As a frequent Dealer-buyer at their auctions, I smile at some of the reviews. If the auctioneer missed you, you need to wave your card. And if they still don't see it... just holler, "YO!" They have to keep things moving. They move a massive amount of merchandise in and out, so they don't have time coddle. They get higher prices than many auction houses, and sometimes I can't buy anything, because there is no meat on the bone for resale. I took a beating on some rifles I sold. They were brutally honest about their condition in their catalog, whereas another auctioneer may have been vague to the buyer. As a buyer, I have gotten some great deals. If I won it for "cheap", it means I was still willing to pay more than anyone else with money to spend. Sometimes I wait a dozen years for that item to sell at full retail. As a bulk buyer, I need those extra seats to land my purchases so that I can pack and bid on multiple lots in a row. No one saves me a seat. If I come late' I'll be standing until something opens up. They need dealers as customers so that everything goes. But they need retail minded buyers to get the best price. Most estate sellers just want it gone. If it didn't go for a $1000, it wasn't worth it. If it went for $1, no one else wanted it either! Having gone to dozens of different auction houses, this is where I am most comfortable with the honesty and integrity of the auction staff. It is normal to take a few weeks to understand the flow and get a feel for an auction house. If there is value in an item being sold, it will find experienced hands handling it and properly valuing it. read more

I know they have been around a long time but they are the most boring auctioneers around. They do nothing to keep the crowd interested. It's a shame there are no more crowd pleasing auctioneers around read more

Horst Auction Center - Auction Houses Near Me - Ephrata, Pennsylvania

I was hesitant to use this auction service because of the bad reviews. I decided that I would give it a shot and I bid on several items on-line. I was lucky to win several items and I chose to have them shipped to me. I found that Horst did an excellent job of communication after the auction and their shipping was well packed and fairly priced. I would not hesitate to buy from them again. read more

My parent's used Horst in the past & had one negative experience with the auction house "losing" one of their items, which was a virtually brand new sewing machine. They seemed pleased, however, with the other items sold through Horst. For lack of other options we chose Horst to auction furniture and other items from my parent's home. Not being familiar with the auction process our family made up to 5 calls to Horst prior to auction day to try to get various questions answered & felt that questions weren't addressed well. There was no complaint regarding the movers who came to remove the furniture to take it to Horst. But, our auction was held on a day a huge snowstorm was predicted. While this did not seem to affect bidders, we did have a family member in attendance at our auction. She was appalled to see that several pieces of my parent's wood furniture, including an antique sewing machine inside a wood cabinet were left setting OUTSIDE in the parking lot in the snow/rain. A metal shelving unit was bent beyond repair & particle board shelves were destroyed by getting wet. When staff was questioned about things being left in the rain they said "Sorry" and "we ran out of room inside & left out things that wouldn't get ruined". Considering a sewing machine is electric & furniture is wood this was completely unacceptable. One of the ruined shelves sold for 50 cents. Later someone from Horst did apologize near the end of the auction & offered a $25 credit for the damage. Obviously when you auction you take a gamble, but had we not had a family member present we would never have known about the negligence in housing of our items prior to auction that could clearly affect what they sold for. Horst makes money either way with a 20% cut of your sales. Our advice is to be on site during your auction to be sure things are on the up & up. read more

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I have come here twice and both times it's a struggle to get the auctioneer to see you, you wave and wave it does no good, the only place to sit is on the edges unless you get there super early, they allow the people in the middle to use empty chairs as storage. There are so many other auctions around, so don't waste hours of your life just to be ignored when the product you have been waiting for comes up and you can't bid on it. One auctioneers says they only observe 2 bidders then when one drops out then they go to someone else. read more

Horst Auction Center - Auction Houses Near Me - Ephrata, Pennsylvania

horrible beware ,i recently drove two hours on a friday to drop off an extremely nice vintage Gertsner oak tool box in very nice condition ,it was the pattern makers edition last produced in the 50 s . i chose Horst because i wanted it to be sold at there vintage tool auction ,makes perfect sense. i relayed this to three different individuals at horst including an email .this all fee on def ears i dropped it off on friday and they sold it at there regular general sale on wednesday .these extra large oak boxes normally bring 1000 bucks or higher ,they sold mine for 225 $. My guess is that they shoehorned this to a regular buyer ,he got a sweet heart deal and i got the shaft . there is no excuse for them to have not held this for the tool sale they do it all the time . i will never go there again to sell or buy and i,m going to tell everyone i know .beware if your not in there clique. read more

Inquire about shipping costs before placing a bid. $79.00 ground shipping for one rifle shipped to my FFL less than 100 miles away from them. read more

Horst Auction recently sold our household goods and our property. We were professionally guided through the steps needed to prepare property for sale and what to expect during the sale. Tim was right on both of those. We were very pleased with both the household sale and especially with our property sale. They got top dollar for our home. read more

RIPPED OFF. My mother in law used this action house to sell hundreds of dollars of goods and got $90 dollars!! She was expecting 800-1000 dollars. read more

Left items outside in snow and rain. No attempt to cover them and no explanation. Ultimately gave us some money back for a few items damaged by the rain. Communication could be better. Didn't explain the process all that well so I would suggest attending. read more

Rude staff, who are uneducated on gun laws. I have a unique situation (being AD military in PA) which does through some people through a loop. However, there should be some customer service. Maybe something like "sir I'm not familiar with this situation however, I will find out" instead of " I'm just going to say no" . Horrible customer service. Wasted 80 mile trip. Bottom line, staff needs to be educated on gun laws and be taught some basic customer service skills. read more

I haven't had the auction yet, but not happy with their delays on when the auction will be held. I keep being told in a week or two.

I have been both a consigner and a buyer a number of times at the Horst Auction. It is human nature to believe one's own things are more valuable than the market does, and that we will find an incredible bargain at an auction. Sometimes it works out that way, sometimes not. The one thing of which I am certain is that the Horsts and their staff work very hard at their craft and are scrupulously honest. I cannot say that about every auction house with which I have had contact. read more

In our capacity as professional full-time booksellers, we have attended Horst Auctions on and off for almost 20 years and have always had absolutely wonderful results both as buyers and sellers. For many years, Horst's conducted periodic catalogued book auctions that were truly a blessing for the trade, and although they no longer hold those auctions, they do have books many times at both their weekly general auctions and occasional weekend auctions. We have found the staff and management at Horst's, now in its third generation as a family-run business, to be knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. When we have consigned items, we have been paid quickly (usually within a week or two), and typically the auction results have been better than we anticipated. We can recommend Horst's without reservation. read more

I have used Horst Auction to purchase firearms. They handle a wide array of firearms with fair prices and expert organization of the auction. I have had the unfortunate experience of having firearms stolen that were purchased at their auction. Renee has been wonderful tracking down vital information on this matter for me. They are honest and caring people. I highly recommend their services. read more

I attend auctions quite regularly at the Horst Auction and always find the staff there to be friendly and helpful. The catalog descriptions and the on line pictures are very accurate. These folks are honest and straight forward. You can trust them, that is why I attend and buy at their auctions. read more

I have done business with this auction house for several years. Great people,honest, hard working and pleasant to deal with. All terms are up front and fair. Very organized, great pictures and the best descriptions in the business. I have sold items as well as buying them and done well with sales. You can trust this auction. read more

I read the two reviews that are here and could not disagree more. The first was from a "Jeff" who was upset about the money that was paid for his Mother's "goods". Was he complining that the House stole money, or the stuff sold for much less than they thought it was worth. If the former, state it, if the latter, .....well, it's not the House's fault, is it. The second one says they "sell" junk... This is not a retail store but an Auction, correct? They "sell" what is given to them. He also says they "list items on auction sites that they don't sell" ....again, I don't really know what he's trying to say by such a generalized statement. Give me an example please. Now, I've been going to Horst for 10+ years, I have found it neat and clean, the staff is frendly and professional. The "stuff" is a mix of items that you see in ANY Auction and the Buyers Premium is little, or none! I've been attending Auctions for 20+ years and travel from Phila to my favorite place, Horst Auctions. Thanks, Horst Family There's my 2 cents! read more

I've dealt with these people for a few years now. Both buying and selling. I believe them to be both fair and honest. They have been very professional with me. The check for the items sold comes quite promptly as well as a letter stating what each item sold for. They may not be Christies, however they are damn good. read more

I have attended the past two coin auctions and I have to agree with the other reviews the staff is not helpful at all or do they want to be . I have asked questions and they look at me why are you bothering me. I will return because it is one of the few places that hold just coin auctions but if I could go some were else I would. read more