Very bizarre experience. After reading the reviews for this company, I've noticed some similarities between my experience and others. On estatesales.org they go by Estate Auctioneers, not Gilroy City Auction. I met Richie and he's...intense. I went to a liquidation of theirs in San Jose a few days ago. I was there for over an hour before met the guy in charge. He would only accept cash, didn't accept any other form of payment, and tried to overcharge me for some books. He wanted about 80$ for some secondhand weathered mass printed books. was surprised because the website said it was an 'emergency liquidation' and "everything leftover will go to the dump". Their website also said "FREE past noon', which is not uncommon in these types of situations. I've been to enough estate sales to know it's pretty shady to say things are free then charge ridiculous prices when people show up. left the books and drove away without buying. When called their number to explain to somebody that this is false advertising, Richie told me could just have them for free. Suddenly they're not worth that 80 anymore? I came all the way back and took them, but I don't think I'll be coming to any more auctions from this company. I also feel it's unprofessional to have movers boxing things up around the house as people are shopping. Lots that had been sold weren't marked, and I wasted a fair amount of time looking through things that weren't for sale. No signs, no AC, no name tags so customers can ask who to get prices from. Really shady, I won't be going their sales again. read more

I have been with garlic city auction for last 10 years , customer care service is amazing. They been treated me as VIP , even if I'm purchased very small amounts. Also , my last purchased was 100 Pc glassware, Mr rich , offered delivered to 10 minutes from my home, not even one glasses were damaged. I was not expecting perfect condition since so many glassware, I thought few will be broke, I was wrong . Exact 103 pc glassware was all made it perfect condition. If this isn't best customer service, I don't know what's best customer service all about ! Also , such a great value my money was well spend !!! Thank you so much and it's always my pleasure to buying from garlic city auction site !!! read more

Do not use this auction company if you live outside the bay area. I checked to make sure they could ship any items if I won and they said yes. Bid on three items won them, received and invoice. Have been try to pay and setup shipping, but no responses. Sent three emails, called three times, spoke to Rich once and he stated he would call back on Monday the 30th. Nothing. Some of the items I won would have been for Christmas gifts for our daughters, but it looks like I will have to start all over. At this point, by guess is the items are gone. Roger read more

Saw a lot I wanted for an auction on 10 September 2021. I am not a local to the Gilroy area (out of state) so I contacted them prior to and asked if they could ship the item. They responded yes. I bid and won the lot. I contacted them the next day and confirmed I would need the items shipped. They responded that it would take 7-10 days. I said no problem. They said they bill all at once for lot and shipping, so I do not need to pay now, even though I asked to. After numerous calls and emails asking for an update, as well as a request to at least pay for the lot, it is now 55 days later and now they do not even respond to email requests and I do not have the items. Very poor business conduct. read more

Been going to these auctions for years . Staff is friendly . Always fun and exciting. Love the box lots

Not a good auction company I bid on several items bidding closed showed me as winning bid and when I arrived 30 minutes after closing I was told my items were out bid. This is after bidding times being changed and wrong address on auction site. read more

Garlic City Auction auctioned off all the belongings to the house directly behind me. I didn't notice until this morning but they auctioned off several metal decorative birds that belonged to me. They were screwed to the top of my fence. Yes, pulled off my property and sold them. What a loser operation. I just want to follow up that I called these folks asking for my metal birds to be returned. They never returned my call. Sleazy people. Stay far away from them. read more

Terrible Experience. I purchased 6 lots at a recent auction, which I would need shipped. I contacted the owner who told me that he would get back to me with shipping info -- he never did. So I called several times, leaving messages, but no return call. Finally I got through and he said that he took the package to UPS but the line was too long. I told him that I could send him a UPS label and arrange a pick-up so he wouldn't have to deliver the package, only give me the dimensions and weight of the package. He told me he'd get me the info the next day - he never did. I called numerous times, left messages, still no reply. Now, 15 days later I have paid nearly $600 but have nothing and can't get a reply. My recommendation? DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY IF YOU NEED SHIPPING -- There are plenty of auction companies out there. read more

Overall it was a very uncomfortable experience; lack of response and communication, felt like a hustle but I suppose normal for an all cash business, not controlled for COVID with no safety precautions, lack of accountability and far too mani miscellaneous items - many many items fell into that extremely large bucket. Disappointed. read more

These guys are con artists. He said he could sell all the stuff in my parents' house in San Mateo, California and probably get $60K. There were a TON of antiques and some were family heirlooms that my parents couldn't take with them. He said we couldn't be in the house while the auction was going on, and now I know why!! He sold 1950's perfect condition, drop leaf tables for $10. We had a corner cabinet, hand made, beautiful piece from the 1700's. I believe he took that himself and didn't even pay us for it. He assured us he had a following of a lot of people that will come to the auction. Hardly anyone showed up. He also said that they would haul away EVERYTHING in the house that didn't sell or that we didn't want. When we returned, there was still a ton of stuff all over the place and he argued that he couldn't take it. At the end of it all we only received $2500. My mom was crying. They were horrible. They should be out of business. DO NOT TRUST THEIR LIES!!! Hire an estate sale expert that will get the money you deserve for your estate. read more

6 or 7 years ago, I arranged to participate in one auction by "telephone bid". There was a specific (somewhat pricey) item up for auction that I really wanted. I ended up being runner up to the winning bid :( But now, Garlic City Auction HAS MY PHONE NUMBER and I've been getting get Robot Calls ever since and all the time for their auctions! I have called them to remove my phone number and they won't do it! I have put their phone number on my Auto Reject on my phone, but their message still goes to my voicemail and of course shows I have messages. Any company that would not - will not comply and remove an individual's phone number from their auction notification list is nothing but smarmy and UNPROFESSIONAL! I have since reported Garlic City Auction to the FCC for ROBO-CALLING! read more

George is a real snake oil salesman. When you're looking at something his phone will beep and he'll say he just got an online offer which just happens to be 5 times what he told you the price was. When you check his online store site (and others) it's no surprise the item isn't there. He's just trying to artificially jack up the price. When you laughingly tell him this he takes your picture like he's going crying to mommy. Real weak phony here--avoid at all costs. read more

Nice company they do a hard job well, selling a family's personal stuff is never easy and it's a lot of work. But if you need to move everything out in one day an auction is the best way to go An auction will get you the highest value for your items as it gives everyone a chance to offer their highest amount that they are willing to pay. For a great Auction call this company. read more

Worst experience ever. When Richie from Garlic City Auction could not explain why he could not produce our funds or an itemized list of items sold with corresponding sale amounts more than two weeks after the sale of our items was completed, he resorted to calling me names and telling me to lose weight. Better Business Bureau gives this business an "F" rating. Not surprised. read more

Ask how long it will take to sell your items. We waited seven (7) months. The communication was terrible with no updates on what was happening. We also didn't receive an inventory of items until after the sale and we were not told when the items were being auctioned. Overall - it was a very bad experience. read more

Pros: If you need to clear out your house, Rich can do it for you. Cons: You need to trust him tho, because his communications are horrible. Also since results aren't itemized, you need to trust you are actually seeing every dollar. As folks have said in previous posts, his communication is terrible, and he admits it. Net-net: Unfair for others to say he is shady, I believe he's just not accountable to his clients. C'mon Rich, answer our texts and calls! read more

Terrible experience! I would never recommend Richie to anyone! I asked to be called when he was making a dump run and not only didn't I get a call I had to call him several times before he answered only to be told that he was done and he still hasn't returned keys!!! I don't know who has the keys to my moms house!!! He said he would look and that was 3 weeks ago! He doesn't answer calls or mms or texts!!!!! He is SHADY! read more

I live in Colorado and my mother's estate is in CA. After her death, then the sudden death of my step father, I was left with the daunting task of clearing out the hoard of stuff they had accumulated over 30 years. Not to mention my mother's ridiculous, enormous, mind blowing, collection of glass (you name it, she had it - in the house, and 3 storage lockers). It would have taken me years to clear out the house so we could sell it, and his team did it in less than 4 months. After calling dozens and dozens of auction houses and estate dealers and being told they would not take on the task, I gave up and accepted the fact that I would have to do it myself. Over the Christmas holidays I met Ritchie. He offered to hold a small auction at the house the weekend after Christmas and sold every piece of glass and several pieces of furniture from only 2 rooms in the house. IN ONE DAY!!! Mind you, that was barely a dent in the hoard. He also offered to empty two of the storage lockers (packed full - I mean FULL - of glass products) and has been diligently selling the collection since January. :-) Recently he held a full estate auction and emptied the house. I am AMAZED!!!! The fact that he took on the task of emptying the house so we can sell it took a huge load off my shoulders, and saved me a ton of money in travel expenses and lost wages. I could not have accomplished half of this if it weren't for him, his team, and my friends in CA to act on my behalf. His team is professional, friendly, and do everything they can to protect the assets they are selling. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything Ritchie has done for me and will do for me as there is still one more large locker full of stuff. read more

I've been to a lot of his auctions and they have all been a waste of time. Con artists here there's a lot of smoke and mirrors. If Rich sees an angle to make more $ for himself he will take it. read more

This has got to be the biggest rip off ever. If you want nothing for your items call them. Even after the auction it took me months to get any money of them. When I showed up to see how the auction went and ask for payment. He told me to leave or he would call the cops. Had over $20,000 in inventory from my business. Ended up only getting $1500. with hap hazard records and items sold not accounted for. Real loosers!!!! Stay away............ read more

If I could give them 10 STARS, I would! My experience with this company began with an interview, which was very professional and informative. My husband had just passed away and they were so kind and considerate. Getting rid of family belongings is never easy, but they made me feel right at ease. They helped me with the things I was putting in storage and set up everything in the house for the auction. They even got 2 cars running which weren't running before in preparation for the sale. When I came back at the end of the day, almost everything had been sold and they handed me almost $8,400! I had expected maybe $300-$400, but I was pleasantly surprised! They cleaned up after the auction and settled all the end-of-sale items. Richie, you are an angel and I would highly recommend you and your crew to everyone! read more

I am an ebayer. I buy the things I sell on ebay various ways, one of which is through Rich's auctions. I have always known him to get the most he can for every item. Judging from my experience he gets top dollar. Generally the people who attend his auctions are like myself familiar with the market value of items one would find at an estate auction. I think the reason some of his customers are disappointed with the total sale amount is because they have overestimated the value of the items. On the flip side I have seen stubborn bidders overpay. I've done it myself. I have also consigned items for Rich to sell at his auction house in Gilroy and have been extremely pleased with the results. read more

Rich @ Garlic City Auctions was recommended to me by a realtor. I had never dealt with an auction company before, but I needed to clean out my mother's house to ready it for sale. He came right out to the house and spent hours taking pictures and asking questions. He gave me a "ballpark" dollar figure and asked that I call him when ready to set up a date, which I did. He is a little bit difficult to get a hold of if you have questions (which I did), but all in all, the auction was a huge success and the house, and the garage, were completely cleaned out, as promised. I had a friend attend the auction, as I could not be there. She said that he was professional and has a great sense of humor. "He really knew how to get top dollar for the items". I am very happy that I used Garlic City Auctions and recommend them to anyone needing help with the difficult task of cleaning out a home. read more

I gave them one star because as far as the auction part went they delivered what they promised. But after that I have nothing good to say. It is all about the money to them and they showed no respect or compassion when handling the belongings in my parents' house. They left a mess in the front yard which I had to clean up. Maybe this is how auctions are run but I will never do it again. read more

Beware of online bidding. I was a winning bidder. The items were not accurately depicted and not worth the trouble to spend the gas to pick up. Also, rude and unprofessional staff. I was told to pick up my items at a live auction. I went to pick up and had to wait over an hour to pick up the items (i.e. crap)--apparently the staff went to pick up food for colleagues. While waiting, the rude auctioneer stopped the auction and asked me what I was doing (I was simply standing quietly by the makeshift office for the staff to return from her "errand"--as instructed by another staff). Additionally, after attending previous auctions, I have noted different rules apply to attendees whom the auctioneer apparently favors. Don't even bother. Waste of time. Nothing like what I have experienced at other, more professional, auctions. read more

Horrible out fit they said they start bids at $10 that was BS customers did their job by boxing items they wanted to bid on some items Rich passed over and wouldn't sell shady business not worth the drive wouldn't use them to sell or buy off of only good was free donuts and coffee RIP-OFF stay far from!!!! read more

Great auctions! I first learned of GCA through my mothers friend who used them to do a "downsizing auction." Before I used them, I investigated them the old fashioned way, I went to a few of their auctions. I saw first hand as a buyer how organized they were. I have been to many, many auctions put on by different companies and I can honestly say, " they run a VERY good auction." I hired GCA to conduct our auction after interviewing 2 other estate companies. The other companies were not bad, it's just that GCA offered a complete service. The service of doing a complete clean-out and leaving my home ready for the real estate company to list the home. Here is the BEST thing, he sold stuff that I thought nobody would want, it was absolutely AMAZING to see the efficiency of an auction, and all in ONE day! Somebody from the crew suggested I not show up to the auction, they said it might be hard to see your moms belongings being sold. It was the opposite for me, I saw people having fun, actually bidding and wanting my moms stuff. Seeing people in bidding wars over my moms stuff was rewarding and funny. I couldn't believe people were paying that much money for some of that old stuff! Anyway, by the end of the day,it was all gone! I mean ALL GONE! The only problem now is, I keep going to their auctions and buying stuff! read more

Great Crew! When my mother in law past away, we were stuck with a house full of stuff and we were not exactly sure how to get ride of it. I used a website "estatesales. " to find Garlic City Auction and 3 other companies. The first to call was Richie from garlic city auction, he was very polite, to the point and came out the same day to look at our "stuff". He explained the difference between an estate sale and estate auction. After interviewing the other companies it was brought to my attention that I should check out "yelp reviews" before making my final decision. I checked out yelp and couldn't believe what I was reading about the company I had put at the top of my list, garlic city auction. So I called em up right away and gave Richie the opportunity to explain....the best thing I ever did! He addressed every issue I had and had dozens of references and phone numbers of prior clients. One thing he said that stuck with me, " I have something better then yelp....my hand shake" The other estate sale companies were also friendly and polite, but didn't offer a solution to getting rid of "all" the stuff like garlic city auction could. Some just wanted to "pick" through and take only the good stuff, some wanted to charge me up front and one said I could end up paying them if they didn't hit their minimum when it was all over! Our Auction: He clearly explained 2 options: A service that would sell and clean or A service that would just sell and we would clean. First I want to say they did everything they said they were going to do and more! The staff was super and knowledgeable, the customers friendly and were willing to spend money ; ). They left the home completely empty and we were able to get it on the market and it SOLD one week later. read more

Unlike any auction house I've encountered in my 70 years. You can bid online and they require a credit card to register but when you go to pick your items up they say they don't accept any form of payment other than cash which luckily I had enough of. Then last Friday they had a 2 day estate auction. The first day was onsite and I decided to go and bid on the clothes. The address was lacking part of the needed information so I called to get it and said I was coming to bid on the clothes and asked what order they were going to be auctioned as I was coming from over 60 miles and didn't want to make the trip for nothing. The auctioneer Rich said don't worry I will be starting on the small items first so off I went. I did arrive before it started and to my surprise when they got to that room they sold everything but the clothes and left to auction off the last room. After trying to auction a few items he announced that the bidding seemed to be dying off and he was ending the auction and taking the items back to the warehouse to be sold on the final day. I asked what about the clothes and he said he didn't think there were enough interested bidders and told me to make an offer so I offered $75 which he didn't like and said come to the second day auction which was being held at their facility. Saturday morning I decided to stay home and bid online and after watching every item sell it ended with no clothes. I've been buying at auction for years and have never seen an auction ended without at least putting the items up. If they have a reserve so be it but I should have had the opportunity to bid on them. There were two other couples waiting for them besides myself so there were buyers. The website says every item pictured will be sold. Not true. If you're traveling any distance to bid on something in the catalog save your gas and time. I should have gotten the hint when told they only accept cash. More of an estate sale than an auction except at a true estate sale you can be in and out without having to stand for several hours while they pretend to conduct an auction. read more

Don't know what Wayne and Ralph are talking about. On September 12, 2013, I called Garlic City because I was in a desperate situation, abandoned by husband 1 day after moving into 4 bd leased house in Los Banos, CA. Everything was everywhere, boxes, etc. I needed to get it all out and sold ASAP because I was left with no resources and had to get out because I could not pay for another month of rent. Richie told me they could do it all, no worries. Leading up to the sale, which by the way was within two weeks, I called repeatedly for reassurance and was met with patience. When the sale day came, Richie and crew took care of EVERYTHING! I arrived at the end, was paid and the entire house inside and out was immaculate and I was able to just drive away. I cannot express adequately to Richie, the team and Garlic City Auction how much your professionalism and expertise handling this sale lifted such a burden off my shoulders at a time when I was barely able to stand. I am forever grateful and anyone that wants a reference can call Richie at Garlic City and get my phone number, I will talk to you! read more