As Retail Tanked During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Auction Houses Cranked Out Impressive Sales

新冠疫情期间零售业惨淡，拍卖行却创下骄人业绩 新冠疫情期间零售业惨淡，拍卖行却创下骄人业绩

Online auctions are proving to be pandemic proof. Traditional retail has taken a hit during the pandemic due to temporary brick and mortar store closures and only some of those sales transitioned online. But auctions - typically held in-person with a history of call-in and online bids - hardly skipped a beat during the downturn.A tech-friendly younger bidding population, eager for some high-takes auction excitement while stuck at home, is largely to thank.

事实证明，线上拍卖能够抵御疫情冲击。疫情期间，由于实体店暂时关闭，传统零售业遭受重创，只有部分销售转移到线上。但拍卖——通常以线下形式进行，过去也曾有过电话和线上竞拍——在经济低迷时期几乎没有受到影响。这主要归功于一群热爱科技的年轻竞拍者，他们渴望在家也能体验到高额的拍卖刺激。

“There was zero resistance to pushing the sale exclusively online; and none of our consignors pulled their merchandise out either,” said Kimberly Burt, vice president of marketing at Hindman Auctions. Originally scheduled live for April, the Chicago-based auction house pushed their sale of fine jewelry and watches online to May and sold 100% of items offered.

“我们完全没有遇到任何阻力，将拍卖会完全推向线上；我们的委托人也没有任何一位撤回他们的拍品，”欣德曼拍卖行（Hindman Auctions）营销副总裁金伯利·伯特（Kimberly Burt）说道。这家总部位于芝加哥的拍卖行原定于4月进行线上拍卖，但后来将高级珠宝和手表的线上拍卖推迟到了5月，所有拍品均售罄。

Clients participated in the sale from home, driven by a sense that “if you aren’t online you are missing out, ” said Burt. She noted that an astute collector coveting a 1950s Van Cleef bracelet, for instance, knows it may not come to auction again soon and seizes the opportunity.

伯特说，顾客们在家参与拍卖，因为他们觉得“不上网就错失良机”。她举例说，一位精明的收藏家觊觎着一只20世纪50年代的梵克雅宝手镯，他知道这只手镯可能不会很快再次出现在拍卖会上，于是便抓住了机会。

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Similar participation levels were seen at Bonhams, which held a five-part luxury online sale that wrapped June 1st combiningjewelry with watches among other luxury categories. It garnered registrations from 29 countries, including 40% first-time buyers and a third under the age of 40. Online auctions are proving a good way to attract new, younger clients “They are digital-savvy and access online sales literally in their hand,” said Vanessa Herrera, business director for Bonhams Asia.

邦瀚斯拍卖行也展现了类似的参与度。该拍卖行于6月1日圆满结束，举办了一场包含五场的奢侈品线上拍卖会，涵盖珠宝、腕表等多种奢侈品类别。此次拍卖会吸引了来自29个国家的买家，其中40%为首次购房者，三分之一的买家年龄在40岁以下。事实证明，线上拍卖是吸引年轻新客户的好方法。“他们精通数字技术，线上交易触手可及，”邦瀚斯亚洲业务总监Vanessa Herrera说道。

For Hindman, the recent online auction actually saw a 26% increase in overall bidder participation in the spring jewelry sale compared to 2019. Remote methods - online, absentee and telephone bidding - all experienced upticks from the previous year.

对于欣德曼来说，最近的在线拍卖实际上使春季珠宝拍卖会的整体竞标者参与度与 2019 年相比增加了 26%。远程竞标方式——在线、缺席和电话竞标——都比上一年有所上升。

Helping the sales along were staff specialists who segued from pre-sale condition reports via photos and taped videos to live interactive video conferencing to preview items of interest.

工作人员专家为销售提供帮助，他们通过照片和录像提供售前状况报告，并通过实时互动视频会议预览感兴趣的商品。工作人员专家为销售提供帮助，他们通过照片和录像提供售前状况报告，并通过实时互动视频会议预览感兴趣的商品。

“Everyone was more comfortable with this approach as it was a more personal way to interact,” said Burt. Auction houses already sold more volume online than traditional retail which made the exclusively digital format a seamless transition.

伯特说：“每个人都更适应这种方式，因为它是一种更个性化的互动方式。”拍卖行的线上销售量已经超过了传统零售，这使得向纯数字模式的过渡变得无缝衔接。

Herrera noted the intimidation factor disappears online. “Collectors now access the sale from any continent, without having to travel from the comfort of their own home.”

埃雷拉指出，网络上的恐惧感消失了。“现在，收藏家可以从任何大陆观看拍卖，而不必舒舒服服地待在家里。”

She asserts the competitive nature which traditional retail doesn’t offer and most collectors, especially young ones, being comfortable with online purchases add to their success.

她强调，传统零售业不具备竞争性，而且大多数收藏家，尤其是年轻收藏家，都习惯于网上购物，这些都为他们的成功增添了优势。

“Bidding is a thrilling, competitive game and added a surprise factor during the stay-at-home period. There’s a gratification in winning your trophy especially if you are outbid final count-down minutes,” she said.

“竞标是一项激动人心、竞争激烈的游戏，在居家隔离期间更是增添了惊喜元素。赢得奖杯的满足感十足，尤其是在最后倒计时几分钟内，有人出价高于你的情况下。”她说道。

An auction is considered to have done well at 85% sold and the May auction was a sell-out, which prompts Burt to assert “collectors are still collecting.” The top lot from Hindman was an oval brilliant cut diamond weighing 10.17 carats fetching $137,500 ,over the presale estimate of $70,000-90,000. A rare-to-auction Art Nouveau Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace sold for six times its presale estimate. A Patek Phillipe ‘Nautilus’ watch sold at $75,000, over its presale too. Bonhams sale boasted a pair of earrings and a diamond and sapphire necklace by Graff that drew $200,625 and $350,625 Hong Kong dollars respectively.

拍卖会的成交率为 85%，被认为成绩不错，而五月的拍卖会更是销售一空，这让伯特断言“收藏家仍在收藏”。来自欣德曼的最高价拍品是一颗重 10.17 克拉的椭圆形明亮式切割钻石，以 137,500 美元的价格成交，超出了 70,000-90,000 美元的预售估价。一条罕见的拍卖新艺术风格 Louis Comfort Tiffany 项链以高于预售估价六倍的价格售出。一块百达翡丽“鹦鹉螺”手表以 75,000 美元的价格售出，也超过了预售价格。邦瀚斯拍卖行的一对格拉夫耳环和一条钻石和蓝宝石项链分别拍出了 200,625 美元和 350,625 港币的价格。

Convenience is key online as sales can be organized much quicker and clients can browse through several brands, styles and period in one place. Jewelry and watches do well in this format according to Bonhams due to how easily they can be inspected in the pre-sale condition appointments online and then shipped to the buyer. But the live auction hasn’t been forgotten. Bonhams has several live auctions planned this summer in Edinburgh, Hong Kong and Los Angeles in private ‘closed-door’ settings along with additional online sales.

便捷性是线上销售的关键，因为线上销售可以更快地组织，客户可以在一个平台浏览多个品牌、款式和时期的产品。据邦瀚斯称，珠宝和手表在这种模式下表现良好，因为买家可以方便地在售前预约线上检查，然后寄送到买家手中。但现场拍卖也并未被遗忘。邦瀚斯计划今年夏天在爱丁堡、香港和洛杉矶举办多场现场拍卖会，这些拍卖会将以私人“闭门”的形式进行，同时还会举办线上销售。

Selling wasn’t the only part of the process to benefit from the pivot online. Timothy Long, director of couture and luxury accessories at Hindman’s, had live interactions with consignees and often spotted items in their closets that they didn’t consider presenting for auction. Thus, even more items went to auction thanks to the specialist’s keen eye for what’s currently in demand.

销售并非线上转型过程中唯一受益的部分。Hindman’s 高级定制及奢侈配饰总监 Timothy Long 与委托人进行了线下互动，经常发现他们衣橱里原本不打算拍卖的物品。因此，得益于这位专家对当前热门商品的敏锐洞察力，更多商品得以进入拍卖市场。