What clients say about Mark's Estate & Salvage Auctions in College Park (MD)
I do not recommend this company. I used this company last year (in 2023). Sold very few items, no detailed list provided of what they did sell (only a few vague Emails mentioning a few items), and I have yet to receive any sale proceeds. Lots of excuses.
Do not use. Unprofessional. Did not adhere to contract terms. No documentation as to what was sold. Only received cash in an envelope. I overheard people talking that the items were priced too high for an estate sale. On the day of the onsite sale, he got into a very ugly argument with my brother. Alot of shouting and cussing in front of the buyers. I had my phone in hand ready to dial 911. He did not show up after the sale to take additional items out of the house as he told us he would. I called him in the afternoon to ask him if he was coming. He said no. It would have been nice if he had called me earlier in the day to let me know. I was scrambling trying to find donation places that could come to the house on such a short notice. This was a few days before settlement. We had to have the house empty by then. We could not find any donation places to accept the items on such a short notice. As a result, we lost the opportunity to receive additional funds. Thousands of dollars' worth of items had to be junked. I have photos and video to prove this. On the day of the onsite sale there were quite a few items taken out of the house. I was told that they would be sold at flea markets. When questioning him about the proceeds, we only received $103. On the day of the estate sale, I made him count the gross proceeds. It was only $1,604. Three months later when I picked up the envelope with cash, it was short by my calculation of what I should have received. When I inquired about this, he told me he needed some gas money and took it out of my envelope of proceeds. He did pay it back two months later when I stopped by to pick up the proceeds from the online auction. This whole situation with him was a mess. I even write and explain to the Probate Court about how poorly the valuation of the personal property went as they were questioning the valuation. I paid $500 for four sheets of handwritten items that were not even totaled. I feel cheated by using him. Alot of talk and excuses. Wish I had used someone else.
Very organized on-line auction with lightning-fast invoicing and shipping. Perfect packaging. And he answered email! This was just a small purchase and we were treated as if it were a huge purchase. Thanks so much and we will be watching for your auctions. Judith Oder
Went to an estate sale that they were running and it was a wonderful experience. Everything was set up nicely and the prices were very affordable. Would highly recommend anybody that wants to sell stuff to call up Mark's Estate.
It was a pleasure to work with Mark and Bert. They were easy to work with, prompt, reliable and professional. They looked things over and selected things that would be good for an auction and also an on-location sale. They made it easy to prepare, took care of everything both for the on-location sale and the auction, and promptly made the payments. They were patient and friendly in a situation that had a short timeframe. I definitely recommend working with Mark.
Mark and Bert are both great
I went to College Park to pick up my materials Bert was waiting outside handed me my package we could’ve pulled one chairs out we were having a nice conversation very very friendly and very patient company well I always look at their items items I picked up perrfecrI went to College Park to pick up my materials Were perfect
To the gentleman who wrote a bad review I know of nobody that returns items that are on consignment unless you specifically request it and it didn’t sound like you did when I deal with people on consignment I always write a big return items not sold and then have the owners sign it
Great job Mark and Bert
Thank You
When I met Mark & Bert I was impressed with them and reviews that I read. Now over a year later I find out that since they could not sell my consignment items; they donated them rather than returning them back to me. I know the pandemic has caused problems for everything. I understand that. I was told that I would receive a detailed list of items they picked up; but, that never happened- even after making several requests. Now I am told that they 'finished that record book and threw it away.' They never contacted me to let me know that they did not sell anything; nor, did they inform me that they 'donated' my items. My contract specifically states that 'Consignment merchandise shall remain the property of (me) until sold.' It does not say anything about donating or disposal of my items. READ your contracts carefully before signing anything. They claim they have done updates to their contract. Those updates do not apply to my contract.
If I could, I would give zero stars to this charlatan. As executor of an estate, I signed a legally binding agreement with Mark’s Estate & Salvage to consign a documented inventory of items. Once the items were in his possession, he became vague and cagey about what items had actually sold. When pressed, he did state that some books had sold, but that he could not send a commission check immediately because he had bills to pay, despite agreeing that he owed us the funds. We finally received a small check, but never received an account detailing what was sold. After many months, we asked for a status update of the remaining items and all we received was a text message stating that they had been donated as they did not sell.
Please beware when dealing with this individual.
As a Small business owner & Investor, I appreciate getting & giving honest value. I received 5-star Customer Service & amazing value from Mark's Estate & Salvage Auctions. Greeted by Polite, knowledgeable staff who were not only willing to do the leg work for me on shipping, they had the research done prior to my asking if they would. Which is why I would refer this Company to my most treasured family members & anyone needing the services they provide. In this era of Big Box Store madness it is refreshing to receive personalized treatment. I cannot say thank you enough.
We had the most AMAZING experience shopping at an estate sale coordinated by Mark's Estate and Salvage Auctions! Mark and Bert are just the sweetest and most friendly people I have had the pleasure of doing business with! They are down to earth and made us feel very comfortable as we shopped. We found the most awesome piano, swing bench for the backyard, out door rocking chair made from amish wood, foyer table and a few other smaller good quality items. The quality of the piano was even commented on by the piano movers: "That's a GOOD piano!" And then I have received so many compliments on the foyer table. Mark was very reasonable with pricing and I feel that the good we purchased will last a lifetime! These items are VERY different from some of the IKEA furniture that we have- these items were actually meant to LAST!! I will be looking to Mark's Estate and Salvage AUctions for more gems and treasures!!! Mark and Bert work EXTREMELY hard to make sure their events are well organized, well stocked and running smoothly!! I know they offer other services like wrap and pack as well and I would recommend them for any type of job like this!!
Thank you Mark and Bert for the very nice items and for being such a genuinely nice people with GREAT hearts!
Mark and his partner efficiently helped clear out part of an apartment’s furnishings. They were both friendly and efficient,,,great lifting abilities..
I would recommend highly Mark’s Estate and Salvage Auctions.
Fast, friendly service!
Nancy Collins
Burtonsville, Md.
When given the task of cleaning out my Grandmothers house and I was only able to give them a short time frame to come in and go thru the WHOLE house, and they did a great job. They gathered the items that they knew they could sell and made a pile of other items I could donate. Can't wait to see how everything sells.
-R. Ingram
This past year has been a challenge cleaning out my wife's uncle's house after his passing, especially having to make multiple trips from Colorado to get his "hoard" cleaned out. The uncle had some interesting and odd collections of multiple pieces, many of which were still new and unused. We had contacted other auction/salvage companies, but most just wanted high-end items and were not interested in the collectables. In fact, more than one company wanted Us to pay Them to haul everything away as junk. Fortunately I found Mark's Estate & Salvage Auctions, who gladly took the collectibles, and through their diligence and hard work have been able to sell the items for a surprisingly amount of money. We knew these collections had good value, and Mark and Bert were able to prove that. Thank you Mark and Bert for all your help in getting the house cleaned out and for getting us the best possible value for the uncle's items. It's been a pleasure working with you and I highly recommend Mark's Estate & Salvage Auctions for your clean-out needs.
The items that I won were nicer than I expected. The packaging was very good. I was very happy with the way they treated a first time bidder with them. The experience was very positive and pleasant. I will definitely bid on items again.
Mark Hoffman is the quintessential estate and salvage entrepreneur, with a colorful and engaging personality. Working with Mark was a delightful experience and far exceeded my expectations. He was prompt, professional, and very personable; not to mention patient with my vacillating schedule. Our association came quite by accident. i recently downsized my storage unit and was Googling to find a company that would assist with liquidating its contents. i had three generations of "stuff". Some of it was too good just to trash - a flea market trove - but it had to go. Also, i needed to move it quickly without spending any money. Mark's Estate & Salvage was willing to take everything for just what he eventually could auction; this was music to my ears. To top it off, when he finished, the storage unit was spotless. vbb
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