Bricks and mortar make a great foundation

Re-published, from June 2009:

A good friend, who has been in the business for many decades, recently commented that the antique and art industry reinvents itself every 10 years or so, but that {in his opinion} we didn’t quite complete the last cycle. He believes that online giant eBay began to define a “brave new world” for buying and selling, but fell short when they didn’t get it quite right. What did eBay miss? The developers knew that a successful auction venue is based on trust, but they underestimated the importance of open dialog, transparency and true reputation. eBay, and
others like it, have tried to remove the challenges of person-to-person interaction: the occasional dissatisfaction, the difficult personalities that sometimes pop up, even the misrepresentations. It is a valiant effort to orchestrate our collective experiences, but isn’t overcoming those very challenges the key to developing and strengthening relationships?

Much has been reported lately about the future of “bricks and mortar” establishments versus online retailers. Garth’s has been involved with the online auction marketplace since the beginning, and we have approached the internet audience with the same value-system that our off-line community has known and appreciated. Simply, not only do we believe in the value of strong relationships, we enjoy them. We seek them. As a result, hundreds, if not thousands, of our internet clients have become in-house clients. There is no doubt that the internet has
forever changed the face of the auction world. But, we tend to believe that, while
information sharing has evolved in ways our predecessors could never have imagined and
marketing opportunities come and go, on-line platforms such as Facebook and Blogspot can be a great introduction to a new client. Ultimately a strong buying or selling relationship comes down to personal trust. High-tech will never replace hightouch. Backing up an internet marketing
effort with a reputable bricks and mortar business builds trust. Trust makes a great
foundation for any relationship.
- Jeff and Amelia Jeffers

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