Selling your Antiques/Collectibles

SELLING YOUR ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES 

Which is better, an auction or estate sale?

An auction is open to the public, so you are guaranteed a fair market price for whatever you are trying to sell. 

In an estate sale, the estate sale company handles, organizes and advertises the sale of all the assets in a home. 

Using an Auction House, you must go through all the items and present them to an auctioneer yourself, and usually pay for shipping of your items to the auction house.

What percentage do estate sale companies take?

Most estate sale companies take a standard commission, typically 30 to 40 percent of the gross sales. Sales that require extra work often incur additional fees.

How do you price furniture for an estate sale?

The art of estate sale pricing is based on “fair current market value.” This is less than what you would pay for the same item at an antique store and much less than you would pay for the same item new in a store or online. 

What happens to estate sale leftovers?

You will not receive anything close to the price you had on the items during the estate sale. Prepare yourself to sell those items for “pennies on the dollar” and donate to charity or sell them at a flea market. 

Auction House fees

As a seller, you'll pay the auction house a commission, called the vendor's commission based on the final selling price of your item. The commission the buyer pays, known as the buyer's premium, is also charged on that price. You'll pay a sales commission equal to 20 to 50 percent of the sale price.  SELLING YOUR ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES 

Which is better, an auction or estate sale?

An auction is open to the public, so you are guaranteed a fair market price for whatever you are trying to sell.  In an estate sale, the estate sale company handles, organizes and advertises the sale of all the assets in a home. Using an Auction House you must go through all the items and present them to an auctioneer yourself, and usually pay for shipping of your items to the auction house.

What percentage do estate sale companies take?

Most estate sale companies take a standard commission, typically 30 to 40 percent of the gross sales. Sales that require extra work often incur additional fees.

How do you price furniture for an estate sale?

The art of estate sale pricing is based on “fair current market value.” This is less than what you would pay for the same item at an antique store and much less than you would pay for the same item new in a store or online. 

What happens to estate sale leftovers?

You will not receive anything close to the price you had on the items during the estate sale. Prepare yourself to sell those items for “pennies on the dollar” and donate to charity, or sell at a  flea market. 

Auction House fees

As a seller, you'll pay the auction house a commission, called the vendor's commission based on the final selling price of your item. The commission the buyer pays, known as the buyer's premium, is also charged on that price. You'll pay a sales commission equal to 20 to 50 percent of the sale price.