Selling at auction
From first contact to payout, we take care of every step: valuation, catalogue, auction and settlement.
Top prices are no coincidence
At our Spring Auction 2026, the complete woodcut portfolio «Intimités» (1897/98) by Félix Vallotton, one of only five copies on Japon teinté signed by the artist, was hammered down at CHF 320,000. That is eight times its opening bid, and the highest price ever paid at auction for a Vallotton print; the previous record stood at CHF 140,000. With us, a masterpiece is never one lot among hundreds. It receives the undivided attention of an international audience of collectors, and the price shows it.
How it works
Selling — how it works
Five steps from valuation to payment.
Send us photos of the items you would like to sell, together with a short description, via the form, by email or WhatsApp. Our specialists review the material and get back to you promptly. If an auction is not the right route for your item, we will tell you so openly.
Enquire nowWe are happy to value items we can offer at auction. The valuation is complimentary and without obligation. This can take place at our auction house, at one of our valuation days, or at your home anywhere in Switzerland. You receive a clear assessment of what your item is worth and how it is likely to sell, based on real auction results. Once we agree on a sale, your items come to us. You can bring them by, we can collect them, or we can help arrange transport.
Once your items have arrived and been catalogued, we set everything down in the consignment contract: the list of items, the estimates, any reserves and the conditions. From then on we take care of every detail, right up to the fall of the hammer.
Your item is professionally photographed, catalogued and presented in the printed and online catalogue. We promote it through our newsletter and on international bidding platforms, and show it at the public preview in Zofingen, where buyers can see it for themselves. It is then auctioned before an international audience, in the saleroom, by telephone and online.
After the sale you receive a detailed statement and your payment within a few weeks. The agreed commission is deducted from the hammer price. Anything unsold gets a second chance in the two-week after sale.
The difference
Why we achieve the best prices
Competition instead of a single buyer
Your item is offered to an international clientele, including major institutions and leading private collectors, who bid against one another. The price is set by demand, not by one buyer's offer.
Around 90% sold
Roughly nine out of ten lots find a buyer with us — almost always above the estimate.
We are in top form
Three record results within two years — in a company history of over 35 years.
Shared interest
As commission agents we earn on success. Your result is our result.
For whom
Who benefits from an auction
Whether a single item or an entire estate, we are at your side from the first valuation to the fall of the hammer, and beyond it for anything that remains unsold.
Estates & communities of heirs
We take on the estate as a whole: suitable items go to auction, and we advise you on the rest. Because the price is achieved publicly, at auction, it gives every heir an independent figure to rely on.
Talk to usPrivate collectors
Perhaps you are thinning out your collection, giving it a sharper focus, or parting with a single item — a watch you no longer wear, a painting that no longer has a wall.
Talk to usInstitutional sellers
Companies and institutions sell works from corporate collections through us — from individual items to the entire collection, discreetly and with a clean settlement.
Talk to usEstate administrators & lawyers
We support executors, lawyers and trustees in administering and realising estates — with well-founded valuations as the basis for the division of the estate.
Talk to usMoving house & downsizing
Perhaps a move to a smaller flat or a retirement home is coming up — for you or for someone close to you. We value what will not be coming along and bring it to auction.
Talk to usGalleries & the art trade
Galleries and art dealers sell stock and individual works through us — our international reach brings their items before a new audience.
Talk to usTrust at the top end
In 2022, the drawing «Delian Ode 43» by Cy Twombly sold at our autumn auction for around CHF 300,000 including premium, six times its opening bid. At the Autumn Auction 2025, a previously unknown, fully three-dimensional sculpture by Ben Nicholson from the estate of Hans Erni went for over CHF 440,000 including premium, more than five times its opening bid. Works by major artists are in good hands with us. International collectors, galleries and experts know it, and bid accordingly.
FAQ
Good to know
Answers on valuation, consignment, terms and payout.
The most common questions
Send us photographs and a short description via the form below or by email, and we will tell you. We sell quality items across all our specialist fields: paintings, prints and sculpture from the Old Masters to contemporary art, jewellery and watches, silver, porcelain and Asian art, furniture and design, and collectables from carpets and books to coins, handbags and wine. What matters is less the field than the quality: we accept what will sell well at auction, from a single item to an entire estate. Our specialists will look at what you have and tell you plainly whether an auction is the right route, and if not, what else you might do.
We are happy to provide complimentary auction estimates, without obligation, at our auction house, at one of our valuation days, or in the comfort of your own home. Written valuations for insurance, tax or inheritance purposes are a separate service and are charged: CHF 150 per hour, plus travel at cost.
Like every auction house, we charge a percentage of the hammer price, known as the seller's commission. We deliberately do not quote a fixed rate here, because it depends on the item, the size and the value of the consignment. A single object is priced differently from an important collection or a work at the top end. You receive our terms personally before you consign, and they are set out in the consignment contract, together with any additional costs, so there are no surprises afterwards.
After the sale you receive a detailed statement and payment within a few weeks. The agreed commission is deducted from the hammer price.
Contact
Request an auction estimate now
Briefly describe your item — our specialists will get back to you quickly. Phone +41 62 751 63 51, email info@auktionshaus-zofingen.ch or WhatsApp (for consignment photos and enquiries only — no calls). We accept consignments at any time.
The comparison
Three ways to sell your item
Objectively: what each route delivers — and where it reaches its limits.
Selling yourself
No commission
Realistic pricing without market comparison is difficult
Listings, enquiries and handling take time — serious offers are rare
Security, payment and shipping rest with you alone
Direct sale
Fast and uncomplicated — immediate payment
A single buyer sets the price
Without competition the best price stays out of reach
Lump-sum offers are hard to substantiate to third parties
Auction with us
Valuation by specialists — protected by a reserve on request
International bidders in the room, on the phone and online
Competition decides: only the highest bid wins
As commission agents we earn on success — your result is our interest
Documented hammer prices and transparent settlement
We accept consignments at any time
The preview is now under way: the rooms are ready and our specialists are on hand. We are still happy to accept items for the coming auction at any time: send us a few photos in advance and we will get back to you with an initial assessment.
During the preview our reply may take a little longer than usual — thank you for your understanding.
Go to the consignment form