I buy a lot through liveauctioneers. The buyer's fees are different based on the house and the auction itself. Lately, they have been trending downward from the high 20s into the mid and low 20s.
Sometimes the auction house will want a credit card number to bid. I have never had one charge it. I almost always pay with check. Some auction houses will take payment through an online service - auctionhelper.com was a recent one I used.
If I have no prior relationship with the house, I always use a credit card. the credit card gives me the abilty to fight BS.
My mohave 156 came from an auction house in the midwest. They shipped it by UPS to a PO BOX and UPS left it somewhere. Tracking showed "left at front desk." I don't have a front desk.
I emailed a few times, then one phone call saying I'd do a chargeback unless I had the train in hand in 48 hours got action. They had UPS to go to where the train was left based on the GPS tag on the confirmation. The UPS guy got the train and brought it to my house.
When the house bills for shipping after payment, I make the shipping payment with a credit card through paypal.
Also some don't do shipping, but deliver to local shippers. I've used this a few times and have always been amazed at the quality of the packing. I paid for it, but it's well worth it if the item is desirable. Just factor an extra $75-150 into your bid depending on the size.
The last time I used an outside shipper I sent them a note saying I wanted the Lionel car packed really well and NOT wrapped directly in plastic, and they could put everything else in a bag and use enough wadding to keep it from damaging the Lionel car.
Another time I told them the boxes were more valuable than the trains and they wrapped each box in tissue paper and then put them in the set box which was wrapped in tissue paper and bubble wrap, then the trains were nestled in peanuts above the setbox. They charged $25 labor and materials. They also charged UPS retail rates for the shipping.
Some houses give a discount for bidding directly through them, some also give a discount for paying by check or money order rather by credit card. You have to go to the auction house's website to see this. It won't be shown on the liveauctioneers website.
My preferred method is to bid by email sent to the auctioneer. That way the people bidding before the auction can't respond to my bid. If I can't do that, I bid though liveauctioneers late the night before the auction.
There is also a site called
https://www.invaluable.com/There is a big overlap between the two, but enough on only one platform to make it worth checking both.
