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    Sell Antiques + Auctions

    Match item to venue. Maximize what you get.

    Sotheby's

    Premier auction house. Items typically $5,000+.

    Best for fine art and high-end.

    Christie's

    Sotheby's competitor.

    Same tier.

    Heritage Auctions

    Best for collectibles, comics, sports memorabilia, coins.

    Best mid-tier auction.

    Bonhams

    Strong for autos, fine wine, jewelry.

    Specialty auction house.

    Local auction house

    Find via auctionzip.com. Best for items $100-5,000.

    Best for general estate items.

    eBay

    For most items. Reaches global buyers.

    Best for specific collectibles with active market.

    Etsy

    Vintage / handmade specialty.

    Best for vintage clothes, jewelry.

    Replacements.com

    For china, silver, crystal patterns.

    Best for old dish sets.

    1stDibs

    High-end vintage / mid-century.

    Best for designer pieces.

    LiveAuctioneers

    Online platform aggregating live auctions.

    Bid on national auctions from home.

    Match item to venue

    • Fine art (signed, museum-quality) → Sotheby\'s/Christie\'s.
    • Mid-century furniture, designer pieces → 1stDibs or Heritage.
    • Sports cards, comics, coins → Heritage or PWCC.
    • General old furniture, china, silver → Local auction house OR Replacements.com (china).
    • Vintage clothing → Etsy, Vestiaire Collective.
    • Books → AbeBooks, eBay, Powell\'s.
    • Records → Discogs.
    • Jewelry (diamond, gold) → Sotheby\'s if $5k+; otherwise GoldGenie or local jeweler.
    • Random old stuff → estate sale company or eBay.

    Auction commissions

    • Sotheby\'s/Christie\'s: 5-25% seller commission + buyer\'s premium 25-30% (you keep 70-75% of hammer price).
    • Heritage: ~10% seller.
    • Local: 15-30% commission.
    • eBay: 10-13% + payment processing.

    Higher commissions = higher prices generally. Sotheby\'s Audubon prints sell for 5x what eBay would fetch.

    Key advice

    For high-value items — get certified appraisal FIRST. Then approach 2-3 auction houses for free estimate. Compare. Pick the one that specializes in your item type. They\'ll get you the best price.