12 years since we first wrote this review, and we're still huge fans of Chris Foss. Here's an update: Chris Foss Auctions has become one of our favorite auction houses, and after many successful purchases, it's time to update this review. My husband and I have purchased a wide variety of items through their sales, from artwork to vintage perfumes, and we've consistently been impressed by the quality and variety of offerings. What really sets Chris and his team apart is their professionalism. The buyer's premium is reasonable, shipping costs are fair, and every item we've received has been packed carefully and securely. It's clear they take customer satisfaction seriously and understand the importance of handling unique and collectible items properly. The auctions are well organized, descriptions are reliable, communication is excellent, and the entire process--from bidding to delivery--is smooth and hassle-free. Whether you're a seasoned collector or a first-time bidder, you'll feel confident buying from them. As someone who has been on both the buying and selling side, I can say without hesitation that I would trust Chris Foss Auctions to handle my estate. The respect and professionalism they show to both customers and consignors are exactly what I would want in a company representing my family's belongings. read more

I was very impressed with the professionalism and integrity of Noah Gilbert at the Tukwila, WA office. He is outstanding at his job of negotiating a sale of my Rolex watch today. I will continue to use his services and will recommend him to my friends and colleagues. read more

Grateful for their support when we needed quick appraisals after each of our parents passed.

Chris was honest and upfront about what would be the best for me. I would highly recommend his services. read more

The sale we attended while on our last trip to the Pacific Northwest was clean, well organized, well priced, and well lighted. Traffic flow had been carefully planned, too. No complaints. read more

Went with Foss to help clear out a house that had belonged to beloved family. I was impressed by the excellent reviews of this company. I found the owner somewhat difficult to work with, when we decided to pull back on selling a few items out of thousands, literally thousands - he became increasingly negative and irate. At one point he threatened to back out of doing the estate sale, which in hindsight might have been the best thing for all concerned. So much sold, but with the 40% cut he takes and then all the expenses deducted from our proceeds (expenses born solely by the customer who hires him) the proceeds were skimpy. The donation of unsold items cost a lot, because apparently the truck needed to make 2 trips. I thought the donation part would be free - but that too was deducted from the money we made. Some items that were beautiful & in perfect condition were ruined during the sale, so of course no one wanted to buy them. An old school samsonite hard side luggage set - which may not be the preference today with weight limits but this set was pristine. Beige / champagne satin lining without a spot on it. I came through after the sale to find the luggage filled with old rusty tools. I could have used it to store linens had it not been ruined - or there's a chance someone might have wanted to buy it. It felt like there was no respect for a beautiful item that had been well cared for, for decades. It wasn't all bad, items were organized decently in the sale, and I believe Chis & others manning the sale were at least honest in the inventory of items. read more

I went in with a Rolex not knowing much about this watch I was assured that he would get the best appraisal he could for me while I sat there and watched him text back and forth with the buyer I realized that this watch could be worth $30, 000 or more this gentleman started to downplay the great of the watch which in my opinion for an old watch was in great condition no service records no service been done to it all original they pulled an offer of $4,000 I would watch yourself and know your stuff before you approach word to the wise people lie to your face everyday read more

Prompt, honest communication- so appreciated these days. I messaged about my grandmother's china, which I suspected wasn't valuable but she loved it and I felt I owed it to her to check. Within an hour I got a message confirming what I suspected. Thank you so much Chris for taking the time. When I'm in need of a true appraisal, I know where I'll come. read more

Chris Foss is stellar! He is quick, very informative, knows what he's talking about and is very resourceful. I contacted him last minute by referral, after 2 other estate appraisers were booked out. We had a tight deadline to meet for my clients' large 5 bedroom home to go on market. Chris showed up the same week, left post it notes with possible sale values on each item and gave us referrals to reputable businesses that might be interested to buy their furniture, clothing, records, antique and collectible items, etc. My clients raved about their experience with Chris and he provided much relief to their stressful, time-sensitive and massive project! I definitely look forward to working with Chris again and am referring him to my real estate colleagues as well. read more

I don't write Yelp reviews but had to give a thumbs up to Foss! I used Foss based on Yelp reviews and the services they offered on their website and was really impressed with my experience. I had a handful of family items I wanted to get appraised for insurances purposes in case of fire/theft. I went to the office with my items where Chris then carefully inspected, took photos of and documented. Less than a week later I received an email with the official appraisal including photos and a comparable report section. The rate was reasonable and I would use them again. Thanks! L & A read more

After my father's passing we were left with a four story house crammed to the gills with "stuff" - some of it collectibles, some of it sentimentally interesting and some of it junk (post depression collecting was the assessment). After a year of "sorting" and getting no where we were referred to Chris Foss who provided hope in the midst of our frustration and an overwhelming feeling that cleaning the house was an impossible task. After emptying the house of everything we wanted (BTW be clear about what is going to be for sale - it isn't fair to Chris to change one's mind at the last minute and remove items), Chris and his associates performed the estate sale in an organized fashion (over 4000 items sold), donated the extras and made several trips to the dump with the rest. They were professional, timely, respectful and tireless workers (they worked 3 sweltery days after the sale until the house was clean). It is clear that Chris and his crew have quite the following in the community and communication (including excellent photography) through his website reached hundreds of interested people. His appraisal abilities are excellent. We clearly could not have done this ourselves. Although the times around the death of a loved one and the sale of a home one grew up in can raise a plethora of different emotions and strong sometimes conflicting feelings - and though we have the tendency to think that things will sell for more than they are actually worth, we found Chris Foss to be level-headed, close to a modern day miracle worker and recommend him without reservations. read more

They have a great handle on the market in Seattle and know what buyers are looking for. They always contact me when sales are coming up with material that I'm searching for! Foss Appraisal has been prompt and professional whenever I have worked with them, which has been frequent over the years. read more

They responded in less than 12 hours and went out of there way to try and help. After some research they could not find my item anywhere and did not believe it was of much value so no actual appraisal was done. They responded back a few days after initial contact through email. You just don't find that many companies that will respond or follow through when they say they will. Definitely recommend this company and am happy with the professionalism they showed. read more

Beware Foss Appraisal Service! Chris Foss may have professional credentials but that doesn't mean he has his customers' best interests at heart. I worked with him on my mother's estate sale and he fed me a bunch of lies and misleading information to get me to sign on the dotted line. His pushy demeanor and strong-arm tactics were odd, but I had never done this kind of sale before and I trusted that he was honest and ethical despite his arrogant and disrespectful demeanor. What he did amounted to a garage sale at garage sale prices -- I had friends visit the sale and he was practically giving things away for pennies on the dollar just to get rid of them. When it was all done, I got a check for less than one third of what he originally estimated I would garner from the sale before I signed a contract with him. And I just had to take his word for it that was the full amount I deserved (after he pocketed his half of the paltry sale proceeds). Dealing with the estate after a loved one passes is a vulnerable time and I just can't shake the feeling that I was taken advantage of and fleeced. I really regret hiring Chris Foss and I feel like I let my mother down by allowing him to practically give away her china, silver, antiques, jewelry, art, furniture and more. I wish I had known more about the estate sale process before I hired him. Please learn from my very expensive mistake and look elsewhere for an estate sale service -- you'll likely save money and have a more positive, respectful experience in the end. read more

Foss Appraisal Service is professional, effecient and affordable. They came and made an assesment of our needs and took care of the rest for us. I would highly recommend Chris anytime! read more

I can't say enough about the professionalism and expertise of Chris and his team. I have not only used their services myself but also, very confidently, referred Foss Appraisal Service to a number of clients in need of personal property appraisal and estate sales. They are efficient, friendly and extremely knowledgable. You can't go wrong here! read more

Out of all the estate sale companies I've dealt with in the Seattle area, Foss is by far my favorite. I always know that I'm going to be greeted with friendly, professional staff and reasonable prices at a sale they are hosting. They treat buyers with respect and are very personable. Cannot say enough great things about them, I really appreciate Foss after dealing with a few of the other estate sale companies in the area! read more

Sometimes I go twice. Once on the first day to get a crack at popular vintage items and then again on the final day when everything is half price. Foss is more professionally run than other sales I've been to. There is always a staff member available to answer questions or help load an item. The "professional" buyers put their names on a list (often posted the night before) and then line up for entry at 8am on the first day. I've done this a few times, but have found there is always good stuff throughout the day, so there is really no need to get there first. Now that I regularly shop their estate sales, it is hard to go into a retail antique store where the markup is higher. I enjoy looking at photo galleries they post of each sale before it happens so I know what I might want to look for. read more

Great outfit. Knowledgeable, honest and hardworking giving 101% for Your benefit. Would deal with them again. Wish they were here in Sacramento! read more

I just worked with Chris Foss on a long distance purchase , he went above and beyond , I'm very impressed, looking forward to doing business with him again !!!! read more

Went to an estate sale these guys were running. Things were priced a bit high on day one. On the second day everything was priced 25% off. I found a piece of fence, out of steel, that I liked. Tag said $50. It had been broken off at the welds from another piece, it was covered and flaking in rust and to refurbish it would involve hours of labor (grinding, welding, painting). When I asked the cashier if they'd discount it, expecting to haggle and offered $10, she just smirked and shook her head no (like I was nuts). A guy standing behind me with a Foss jacket (who obviously worked for them) laughed and said out loud, "Heck, no!!" Or "No way!!" Then walked off. It's one thing to decline a bid or refuse to negotiate. It's another to laugh at someone and walk away, snubbing them. It was completely rude and uncalled for. If the fence piece were in good condition, maybe it would have been worth $50, but it wasn't. And it certainly wasn't anything that was antique-like or of serious value. read more

We hired Foss Appraisal Service for my father's very large estate sale. I chose Foss after interviewing three other companies. The reason I chose Foss was because Chris said "yes" to all of my requests, including holding the sale in a house located on a difficult-to-reach street. He had staff on hand to handle the traffic and the hundreds of people who came to the sale, including those who camped overnight. Chris strongly promoted the sale through social media and traditional means and his staff politely and courteously set up the sale and staffed it. We sold about 75 percent of what we had and netted a fair amount. We even exceeded expectations on the prices for a large collection of artwork. I would strongly recommend Foss Appraisal Service to run an estate sale. read more

Professional, knowledgeable and honest. I was faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of downsizing and leaving our much larger home and moving into a tiny one bedroom apartment. Chris Foss and staff organized, advertised, handled the sale and cleaned out the place to the walls. They did everything superbly, set my mind at ease and gave me a check much larger than I ever could have generated on my own. I highly recommend them. read more

I met Brooke at Foss. Very nice sweet lady, but not a gemologist. I took in my more than 1 ct diamond for appraisal and sale. She told me that her machine is indicating it as a man made product. She viewed it under the magnifier and saw that it was a real diamond. She took bunch of pictures with her iphone and sent it over to her boss. She was constantly on the phone talking to her boss. Her boss tried to convince her that there was bunch of scratches and something on there that the original GIA report did not state. Also she told me that my diamond was a lesser quality than what my GIA report had stated. Even their weight scale is set to read lower than what it really is. I got worried and packed my things and went straight to JARED in Tacoma on 38th street. I have never been to JARED but a very well experienced gentleman confirmed based on his findings, my diamond is exactly what i was told by my GIA report and their weight scale weighed my diamond at a higher weight than Foss appraisal. Do not go to FOSS APPRAISAL to sell your diamonds if you know nothing about diamonds. They will try to tell you that your diamond is worth less than what it really is so they can buy it off you dirt cheap. Go to JARED and get a real professional appraisal first. Learn more about what you have before selling it. read more