David G Smith Auction

[pennymachines]

I was told in the first few weeks that the seller took off on his yacht the day after the auction and was no help whatsoever!!!!!

A major rationale for paying auctioneer fees is they handle all interactions with buyers, but presumably in this instance the machines remained at the vendor's premises? It does sound like an extraordinary shambles.

I put in a bid on one small item (I have relatives living within 2 hour's drive of the saleroom) and mentioned the sale to sweetmeats who bid on most of the interesting stuff. At the time, I suggested the rare British stuff would have been worth shipping to a UK saleroom, where surely it would sell much better than in an obscure Aussie saleroom. I couldn't have been more wrong! Clearly there's no lack of hungry Australian collectors. Needless to say, with built in leeway for shipping costs and hassles, our bids were in no danger of winning anything.

[gameswat]

The overseas buyer who did get his multiple machines told me a day after the auction that he only had two weeks (from auction date) to get his pieces before he'd be charged storage fees. So I wonder if they were located at the old site where the museum had been?

[pennymachines]

On the subject of hungry Australian collectors, I couldn't help noticing the US/UK/Australian price disparity between these somewhat similar lots:

Lot 107 J&M Allwin Deluxe sold by DG Smith Auction (AUS) on 22/06/24 for £1,103

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Lot 2509 J&M Allwin Deluxe sold by Reeman Dansie (UK) on 15/06/25 for £440

Reeman-2509s.jpg (36.94 KiB) Viewed 967 times

Lot 130 J&M Allwin de Luxe sold by Fointaine's (US) on 22/06/24 for £178

FAG-130.jpg (296.1 KiB) Viewed 967 times

Lot 125 Bollands Auto Stereoscope sold by DG Smith Auction (AUS) on 22/06/24 for £1,314

125s.jpg (63.49 KiB) Viewed 967 times

Lot 143 Bollands Auto Stereoscope sold by Fointaine's (US) on 22/06/24 for £238

FAG-143.jpg (257.23 KiB) Viewed 967 times

[sentimental salvage]

Utter rubbish, the vendor lives very close to the auction site, does not own a yacht and has been around since the auction. The auction companies incompetence after sale has nothing whatsoever to do with the seller. Discouraging potential bidders is a pretty mean thing to do in my opinion, the vendor is a sole parent trying to do the best for his kids…Shame. Especially if you rely on hearsay. No machines were sold to overseas bidders apart from NZ and those lots are at FNQ Storage, a commercial storage facility In Far North Queensland because the buyer has not organised shipping as yet.

[gameswat]

and has been around since the auction.

Well Simon, I think that makes it even worse! Spoke with my buddy who won two machines that I only just took hold on his behalf last Fri! He was pissed to hear what you just wrote!! Now this guy has been around the block, serious collector for 30 years and would have spent around $180,000+ at auctions around the world just on coin-ops, let alone a bunch of other collectibles and antiques. And he said this purchase was far and away the worst experience he's ever had! He'd written off getting anything a month ago. He spent many hours emailing and phoning trying to get his two machines picked up beginning the day after the auction. Being a ridiculously high-end corporate lawyer he'd love to bill both you and the auction company for those lost hours, and you would cry at his hourly rate. This guy lives in Qld so he'd assumed it would play out a lot easier, hahahahaha.

To begin with the day after he was told by the auction co to deal with a local Port Douglas packer. Two weeks later that packer gave up trying to access the machines multiple times and stopped replying to emails. Then my buddy started using a Cairns packer and after multiple attempts to pick up over many weeks, driving up from Cairns, they also eventually gave up. The auction firm during this time did not show much interest and hardly replied to any of his emails, even though he'd promptly paid the day of the auction. Eventually he got someone on the phone and after a long call they started making more effort. He gave them one last week otherwise he expected a refund. Well that stretched on to 3+ weeks.

During this debacle my buddy was told that you Simon were never available in any way to help. Either a caretaker woman or someone named Bob was supposed to open the doors to allow machine pickups. So if you've "been around" the whole time then what the hell was going on!@!#$%

Discouraging potential bidders is a pretty mean thing to do in my opinion, the vendor is a sole parent trying to do the best for his kids…Shame.

Haha, I was proven absolutely correct in scaring those friends of mine away from this joke of an auction!!!! I never tell anybody how to bid, just give info when asked. They all contacted me asking for my help, and i gave it. Multiple of them could not get any info pre-auction from D Smith or from you Simon. So they came to me!? Nobody had a clue this auction was in nowheresville and assumed it was very near to a capital city and that I was close enough to be viewing in person and could help them with shipping etc! Well I'm in Perth, so no. But I was able to share my thoughts in how much trouble it would likely be to safely get fragile antiques shipped worldwide - and that was not great. Plus the fact overseas freight has pretty much tripled since Covid. So the fact you said no sales were made overseas other than to the one NZ buyer fills me with joy that they heeded advice! I was also asked by potential buyers about history on certain pieces and my thoughts on condition etc. Well, judging by the state of many of the pieces I was not thrilled at the potential condition of many of them. Some machines had photos of the mechs, while the next lot might not have interior photos of mech, then more mech photos. That's a red flag right there that secrets are being kept. All in all a bad decision to hold the auction outside of a capital city I'd have to say making it nigh on impossible for any in person veiwing.

My buddy can't wait to hear your amazing excuses for this nightmare Simon......................

[sentimental salvage]

To be fair, vendors approach auction companies because they would like to dispose of items in exchange for money that is provided by buyers of said items at public auction. Vendors pay auction commission in good faith, as do bidders. Once the lots are in the hands of the auctioneer, then the vendor waves goodbye, unless they are passed in or withdrawn pre sale. All responsibility of the vendor ceases at the fall of the hammer. The auctioneers hire the premises, they handle the entire sale, from ads to shipping to insurance to storage. This particular auction was a multi vendor auction, which means that it was more than one sellers items in the sale. FNQ Storage is a large commercial storage premises in Craiglie, owned by Bob Goodsell, incorporating industrial premises, indoor/outdoor storage, and a 1920s shire community hall that was rescued from Macrossan Street in 2001. It’s available for private hire. It’s easy to google that before making outrageous comments, plucking ideas from who knows where. Craiglie is small, Regional FNQ, everybody lives in close proximity to somewhere or someone. The vendor has never been contacted by David G Smith Auctions since the time of the sale, as one would expect having engaged an auctioneer to handle the disposal.

[sentimental salvage]

and has been around since the auction.

Well Simon, I think that makes it even worse! Spoke with my buddy who won two machines that I only just took hold on his behalf last Fri! He was pissed to hear what you just wrote!! Now this guy has been around the block, serious collector for 30 years and would have spent around $180,000+ at auctions around the world just on coin-ops, let alone a bunch of other collectibles and antiques. And he said this purchase was far and away the worst experience he's ever had! He'd written off getting anything a month ago. He spent many hours emailing and phoning trying to get his two machines picked up beginning the day after the auction. Being a ridiculously high-end corporate lawyer he'd love to bill both you and the auction company for those lost hours, and you would cry at his hourly rate. This guy lives in Qld so he'd assumed it would play out a lot easier, hahahahaha.

To begin with the day after he was told by the auction co to deal with a local Port Douglas packer. Two weeks later that packer gave up trying to access the machines multiple times and stopped replying to emails. Then my buddy started using a Cairns packer and after multiple attempts to pick up over many weeks, driving up from Cairns, they also eventually gave up. The auction firm during this time did not show much interest and hardly replied to any of his emails, even though he'd promptly paid the day of the auction. Eventually he got someone on the phone and after a long call they started making more effort. He gave them one last week otherwise he expected a refund. Well that stretched on to 3+ weeks.

During this debacle my buddy was told that you Simon were never available in any way to help. Either a caretaker woman or someone named Bob was supposed to open the doors to allow machine pickups. So if you've "been around" the whole time then what the hell was going on!@!#$%

Discouraging potential bidders is a pretty mean thing to do in my opinion, the vendor is a sole parent trying to do the best for his kids…Shame.

Haha, I was proven absolutely correct in scaring those friends of mine away from this joke of an auction!!!! I never tell anybody how to bid, just give info when asked. They all contacted me asking for my help, and i gave it. Multiple of them could not get any info pre-auction from D Smith or from you Simon. So they came to me!? Nobody had a clue this auction was in nowheresville and assumed it was very near to a capital city and that I was close enough to be viewing in person and could help them with shipping etc! Well I'm in Perth, so no. But I was able to share my thoughts in how much trouble it would likely be to safely get fragile antiques shipped worldwide - and that was not great. Plus the fact overseas freight has pretty much tripled since Covid. So the fact you said no sales were made overseas other than to the one NZ buyer fills me with joy that they heeded advice! I was also asked by potential buyers about history on certain pieces and my thoughts on condition etc. Well, judging by the state of many of the pieces I was not thrilled at the potential condition of many of them. Some machines had photos of the mechs, while the next lot might not have interior photos of mech, then more mech photos. That's a red flag right there that secrets are being kept. All in all a bad decision to hold the auction outside of a capital city I'd have to say making it nigh on impossible for any in person veiwing.

My buddy can't wait to hear your amazing excuses for this nightmare Simon......................

It’s a long ramble, some of it is ludicrous. It gives the impression that the author takes great delight in being mean.

[sentimental salvage]

A major rationale for paying auctioneer fees is they handle all interactions with buyers, but presumably in this instance the machines remained at the vendor's premises? It does sound like an extraordinary shambles.

The sale was handled by auctioneers after the items were removed from storage. They did not remain in the vendors premises after the sale. They were stored by the auction company.

[pennymachines]

David G Smith did not respond to pre-sale shipping and method of payment queries.

[treefrog]

I suspect it is correct, the auction house should have addressed most of the issues discussed, that is what they are paid for in commission……normally the vendor does not get involved, unless the auction house needs further guidance.

Sounds like a nightmare…..I know we moan in the UK about some of the auction houses, but sounds another level….