Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/17/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Fraudulent posting. Rug was advertised as originating in the ************** with an international shipping charge of $440. Rug is actually originating in the ***. Shipping charge is excessive and based on the fraudulent listing.

  Customer response

  02/22/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** *********
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/04/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 4th I purchased a small item from * ***** ******* on the Live Auctioneers site with the exorbitant shipping price of $65.00. I buy a lot at auction and when the item was never delivered I started communicating with the auction house. I called and sent multiple emails for over a month. I tried to contact **ve Auctiojeers at all of their phone numbers. No one answers and they have never returned a phone call. to date I have 15 emails that all say the asme thing, I even reached out to bidspotters who said they'd get right back to me 3 weeks ago.The shippers now claim they have escalated this. The items "arrived at the warehouse", whatever that means, and then nothing. No tracking # clearly means it was never shipped.Additionally when you buy @ auction there is a window for pick up that if you do not pick up the item, it is forfeited. That is clearly spelled out. However, they now offer bank account payment to save $50.00 , assume for not using a credit card. However, that can take days to clear which is not mentioned. So you have to wait for the payment to clear before you can pick up your items. Nightmare for the auction house and bidder. Auction house has not info from ** e Auctioneers nor can offer a phone number where they answer the phone.I have spent hours trying to get help with this company and find them painstaking to do business with. I cannot run a business trying to deal with all their problems.

  Business response

  02/17/2025

  Hi *******,

  I'm sorry to hear you have not had a good experience with this sale. I reviewed your case, and I see that the auction house has requested that we process the refund due to the delay in shipping. They said: "Our team members and their families are out of office due to the LA fires. We are a bit behind in processing orders." Due to the long delay, they have decided to issue the refund instead.

  The refund request was made today. As soon as it's processed, the funds will be in your account in 5-10 days. If you have any questions about this, please reply to my colleague on ************ team.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am an interior designer in *****. I have purchased many items for resale to clients over the past year, especially within the past 2-3 months at which time I was also working on Live Auctioneers to upload my resale certificate so I was not stuck paying tax on items that were for resale. Now that my resale certificate is uploaded to their platform, they are actively avoiding refunding sales tax paid within the past calendar year associated with resale purchases. To refund sales tax to a company with a valid resale certificate and proof that the purchases have been shipped to the state their resale certificate is valid in (which I have said multiple times I could show) is pretty standard operating procedure and I've never had an issue before with other companies when this situation has arisen. LA has actively ignored and avoided resolving this in a professional manor after many attempts both by email and by phone (which is nearly impossible as they don't allow bidders to talk to anyone on the phone and when I finally managed to get a person, ***** ****, he avoided helping me for their first 10 minutes on the phone and when while he finally agreed to follow-up with his finance department and have them reach out to me, I've heard nothing since).

  Business response

  01/07/2025

  Dear *******,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We sincerely apologize for the delay in processing your request and any frustration it has caused. We understand the importance of having your resale certificate properly reflected in our system, and we regret that this issue has not been resolved promptly.
  Please be assured that our Payments team is actively reviewing your tax certificate and the associated transactions. We are currently waiting for confirmation from that team to ensure everything is validated correctly. Unfortunately, this process can take some time, but we are doing everything we can to expedite it.
  We recognize that clear communication is key, and we deeply regret any difficulties you have experienced in reaching us or receiving follow-up updates. We understand your concerns, and we are committed to ensuring that this is resolved to your satisfaction as soon as possible.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to finalize this matter. A member of our team will reach out to you directly as soon as we have the necessary information from our Payments department.
  Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this delay has caused. Thank you for your continued patience.

  Best regards,

  LiveAuctioneers Bidder Support Team
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased an auction I won in the amount of $126.38 on 11/15/24, that was set to deliver on 11/23/24 and was sent back to sender same day due to sender not putting my unit number on the package. I have been sending them messages since that day with no response. I have emailed customer service multiple times and no response. I want a refund because the package is now lost in transit.

  Business response

  12/24/2024

  Hello,
  

  Thank you for your message. Im sorry to hear about the issues with your shipment. I was unable to locate an invoice with the order number ******* in our system. To help resolve this, could you please provide the invoice number or any additional details related to your purchase?
  Once we have this information, well be able to investigate further. Please email the details to ******************************** and well work on resolving the matter as quickly as possible.
  Thank you for your cooperation.
  

  Sincerely,
  LiveAuctioneers Customer Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  12/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bid on and won a set of ***** double-G crystal earrings for hundreds of dollars from ************************ (located in ********, **) via website Live Auctioneers only to realize these are counterfeit ***** items, as confirmed by multiple specialists. I am currently embroiled in an attempt to not pay for these earrings as they have not been shipped nor charged to my card yet. It is illegal to sell counterfeit goods and those are absolutely counterfeit.

  Business response

  12/13/2024

  Hi *********,

  I'm sorry to hear that you have authenticity concerns for the pair of earrings you won on our platform. I saw that the auction house did not agree to cancel the sale. They said:

  "All our sales final we dont accept returns or exchanges.

  You can read our terms and conditions that you signed and agreed when you joined our catalog."

  The auction house's Terms & Conditions can be viewed on the listing. It states:

  "All property is sold as is and neither the auctioneer nor any consignor makes any warranties or representation of any kind or nature with respect to the property, and in no event shall they be responsible for the correctness, nor deemed to have made any representation or warranty, of description, genuineness, authorship, attribution, provenance, period, culture, source, origin, or condition of the property and no statement made at the sale, or in the bill of sale, or invoice or elsewhere shall be deemed such a warranty of representation or an assumption of liability."

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed a bid on an item described by *********************** as a gold bar. After receiving item, it was tested for its authenticity but failed using precious metals industry standard machine. I reached out to Live Auctioneers to inform them of a scammer selling counterfeit gold on their website. To this day, Live Auctioneers refuses to deal with this issue. Moreover, other victims have left reviews indicating fake gold received. But yet, Live Auctioneers continues to let this scammer sell counterfeit gold on its site. This is a serious crime involving mail and wire fraud.I have asked Live Auctioneers to refund me but clearly theyre interested only on making a cut of the proceeds. I strongly advise Live Auctioneers to do the right thing by refunding me and banning Heritage Rare Coins from selling fake precious metals on its site. I will not allow others to fall for this scam and will work with the appropriate authorities to end this scam.

  Business response

  12/05/2024

  Hi *******,

  I'm sorry to hear about your concerns regarding the authenticity of your purchase. I reviewed your case, and I saw that the auction house had agreed to a refund once the lot was returned to them.  They said that they "dont claim to be experts in grading precise metals" which is why they had agreed to the return. You have not returned the item and also filed a chargeback with your credit card company, so no further action can be taken until the chargeback is closed.

  I'm disappointed to hear that you're unhappy with the level of service we've shown. As a technology provider, our role in this matter is solely as a mediator to make certain both parties remain in contact while assistance is being requested.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  12/15/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I have informed Live Auctioneers and the Auction House (***********************) to contact ****** ***************** about returning the item. Once again, I have to repeat myself that the item was seized as evidence due to the nature of the crime which involves counterfeit gold, credit card and mail fraud. I have been very clear on this, but its apparent there is fear on contacting ****** Police given the fact that Live Auctioneers is allowing gold scammers to sell fake precious metals and by taking advantage of consumers. The nature of this crime is serious and any attempts to downplay it will be met with legal consequences. Lastly, there is evidence of other victims that have left reviews about fake gold, but yet Live Auctioneers refuses to ban Heritage Rare Coins on its auction platform.

  You need to contact ****** ***************** as they would like a word with you. Again, the item is in their possession, not mine.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Live Auctioneers charged our credit card for a website fee after denying us for their services. They are refusing to refund the $500 that was charged. The $500 was only to be charged if we were accepted, to set up our new site. Our so called account manager is supposedly on vacation for the next month, after we were told shed be in office yesterday. They make excuses every time we call and **************** refuses to issue refund!

  Business response

  11/18/2024

  Hi ***,

  I'm sorry to hear that your auction could not be published on our platform. I'll bring this up to the appropriate team so someone can reach out to you to discuss this charge.  Please expect a colleague to contact you this week.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  12/03/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   

  No communication has been made and no refund has been issued .

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ****
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business response

  12/24/2024

  Hi *** ****,

  
  Thank you for reaching out. I've informed our payments team about your request. However, please note that the Auction Setup Fee is a required charge, and I can't guarantee a refund. For further details, I recommend contacting ********************************** directly.
  Best regards,

  LiveAuctioneers Bidder Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bid/won 6 items (>$10,000) thru Liveauctioneers website, from the auction house 'Key Date Coins'. I paid the invoices immediately, and was informed I would receive an email with delivery/tracking information soon thereafter. Have not gotten a single correspondence from the auction house. After a couple weeks I emailed them multiple times, called them and left voicemails, and even texted the number they recommended. Have gotten zero responses, except one that said it would be shipped the next day (never happened). Now I wish i would have checked the reviews on Key Date Coins before i bid, since their reviews are all the same (almost carbon copies of the experience I had). Have tried reaching out to LiveAuctioneers to assist in resolving this, to no avail yet. They send you back a quick email with a ticket#, but that's it. Perhaps they will help with the auction house, but I am not optimistic. This whole experience has been terrible, and I am concerned I will never receive the product or reimbursement. I am somewhat shocked that LiveAuctioneers allows them to continue doing business on their platform. Somebody did raise the option of a class action lawsuit, which would likely result in alot of new information in the discovery process. I am assuming based on the reviews I read on BBB, and other places, that this is something we could get traction for.

  Business response

  10/02/2024

  Hi ****,
  

  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Im truly sorry to hear about the frustrating experience youve had with Key Date Coins and the lack of communication regarding your items.
  

  Our team is actively working to resolve this issue. We appreciate your patience during this time and kindly ask for a bit more. 

  Thank you for your understanding. Were committed to assisting you and will keep you updated as we learn more.
  

  Best regards,
  LiveAuctioneers Bidder Support

• Initial Complaint

  09/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased one vintage framed portrait at the auction of 04/21/2024 and paid the invoice number #******* fully at the amount of US$85.84 from ******* Antiques and Auctions (*********************************** **************) at Live Auctioneers marketplace, including the bid and the payment were made via Live Auctioneers platform.Unfortunately since then, I never received my product as well as a refund, and eventhough dozens of e-mails and attempts of phone contacts, I have never received any response from the auction house.Faced with the problem, I also tried getting help from Live Auctioneers sending more than 10 e-mails, and the support was extremely disappointing, practically acting as an accomplice, since it has not demonstrated any suspension of the auction houses's activities and did not even promote the return of the amount paid (regarding the payment was made by the marketplace!) I just want my money back and move on!

  Business response

  10/02/2024

  Hi *******,
  

  Ive checked in with the bidder support team regarding your case, and I see that it has been resolved.
  To ensure everything is fully taken care of, Ive requested that the team reach out to you tomorrow for confirmation.
  

  Best regards,
  LiveAuctioneers Bidder Support

  Customer response

  10/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   

  Live Auctioneers, as always, is giving a completely generic and empty response. My case was not resolved, because I simply did not receive the money back or the product. As I said in my complaint, they have been giving the same empty response forever and nothing is actually resolved, it seems like they are protecting the seller and care little about the buyers who use their platform. A shame that has now become clear. Regrettable! 

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******* *****
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business response

  10/30/2024

  Hi *******,

  I'm very sorry to hear that this has not been resolved yet. I reviewed your case, and I see that my colleague on the Bidder Support team is still reaching out to the auction house. I'll ask her to escalate the case to the next level if they are still unresponsive. I understand that you would like us to close the seller's account immediately. however, we're not at this point yet. Please give us a little more time to get a response from the auction house. I'll ask my colleague to give us an update on this soon.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  11/15/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

  After several months, the seller has finally sent my product! I believe the efforts of Live Auctioneers were crucial in resolving the issue.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******* *****
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I used Liveauctioneers site to make a purchase & make a payment. Then the individual auction house contacted me directly for my full credit card number to pay for shipping because Liveauctioneers does not provide that information to them. That's great on Liveauctioneer's part for not providing them with the full number because the original purchase is secure. Being contacted directly from auction house ask me for my credit card number seems wrong and like credit card fraud/scam waiting to happen. I don't feel comfortable being asked to complete any part of that transaction outside of the Liveauctioneers site. Liveauctioneer should put better guidelines in place for the security of it's buyers. All aspects of the transaction should be able to be completed without risk of exposing personal finacial information.

  Business response

  09/13/2024

  Hi ********,

  We're sorry to hear that your experience on our platform didn't meet your expectations. We understand the hesitation when providing credit card information over the phone, especially when dealing with an auction house for the first time. LiveAuctioneers is merely an online bidding platform, which means auction houses on our platform set their own Terms & Conditions, including payment and shipping policies. To ensure bidders make an informed purchasing decision, auction house's Terms & Conditions are on each listing. We also provide a way for bidders to reach out to the auction house directly with any questions and requests they may have. If you're uncomfortable sharing your credit card information over the phone, we recommend reaching out to the auction house directly to explore alternative payment options.

  If you have additional questions or concerns, please send us an email at *******************************.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  
  

  Customer response

  09/18/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because, 

  You are promoting an environment of fraud. Liveauctuineer should provide secure place for any & all payments to be made. Take a que from **** & other online sales platform. The lack of security for customers, which you are also profiting from, is very disappointing & unsafe. Liveauctioneers needs to do better. 

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  
  
  
  
   
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩