“Hi I am really disappointed for the lack of professionalism in that auction house,
I use to be a client since 2011 and just recently I’ve uploaded some photos of my instrument to sell and I had no response.
Luckily I sent to Tarisio which seems to be much more professional.”
“Only sell your instrument or equipment with Amati Affordables if getting less, sometimes far less, than one third of its value makes you happy. I realized this fact too late (namely during the the time of the auction). Amati will always get their 30% but the buyers also want to strike a deal. In my case I sold 2 instruments their value never under question (not by Amati's professionals either) and in my innocence I believed that viewed by many I would get their value minus 30% and a bit. Reality was and still is a rude awakening. Beware if you are seeking a fair deal and not just a quick sales.”
“When my father died we sold almost all of his large collection of violins plus a few violas and cellos through Amati. In retrospect it was a huge mistake that I bitterly regret. The general policy of Amati seems to be to provide as little attribution as possible, and put instruments of all different quality up for auction with starting prices as low as £10. The rationale is that instruments will fetch what they are worth, but it can work as a goldmine for dealers seeking high quality instruments at bargain prices, which is obviously not in the interests of the seller. What I should have done was consult a number of auction houses before making a decision. If I had done that I certainly wouldn't have sold my father's instruments through Amati.”
“We had such an evaluation day in Stuttgart germay. I had three violins and an other guy had two chellos. The expert checked the instruments. The prize he found out in all instances was 10% of the actual market prize. This doesn't look like an expert at all. Then they offer you a contract that they take the instruments with them to sell them in the UK at an auction where you have no insight whether it will ever take place. After that they take their share of the prize. I would not recommend this company. The long way to the evaluation was not worth it.”
