A division of William Doyle Galleries, Inc, Hayloft Auctions By Doyle is an online-only auction house selling art, furniture and decor. We asked the platform’s Brian Corcoran to explain the concept.
What was the genesis of Hayloft?
Our parent company, Doyle, used to have tag sales and “Treasure Auctions” that were very popular with our clients. Vice chairman and executive vice president Laura Doyle sought to go back to the roots of her father’s business, revamping the tag sale for the contemporary market in order to provide a fuller service for our customers who had no convenient method of selling their less valuable property. People really enjoy Hayloft because there are not many auction houses selling inexpensive items in New York City. Our new 12,000-square-foot facility in the South Bronx is about ten minutes from Doyle, just over the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, and our drive-in doorway makes pick-ups very easy. We can also send items via UPS to out-of-town buyers.
How does it work?
Currently, we conduct an online-only auction every month, with occasional online pop-up sales, too. Clients can register to bid on our website at www.hayloftauctions.com and leave bids for several days in competition with other bidders. On the Sunday evening of the sale, the auction ends in a soft close, meaning a lot will stay open a few minutes every time there’s a new bid, until active bidding subsides.
How does one consign property for auction?
Hayloft does not currently accept items on consignment, but rather we purchase property outright from our clients. For those interested in selling property to Hayloft, you can email photos of the items to emily@hayloftauctions.com or call us at 929-303-3266.
Do buyers pay a premium and sales tax?
A Fornasetti screen sold for a hammer price of $4,750.
Yes, there is a 23 percent buyer’s premium, and standard New York sales tax applies unless we are shipping an item out of state.
What is the priciest item that has sold on the platform?
We sold a Fornasetti screen for a hammer price of $4,750. A very good deal!
How do you connect with forms of social media?
You can find Hayloft Auctions on Facebook as well as Instagram, where we upload highlights for our upcoming sales. Our Pinterest page also shares design ideas and inspiration for your home.
How often do you run specialty themed sales like the October 16 “chairy-picked”?
We have a great diversity of merchandise, from furniture, to decorative arts, lighting, collectibles and fine art, so we try to curate our sales to represent the diverse collecting interests of our clients. But if we have a certain kind of merchandise accumulating in our storage, we’ll conduct a specialized sale. We may hold an art-focused sale in the coming months.
Since it’s online-only, how do you adjudicate customer satisfaction for their purchases?
We strive to sell high-quality items at affordable prices, and to do it with a smile. Clients will often tell us, “I’m telling all my friends about Hayloft — I love it!” And the next sale a new client comes in, telling us he/she heard about Hayloft from another happy customer. So word of mouth has proven to be a good barometer of our success!
—W.A. Demers
