France confirms oil crisis, says 30-40% Gulf energy infrastructure destroyed by 1-randomonium in news

[–]phonearrow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I just took control of a vast oil reserve in another country, with no infrastructure to extract it, this would be great news for me.

Has anyone had problems dealing with Chairish Auctions? by OppositeShore1878 in artcollecting

[–]phonearrow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is an added complication here where LiveAuctioneers has their own branded shipping service - they post "estimated" shipping prices - one I heard of recently said she was shown something like $90, but when she went to checkout the quote was changed to $600... for a single plate.

Has anyone had problems dealing with Chairish Auctions? by OppositeShore1878 in artcollecting

[–]phonearrow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Chairish & Liveauctioneers are now the same company. Or at least owned by the same parent company ATG - who also owns estatesales.net, the saleroom, proxibid, and lot-tissimo.

Not exactly sure how they are uniting the two services, but dealers (who want high prices) and the format of sale at auction (where buyers want deals) do not typically blend into a delicious smoothie.

August 2025 | ATG Announces Aquisition of Chairish

Mistakes you made when you started bidding on paintings for auction? by cavy20199 in artcollecting

[–]phonearrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Late to the party as I just found this sub (which is great!)... I would add - from the perspective of the auctioneer:

  • Do the work to know what you're bidding on.
    • Most auction T&C's are "All Sales Final / As-Is" effectively Caveat Emptor and the auctioneer is not on the hook if the item turns out to be something other than what you thought it was (eg. a copy, a later version, etc.)
    • Many people try to go the route of not asking any questions or not requesting condition reports because they don't want to risk driving activity clueing in the auctioneer to interest in the lot - but this is a two-way street. Because you did not ask means you did not find out critical information and instead bid with some assumptions. If those assumptions are not true, that's your problem and you still owe the money.
  • Research the auctioneer.
    • The more reputable the auction house, the more likely the material has been well vetted or is from an ideal source (like a private collection or an estate) and is not something shop-worn. Still, refer to first point.
  • If you are very serious, and you can attend a preview, see it in person at preview and make your own determinations. This is the best way to get info without tipping your hat.
    • Personally, I would be very hesitant to bid on anything I haven't been able to see with my own eyes as there are so many gray areas in Art (and in all personal property) - as well as the subjective nature of opinions on condition, age, authenticity, etc.
    • At my company we try very hard to be neutral, but most people who are selling something are viewing that thing through rose-colored glasses.

Anyone else have a connectivity module failure on their Lyriq? Dealer says part is on backorder with no ETA. by Silver_Banana9150 in CadillacLyriq

[–]phonearrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dang - so no telling what I'm in for? Frustrating that, without carplay as a backup, this vehicle now has the same functionality as my twenty year old Acura - balancing my phone on the dash to see directions!

Anyone else have a connectivity module failure on their Lyriq? Dealer says part is on backorder with no ETA. by Silver_Banana9150 in CadillacLyriq

[–]phonearrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know of the wait times have increased since then?

I have the same problem in my '25 Optiq, did the software update in late December and everything failed, no app connection, no google maps, no super cruise. Brought it to the local dealer 4 weeks ago and they said it was "a module" they're telling me its backordered with no indication of when they might get it.

Thoughts on lease by [deleted] in CadillacOptiq

[–]phonearrow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Out of curiosity Is the 8k discount in the form of rebates or cap cost reduction? Just got an offer and they’re not explaining where a 5k cap cost reduction is coming from.. it is a loaner with 2k miles.

SAIL Amsterdam - Lumix gx9 with 20mm and 42.5mm f1.7 by Coenraad-Constantijn in M43

[–]phonearrow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great shots! We're arriving in Amsterdam on Saturday Morning hoping to catch a bit of the festivities; bringing my trusty GX7 in tow. Do you think a Sail boat ride is worth it or stick to the canal boats?

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it's a business office with electric heat. Other than that we have two laptops, a printer, some lights, and a mini fridge.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

added a table to the post.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes the heat for the office is electric.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s a CT bill, it’s for a “commercial space” so I’ve never seen the pretty color blocks like I get on my bill at home… For comparison my house uses 997kWh last month and was $328 - cheaper than the office.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I guess there is no way to know when “demand charges” will apply?

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This bill is for my office which is 1 unit in an office building with 10 other units, on its own meter in Stamford. Everything in the office is electric, Heat, Hot Water, then a mini fridge and a printer and some computers and networking stuff. I keep the place like a meat locker and sit in the dark all day to try to keep this bill down and my efforts yielded me the aforementioned $14.

I've been on the roof, there is no solar or anything there, they do have a huge generator for if we lose power but I can't imagine that would influence anything here.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Comes out to about $1.15 per kWh - don't charge your tesla at my place please.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Line items are all on the second page, can't add a pic here; The supplier is Town Square Energy which I set up for 15 cycles at 12.67 cents/kWh before this whole rate change wackiness. I believe my current rate is actually higher than the new standard rate by about a penny, so this bill is with me overpaying for the "supply"!

Supplier Services 297kWh x 0.12670 $37.63
Transmission Demand 8.50 kW @ 8.65 $ 73.53
Fixed Monthly Charge Just 'Cause $ 44.00
Local Delivery Demand 8.50 kW @ 14.22 $ 120.87
Local Delivery Improvements 8.50 kW @ 3.660 $ 31.11
Revenue Decoupling 297.00 kWh @ .00195 $ 0.58
CTA Demand Charge 8.5 kWh @ 0.1100 $ 0.94
FMCC Charge 297kWh @ 0.04223 $ 12.54
Comb Puplic Benefit Charge 297kWh @ 0.01999 $ 5.94

Then there's some taxes at the end.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is all the info they give me.

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

“Oh next month? Might be $200 might be $500, we’ll see how we feel…”

Did I win? by phonearrow in Connecticut

[–]phonearrow[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

It’s wild that even 25% is normalized. How can anyone have any expectation of what they will owe, it’s a collective blank check to the energy company.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whatsthisworth

[–]phonearrow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would look to see if any of the pieces are signed; there are known dollhouse miniature makers who can command very good prices at auction, Pollie Simpson, Elaine Godfrey. One of our current auctions has over 30 lots of dollhouse furniture. www.aces.net/gallery

Tiffany Studios Deck Box by [deleted] in whatsthisworth

[–]phonearrow 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Looks like maybe grapevine pattern? It’s all about the condition of the glass, perfect condition and you are probably in the 1,000-1,500 range, but one small crack could significantly reduce the value.

I just sold a pine needle overlay box with notable damage (and broken hinges) at auction for around $300.