"Richmond's Premier Antique Auction Gallery"

Frequently Asked Questions

At Alexander’s we want you to get the most out of attending our auctions,

and enjoy the purchases you make at our gallery. 

Our best advice is to plan your purchases, set your limits, and know what you’re bidding on!

As items are being sold LISTEN CAREFULLY to each description.

Please ask questions if you need more information. 

What’s available for auction?

Each week, we feature over 700 items, from period pieces to custom reproductions, collectibles, vintage glassware, artwork, oriental rugs, and first quality designer pieces. We offer a wide range of fine antiques and decorative items. 

How can I find out more about the pieces for sale? 

We strongly encourage you to preview the pieces we will be selling each week. We open our doors at 9:00 AM each Thursday so that our customers may carefully inspect any and all pieces they are interested in purchasing. 

We have our associates available from 9:00 AM through 6:30 PM each Thursday to answer your questions, assist you with accurate sizes, and provide estimates of how much a particular item is likely to sell for. The selling price is greatly affected by the bidders in the audience on any given Thursday, but we can usually give you a fairly close range. 

Please look, LOOK AGAIN, and ask questions! We are here to help you - we want you to be happy with the purchases you make at Alexander’s.

 

If you are unable to make it in for preview

you can preview the current week’s auction online by visiting http://www.alexandersantiques.com

and clicking the “This Week’s Auction” tab.

 A general listing of the current week’s sale is posted each Tuesday evening. On Wednesday evening over 500 photos will be available for viewing. 

If you cannot make it in person to preview on Thursday, we have associates available to answer your questions on the phone or through e-mail. Associates will assist you with accurate sizes; condition reports, estimates, and e-mailing more detailed photos.

 

 What if I can’t attend the Auction? 

If you’re interested in bidding on a piece, but can’t attend the auction that evening, there are two other ways to participate in the auction. 

Silent Bids – You can attend our preview, register as if you were attending that night’s auction, and leave your bids with us. One of our associates will “stand in” and bid competitively for you – up to your highest bid on the item(s) you have chosen. If the item sells for less than your maximum bid amount, you’ll be responsible for the actual selling price – not for the full amount of your maximum bid. 

Phone Bids – You can, for certain items, bid by phone. Please make sure that any phone bids are confirmed before 5:00 pm the day of the auction. When the item comes up for auction, we will call you, relay the audience’s bids to you, and allow you to participate by telephone. 

Please ask any of our associates for detailed instructions on leaving silent bids or phone bids.

 

How does your auction work?

 Our auctions begin at 6:30 pm sharp. In order to bid, you must register at the desk and receive a bidding number. 

You can register and participate anytime throughout the auction; however be aware that the more desirable items will sell early in the sale. 

We will describe each piece being sold, the auctioneer will start by asking “who’ll give me $100…75… 50”, until someone in the audience starts the bidding. The bidding continues until only one bidder remains. That bidder is the owner of the item! 

Our auctions normally end around 1:00 am, but can be as late as 4:00 am. 

What if I want an item sold earlier?

 If there is a particular item you’d like to bid on, please place a pink “request tag” on that item. These allow employees to know which items are of interest to our bidders, and we can auction them earlier in the sale. 

Please keep in mind that we cannot sell everything in the first part of the sale. If you must leave and want something sold, please ask an associate to assist you. As a last resort, if you are unable to stay and the item has not come up yet, ask an associate at the counter to assist you with a silent bid.

 

Can I Reserve a seat? 

We encourage you to reserve a seat for the evening’s auction by placing a “RESERVED” sign in a chair in the audience before you leave the preview. 

You can also call ahead during the week and reserve seats. 

Reserved seating is in effect until 7:15 pm. If you have already reserved a seat and cannot attend, please call us to remove the reservation and allow others to use the seat(s) without delay.

 

How Do I Get the Auctioneer’s Attention? 

The best way to signal a bid to the auctioneer is simply to raise your bidding card so that the auctioneer can see your bidder number. The auctioneer will make eye contact with you and either point at you or nod his head to let you know that he’s acknowledging your bid. If you are interested in bidding on a piece, but cannot get the auctioneer’s attention, you may attract the auctioneer’s attention by calling out. 

The saying “He who hesitates has lost” is especially true at an auction, don’t wait until the last second to bid if you’re interested.

 

How Can I Avoid Making a Mistake? 

Our best advice is to PREVIEW CAREFULLY, ask questions, and listen attentively to the description of the item(s) being auctioned. Our associates hold up each piece of merchandise for your benefit so that you can better see the item currently being auctioned. We strongly encourage you to pay close attention to the item being auctioned. Be certain you are bidding on the item you intend to buy.

 

How do you sell bedroom & dining room sets?

Each week Alexander’s offers over 15 complete bedroom and dining room suites. You may be interested in only certain items in a set (such as a china cabinet, or a single night stand) instead of the complete set. When the set’s offered for auction, we will sell each item individually first as a hold. Then the bids are totaled. 

 

Example: 10 piece dining room suite.

 

China:                            $300

Sideboard:                     $275

Server:                           $250

Table:                            $250

Chairs:      $75 x 6 ea = $450

Total:                              $1,525

           

The auctioneer will then ask for a higher bid, such as $1,600.00 to keep it as a set. If someone is interested in increasing the accumulated total, then all previous bids will be cancelled, and bidding will continue on the set. 

Should the auctioneer ask for a higher bid, such as $1,600.00 and no one bids this amount, then each individual piece is sold to its respective buyer.

 

What’s a Buyer’s Premium?

 A buyer’s premium is a fee charged to each sale to cover some of the operating cost to run the auction. Alexander’s buyer’s premium is 15%. We offer a 2.5% discount for cash or check purchases.

Example:

     Cash/Check            Credit 

Lamp                                        $ 80.00                 $ 80.00

Bookcase                                $350.00              $ 350.00

Bedroom suite                    $2,200.00           $2,200.00

Total before buyer’s premium

          $2,630.00         $2,630.00

15% buyer’s premium             $ 394.50           $  394.50

2.5% cash/check discount    <$ 65.75>              n/a

5% Tax Rate                              $ 147.94           $ 151.23

Total balance due                    $3,106.69         $3,175.73

 

What about Sales Tax?

All merchandise sold at Alexander’s is subject to Virginia State Sales Tax of 5%. If you have an up to date Virginia Tax Exemption form on file with us, be sure to let us know when you register for the auction, so that we don’t include sales tax to your bill.

 

How Do I Pay for My Purchase(s)?

All items must be paid for on Thursday night after you’ve completed your bidding for the evening. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. We also accept personal checks and cash.

 

What About Delivery?

Alexander’s will deliver your purchase(s) for a reasonable fee, starting at $75 for local deliveries.

 

Will You Store My Purchase(s)?

Long-term storage is available at no cost provided it is confirmed with staff and all forms are completed.

 

Who is the Staff?

           Keith and Barbara Ann Smith own Alexander’s. They employ over 30 dedicated and hard working individuals with over 250 years combined of experience. Each employee is here to make this event the most pleasurable for you.

 

Who Is Your Auctioneer?

Roy Martin, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, brings over 45 years of experience and a wealth of knowledge to our auctions. 

Definitions:

Like any business, the auction and antiques business uses words, which are familiar to those in the business, but may be unfamiliar to newcomers or first time auction-goers. We encourage you to listen carefully as the auctioneer introduces a piece and offers information, which may affect your bidding:

 

“all for one money”

Sometimes we will sell objects (like a set of silver, or a set of glassware) as a group. In auction terms, we call this “all for one money.”

 

“times the money”

When we will sell similar objects (like matching vases, or sets of chairs), we sell them “times the money.” The bidding is for each item. In other words, a set of 10 Chippendale chairs selling at $200 each will have a total of $2,000 plus buyer’s premium and applicable sales tax.

 

“period piece” or “reproduction”

The item up for auction may be a desk from the 1800’s (19th C), or it may be a desk made many years later, in the style of 19th C furniture. If the desk was made in the 19th C (in this example), it is a true “period piece” – built in the period of time when that style was popular. If the desk was made much later, then it’s a reproduction. We’ll let you know when we are selling a period piece.

  

How Do I Put Items in the Auction?

We sell complete estates or individual items from people who may be downsizing, relocating, or simply upgrading. Consignments are accepted on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10AM - 5PM (never on Thursday as this is auction day). We can pick your items up however there would be a pick up fee that is deducted from the proceeds of the sale - does not have to be paid up front.  Pick up fees starts at $75.00. Other than the pickup fee everything else in the commission fee is all inclusive (no insurance fees, no photo fees, no catalogue fees, no inventory fees, no clean up or repair fees, no advertising fees). There are no reserves (we do not accept minimums), we cannot guarantee what your item(s) will sell for.  If you bring your items to our location, we can give you our best "guess-a-ment" as to what it might sell for.  It could sell for more or less. Payment is guaranteed 7 days after the auction. We do have a weekly auction and sell across the USA and Canada.

Please ask any of our associates for more information on accepting items for auction, and the commission fee(s) appropriate for your items.

For any more questions, feel free to e-mail us or call us at (804)674-4206