This article serves as a post auction update for Propworx and their handling of the liquidation of assets from the Battlestar Galactica series on behalf of NBC Universal. This will cover the newly issued Propworx Certificates of Authenticity, shipping and handling of merchandise, customer service, ongoing eBay auctions, upcoming events, and related news.
While PropWorx has made a few missteps following the auction event in Pasadena on January 17-18 (see Battlestar Galactica Live Auction Day One: Impressions of The Event, PropWorx, & The Auction Network Service), I do feel it is important to recognize that they provide multiple options with which to ask questions, air criticisms, and obtain support – via e-mail, via telephone, and on the official Propworx forum dedicated to the Battlestar Galactica auctions. I’m not aware of any other auction house in which the CEO/principal is “hands on” and so accessible to every customer. I believe that this is important to recognize and appreciate.
Shipping & Fulfillment, Customer Service
Based on the discussions on the BattlestarProps.com forums, it appears that the most substantial issues to follow the live auction event have been related to shipping and fulfillment. Much of this discussion can be found in the following two BattlestarProps.com forum topics:
The official policy with regards to obtaining auction wins from the live event were outlined in the Terms and Conditions of the auction catalog:
(d) Packing, handling and shipping. Buyer is responsible for picking up their merchandise, or for all shipping, handling and insurance charges through either Propworx or its designated agent as agreed upon by Propworx. Although we shall use reasonable efforts to take care when handling, packing and shipping a purchased lot, we are not responsible for the acts or omissions of third parties whom we might retain for these purposes. Similarly, where we may suggest other handlers, packers or carriers if so requested, we do not accept responsibility or liability for their acts or omissions.
No details or parameters as to the actual cost of third party shipping and handling were provided to prospective bidders in advance of the auction event.
On January 30, 2009, almost two weeks after the auction event, one of the winning bidders started a topic on the BattlestarProps.com forum (see Collectible Shipping Sevice, List of Fees) and published the e-mail received from Collectible Shipping Service (CSS) outlining the fee structure:
Dear Battlestar Galactica Auction winner:
Collectible Shipping Service will be handling the packaging and shipping of your items that you won last week at the Battlestar Galactica Auction. We are processing your items with Propworx directly and will be working from their warehouse in an effort to coordinate and expedite all shipments. You may contact us at [email protected]. anytime regarding your order.Please note, the following fees will be charged for all shipments:
SHIPPING FEES:
Preferred shipping carrier is UPS. Your order will include a signature required delivery and applicable insurance for total order.
HANDLING FEES:
The following fees are charged per item. We do not offer will call services for auction items.
– $0 – 500: 10% of Order
– $1,001 – 5,000: $100.00 per item
– $5,001 – 10,000: $200.00 per item
– $10,001 – 20,000: $300.00 per item
Full Truck Load (FTL) and Less Than Truck Load (LTL) buyers, please advise of special arrangement shipping options.CRATING FEES:
These are only for the larger items or items that require special wood containers. This includes the large consoles, chairs, tables, desks, paintings etc. It is our goal to make sure every item gets to you, the collector, in the condition of receipt. You will only be charged the exact cost of materials and labor for the crating of the item.
PROCESSING TIME:
Please note; We are diligently processing and shipping out items in order payment was received. However, we have a large volume of auction items to process, so please be patient. If you do not hear from us within 14 business days, please feel free to contact us regarding shipment status.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Barbara
Collectible Shipping Service
Speaking personally (not having bid on nor won any items in the auction myself), it was my opinion that the quoted fees were extraordinarily high for the majority of the items sold (i.e. not the large set pieces which require special handling/crating/packing, but the majority of props, costumes, artwork, etc.).
As a point of comparison, I won a small (in size) item in the last Profiles in History auction (hammer price over $1,000), and I was charged only $15 for shipping and handling for two FedEx overnight shipments (one box containing the item, one envelope containing the LOA). The same type of item under the CSS fee structure above would have cost me $100 plus the actual shipping cost (which would have been more than the $15 total I paid in my comparative example).
One complaint made by some of the auction winner participants in the BattlestarProps.com discussion was the fact that CSS, in e-mailing all auction winners, made the full list of e-mail recipients public to all other recipients. While an avoidable mistake, it is still a merely a mistake. Unfortunately, it would seem the mistake was apparently made worse by some customers using the list to “copy all” to lodge complaints about the related issues, rather than utilizing the forum and/or contacting Propworx directly.
The following day, on January 31, 2009, customers received an update e-mail from Collectible Shipping Service quoting adjusted fees (see Post #12):
Auction winner, Please note that I incorrectly reported the handling fees for the Battlestar Galactica Auction before. According to our arrangement with Propworx, the fees are supposed to be as follows:
Props and costumes: $ 25 per item.
Set pieces and furniture $ 100 per item.
Please note that the above does not including crating or special requirements. You also will be charged the exact shipping.
My apologies for the confusion!
BarbaraCollectible Shipping Service
In my opinion, these fees seem absolutely reasonable. Though it might have been more appropriate to have some “grouping” consideration (i.e. if someone bought three pieces of artwork that were going in the same parcel, to waive the second two “per item” fees or grant some kind of break), it was still a significant improvement over the original fees quoted for the majority of items.
On February 2, 2009, one of the customers pointed out on the BattlestarProps.com forum that Collectible Shipping Service and Propworx appeared to both be companies owned by Propworx CEO Alec Peters (see Post #59), based on matching website domain registrations.
Alec Peters confirmed this in a follow-up post:
“Collectible Shipping Sevice, List of Fees”, Post #61
“Loken”, Feb 2 2009, 01:51 AM
Barbara Lindley runs CSS and I run PropWorx. We created CSS and put Barbara in charge so we would have control over the handling of the shipping, but let Barbara run things and make a small profit if things ran well.
Alec
Unlike the “e-mail list” issue, which was an accident, I do fault Propworx here in that Collectible Shipping Service was presented as a third-party, and given Alec Peters’ role in the development of the fulfillment company, I believe that should have been disclosed. Having said that, I personally don’t see any issue with Alec Peters having an ownership role in both the auction house and the shipping/fulfillment company (in fact, there would appear to be some benefits to the customers), but full disclosure is always the way to proceed with such relationships. It would seem, based on Alec’s follow-up discussion forum comments, he would agree.
Later the same day, another customer posted an update message from Propworx that he received via e-mail (see Post #70):
Dear BSG Auction winner:
Due to the acrimony we created over the handling fees that are being charged, Propworx has decided to absorb those expenses ourselves and not charge any handling fees. Please note that exact shipping and any crating fees (for large items) will be charged at cost as noted in the catalog. We apologize for any problems we have caused along the way.We started Collectible Shipping Service and put Barbara Lindley in charge of it, in order to provide a service that could control the packing and shipping of your valuable collectibles and be less expensive that traditional live auction shipping services. Knowing full well that using an outside fulfillment provider meant a higher cost to you and loss of control over the quality of the shipping, we decided to keep control over that. Since the lack of specific handling fees beforehand has caused so much consternation, we will remove that problem. No handling fees will be charged.
For the next live auction, Propworx has decided to use an outside fulfillment provider and they will be brought in before hand and provide their information on shipping and handling fees up front. To be honest, it is much easier for Propworx to have nothing to do with fulfillment and we only did so in the best interest of the collectors. However, we will follow the model of every large auction house and secure an experienced, professional fulfillment house for the next auction for collectors to deal with.
…
Sincerely,
Alec Peters
Given the obvious issues that arose out of the shipping and fulfillment responsibilities, I believe that Propworx made a good decision by simply apologizing and absorbing those costs.
Obviously, Propworx is a new company with many start-up and logistical challenges, so it is to be expected that there will be a learning curve along the way. Waiving all handling costs was a commendable show of good will to account for the mishandling of the issue.
I do, however, believe that some of the public exchanges between Alec and a few customers and related comments on the BattlestarProps.com forum could have been handled with a little more even-handed professionalism and objectivity.
Below is an excerpt from a follow-up message by Alec Peters the following day:
“Collectible Shipping Sevice, List of Fees”, Post #90
“Loken”, Feb 3 2009, 06:03 PM
Brian’s point, is that a Live Auction is an expensive proposition. It is not eBay. Any auction house will have a fulfillment provider that will charge you AT LEAST $ 100 to ship an item. If you can’t afford that you shouldn’t bid. And no, those fees are NOT disclosed up front. People who bid in Live Auctions understand that is the case. They are dealing in high end collectibles, not eBay auctions. People who have never bid in a live auction are thus surprised by these fees.
We tried to create a shipping service that was better and cheaper than any other. Sadly, we are giving up that goal because it is just not worth the aggravation. It is the collectors who lose out now. It will be interesting to see people’s reaction to the fulfillment provider in the second auction and the fees they charge.
Alec
I found some of the comments by Alec on the discussion forum to be condescending to a few of the customers, which is unfortunate, in that his venture is a great opportunity to introduce the hobby to new collectors.
Perhaps once the shipping/handling component is defined and finalized, something can be added to the front of the next catalog and/or online which clarifies all of the various fees and costs on top of the hammer price (Buyer’s Premium, sales tax, shipping and handling) along with some examples, so that everyone can factor those costs in to their bidding. I believe once those costs are determined and disclosed to the buyers, it takes these issues off of the table and gives everyone an opportunity to be fully informed.
I also believe that it is productive to assume that some participants will be new to the process at each and every auction event, and there is no downside to accounting for this and arming collectors and prospective collectors with as much information as possible to avoid confusion, surprise, and/or disappointment.
“Auction House” Bidding/Participation
This issue is actually about activities during the auction event, but it is something that I have discussed with a variety of other collectors in the past few weeks, with varying responses.
Alec Peters had announced on air during the event in his commentary that his friend was placing some bids on his behalf, and identified that person (who was a floor bidder).
Alec had touched on this in recent posts on his BattlestarProps.com forum as well:
“Question about my prop”, Post #14
“Loken”, Feb 5 2009, 09:43 PM
I actually let a lot of items go in the auction that I really wanted because I wanted everyone to have a chance at a great prop. The Scroll for instance was worth more than what it went for to me. But I am glad fans get to have these items. I got some great stuff, so absolutely no complaints.
Starbuck Flight Suit
Young Adama Helmet
Joseph Adama’s Lighter
Raptor Concept artand more. So I am very satisfied.
Alec
More, a few days later:
“Question about my prop”, Post #25
“Loken”, Feb 7 2009, 05:41 AM
First of all, I have banned the Admiral, because I am sick of his crap and his mindless rants.
Second, I was required, by contract with Universal, to bid through a proxy at this auction. Perfectly legal and ethical. So I don’t need some idiot telling me what a “conflict” this was. What a maroon! [rolleyes icon]
Alec
This is just my own personal opinion, but I believe it was a mistake for Alec Peters, CEO of the auction house managing the sale, to participate as a bidder.
While I applaud the fact that Alec is a collector at heart and enthusiastic about the franchise he is serving, I believe that his participation in the auction introduced some issues into the process unnecessarily.
My opinion is that it would have been more appropriate for Alec to work with NBC Universal beforehand to identify the pieces he wanted and to agree upon fair consideration in acquiring those items in advance of the catalog and auction, which would have taken the issue off the table.
As a third party watching the action via the live video feed, every time I saw the identified proxy raise her hand to bid, I felt for those who were in contention for the same lots. In addition to bidding against the auction house, the competing bidders (and customers of the auction house) were at a potentially significant competitive disadvantage.
As an example, I know that Propworx has not publicized the quantities of items nor announced any details about what will be in the second auction. So an item might have been one of a kind, or the superior of two versions – which Alec would obviously know – and other bidders might make erroneous assumptions/conclusions based on the auction house withholding related material information. This information would give Alec, as a participant, potentially significant advantages over the other bidders.
Overall, I believe the “house” participation introduced some complexity and perhaps uncertainty to the process that could have been avoided entirely. Only my opinion, but I feel it is worthy enough to note here, and I think a valid discussion topic.
Certificate of Authenticity
Propworx sent me a hard copy sample Certificate of Authenticity to review for this article, a scan of which is provided below:
This is a very impressive COA.
Aesthetically, it is very nice in that it incorporates the Battlestar Galactica “cornerless” paper motif (also consistent with the catalog – see review). It is on fairly heavy paper. It includes the full description of the item and photo of the item. It bears the signatures of Alec Peters of Propworx and Kurt Ford, Senior VP Production for NBC Universal. It also has a numbered hologram sticker attached.
As far as possible enhancements go, I would recommend dating the COA, listing the auction event name and date, and including the lot number from the auction. I am also looking forward to the way in which the auction results are officially archived on the web by Propworx.
Ongoing eBay Auctions
Propworx has continued their weekly eBay auctions, with timing coinciding with each Friday’s broadcast of the remaining Battlestar Galactica episodes. This week includes nearly 100 listings (PropWorx eBay Store).
Upcoming Events
The latest news seems to indicate that the second of the two Battlestar Galactica live auction events will be in May.
Also, Alec provided a preliminary announcement about the next Propworx studio auction, for the film Iron Man (see Iron Man Auction Discussion, Upcoming Propworx Auction on the Movie Prop Forum), possibly in conjunction with Comic Con in San Diego.
I continue to look forward to Propworx and their evolution and growth in the hobby. Though a new entity, I remain very impressed with what has been accomplished to date.
Jason De Bord