Auction Day
If you are selling items in an auction there are many ways to track the sale and to view the results. Before the auction, you will be made aware of the auction information such as dates, viewing times, location etc. If you wish, you are always welcome to view the sale in person either before the auction or on the day. However, in many cases, it is not viable visit the auction in person but you may still wish to follow the auction remotely.
The best way of doing this is to watch a video feed of the auction online. This can be done on bid platform websites like Invaluable, the-saleroom, live auctioneers etc. In many cases, you can view the sale without creating an account. This means that you cannot bid, but if you are just interested in seeing what your lots achieve this is a quick method of doing so. Usually, there will be a ‘Watch’ button on the page which will open a new window where you can see the auction in action. You can also scroll through the past lots if you miss your items being offered to see what they achieved. Auctioneers usually go through around 60-80 lots an hour so use this to calculate when your items will be sold.
Some auctioneers offer live bidding through their website. This will be heavily marketed if this is the case. You will most likely need to have an online account to do so but apart from that, it is the same process as above. This also has the benefit of a reduced live bidding charge if you also wish to bid in the sale.
If you are busy or away on the day of the sale you will not be able to do these top two methods. If this is the case the results of the sale are usually posted on the auctioneer’s website in the evening of the sale. You can then use the filters available to find your lots and to see what they achieved. Please note that it is most common for the prices shown to be hammer only. This is usually easy to spot as the results follow traditional increments (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000). If the results online are showing pence or don’t follow the increments above they are most likely showing the price including the buyer’s premium (eg. £167.20). This is important to note as the amount you will receive is calculated using the hammer price achieved without the buyer’s premium.
If you are unable to do any of the above methods you can always ring or email the auction house to find out what your lots achieved. However, sale day is very busy so there is a chance you won’t get an immediate reply. If you are patient you can wait for the post-sale advice to be sent. This is usually a day or two after the auction date and shows the outcome of all of your lots in the auction. The next article covers this process in detail and explains what you can expect to see in the document.
