Selling at auction

Less than you might think. A few overview photos taken with your phone are enough to start with. For a whole collection or household, photos of the room will do. If there is a signature, a maker's mark or a label, include a photo of it, and add whatever you know about where the item came from. If we would like a closer look, we will get in touch. You do not need to know what it is. That part is our job.

Usually within a few days. If several specialists need to look at your item, or in the weeks before an auction, it can take a little longer, and we will tell you if it does.

Yes, and for a collection or an estate it is the best way. Send an overview photograph of each room or group and a rough list, and we will tell you which items to photograph in more detail.

We are happy to help. Depending on the size and value of the consignment, we can collect your items ourselves or arrange transport with a carrier. For a single smaller item, bringing it to Zofingen is often the simplest way. Talk to us and we will find the sensible solution together.

Only if you want it to. Consignors are never named in the catalogue unless they ask to be, and we agree the wording of any provenance line with you. Everything you tell us about your items and your circumstances stays with us.

Yes. On request we can agree a reserve, and your item will not be sold below it. Many consignors deliberately go without one. Bidding usually starts around 20% below the estimate, and competition in the room does the rest.

Very little, on your side. We photograph, research and catalogue your items. You then receive the consignment contract, listing every item with its estimate. Once you have agreed, everything takes its course: your items are shown at the preview and offered at the auction. Anything unsold goes into the two-week after sale. After that you receive your statement and your payment. If you would like to watch your lot come under the hammer, there is a seat for you in the saleroom, or a livestream if Zofingen is too far.

It gets a second chance in the two-week after sale, where buyers can take it at the starting price. If it is still unsold after that, we will talk to you about what we saw at the preview and in the room, and advise whether to offer it again with a different estimate, or return it to you.

We hold two auctions a year, in spring and autumn, and the consignment deadline falls around two months before each sale. Depending on when you consign, the time from handing over your item to receiving your payment is between three and six months. That time is well spent: your item is professionally photographed and catalogued, presented in the printed and online catalogue, and brought to an international audience through our contacts and platforms.