Gray's Auction and Liquidation Service - Harriston, Ontario

Patricia S.

I went to Gray's this morning June 6/2025. My experience was quite pleasant. The staff willing helped me and I had no trouble get help to get soil into our truck.
The only negative experience I had was it was so busy.

Peter B.

OK, let ME tell you why there are negative reviews .. for the liquidation store. We did not go to the auction. (I worked my way through University working in retail, so I have some idea how it should be done well.)

This store sells stuff that Costco did not sell OR that was returned by Costco customers. So the prices should be really low, right? Well, we spent an hour there and most everything seemed like it was 40-50% too expensive. Some of the toys were maybe 25% less than new but often the packaging was damaged. NOTE: a friend says the best deals sell out early on Fridays. Arrive well before 9am and wait in line.

And a lot of the products have no box.. who is going to pay $459 for a nice microwave oven, without a box, at a liquidation store that is like a barn. Shop around and you can get the same one, perhaps for less money, elsewhere, with the box, no risk of problems, returns/exchanges allowed... etc.

AND there better not be problems since the signs make it clear there are NO EXCHANGES or Returns. "Oh, great, so this expensive microwave was probably returned by someone because it did not work properly, OR was it a demo model. ... hmm, I want to take a risk on that? At the price they want for it?" No. (I suppose the manufacturer's warranty is still applicable, but who knows for sure?)

OK, there are some items that are a not a bad deal. After an hour we left with three things: A giant bottle of laundry detergent, a giant bottle of liquid hand soap, and an $8 top for my wife. None of it was a fabulous deal, but less than you might pay at a regular store, when that item is not on sale.

There is also a lot of stuff there that seems scratched or dented; I doubt that stuff will ever sell... oh, maybe if they cut the price of it by 70%. Then they sell boxes of wood flooring but for some of the types, they had only one or two boxes of the same kind. What am I going to use that for? A tiny bathroom or a closet? Even the one type that was in good supply, I don't know if there was enough cover our living room.

You really need to know your prices to determine if something is expensive, a good deal, or a bargain. My wife and I found few things that were priced at less than a store might sell them when they had a 25% Off sale, (Or amazon.ca).

The food items looked quite old; I would want to check the Best Before Date for sure!

But hey, the cashier was friendly and they accept credit and debit cards. We did not interact with other staff. There is enough free parking at least when there is no auction going on.

jane A.

NO RETURNS/EXCHANGE! I get it!! I bought a twinkling icicle set with a price of $24. The box was opened but was taped again. I didn’t test it at the store because the box was TAPED. So I came home and tried it, but half of the lights won’t work. I called the store immediately to ask for an exchange the next day, which is Saturday, and was told that I should’ve tested them first. I tried to argue since it didn’t make sense to me. I understand if the item doesn’t have a box, but that’s not the case.

By the way, those lights are $30 in Costco, so I lost a lot there.

Plus, I agree with most of the reviews. Most staff are rude. Grocery pricing is more expensive than Costco’s especially if they sell it individually.

Elliott T.

Most of the staff are nice, but a few would be better suited as prison wardens. They need a PR manager who can train the staff to have better people skills and in some cases teach them basic manners. Ultimately prices on big ticket items are a good deal but know your prices. Don't buy food here; it's expensive. And just ignore the rude staff members; don't let them ruin your day; at least you don't have to live with them... you just have to shop around them.

Laura M. (.

This store is a great option if you’re something looking for the thrill of finding a deal. You will have to go in there with a good knowledge of current prices at Costco and online. There are less deals to be had then one would think if you know your prices.

Isles are tightly packed which means the large carts do not fit down probably half of their isles.

The greeter at the door should not be doing that job. He very clearly dislikes his job and is extremely rude to customers. Now I can understand doing that job every weekend would get frustrating repeating the same things over and over but he needs a job switch. He goes out of his way to be rude treating everyone as if they are children who need a time out. Frequently closing the door and ignoring everyone for 10-15 minutes at a time because someone did something he didn’t like.

Although you will find the best deals going early I would highly suggest waiting an hour or so after opening before going to avoid him.

Axiom P.

No matter how many times you try and give these people a second chance they go ahead and mess it up. Last Friday they had a sign on some pressure cookers that they were clearing out. The sign read 2 per customer. My wife grabs two, I grab two. We were buying four for other family members that wanted one. The dirty blonde lady which is the owners family or the owner, came to our cart and in front of everyone took two out while repeating no no no no no and stating that we are together. I was embarrassed not for me but for her, very foolish behaviour. Remember the sign said two per customer. I am a customer my wife is a customer. It did not say 2 per people that may be together.

Not arguing with their limit rule, I understand why and I don't need an explanation. Rules are rules and if they feel that is what they want to enforce, it is their castle. I have a problem with how she did it. Making a scene in front of everyone as if she was trying to use us to show an example. Not surprising though as the entire family and some staff are just rude. I feel for them because their issues are much deeper.

There must be some dysfunction in their family or something that causes this anger. There must be something. I hope it's not abuse but most likely it is because they abuse their customers and it's known that people that suffer abuse, abuse others. I'm going to pray for this family because if they keep up this extremely bad customer service and abusive behaviour, sooner or later their business will go under.

My family and I found another auction house that has a store similar to Greys that sells primarily the same products considering most are from Costco. It is not far from that area and I will post the address soon. We will be going there from now on. However I will be calling greys and talk personally to this lady and make her understand what she did to us was not acceptable.

Manjot B.

We went there yesterday but I had a very bad experience at grays auction.
There was a tall guy with cap and white beard at the door…. He was racist towards my family. I am visiting this place for few years but it is getting worse and worse . That guy wrongfully blamed us that we didn’t pay for a jacket that my Mom was wearing, we told him that jacket is 5 years old and not even bought at this store then he said that he will check the cameras and clicked foto of our license plate…. When he was asked to check cameras with us he started running in front of us by ignoring us …. Because he was aware that we are telling the truth and he was at fault. We are never going back to this place ever….. I will recommend nobody to visit this place as you will always have a bad experience and secondly they don’t have good deals now just check price at Costco first and then buy something as they are selling things more expensive than Costco.
I still can’t wrap my head around yesterday’s incident that in country like Canada still this kind of racist sick people survive.very disappointed ☹️

Amanda B.

I visited Gray's Auction for the first time last Friday morning with my family. I felt that the ticket system was a fantastic idea to ensure there wasn't absolute chaos entering. The shop, for me, was clean and well organized, especially since the merchandise is random! My only concern was the staff. Although most were polite and kind, there was one that was rude to one of my family members. Overall though, I felt it was a great place to shop and visit!