Following today’s Propworx Iron Man auction and the entertainment memorabilia event held by Heritage Auction Galleries last week, I thought it might be interesting to revisit the state of online auction remote bidding services active in the marketplace today. While there are a few options available, there are still some distinct differences in the quality and features of each service: Auction Network, iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Heritage Live.
This has been touched on in past articles published on the Original Prop Blog:
- iCollector Video Feature Shows Improvement With Latest Premiere Props Live Auction; “Hollywood Live Auctions”
- “Underworld” Live Auction: Impressions of The Event, Premiere Props, & The iCollector Service
- Battlestar Galactica Live Auction Day One: Impressions of The Event, Propworx, & The Auction Network Service
- Julien’s Auctions Launches “Julien’s Live” Online Bidding Service
With the Propworx and Heritage auctions in the past two weeks, I took some screencaptures of the online bidding interface with which to compare and contrast with each other and other services:
LiveAuctioneers (Propworx “Marvel Studios Iron Man Auction” 04/18/10)
Heritage Live (Heritage Auction Galleries “Signature Music & Entertainment Memorabilia Auction” 04/09/10 – 04/11/10)
iCollector (Premiere Props ““Underworld Live Auction Co-Sponsored by Fangoria” 02/07/09)
Auction Network (Propworx “Battlestar Galactica Auction” 01/17/09 – 01/18/09)
It is my understanding that Auction Network no longer offers their service for entertainment memorabilia auctions (in the past they worked with Propworx and Julien’s Auctions), but it is still an excellent reference and comparable.
Obviously, Heritage Live is an in-house solution available exclusively for their own auction events.
LiveAuctioneers and iCollector are both available to auction houses and dealers looking for a third party service.
Below is a chart in which I’ve attempted to make a comparison between the various services and features. However, please note that some of the examples are older, and that I believe with the third party service, customers can opt for different features. I would recommend that those interested in learning more perform their own research and make confirmations as to features available directly with the respective companies. The comparison is made to open a dialogue about the state of remote auction participation in the hobby and to consider what kinds of features have been employed, and perhaps what would be of benefit that has not yet been introduced:
While online bidding still has far to go, it has certainly been improved when compared with the now defunct eBay Live Auctions service. In my own opinion, a live video and audio feed with multiple cameras (auctioneer, auction room, item/commentator) is what makes the biggest difference, with the other features coming second. Being able to see and hear the room gives remote bidders a huge advantage when compared with participating, to a degree, “blind” and “deaf” to the action in the room at the auction site.
With the two most recent auctions this month, I was impressed with the capabilities and functionality of the Heritage Live service, though it did seem prone to losing the video/audio feed, in my own experience. I think it is great that it includes the bid amount both with and without buyer’s premium included (something lacking in the competition). Using today’s Iron Man auction as an example, I have the opinion that the LiveAuctioneers service is the least impressive, lacking video and many of the other featured employed in the other services. Comparing the online element of the Propworx Battlestar Galactica event last year, as managed by Auction Network, with the Propworx Iron Man auction today, as managed by LiveAuctioneers, illustrates a strong contrast, and underlines the importance of capable audio and video in enhancing the experience of remote participants.
[UPDATE 04/19/10: A collector who participated in the Iron Man auction this weekend said that there was a video and audio feed at the start, but was lost after the first 20 lots or so; at the time I watched the live auction, there was no video or audio. Consequently, the chart above has been updated to reflect video and audio capabilities with LiveAuctioneers.]
Jason DeBord