Top tips for buying furniture at auctions
When looking for second-hand furniture, one of the best ways to get a bargain or something incredibly special is buying at an auction. Auctions can seem a little daunting if you’re new to them, so I’ve compiled some tops tips on how to navigate them:
Do your research
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a live auction and bid on things in the moment without properly doing your research, ending up with something you’ve either overpaid for or wasn’t what you expected. Get organised - look through catalogues in advance, search for similar items online and see what they’re selling for. This will give you a good idea of what they’re worth.
Ask for a condition report on your lot and what the terms of sale are. Most auction houses sell items either “as described” or “as seen/viewed”. The former means that if you find a big difference to what has been described you may have grounds to return the item. The latter means that it is assumed you have seen the item, either in person or through photographs, and you therefore wouldn’t have grounds to return it unless there is something fundamentally wrong or it has changed from when you last saw it.
Plan your shipping
I usually only bid through auction houses that I am happy to drive to and collect myself - this means I don’t need to sort out shipping which can be expensive. Check the location of the auction house and if you have a car, how far you’d be prepared to drive to pick something up (also check that it would fit in your car!)
Check whether the items are kept off-site or on-site. If they’re kept off-site, there might be hefty shipping costs to pay even if the auction house itself is local to you.
If you’re not collecting in-person, check with the auction house regarding shipping arrangements beforehand - is it in-house or third party? Generally for furniture, the buyer will need to arrange their own shipping (I use courier services Shiply.com or Portadelivery.co.uk). Also check whether the auction house charges buyers a storage charge if items aren’t collected after a certain number of days.
Choose your bidding platform
The best way to bid at an auction is in person - that way you can potentially look at the item and be in charge of your own bidding. However, this is often not practical or possible! The next best thing (if available and without a charge from the auction house) is booking a telephone line - this is where someone from the auction team calls you from the saleroom, gives you a commentary on the auction and current bidding, and bids on your behalf in real-time. This way, you have a representative in the room if you can’t be there in person.
The easiest way to bid is online. I would always recommend doing this directly through the auction house website as going through a third-party platform like saleroom.com means you pay more fees.
If you aren’t going to be able to participate in the auction in real-time, you can leave a commission bid (this is a maximum bid that the auction house executes on your behalf). I would be a little wary of this though as it can leave open the possibility of an unscrupulous auction house bidding you up and selling the item for more than it might have otherwise.