Information for Buyers | Maryland Estate Treasures

Maryland Estate Treasures holds all auctions online on our secure platform. This allows you to bid from anywhere you are connected to the Internet.

ABOUT ESTATE AUCTIONS

Estate and consignment auctions allow those downsizing and estates to consign their property to be sold at auction. It allows the consignors to immediately downsize and sell their items.
All auctions are held online eBay-style but not held on eBay. We use hibid.com for the auction platform. Hibid allows companies like Maryland Estate Treasures to hold private-label auctions online. There are thousands of companies holding auctions on Hibid and millions of registered bidders in the United States and Canada.
All Maryland Estate Treasures are “soft close” auctions. If a bid is received in the last 30 seconds before the auction closes, bidding is extended for another 30 seconds. The close time for the lot will extend for an additional 30 seconds until there are no more bids.

REGISTERING FOR OUR ESTATE AUCTIONS

Before you bid, users must register online. To help verify your identity, you must registration using a valid credit card. Validation requires requesting a $1 hold on funds of the credit card. This is a hold that will eventually expire. It is not a charge.
If you are registering as a reseller and want your purchases to be tax exempt, you must contact us to so that we can validate your reseller status. We will require you to send us a copy of your reseller’s license. Maryland law requires sales taxes to be collected on purchases less than $200 regardless of reseller status.
If you are registering on behalf of a tax-exempt organization, you must contact us so that we can validate your tax-exempt status. We will require you to send us a copy of the state issued exemption document.
We are required to maintain this information by law and will not make any exceptions.

PREVIEWING AUCTION LOTS

Auction lots hosted from our Rockville warehouse can be inspected during business hours. If an auction will be available for inspection or preview during a time that will be advertised with the auction. Some sales may not include a preview for timing or other logistical reasons.

AUCTION BIDDING

Once you are registered, visit the online auction and scan the catalog for something you need or want. You can bid the minimum next bid or enter a maximum you are willing the pay. The online auction software will raise your bid as others bid on the items.
Bidding on Maryland Estate Treasures auctions is similar to eBay in that you can either the next minimum bid or a maximum bid. If you enter a maximum bid, the system will bid on your behalf up until your maximum.
All auctions lots are posted with no reserve. Lots that have minimum values as requested by consignors. Some minimum values were added at our discretion to ensure that items return some value for the consignors.
All Maryland Estate Treasures are “soft close” auctions. If a bid is received in the last 30 seconds before the auction closes, bidding is extended for another 30 seconds. The close time for the lot will extend for an additional 30 seconds until there are no more bids.

PAYMENT FOR WINNING BIDS

When the auction is over, the credit card you used to register with will be automatically charged for the entire amount of your purchase plus a buyer’s premium. All auction purchases will include a 20% buyer’s premium for winning bids $10.00 or less. A 15% buyer’s premium will be added for items that sell for more than $10.00. This may change on a per auction basis. For example, if the closing price is $100, you will be charged $115.
We are required to charge 6% Maryland tax on all purchases except for registered resellers who purchase over $200 worth of items and items shipped out of Maryland.

REMOVAL OF WINNING AUCTION ITEMS

All winning auction items must be picked up at the location noted during the times specified in the auction. Removal of items from our Rockville warehouse can be removed any time during business hours. Items that are being picked up from a client site must be done during the removal time. Items not removed during the removal period will be considered abandoned.
Some items are large or require disassembly or to be uninstalled. Buyers are responsible for bringing the proper tools and people to safely remove auctions won.

SHIPPING

Unlike other services, Maryland Estate Treasures offers shipping services to buyers who cannot pick up their auction winnings during the removal period. All items less than 70-pounds are shipped via the U.S. Postal Service.
Larger items, such as furniture, can be shipped and will be handled on an individual basis. Please see our Shipping information page for more information.