What we are building, and what we are learning

Pricing furniture and homeware for a live auction

The delivery decision sets the price as much as the piece does.

Buying furniture and homeware in a live auction

Get the measurements and the delivery answer before you bid, not after.

How to sell furniture and homeware on Metzee

Measure it, show the surfaces that get used, and decide the delivery question before the show.

Describing the condition of collectibles

Grade the object and its packaging separately, and say what you are not sure about.

Packing and posting collectibles

Work out how your own object breaks, then pack against that. It is the whole method.

Pricing collectibles for a live auction

Edition and condition first, then let a room of people who know more than you decide.

Buying collectibles in a live auction

Ask what makes this one different from the common one. The answer tells you what you are paying for.

How to sell collectibles on Metzee

Edition, condition and packaging. If you only say one thing, say which edition.

Describing the condition of artwork

Say what is on the surface, what is on the back, and what has been done to it since it was made.

Packing and posting art

Take it out of the frame if you can, never fold what was not folded, and protect the corners.

Pricing art for a live auction

An original, a limited print and an open print are three markets. Then it is size, medium and name.

Buying art in a live auction

Ask whether it is an original or a print, and ask to see the back. Both answers change the price.

How to sell art on Metzee

Original or print, and if a print, which kind. That one distinction carries the whole category.

Describing the condition of minerals and crystals

Natural, treated, repaired — and every chip located rather than angled away from.

Packing and posting minerals and crystals

Heavy, and it breaks at the points. Wrap the terminations before you wrap anything else.

Pricing rocks, crystals and minerals for a live auction

Collectors pay for species, locality and condition. Decorative buyers pay for the look. Know which room you have.

Buying rocks, crystals and minerals in a live auction

Ask for the species, the locality and the treatment. Then ask for it on a scale.

How to sell rocks, crystals and minerals on Metzee

Name the species, name the locality, declare the treatment — and make no claims about health.

Describing the condition of outdoor gear

Working, complete and how it was stored. The third one is the fact nobody thinks to give.

Packing and posting outdoor gear

Dry first, compress second, and never post anything that was put away damp.

Pricing outdoor gear for a live auction

Working and complete sells. Untested and partial is a different, cheaper item.

Buying outdoor gear in a live auction

Ask for it pitched, ask how it was stored, and count the pieces before you bid.

How to sell outdoor gear on Metzee

Camping, fishing, hiking, survival gear and binoculars. Weapons are not sellable here.

Describing the condition of sports memorabilia

Condition and provenance are two statements. Mixing them is where this goes wrong.