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RAPAPORT... Sotheby's opened its previously announced live auctions on eBay, which are part of eBay's new sales platform, for browsing and advance bidding. Sotheby's first sale will take place on April 1 with the "New York" sale, which includes some jewelry, and a "photographs" sale.
The Sotheby’s live auctions include high-resolution images, hosted video capabilities, and live streaming audio and video. All participants will see the exact item offered in the Sotheby’s New York salesroom and on eBay at the same time and have the ability to bid online in real time.
The New York-themed portion of the auction was inspired by, and celebrates, Manhattan through prints, photographs, paintings, sculptures, silver, books and jewels, as well as iconic New York memorabilia, such as the monumental sign that appeared atop Yankee Stadium from 1976 to 2008.
“We’re very excited to bring live Sotheby’s auctions to an exponentially larger audience of millions more collectors around the world through this partnership,” said Bruno Vinciguerra, Sotheby’s chief operating officer. “This experience truly captures the best of both Sotheby’s and eBay. The rich, smart new design and bidding technology, coupled with exclusive features like taste-maker curation, engaging video and articles and the knowledge of Sotheby’s experts on a tech-friendly and intuitive site, will offer collectors a unique, welcoming experience.” Devin Wenig, the president of eBay marketplaces, said, “We’ve had a great response from our global community of buyers since launching live auctions last October — including sales of high-ticket items such as Elvis Presley’s first record, which sold for $300,000. Granting this kind of unprecedented access to art and collectibles, using an innovative technology platform, has opened the door for more people to appreciate and participate in bidding on exceptional works of art, antiques and collectibles. These items were previously only available to auction room floor bidders.”
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