LiveAuctioneers and eBay have jointly announced a new partnership that will expand selling opportunities for auction houses in a way that is unprecedented in the art and collectibles sector. The combined force of eBay’s incomparable presence in the online retail marketplace with LiveAuctioneers’ peerless technology and client database of more than 5,000 premier auction houses will form the infrastructure for a “Buy It Now” after-sale venue set to launch this spring.
“With the goal of bringing exceptional art, antiques, jewelry and vintage collectibles inventory to the eBay platform, we’re excited to partner with a highly regarded industry leader in LiveAuctioneers,” said Katerina Frank, Category Manager of Art and Antiques at eBay. “LiveAuctioneers’ partners will benefit by having their coveted goods accessible by eBay’s large global customer base.”
Auction houses that use LiveAuctioneers’ online live-bidding platform will have the option of exposing auction inventory to eBay’s 179 million global active buyers. In return, eBay visitors will have access to a select inventory of fixed-price art and high-quality collectibles that previously would have been available only via the live-auction route, with anticipated prices ranging from $50 for a vintage toy to $200,000 for an original Impressionist artwork.
LiveAuctioneers sellers will gain access to powerful eBay marketing tools. While expanding their buyer base and go-to-market models, auction houses will experience a full range of ecommerce benefits designed to improve their sell-through rates and attract new consignors.
“Auction house owners are first worried about supply, and then demand. Now, LiveAuctioneers partners will be able to offer their consignors unprecedented access to both the LiveAuctioneers and eBay audiences in a Buy It Now format, no bidding required,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Phil Michaelson. “Auctioneers will not have to invest any additional effort or resources to take advantage of LiveAuctioneers’ special relationship with eBay. Everything is fully integrated and organized so that unsold auction goods automatically list on eBay and are optimized for visibility. It’s a unique marketing tool that auction houses can use to secure supply and increase their sell-through rates.”
LiveAuctioneers and its award-winning client services division will manage all bidder communications, payments and fulfillment on Buy It Now purchases, just as they do now for auction houses that use the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform. On the eBay side of the collaboration, designated team members will serve as points of contact in technology and project management to ensure items are discovered by buyers.
As eBay’s partner in the art and collectibles domain, LiveAuctioneers will implement advanced marketing solutions to promote their clients’ items when they become available for purchase on eBay. Top items will be featured in exclusive promotions on the eBay platform. “We’re confident that the synergy from this type of cross-promotion will benefit auction houses in ways they’ve never experienced before,” Michaelson said.
LiveAuctioneers is currently in the process of enrolling the charter auction houses that have been chosen to participate in the program, and more sellers will be added in the months to come. Visit the LiveAuctioneers eBay store, here.