Never trust the bulk auction site Liquidation.com. The only pockets that they like to fill are their own. Angry responses by the people duped by this company are found in many consumer forums and sites across the Worldwide Web. Most come from buyers who made bids in auctions that promise merchandise in good-enough (if not altogether good) condition. What these hopeful people got was a lot less than what was expected. And it is not only the buyers who have reason to complain. There are also a few incidences of sellers being ripped off by Liquidation.com.

If you are a first-time user of Liquidation.com, you will initially be impressed by their “Terms and Conditions” and “Help” pages. They want to assure potential buyers and sellers of what they are claiming as their “credibility.” So what do they do? They put in these dispute clauses in their terms and conditions, and made sure that the answers to the FAQ’s are quite detailed and very well organized. But as you start to avail of their services, you will notice that there are indeed some odd things about the auction procedures in Liquidation.com.

If you look closely at their site, you will find that there is no link or page where you can leave or read comments and feedbacks about the seller and the merchandise. Transactions are pretty much quiet, and in fact, too quiet for comfort. Buyer-seller contact is also very minimal. Everything from registration up to the payment (and most especially the payment) has to go through Liquidation.com. Sounds fishy, doesn’t it?

The only thing that the company is not willing to care of are the shipping costs and the taxes. They do offer arranging and managing shipment and also one hundred percent insurance for shipping, but until now I have not heard of anyone being able to claim any insurance. And I assure you that there are a lot of buyers whose goods have arrived in very bad condition. Perhaps the problem is not in the shipping but the merchandise themselves.

Another bad thing about Liquidation.com’s shipping procedures is their shipping cost calculator. Either the calculator is not updated, or it does not work at all. Or perhaps, Liquidation.com just has the gall to sneakily add extra costs in the actual invoice.

They also rush you for payment. If you do not pay on their demand, they close your account. If you are the owner of a small business with a small capital, and that you were counting on winning the auction you placed a bid on as your  sole means of acquiring merchandise, then you have no choice but to follow their terms. The only one benefiting from the auctions is them.

In my case as a buyer, I received an invoice that proves how much they rip off from both the buyer and the seller. The amount of shipping cost I had to settle was 300% higher than the one given in the Liquidation.com’s shipping cost calculator. I sent an e-mail and got a reply explaining (or making an excuse?) that the shipping cost can vary up to 15% of the total projected cost. They also had the gumption to add that I should be happy about the deal. Outraged but still trying to be civilized, I replied and requested them to review the invoice. I told them that 300% is not 15%. Until now I am yet to receive a reply to that e-mail.

I got so frustrated after waiting for that non-existent reply that I tried calling them. At that time, I was bidding at some 40 plus auctions and I had some 30 auctions set up as a seller as well. I thought that since I have been a good customer, showing them good faith by using their services extensively, I also deserved to be treated with the same courtesy. Obviously, Liquidation.com also lacks in the ethics department.

I had to call several times since no one was answering the phone. When someone finally did, they told me, no, they ordered me to pay or else they will charge my credit card for non-payment and then they will close my account.

I took a deep breath and told them nicely, though with clenched teeth, to please look at the shipping cost estimator again. But what good did it do? None!  All I could do was to stop all my bids and finish the last of my auctions.

Liquidation.com always insists on doing things their way while they neglect to tell you of miscellaneous fees until the last moment.

One seller was instructed to separate his merchandise. His watch merchandise sold a little less than what he expected but they were sold nevertheless. Liquidation.com wanted to charge him $200 or 15% of the sale, whichever was greater for the  watches. Since the watches were sold for $246, the seller had to give the company the $200. Unfortunately the rest of his goods did not do as well. They were sold only for $175. Liquidation.com gave him two options. One was to give them the $175 or to pull off the auction and sell the merchandise elsewhere. The seller opted for the second one. But what the company did not tell him was that by pulling off the auction, he was required to pay $200 dollars as abort fee. What did the poor seller end up with? A huge loss and an even bigger migraine.

Where do these phantom fees come from? Why are not they included in the oh-so helpful “Help” and “Terms and Conditions” pages? The answer is obvious. Liquidation.com presents itself as a company interested in helping small-time entrepreneurs make profit when the truth is that they host a polished high-tech venue for scams and that the only profit they are looking out for is their own.

After what I have experienced and after reading others’ dreadful experiences with Liquidation.com, I have decided to do my part in warning others out there who are thinking of using the company for their own business.

Liquidation.com’s promise of a good deal turns out to be not just a spray, but a very cold shower.