Featured Eastern Shore Virginia - Chesapeake

True! & although I trash auction houses regularly and perhaps unfairly their function is really marketing, not scholarship. Add in time constraints, putting a catalog together, bla bla bla and it's easy to see how many details fall thru the cracks.
Another factor is that most of the researchers are kids, fresh out of school with an Arts History major with many working their first job.........stuff gets missed!
Plus, smaller houses do not have the resources that a Sotheby or Christie's have, where they can hire nationally known experts in furniture, silver, glass, etc on staff to oversee particular collecting categories.

 

SHIPPING! I take it ALL BACK! on my endorsement of USHIP, have used them for the past 10-15 years, never an issue, till now.
Posted it for bids last Sat and as of today, ONE lousy bid! at $485. which I reluctantly accepted this Tues/Wends however, the shipper cancelled due to mechanical issues with truck.
Now I am looking at driving up there myself, 845 miles EACH WAY, not a happy camper here, not even a little bit.
SOMETHING has happened at USHIP, not sure what but, it ain't good!
Just used them last year for a painted dower chest, no issues except working around a simple-minded Gov. in Pa. on covid fear-mongering.

 

Yikes James! So sorry.

 

Sorry to hear UShip let you down this time. I know most of the drivers have a standard loop they travel, for example: NYC-Florida-Texas-Chicago-NYC. So if you have a location off the main loops, like Peterborough, NH, it will be harder to get bids and cost more. I sold a single chair to someone in middle-of-nowhere Mississippi and the few bids I got were crazy high. Have you asked Cobbs if they could hold it a couple of extra weeks to allow more time for bids?

 

Well, I considered that, off the beaten path but I checked and Peterborough NH is only 72 miles northwest of Boston.
Cobbs isn't hitting on me to pick up yet so trying a few other shippers now plus I may delete that shipment and start over.

 

Yes, you'd think there'd be a lot of drivers doing a loop that included Boston down to Florida. Maybe just a timing deal and doing a new shipment will bring in more bids. Good luck.

 

Trying that now.
SOMETHING has changed at uship.
Just did a shipment last year, dower chest, pick up from Downington Pa which is out in the boonies, about 40 miles west of Philly.

 

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
WAKE UP over there, driving crisis brewing.......
Not the end of the world if I have to go get it.
Did I happen to mention SOMETHING HAS CHANGED! at uship!
It's different now filling out online form so I dunno.......

 

Just filled out a form at Shiply.
Got a quote within 6 mins at $607.
Not what I want to pay but is encouraged at the speed of the quote as opposed to uship which I am throwing under the BUS!
MEMO TO USHIP: NFL.......which is football talk for, NOT FOR LONG!

 

Where have all the drivers gone? (with apologies to Pete Seeger) Ack. Peterborough is not at the end of the world. I'm rather surprised that cabinet ended up all the way up North here, but that kept the price down. Odds are if it had been sitting in Maryland someone would have twigged.

 

I know in general there is a shortage of truck drivers (was reading about it in the newspaper). The article was covering shortages of drivers for gas, packages, etc. but I could imagine it impacts furniture shipping.

I do hope you find someone skilled and reliable as it’s a special piece (aside from monetary value which is also relevant!).

 

Indeed! so I should stop complaining I guess?!

I didn't know, maybe it's not Uships fault but, since there are only 2 of us involved,
I BLAME THEM!
Is sick to death of EVERYTHING under the sun being blamed on covid.

 

Welp, not a single bid or offer in the last 48 hours except the $600 one where they asked to strap it to a pallet..........
UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Looks like a ROAD TRIP coming up, HATE IT! but running out of options.

 

Yeah, no thanks!
It seems small shippers are off the road in states where Federal unemployment benefit adds $300 per week to State which totals $800-$1000 per week to STAY HOME.
That program ends next month but doing me little good at the moment.

 

If LIFE were discovered on Mars tomorrow, Slo Joe would send them a check.........

 

Thank you for sharing . That type of info is always good to have in my back pocket-JUSt in case! Wonderful cabinet.

 

If you can make more by sitting on your butt than by working hard, it makes total sense to wait it out. (sigh) Road trip it is.

 

Yes, that is self-interest and it's perfectly reasonable to take advantage, it's called human nature.
It's politicians, many of whom are not the brightest button in the box keep making the same mistakes, over and over again.
When your only tool is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.