Katz Coin Auction - Prague Czech Republic

I am reluctant to post this inquiry yet feel I must. Has anyone dealt with the Katz Auction House in Prague? I entered an auction and won three coins. I paid for the coins immediately in Euros on November 4th. I have yet to receive them despite several e-mails and promises by the house that they will be sent. Apparently one or several of the coins is being sent from their Moscow office of which I had no prior knowledge.
I have not had this problem before with any auction house outside of the U.S. This purchase through Katz is my first.
Any suggestions or prior experiences similar to this would be appreciated. I will post this inquiry in the "Coin Chat Forum" as well. Thank you

 

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Wow, this is a timely post for me. I am watching a few lots from the same auction house that end in the next couple of days.

 

No, never dealt with them.

 

I would appreciate it if you could keep this thread updated based on any updates you receive. Like the user above I am also watching a few lots ending in the next few days. However based on your experience it seems perhaps dealing with these folks is more trouble than its worth.

 

This company is very active on instagram, anyone else have experience with them?

 

This morning I have an e-mail stating that they will be sending the coins with a tracking number shortly. I will keep everyone updated. Thank you for your input.

 

I bought something from the once, and it did take forever and a day. To the point I vaguely think I won't bid on their stuff again. It did arrive...just took a very.long.time. I don't remember things like this well, so the fact I do means it was kind of remarkable (literally and figuratively).

 

@Sullykerry2 I'm really sorry to hear that. As far as i can remember i think i've heard before people complaining about them and that's why they're the only european auction house where i've never placed a bid and probably never will!I generally ask to pay through paypal, just in case something 'funny' happens, especially if i'm not dealing with a major auction house. Not long ago i had some bad experiences with Hirsch Nachfolger and Maison Palombo, in terms of very,very poor customer service and tons of emails sent, no reply for days, they forgot to post the coin,unprofessional to say the least, but the items arrived in the end. What i always recommend in Europe is Kunker, they've always been spot on and also Dorotheum!I really hope you'll get your coins in the end!

 

@Paul Tudor: Thank you for your insights. I will inform this board when and if I receive the coins. It has been nearly a month since I was informed that I won the coins and subsequently sent the funds via TransferWise.

 

Agreed for the most part but quite interesting how experiences differ across the board. I've had quite positive experience with Maison Palombo. Just a few days ago I won a coin with Dorotheum and I wouldn't bring myself to recommending them. It turns out the only form of payment they accept is bank wire which is beyond antiquated and archaic to say the least inconvenient for any North American buyer. Now clearly I erred for not reading their terms and conditions carefully so that's on me but still puzzling nonetheless. On Kunker I've heard too many stories from collectors whom have stated they engage in the lovely common European habit of failing to mention old cleanings present on coins so I've always shied away from bidding on their raw lots as well. To get back on topic though what the OP is experiencing is unacceptable. Makes one wonder for how much it really takes to open an auction house and be listed on six bid and if any vetting is even involved.

 

I have bought from them in the last few months and have received the parcel in good order. Pretty straight forward people. Got replies to my emails with shipping details rather quickly as well, but I had sent the emails after the auction end.

As a thumb rule, if you have paid by PayPal (which one should always when dealing for the first time), you don't have to worry about a thing as you are covered with their buyer protection.

 

I still have not received my coins from a different (German) auction
company. As for Kunker, they do an excellent job with me. I will bid
on their coins at multiples of the estimate. They have never "run up"
the bid on me. There were several times when my bid was blown out
of the water. As for Dorotheum, They do not accept PayPal. In the last
couple of years, they've had a few coins that I would have loved to added
to my collection. How can a large auction firm not accept PayPal? The
21st century is calling. They do accept money transfers. This is very
expensive for most U.S. collectors. With the issue of cleaning, the rest
of the world is OK with it as long as it was done correctly and not with
a Brillo Pad. Most pre 1930 U.S. coins at one time or another have been
cleaned, some very obviously. I collect Medieval coins so most of them
have been cleaned at one time. @Sullykerry2 I hope everything goes
well, in fact with your last post, #9, I believe they will. Keep us posted.

 

TransferWise worked well when I had to pay by wire transfer. Once you are registered, fairly quick and easy, and much cheaper than a bank.

 

The ton of emails that i had to send to Palombo was anything but positive, not to mention that my purchase was made as an aftersale, so i don't think there was too much rush in their office to be honest. I like to do business fast, pay quick, send one email, then move on and Kunker were always on the same frequency with me.The postage was quick,tracking no. emailed immediately,helped me with coins info everytime i asked them for a professional advice,once i had a refund and went smooth,dealt with more than one branch ,also ebay & ma-shop ,never had an issue!I agree on the Paypal thing, though the conversion rate is very poor ,nevertheless, Dorotheum is still massive and i'm sure their coins are sent on time!

 

For the record, there's an option when paying with PayPal to let your credit card do the exchange instead of PayPal. You'll save a percentage or two that way.) Always pay in local currency, your bank will always (okay, 99.99% of the time) give you a better rate then a conversion by the seller.

 

I use TransferWise which provides quite a respectable conversion rate. The firm was founded by two Estonians working in the FX field in London. At one time I was a FX and interest rates trader so I have monitored rates for some time. TransferWise is approved by the Bank of England as a non-bank FX entity. PayPal is actually one of the investors in TransferWise. They match buyers and sellers of currencies and take a small spread. TransferWise beats out "brick and motar" banks and PayPal when it comes to rates.

 

I've been using Transferwise too lately and i'm very happy with them!

 

+1 for using tree transferwise. I used them quite often in europe. Very reliable and easy.

 

@Sullykerry2 I received my package today. I communicated with
the auction house earlier this week and they were able to correct
the situation. I hope all goes well for you. tibor

 

Dear All: Thank you for your many comments. I received an e-mail this morning stating that Katz Auction has mailed the package with the coins I won. I also have a tracking label which I am monitoring from the Czech Postaonline website.
It has been just shy of a month and represents the first time I had such a delay in communication. I will give them the benefit of the doubt as they did state one coin was not in their immediate possession, BUT only after several e-mails.