I wish I could give less than one star. While the store appears to carry quality products, my experience was overshadowed by an interaction with an employee named Dierdre. Her tone was condescending and dismissive, and the overall interaction made me feel unwelcome as a customer. Rather than being helpful, the attitude came across as unnecessarily unpleasant and unprofessional. Customer service plays a huge role in the overall experience, and unfortunately this interaction completely undermined what could have been a positive visit. There are many other places to shop where courtesy and basic respect are still part of the experience. I won't be returning. read more

The people in the shipping department are considerate, responsive, and efficient-thanks!

Excellent service! My transaction with them was seamless! Accurate description, and great reasonable shipping. I purchased by absentee bid and couldn't be happier. I have dealt with all the large auction houses, and with the large houses you are only a number...with Poor & Poor they value your business and do everything within their power to make it go smoothly. Highly recommend Pook & Pook read more

The Shipping Department is great. Fast turn around and items are well packed. They are are good asset for Pook & Pook

Bought a vintage stoneware crock and had shipped through the inhouse shipping at Pook and Pook. Was about half the price of the external shippers and was packed great! Arrived safely. read more

I cannot stress enough not to deal with these clowns, happy to see there are plenty others who feel the same. Poor descriptions, dishonest dealings, worst customer service. Just the worst. I also wish to note Pook's response to negative reviews are always the same, attack the reviewer with lies and falsehoods. read more

Great communication on in-house shipping. Really, really good packing and prompt shipping. The care in packing a number of small, somewhat fragile items was exceptional. read more

Excellent very good good value Note: The fact that you pack and shipp takes a lot of worry out of the P.S. on my part. An excellent service. Lloyd Ryder read more

Purchased for years from them & also with an auctioneer who became involved with them. A sales transaction was poor, not enough info provided, poor communications. The more serious was purchasing what was represented as an early antique expensive doll only to find it was a reproduction. Over 16k. Luckily I found out fairly early. Yet they have terms to say they won't take back an item unless its within a time-frame. They claim they extended it even though I was slightly over that time. How is that any kind of customer service. Selling a fake & not backing it up. I just got lucky finding this one was a repro soon enough. I was contacted by the maker when I posted it to social media.They took some time to refund my money, refused to reimburse me for shipping which was exorbitant due to the cost of the doll. And wouldn't send a label or reimburse for the return of the doll. So I was out another 150.00 for their mistake. No way to treat customers. Advised me I was lucky to get the refund for a fake doll sold as an antique! Pretty disappointing. read more

A well run auction house having a very good selection of items and easy bidding options. Very good service. Excellent value. Their shipping department is exceptional. Items are very well packaged. I highly recommend them. read more

first time using the auction service, everything was great the live auction the pre auction and the end was easy to understand and complete your transactions. The staff went the extra distance to help me and make sure that all my transactions where safe and secure. And the shipping department was informed and unbelievable helpful in all aspects. Can't wait until March for the auction. Thanks so much for all who helped my this a very pleasant experience read more

I started collecting Americana about 3 years ago and deal with about 15-20 auction houses on a regular basis. My experience with Pook & Pook has been excellent, in fact they have become my go-to auction. Descriptions and photos are accurate. Questions are answered promptly and professionally. I started using their in-house shipping about a year ago. It is quick, competitively priced and items are well packed. On the rare occasions I need to speak with someone they are always helpful and maybe even charming and I'm from NYC so charming is not a word that forms easily in my mouth. Special thanks to Hannah. read more

This was so bad, I don't even know where to start... WORST company I ever had to deal with. This was a nightmare. And the word nightmare is a poor representation, as I'd rather have a nightmare than deal with pook and pook ever again. I bought a rifle and a pistol on March, 20th. Made a payment on March, 23rd, 72hrs after auction. As I'm writing the review today, May 5th, the items just shipped. I STILL HAVE NOT received them. Pook and pook team does not communicate. Their way to do business is to send only automated emails. You can write any email with any questions, you will be greeted by an automated email. If you try to call, it's the same. Someone friendly will pickup the phone, and tell you she can't transfer you to the appropriate person because they are either: A/ Busy with a customer b/ On lunch break C/ Away from their desk They'll transfer you to their voicemail, and you will never receive a call back. They'll advise you to be patient, and that the best way to reach out is email. The reason: oh we conducted 4 sales at the same time and we don't have enough shippers. As a business man myself, let me give you a friendly advice and a business 101 basic: If you can't do business seriously in a professional way, then I'd recommend running less sales and honor the ones ended! You can't expect people to pay and completely ignore them after. After fighting for my item, which included at the end sending an email every day until the item shipped and calling proxibid to intervene (!!), I finally received my shipping quote. Again, you'll love it. One rifle and one pistol for $140!!!!!!! Including $33 dollars of shipping materials! I don't know where pook and pook buys cardboard and bubble wrap., but I expect it to be gold platted for this price. In a few words: terrible customer service, HORRIBLE I'd even say, lenghty process, and overpriced shipping. They do have an alternative: outreagous shipping partners who are third parties companies that will make shipping quotes for you. I called the two companies they partner with: $450 and $270 to ship a rifle and a handgun. I'd rather not buy a gun ever again than buy one through Pook and Pook. Those people are a joke and don't ever deserve to still be in business read more

Pook and Pook held an auction in Nov 2022. two rugs that I purchased for a total of $1297 WERE NOT what they were described to be- aka, NAVAJO Indian rugs". I was asked to pay shipping to return the rugs. Pook admitted that they were not Navajo woven rugs. They said return shipping was my cost because it "was in the contract". How unfortunate. Not only did I pay for the frauds to be shipped to me, but also to be returned to them. Their curator made a big mistake. I will NOT be a future customer off Pook's, under any circumstances. read more

The specialists here are not as thorough as you would expect... On at least two occasions a Pook has misidentified period furniture as a later copy; and misidentified later copies as period furniture. More attention to the object---to the material details, like bore holes, finish and patina, trade catalogues, etc.---may heal this issue. It worries me as a serious collector: why would you buy a period piece from a company that cannot identify period furniture? Yikes. read more

If I could leave negative stars I would. Bid and won $4500 worth of vintage wine. Description said ' cannot be shipped' which we took to mean the auction house itself could not ship. What they didn't say in the lot description is that state law in PA makes it illegal to ship the wine out of state AT ALL. Many emails exchanged asking why this was not made clear so out of state bidders would know, and requested referral to someone, anyone who could assist with the issue of getting the wine to us. They refused to acknowledge their gross omission of the state law issue on the listing, and refused to assist in any way in how to figure out a solution, but continued to demand payment - for something that we were being told we basically would have to , what - fly to PA and drive back to California ourselves ?? Yeah, that info should have been on the lot description. About two weeks after this started we and thousands of others were then evacuated from the Kincade fires and so discussion with Pook was naturally halted for over a week - were were in a shelter for 5 days - until we were allowed to return back to our town and returned to power which took a couple days more. Husband let them know what was going on, but instead of 'gee that's awful, hope you're safe and your house doesn't burn to the ground', we got a nasty email from the daughter of the auction owners and acting VP, basically telling us tough shit, too late to pay and we're going to be marked on Live Auctioneers as non paying bidders. My husband tried to explain situation to her in another email but continued to be stonewalled with what can only be described as a parochial and punitive " I'm sorry about your situation but...." which really means you're not sorry at all. She hammered on about the original delay in payment which seemed offensive to her instead of understanding why a customer would be hesitant to part with $4500 if they could not actually have the items they were paying for, or that they had been EVACUATED WITH NO ACCESS TO POWER FOR SEVERAL DAYS and that wine lots during that time had to be put on back burner. So I called the VP directly to request we be allowed to pay even though we were still not sure how we could get the wine, and I haven't words to describe her unprofessional and malignant slovenliness dealing with me, refusing to take payment and using any reason to deny us ; ' first time bidders can't use CC' , even though I had an invoice in front of me inviting CC payment, then refusing to take a wire transfer, etc., all based on our exceeding the 30 days, premise , no matter that we'd just been through a fire which carved out a huge chuck of that time. And we were STILL willing to pay for something we might not even get - but she treated us like deadbeats with no regard to ANY of the circumstances. It was appalling. We buy from auctions all over the country and this is by far the most repugnant customer service we've ever encountered ranging from low level rude to openly hostile, and above all completely uncooperative and unconcerned about the customer. Not a cent should be paid to them for the privilege only of being treated badly, and Deirdre the VP should get a job as a gov't employee to which her manners and skill as an administrator are more appropriately and very uniquely well suited. read more

Great auction experience. The lot was as described. They arranged very reasonable and expert shipping, and they sent me a check for the sales tax that I paid but did not owe. Very satisfied. read more

TERRIBLE ADMIN AND COMMUNICATION. You need to employ better trained staff. Pook and Pook take such a long time to approve bidder registration (7 days and more) and they also request more information than I would need to give to open a bank account! The result - they approved me to bid when the auction I wanted to bid on was OVER! A message to Pook and Pook - you are only disadvantaging your vendor and yourselves. The lots I sold for went for 30% of their true auction value and without bidders like me, you really aren't serving your clients at all. read more

Pook and Pook is a venerable institution and I look to them when I go to add my collection. Highly recommend!!

Great business, highly recommend them! Wonderful people, and a great member of the community.

It has been a pleasure working with Pook & Pook as a seller. From my initial contact via email including a list & photos to consign an extensive collection of American antiques/to Mr. Pook traveling to look at the collection/to getting the items to Pook & Pook/to receiving my lot list. Their low/high estimates were accurate and I am very pleased with the auction results. As a side note (as a purchaser) some of the items were originally purchased at Pook & Pook (many years ago) and they were a pleasure to deal with. read more

Tried to do a phone bid today, even called two days prior to confirm phone number and details, was told everything was all set. Day of the auction they inputed my phone number incorrectly into their computer system and never contacted me. Thanks for nothing and making me loose an auction! ZERO STARS! read more

Excellent operation and merchandise with an attentive and knowledgeable staff. I have bought and sold items there for decades and they make me feel like family. read more

Don't believe everything you read on the internet...I previously rated Pook & Pook five stars and went into factual detail about the business I had done with them over the last 20 years. Imagine my surprise when I got a notification from Yelp letting me know that review had been flagged and removed because relatives or employees are not allowed to post reviews, knowing full well that I have never been an employee (or relative, that I know of?) of the company. Whoever is flagging positive reviews of a family owned small business to tank their yelp rating should be ashamed of themselves. 2 Stars is not an accurate representation of this company. read more

Was unfortunate to purchase three items at auction from this company. Their shipping department is incredibly slow and when they do finally get to the shipping part, they send an outrageously expensive shipping invoice that is not supported by any comparable invoice that you can get a quote for from the same shipping company. They are trying to charge me $120 so ship a single handgun UPS Next Day Air. Any and every quote I have obtained has been between $50 and $70 from their location to mine. When I asked for a detailed breakdown of the invoice, they sent me a screenshot of a quote for a 12x12x18 box weighing over 5 pounds. Since the item is only 2 pounds, it is clear that they either cannot correctly price their shipping or are cooking the invoices to operate the shipping dept as an additional profit center. Word to the wise: do NOT purchase from this company unless you are attending in person, otherwise your experience will be one you would prefer to avoid. read more

Very pleased with the results of my consignments. They were honest with me on what my expectations were; explained the market on different material. The items did very well and I was paid promptly. I have also been a bidder/buyer with them. and have been very happy, They provided additional info for conditions etc whenever I asked. I find them be a very honest and reputable firm with a knowledgeable and friendly staff. I've dealt with auction houses/antiques for many years and they are by far the best people I have dealt with. Don't be mislead by the reviews of crooks or people who don't understand what an auction is and how an an auction works. I think its pretty sad that yelp allows people to post erroneous, inaccurate and flat out false reviews and lies without vetting reviewers or even verifying that they have even interacted with the company. read more

Pook & Pook has always been a respectable and professional establishment! My husband and I have been to MANY auctions, always a fantastic experience! We love the set up of the building, carefully planned out catalogs, and beautifully detailed pictures! All staff have been nothing but pleasant, helpful, and knowledgeable! A highly recommended hometown establishment! read more

Satisfied customer! I was looking to sell my father's coin collection and I'd never worked with an auction company before. I had heard great things from friends about Pook & Pook so I checked them out and ended up selling my coins in their July online auction. I was a little nervous about the reviews on here, but everyone I worked with was fantastic. They walked me through the process, I spoke with a specialist about my coins, and they kept me informed the whole time. I made a good amount of money and it was so much easier than doing the research myself and having to track down coin dealers. I wanted to write a review because I would definitely recommend them and will probably use them again if I decide to sell my antiques. Really knowledgeable and great service! They deserve better reviews! Side note: I take offense to one of the other reviewer's language on here. I don't know what happened to her, but still. Come on Yelp. read more

Pook and Pook would get NO stars from me if it was an option. Very simply, I signed a contract clearly setting a $25,000. reserve. My item was sold for $16,000. When I spoke with Mr. Pook the only response was "I had to set a reserve". The reserve was clearly set on the contract. Clearly, he knew what he was doing and I suspect there was a considerable profit for him. I left the auction house that ay feeling as though I had been raped. Unethical, to say the least. Would not recommend Pook & Pook to my worst enmy. read more

I've dealt with Pook&Pook as an absentee bidder and via telephone bids. They've always been helpful in getting me set up before the auction, and afterwards in getting the invoices out promptly. Their customer service has been great, and I wouldn't hesitate in buying through them. read more

We have been purchasing quality items from Pook & Pook for a number of years now. Through out that time we have found their entire staff to be knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Their expertise has always been a boon to myself and my business and the ease of using their tools, (online bidding, online catalogs, searchable archives) is a huge asset. Part of the joy of going to Pook & Pook is their wonderful sense of humor, it is not unusual to have all their clients laughing in the middle of the auction, all while never missing a beat in taking those bids. In fact if you just want a good show, go to one of their live auctions and watch them handle the bids from the floor, the computers, left bids in the books and bidding on the telephone, all at the same time and still averaging somewhere around 27 seconds per lot. Basically it is in its own way like watching the great precision Irish dance, the River Dance and trying to figure out how they balance all those things at one time. Lots of fun!! read more

BAD HORRIBLE TERRIBLE customer service I was having a problem with the online registration and mentioned (in a respectable way) that I was not happy with all of the extra work and time I had to put in to be able to bid in the auction online. Her (Elise) immediate response was, "Well, you don't have to bid. In fact, you should not bid in any of our auctions!" then she hung up on me. It all happened so quick, I could not believe what was happening. I immediately called back and again, (Elise) answered the phone and when I identified myself, she again hung up on me. Several days later, I sent a message to the president of Pook & Pook, Debra Pook and unfortunately met with contempt as I had expected. I knew that with a large company like Pook & Pook, if someone answering a company telephone has the balls to treat a customer the way I was treated and hang up in my face, then that person has done this before and has absolutely no worries about any possible consequenses. If you read about their (History) on their website, you will see more boasting and bragging than one might expect, to me, a sure sign of a successful company that forgot where they came from and are so successful that that one customer just is not important anymore. read more

I have been using Pook and Pook to decorate my home for about three years now. The first few times I went to an auction there, I was so worried I would scratch my nose or something and accidently buy a million dollar antique. I was amazed at how much fun I had once I got comfortable. Every room in my house is filled with character and interest from the rugs on my floor to the art on my walls. Furniture in my kids rooms, my dining room table, my baby's high chair, all from Pook and Pook, all fantastic prices, and all conversation starters. I've never been "shopping" anywhere else that you are pretty much guaranteed one of a kind pieces. You never know what you might win and it's so exciting, way better than a day at the casino! The most fun afternoon of antique shopping you can hope for and now they have all these online sales on bidsquare.com so you can be an audience member from home. If you like shopping, excitement, unique pieces and interesting people, it's an incredible day. read more

All facts from today's visit to Pook and Pook: When I got to the vehicle to leave I had tears in my eyes due to the way I was treated. I spent thousands of dollars and paid cash today for the items. They brought the items to me. The one lot was not described correctly. In fact it had no condition report while other listings in the auction did. I asked if I could back out of purchasing this one lot since it obviously was not worth what I paid since only 4 out of the 36 items were what was described. James Pook was called down to speak with me and said he would not. He said, "I will not bow down to you just because you didn't request a condition report." I said, I didn't know I had to ask the condition of an item since other items in the sale had conditions. James said that they don't list conditions on anything since they have so many items that it would take forever to write the condition. I said that many other auction companies write descriptions. He said that most do not. I buy from auction on a weekly basis and conditions are common place. If Pook and Pook doesn't have enough time to write down the condition, then they need a bigger staff or need to take on less consignments. I didn't raise my voice once and was polite. I told James that I would not be buying in the future as I have in the past and it didn't phase him. I bid many items up that went above the $10,000 range. You would think that he would value me as a buyer. But he did not. This was a very upsetting situation. I still have a headache 5 hours later. This auction company is by far the worst I have ever dealt with. They lost me over a lot that went for $800. read more

I recently had a disapponting experience with Pook and Pook and apparently I am not the first. I made an internet bid for $200 several days prior to the auction. The bid was accepted by Pook and Pook. Low and behold, when the auction was over, the lot went to a floor bidder who bid $200. When I requested the bid history from LiveAuctioneers, it appears that my bid was used to skip numerous bid increments to inflate early in the auction. There were two internet bids for $50 and instead of entering my bid at $75 it was entered at $150. A second bidder later entered bids for $175 and $225. The $225 bid, although prior to close, was ignored by the auction house. The VP Deidre Magarelli contacted me by email and has told me to stop spreading lies about the company and told me that I don't know how an auction works. Since I'm not a dishonest person, I can honestly say that I have no idea how Ms. Magarelli's auctions work. read more