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So. . . You Have Items To Sell, Too?
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We Maintain A Large “WANTED” Database
We’re constantly on the prowl to find fine antique clocks and mechanical musical instruments for our clients. These range from searches for a specific item to categories of items. That means we continually need new consignors with a wide variety of quality clocks and mechanical music items to meet the demands of a rapidly growing client base. However, we can't accept consignments from outside North America.
We do ship internationally, but we don't buy internationally (except, perhaps, from an existing, repeat customer or a known international dealer. So, if you're outside the U.S. or Canada and have a clock to sell, we'll not be able to assist you... sorry.
With the exception of carriage clocks, we generally don't accept most small mantle or kitchen/parlor clocks for consignment like the following:
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Categories of Clocks
We DON'T Consign or Sell:
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Most American "Kitchen" or "Parlor Clocks", except the more elaborate designs. Neither of these clocks would be of interest to us for example.
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American and French mantle clocks from the "black period" (1890-approx 1910) whether wood, iron, or slate.
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"Tambour" clocks (unless they are a Seth Thomas with Sonora or Westminster chime.
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Early American "Ogee" and "Cottage" 30-hour clocks
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Novelty and alarm clocks.
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We don't do watches!
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We don't know anything about watches except how to tell time on our own wrist!
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ALSO
No contemporary or reproduction clocks, except some Seth Thomas, Chelsea, or E.Howard
wall-hanging clocks.
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The reason? There's a vast supply of them and the margin is very low. If you have an unusual antique mantle clock we'd be happy to consider it, but just wanted you to know in advance so you're not disappointed.
Although our business has traditionally been "digital consignment", a growing number of consignors in California are now electing to bring their clocks to us for physical consignment. We are often equipped to make that happen, but need to discuss it in detail with you in advance.
"Richard,
I wish to express my thanks to you for the sale of my RR Clock. The buyer drove to my house from Long Island and picked it up. We had no problem with the sale, the price, the condition of the clock etc. Even after your commission, I received about a thousand dollars more for the clock than I ever thought I would.
Thank you again.
Jack"
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Pocket Watches
We love 'em, but don't know a thing about them, so we do not deal in pocket watches at all.
We can help you by finding a buyer
for your clocks or mechanical music devices!
Send us a note detailing what you have to consign. You keep the item in your possession until it's sold and you are paid—with no risks of auction-house damage, payment delays, or costly fees. Please don't attach pictures until we specifically request them. We'll review your note and reply promptly.
"Found what we couldn't find.
Great clock shipped 3000 miles in perfect shape!"
"Not only a fantastic clock but fun to deal with
what more could you ask for?"
Condition, condition, condition - The first questions we are going to ask you are for a detailed comment about the physical and mechanical condition of your clock and when it was last professionally serviced as those are the first questions prospective buyers will ask us. If it's been sitting in storage or on a wall for years and not running it will need to be professionally serviced before we can consider it for listing on our site. Buyers want to know that clock coming to them can be set up and run without "mechanical intervention" after it arrives. That doesn't mean we won't want to look at some photos (ask us for the address to which to send them, which differs from the address on our contact page).
Packing and Shipping: When we sell an item for you there are no surprises about what you'll receive. Our buyers pay for commercial packing, insurance and shipping. All you have to do is transport the item to the shipper (or we coordinate pickup if it is a large item). Either way, we'll assist you in this process.
Oh yeah, we forgot one other minor thing you have to do: go to the bank and deposit your check! It's a painless, enjoyable, and profitable experience for everyone involved. Take a moment to read more about what others say about us. Then send us a note or give us a call.
About Money... here's how it all works: Before we accept your listing, together we establish a price that we will pay you when we sell your clock. We earn whatever we can get above that previously agreed-upon amount. If the initial price agreement is reasonable, then there is an equally reasonable chance we will sell the clock; if it is priced unreasonably high, we'll either not accept the listing to begin with, or the clock will languish in our online inventory.
If a buyer comes to us after some period of time when a clock has not sold and makes us a lower offer and, if the offer is within reason, we will come back to you with a proposed price revision. If that is acceptable to you, we'll make the sale, but you are not obligated to accept the revised price offer. Our job is to find a buyer and we'll work diligently in your behalf to accomplish that goal. Bottom line: we don't work on a commission basis per se. You know from day one what we're going to pay you when we sell your clock... no ifs, ands, or buts! All we ask is that you are straight with us about the item to begin with, and let us know right away if you sell it yourself so we can remove the listing from our site.
Click the following for More specific details about preparing your antique for consignment, including very specific photo-taking suggestions.
We ask to review your prospective listing before you invest time filling in the form and taking a bunch of photos, so please contact us first. After we have corresponded, have requested and reviewed a photo of your clock, and agreed to list it on our site, we will ask you to please complete, to the best of your knowledge, our Listing Form, a Microsoft Word document that you can fill in online, save and attach to an e-mail along with your (large format) photos, but please read this whole page before proceeding with the form. Please don't fill out or e-mail this form until we've talked or corresponded! If you have large files (over 5mb), you will need to send them in multiple e-mails so our server doesn't reject them; we have a 10mb limit on any single e-mail set by our service provider. Or, better yet, put them in a DropBox folder and send us the link. Way easier for all.
Before taking photos, you should first review our Photo Info/Spec Sheet to see what we need in the way of photos, etc., like turning off the date-stamp on your camera so it doesn't show up in the photos and having a completely neutral-colored background under and behind/beside the clock. Measurements of the case and dial diameter are always important to a prospective buyer. Also, be sure to indicate the time shown on the dial of the clock in your photo(s). With so many photos, this helps us keep things straight!
Please Note: We need full-sized (300 dpi) digital camera images (not phone/tablet). DropBox is okay if you give us access to the folder, but we do not accept photos from photo-storage sites such as GoogleDocs, PhotoBucket, etc. They simply take too long to mess with, one photo at a time. We can accept up to 10mb in a single e-mail, so you may have to send us photos in multiple messages. But PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY PHOTOS TO THE ADDRESSS BELOW - WE HAVE A SEPARATE PHOTO eMAIL ADDRESS THAT WE WILL GIVE YOU AFTER WE HAVE CORRESPONDED OR SPOKEN ABOUT YOUR CLOCK. Unsolicited attachments are auto-deleted.
Please communicate with us by e-mail or phone before filling out the form or taking the photos so we're both on the same page about the prospective listing.
(Note, the above is a graphic, not a link,
so you will need to type this address
into your e-mail program to send us the inquiry.
This address does not accept any e-mail attachments.
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Office:  – Pacific Time
Then, if we decide together to list the clock for sale on our site, we'll ask you to e-mail the completed form with your photos. Contact us via phone or e-mail if you have questions.
Photo Release/Terms of Use
There is an implied "permission-to-use" release granted to The Clock Guy Antique Brokerage for all photos sent to us, regardless of whether we elect to list the clock for sale on our site. By sending us photos you agree in advance to these terms of use and to said release.
About Time Expectations To Sell: It's extremely difficult for us to predict how long it will take to sell your clock. Sometimes we have listings that we think will sell immediately and they don't; other times we list items that we think are so-so and they sell immediately.
There's just no sure formula we can apply to answer that question. BUT, there is one thing that we know for sure: if you set your price expectation too high (unrealistic) the clock will languish there unsold. Our buyers are generally very knowledgeable and know what a clock is or isn't worth.
Having your clock sit idle on our site is not good for either of us. So we'll try to counsel you on the front end about pricing so we don't waste our time or unnecessarily disappoint you. Even then, there's no predicting what "Joe (or Josephine!) Average Buyer" will do... or when. All we can do together is to present the clock in the best, most honest light we can shine on it and hope someone just can't live another day without it!
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Do you have a clock to sell? We'll sell it for you!
Are you seeking a clock? We'll find it for you! |
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