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Auction Preview Assistant Service Submission Page
Chinese Antiques Auction Preview Assistant Service
Save time, money and avoid hassles.
Is it Real or a Fake? Telling the difference can be difficult, why risk it?
We can look with you from eBay to "LiveAuctioneers" to "InValuable" and beyond.
(before you place a winning bid)
We can help, we can Preview the item(s) with you.
Buying on the web is fun and can be a great way to build a collection. BidAmount.com has since its inception been developed to provide collectors and internet buyers with knowledge first before making a buying decision. This we think is just the next evolution in the process.
Getting a second opinion can help you bid with more confidence and avoid mistakes and headaches. We're here to help.
Best, Peter
Get it checked before you place a bid
Peace of mind for a modest $15 Fee
How it works is simple. We can offer our opinion* for objects on any auction site from self-hosted auctions to LiveAuctioneers, to Invaluable.
Fill out the submission form, pay the $15 and we'll get back to you as soon as possible, usually within a few days, sometimes the next day with our opinion of the authenticity of the item. If for some reason we cannot arrive at a determination, all money will be refunded with an explanation of why.
If appropriate, we might be able to suggest another available item as an alternative.
How Many Items? (up to 3 separate listings)
If you're looking at a few listings, you can submit up to three auction listings in the URL boxes. Simply input one of the item's information, then add two more URL links if you wish for comparison. They do not all have to be from the same auction house. We'll let you know our thoughts on them.
What you can submit for checking?
Porcelain, Ceramics, Robes, Scholar's Objects, China Trade Objects, Bronzes, Old Paintings, Bamboo and Carvings.
What we cannot help you with.
Modern style and early 20th C. manner paintings. These are notoriously faked with modern printing methods and by living artists working in factories in Asia. Without a magnifying glass and examined in person they can be nearly impossible to date and authenticate.
What Not To Submit
Auction listings without ample photos. For example, with Porcelain, we need to see images of the front, back, top and bases. Be very leery of any auctioneer who does not provide these images.
What we cannot help you with.
Modern style and early 20th C. paintings done in the Classical manner. These are notoriously faked with modern printing methods and by living artists working in factories in Asia. Without a magnifying glass and examined in person they can be nearly impossible to date and authenticate.
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NOTE: Opinion*, while we endeavor to provide the most accurate information available to us for each item, our opinion is not an absolute Gaurantee of accuracy as photos are not the same as having an item "in hand". Keeping in mind always that forgers keep getting better and better every month.
Reminder: Most internet auctions and auctioneers, other than eBay, do not permit returning items for any reason. This includes if the item was described as being authentic and turns out to be a reproduction or from a period other than described.
Why a $15 Fee?
The last few years at Bidamount
During the last few years, Bidamount and its sister channel on YouTube have both grown vastly. (more than we ever envisioned) The two platforms combined welcome around 90,000 visitors a month. Consequently, over the years we've added numerous new features, integrations, bought plugins and added paid web services to keep it all going smoothly, including migration to a dedicated cloud server. We're happy to do it too, we love what we get to do for a living every day.
Along with this growth, the volume of inquiries from users needing information on active auction listings and currently owned items has risen massively. In order to continue answering all of these inquiries, it requires attention from Bidamount personnel for part of each day to sort and organize inquiries apart from our regular business activities of appraising estates, working with clients, buying and selling.
So we thought a modest $15 fee might offset some the expenses associated with providing the service.
I hope everyone feels this is fair and a reasonable amount.
Best, Peter