Heritage AuctionsReviews of ha.com

I have bought many pieces of entertainment memorabilia from Heritage over the last several years. Items are authentic, and customer service is good. However, on top of the 25% commission they charge (generally higher than most auction houses), the nickel and diming is the problem with Heritage. Their postage rates are very high (running on average about $200 when mail order and Internet sites charge only a fraction of that). They don't take American Express (but will accept Visa/MC and charge a fee for using those credit cards). And the shipping time is much more than what I have experienced with specialty sites or EBay. To respond to your point that shipping occurred the next day as soon as the payment was processed, you are correct. The problem here was that payment was sent directly to your portal on July 23--you didn't process it until August 6. I see no reason for a two week delay in processing payment in today's world. So on top of your winning bid, plan to add another 40-45% to cover the commission, taxes, and postage and expect a time of several weeks (rather than several days) to get your item.

I purchased a work of art at an HA auction. On one hand, the administrative process went very well; I requested a deferred payment plan, which was granted and enabled me to buy the piece. That part of the process was handled well. On the other hand, the handling of shipping quotes was abysmal; the costs did not match the estimates shown on the website and turned out to be extremely high. Only after lodging numerous complaints was I able to arrange the shipping myself and save over $2,000 USD.

Updated: See below. This issue was eventually resolved but it really shouldn’t be this difficult. If you want to bid it is essential to establish the shipping charge beforehand. There seems to be no logic behind the shipping. Some items will ship at a reasonable ‘fixed price’ fee for total items won in a particular auction, others of similar size, weight etc SIX times that price. Original: Shipping has always been chaotic (see other reviews) but although customer service was always slow and muddled I never left bad reviews as I felt they were at least acting in good faith. Latest purchase they slapped on a shipping fee of just under three times ( yes you read that correctly) the value of the item. Obviously I queried this and tried to enter into dialogue about alternatives. No response whatsoever, despite repeated attempts. Next I was sent a notification that the item had shipped! HA have never shipped before payment in the years I’ve been dealing with them, as is standard auction house practice. Obviously an attempt to lock in this truly extortionate ‘handling and shipping charge’. Use at your peril.

They don't tell you shipping prices until after you already recieve the item. The shipping does not include customs. I ended up paying over $300 for something I won for $80. They will give you a quote if you ask but they don't advertise that and will just charge your payment method without notice. Likely will ignore your request and send it regardless. Absolutely disgusted. Edit: they went up 2 stars. Their customer service has been very quick in answering my questions and helped remedy this issue.