Have you sold anything at an auction before?

[SizeableBadBoys]

I've got a few bits - framed pictures and some ceramics - that I need to off load. I'm thinking of sending them to an auction house. Have you tried this and how did it go? Or any suggestions of somewhere else I can try?

Bumping as I’d love to know too

Loads of stuff. Contact your local auction house with photos of your items and they will tell you if they are worth selling. We inherited lots of ceramic ornaments etc and all sold

My GM left lots of what she thought were valuable antique ceramics.

DPs sold them via auction for a few hundred pounds, didn’t get as much as GM thought or online research suggested it was worth, but it got the stuff gone to new homes and they came and collected.

The auction houses usually offer advice on whether it’s worth you putting an item in

if something doesn’t sell - you can end up with fees to pay. Lots of “lovely things” really have no value any more

I’d see when your local auction houses have days where you can take things to be looked at (or send pictures if they are heavy)

Ive had to break it gently to older relatives that their treasured collections are actually pretty worthless and I know of a person who ended up having to pay for a set of table & chairs to be disposed of as no one wanted it (and it was lovely just way too big for most houses)

Thanks, this is helpful. Yes, it is from an inheritance. I got rid of a lot through Vintage Cash Cow and I'm left with what they wouldn't take.

Probably only worth it is you have valuable antiques/jewellery and precious metal items which you inherited.

When I was a lot younger my grandmother left me the contents of her house. I had to organize for a rep from a quality aucrtion house (Christie) to visit and give me an estimate for which pieces he thought would sell well there. I already had some knowledge of antiques but it taught me a lot about how to deal with auction houses. I have several online shops and more recently my knowledge of the antiques trade has allowed me to identify a number of purchased or inherited items which are worth putting into a qualify auction house like Bonhams etc. Bear in mind that you will have certain expenses📧

Packaging/transport to get your items to the auction house
Seller premium - what you pay the auction house for their work
Charges if the item/s are photographed for the catalogue
VAT

All these charges can be calculated up front by looking at the auctioneers website where their fees will be set out.

I have sold relatively low value furniture & ornaments at auction.

It's relatively expensive in sales costs, paying auctioneer fees, and a %age if sales price. Make sure you know what proportion of the price you will actually receive.

Choose your auction wisely - make sure they deal in the kind of stuff your selling. If it's worth 2million, don't sell somewhere that attracts car-boot sale fanatics, and vice-versa.

Check for insurance - at what point is it covered by the auction house (or new owner), and is there a gap between when your insurance ceases to cover it and someone else's starts?

Ask the auctioneers advice, and tell them anything about the item that would make it more appealing or valuable.

If it's something really obscure, then youd be better selling online.

It's much easier than selling direct to buyers, if less profitable! Theres no concern about no-shows, aggressive haggling, and its quicker.

Have a look at sale results from local auction houses - at the auction I go to regularly boxes of ceramics and pictures often go for less than £10, I’m afraid. In fact they often put pictures in with other stuff (like books, which I buy) so I end up with loads of pictures I don’t want, but they say it’s the best way to get rid of them!

You are better off selling ceramics (if they are collectable) on ebay but yo be honest, if cash cow weren't interested then its unlikely they are going to make much at auction. Just give to your local charity shop.

FIL died and MIL went into care. DH and SIL auctioned off nearly everything that wasn’t tipped. My nephew works for an auction house so they paid reduced fees. Made quite a bit of money, some items that had been under the bed or in the garage for years went for over £1000. Quite a lot of it was passed down from GGP but as a family, no one wanted it anymore. If something wasn’t sold after two attempts it went to charity.