sale I did through Maxsold, one item was an oriental carpet. The person who purchased it was given a full refund after they complained about the quality, and no, the complaint didn't get made on the premises because I was on the premises that whole day, assisting with the sale. So the first email I got about my purchase, which said that they wouldn't even entertain a refund because they never refund an item once it has been removed from the premises, was a lie since it had happened in my own sale. Once I called them on the lie, then I got the abusive and threatening email.

I am unbelievably insulted by their threats. I get that all items are used and "as is", but with COVID, we have no choice but to rely even more heavily on the description of the items at the Maxsold website. Moreover, I expect that as an excellent repeat customer, I will be treated with dignity and respect. To instead receive an email that suggests I am trying to pull a fast one, and steal something, is degrading and uncalled for, given my track record with this company.

I am so very sorry for having recommended this option to all my friends and family members.

This is no way to treat a loyal customer. And news alert: If you're willing to dump a customer who comes back year after year, recommends your company to others and spends more than $10,000, over a dispute over $300 - maybe you'd better rethink your customer service strategy.

While we did accomplish getting items sold, we would have done better, to have done it ourselves or donated to charity and received a receipt for the donation. Staff on site was okay - photographs were subpar at best, definitions (I believe) were part of the reason items either didn't sell or were so underbid. Items were taken that were marked not for sale, supervision of the buyers by some allowed items not bid on to be taken. I approached the day of the sale that one item should not have been sold, for personal reasons - MaxSold did NOTHING to help me retrieve the small (family) heirloom. They knew who bought it. They could have made a small quick call and all would have been resolved - but they did nothing to assist. Use them if you have to but be aware items will go but maybe not at the value they deserve.

I used MaxSold to declutter my house. I decided to really eliminate the old furniture, the broken tools, all the mismatched dishes, a wild assortment of bogus mugs, glasses, bowls, and kitchen items I never really use. A beautiful table that I got 25 years ago (I wanted a change!). Out also were extra chairs, storage boxes, and a car that had not been run in five years. Out, out, out! MaxSold helped professionally, organizing online a completely orderly disposal of this army of possessions that quite frankly... needed a new home and not the dump.