Sometimes, simple is best. Many people still make money from collecting free items from classified ads and selling it on eBay. Interestingly, one company decided to take it a step further.
Everything But The House is a full-service estate sale company and global auction platform. So, I took some time to interview Brian Graves, a co-founder of Everything But The House.
1. What is the inspiration behind EBTH?
Brian Graves: EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE (EBTH) was born from a passion for discovering unique vintage and antique items. I had been shopping at various estate sales and antique markets to furnish a Victorian home. I was driven to prove that every home had a story behind it.
In founding EBTH, we recognized the shortcomings within the marketplace and the current services available. Then, we worked to overcome the outdated things. We strived towards the convenience of sellers working with a single service provider and buyers receiving a consistent experience with full transparency.
Moreover, we strived to create a staff that has the professional knowledge in various art and cultural industries rather than buyers relying on “expert advice” from their peers.
2. There seems to be a lot of benefits from the convenience of your service. Would you share a few?
Brian Graves: Convenience is certainly a significant factor.
From the seller’s perspective, our goal is to simplify the process for families in the midst of a major life transition. They need to focus on the important things in their life.
When the potential for a sale exists, we work hand-in-hand with the family to help navigate in organizing the items that will be kept, sold, donated, and discarded.
The best part is that we coordinate all of the necessary logistics. EBTH has subject matter experts readily available to identify items of value from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a result, we can properly promote them to a worldwide audience.
From the buyer’s perspective, how else could you sift through thousands of estate items at your convenience? EBTH is a fully transparent marketplace, where all items open with a $1 bid with no reserves and no hidden fees. It eliminates the hassles and wasted hours required to physically venture out to discover hidden gems and negotiate pricing.
3. How does your service differ from auction houses, garage sales, or even eBay?
Brian Graves: EBTH has taken the best elements from each of these experiences and combined them into one service. Many auction houses are only geared towards a particular type of collectible, sell items with reserve prices in place, charge buyers a premium to participate, and are still rooted in the old administration with minimal advancements in leveraging technology.
Although garage sales can be great for buyers, they do not attract an audience interested in paying competitive prices, and are exhaustive for the buyer. Moreover, it often requires a significant investment of time before acquiring anything meaningful.
Finally, eBay, although accessible, is still primarily a peer-to-peer network that doesn’t guarantee a consistent experience. It has become less interesting to the consumer seeking out something unique.
EBTH gives you the ability to bid in a no-reserve auction with the voyeuristic experience of a garage sale through the convenience of an online platform.
Everything But The House Stats
In 2015, the company did 30 million in sales. They currently operate in 27 cities and have 900+ employees across the country. With 1+ million unique monthly visitors and 1+ million bids per month, this company will end up becoming the premier resource for people wanting to sell everything but the house.
Hello friend,
Great article post and very informative post . I am really impressed for your article information. Actually this article uction houses, garage sales, or even eBay this information. Me to same business Hello friend,
Great article post and very informative post . I am really impressed for your article information. Actually this article uction houses, garage sales,
or even eBay this information. Me to same business sales company. Really Really thank you for post. I neded this post.
Thank you author