Consigning Merchandise and Vehicles for the Auction 

Consigning to our monthly auction~
Our consignment auctions are conducted on the 3rd Saturday of each month with the exception of December which is held on the 2nd Saturday.

Office & Yard Hours: 
   Monday - Friday; 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. - Call before bringing loads in.
Merchandise drop off begins the second monday after the previously held auction.
 We will be closed - New Years Eve & Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day, Labor Day; Thanksgiving & Friday after.
We also have dates set aside for company vacation time in December.

NOTE:  Our buildings fill rather quickly with consigned items.  Please call before arriving with large loads to verify that we have space available.  The optimum time for dropping items off is within the two weeks immediately following the previous auction.

How much do you charge to sell?
For auctions conducted at our Stokes Auction Acres: 
    General Merchandise:  (antiques, collectibles, household, firearms, tools, more):  25%
    Titled Vehicles:  10% with a $75 minimum and a $35 entry fee per vehicle.
    Titled vessels & trailer combinations:  15% with a $75 minimum and a $35 entry fee per unit.
     Heavy equipment in good working order including farm tractors: 15%
For auctions conducted at your site (home or business)
    We work on a very competitive commission basis. Give us a call to come look at your auction. We will do so at no obligation to you.

Why consign to a live auction? 
  All our auctions are conducted "live" with professional auctioneers. 
The auction process creates excitement and competition between bidders unlike online bidding. 
The bidders can feel confidant that they are bidding against a real person.  We do accept "written bids / proxi-bids" from registered bidders if they cannot attend the event.
Auction companies in the State of Washington are required to be licensed and bonded, as are each of the auctioneers.  Consignment businesses and estate sales have little regulation.  

Do you pick up items?
   Yes, within Kitsap County and parts of the Olympic Peninsula on a limited basis . Our average fee is $250* for two of our full time employees and our 16 ft. cube van to pick up items (per trip).  We are experienced merchandise handlers and are prepared to come to your home, load the entire contents of marketable items and bring them back to our location.  We ask that small items be pre-boxed and any items be unattached to walls, etc.  If totes are used for packing, they will  not be returned.
Note:  we have a very limited availability for this service, call early to schedule. 

*We are not prepared to haul large heavy items down unusual fights of stairs, off balcony's, fire escapes, etc.  If we arrive at a home with any of these unusual circumstances there may be an addition fee depending on the time it takes our crew to load the items.

I have a vehicle to sell, what do I need to do?
   Our deadline for consignment vehicles (cars, trucks, boats, trailers, etc) is the Thursday prior to the auction by 1:00 p.m. If you have more than four vehicles, we request they arrive by Wednesday. We need the vehicle along with a current title.  The sooner you get the vehicle in the sooner it gets advertised.  We are fully licensed and bonded as a Washington State auto dealer, as such we will transfer the title into the new purchasers name and send in the sellers report of sale. 

I have an entire house full (personal or estate) or business I need to liquidate what can you do for me?
    Please call our office and give us details of what you have.  An appointment can be made for the items to be picked up by us (fee), or have one of our auctioneers, at no obligation (Kitsap, Pierce, Jefferson, Clallam counties), visit your site to do a physical inspection of the items to determine the best way to proceed with the auction. 
   We begin by analyzing your needs and help you decide if an auction is appropriate and whether the auction would be best conducted on-site or moved to our location.  Costs to the seller for the auctioneer services will be determined at this initial meeting.  At on-site auctions we can typically sell everything that is there in one day.  We take an inventory, advertise (direct mail, internet and newspaper), set-up the items for display, sell the merchandise at auction, record the sales on computer, give you a complete sales print out and a check for the net amount.

Holding an on-site auction depends on quantity and quality of merchandise, the location, parking, weather, toilets and other aspects of the site. We would be happy to determine what would work best for you. We are fully equipped with our mobile office, folding chairs, tables, portable sound & clerking systems, etc.  In cases where the sellers do not have enough merchandise to warrant their own auction, our location Stokes Auction Acres, has plenty of parking space, seating indoors, restrooms and more.  

Do you sell with reserves? 
    No, but there could be an exception for equipment and vehicles sold for the Bankruptcy court when there is a small lien to be covered.
We believe that well advertised items will fetch what they are truly worth in today's market.  "Unreserved Auctions" bring serious buyers and fair market value.  Generally, this is the price that an item will fetch at a well-advertised auction. Factors that come into consideration are age, condition, quality and rarity.  
   Also, please note, it is illegal for the owner or their agent to bid on their own merchandise in order to illegally raise the bid price.

Do you charge a Buyers Premium? 
    We charge a 10% buyers premium on all merchandise and a flat $150 buyers premium / document fee on all titled vehicles.

Do you purchase outright? 
    Yes we have the means to purchase any size estate.  However, we think it is in your best interest to consign and allow the market to determine the sale price for you. Stokes Auction feels very strongly that consigning to the auction is usually your better choice and will produce the best return for you. We have built our reputation on honesty and integrity. If we purchase your items outright we expect to make a profit from the money that we invested.  Let us do the job right for you.

What happens after Stokes Auction sells my items? 
    Usually, within five to seven days after your auction you will receive a complete, itemized computerized printout of all items sold including lot numbers, descriptions, individual prices, itemized expenses including commission charged and the net total along with a check from Stokes Auction. 

Need a Fair Market Value Appraisal for an estate in probate?   
    Our estimated Fair Market Values are based on what we have sold like items for in the recent past, through our Auction business.  This estimate is what we feel the property will sell for - if all is sold in one day at Public Auction.  FMV appraisals are used for estate purposes and is a fee based service.

Are there any items you will not take to sell?
   List of Items we Do NOT take - this list is always changing and depends on the current market and economy trends.

Abandoned or Unclaimed storage unit items purchased at another auction or otherwise
   ANY store or shop leftovers (if it has a tag, for us to turn it away)

    Baby items: including but not limited too Cribs, strollers, high chairs, car seats
   Books - no paperbacks or hard back novels (quality cookbooks, antique, leather bound and hardbound classic sets ok)
   Bowling balls

    Car parts (they are hard to sell)

    Clothes & display racks

    Clothing, shoes, unless vintage and on occasionally new

    Dated furniture - 80's / 90's; manufactured wood; dark colored and heavy pieces, large floral prints

    Desks - large wood, metal or particle board

    Distressed items including Furniture / appliances / Household items / other

    Exercise equipment - we accept limited items that are newer & electronic

    Ironing boards & drying racks

    No particle board (engineered or manufactured wood) furniture

    NO Remodel pull outs (cabinets; doors; windows; fixtures)

    Non-running vehicles or those with safety issues (call and ask if you have questions)

    Non-working or damaged TVs, VCRs, stereos & other electronics

    Oil heaters

    Old snow skis, old water skis (true antique skis are ok)

    Old suitcases that are not antique or collectible 30s and older in good shape

    Old vacuums

    Older Computers, we accept only those that are complete with LCD screens

    Older or colored appliances (we will generally take working appliances 7 years old or newer)

    Older or stained beds / mattresses / box springs

    Organs & Pianos (they are hard to sell even if in good shape)

    Other items deemed un-sellable by our crew - see above

    Paperback books

    Pure "Box lot" loads only  will NOT be accepted - Absolutely NO Estate or Garage Sale leftovers

   Soiled or damaged furniture, includes that covered with pet hair

   Storage unit stuff-Garage sale-Estate sale-Tag sale-etc, left over's (if you can't sell it, neither can we)

    Truck Bed liners or Canopies

    Tube TV's, console stereos, console TV's

    TV trays tin

    Typewriters

    Water beds & frames

   Office machines or equipment such as copiers, mimeograph, etc