The best place to sell an antique depends on its value and size. As of October 2026, pieces worth a few thousand dollars or more usually do best at an established auction house; small, shippable items under about $500 do well on eBay, which charges about 13.6 percent on most categories; and furniture sells best locally, through a regional auction, a consignment shop or a marketplace listing.
The channel matters as much as the price you ask, because each one reaches a different set of buyers. A specialist dealer may pay a fair price immediately, an auction house may get more but take months, and an online listing may get the most but asks the most of you. The tables below put the fees side by side and match each kind of item to the channel that usually suits it.
Quick answer
- Major auction houses: best for pieces worth several thousand dollars or more. Sotheby's buyer's premium on the lower tier rose to 28 percent in February 2026; seller terms are negotiable.
- Regional auction houses: good for $300-10,000 pieces, especially furniture, art and decorative arts. Seller commissions vary by house.
- eBay: about 13.6 percent of the sale on most categories plus $0.40 an order. Best for small, shippable items.
- Dealers: immediate payment, typically well below retail. Consignment shops: about 30-50 percent commission; Chairish: about 20-40 percent.
How to choose where to sell an antique, step by step
- Identify the piece. Maker, period, material and marks decide which buyers care. Our guide to finding the value of antiques walks through the clues.
- Find what it has sold for. Search sold results on eBay and auction archives such as LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable and the auction houses' own sites. Asking prices are not values.
- Sort by value. Under about $100, sell locally or in a lot. Between about $100 and $1,000, online or a regional auction. Above a few thousand, ask auction houses and specialist dealers first.
- Sort by size and fragility. Furniture, mirrors and large ceramics are expensive and risky to ship. Local buyers and regional auctions avoid that problem.
- Get two or three opinions. Email photos to a regional auction house, a specialist dealer and, for important pieces, a major house. Estimates cost nothing.
- Compare net, not gross. Subtract commissions, premiums, photography and shipping. A higher hammer price can net less.
- Read the terms. For auctions: seller commission, reserve, insurance, photography fees and payment date. For consignment: commission, price reductions and the length of the term.
What each selling channel costs in 2026
| Channel | Seller pays | Buyer pays | Speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major auction house | Negotiable commission, often lower for strong consignments, plus possible fees | Premium of about 28 percent on the lower tier | Two to six months | Pieces worth several thousand dollars or more |
| Regional auction house | Commission set by the house, plus possible photo and handling fees | Premium, commonly 20 percent or more | One to three months | Furniture, art, decorative arts, $300-10,000 |
| Local or country auction | Commission, often higher on low-value lots | Sometimes a premium | Weeks | Household antiques and box lots |
| Specialist dealer | Nothing; the dealer's margin is in the price | Retail | Same day | Clocks, silver, tools, rugs, toys, coins |
| General antiques dealer or mall | Nothing on outright sale; booth or commission if you consign | Retail | Days to months | Common antiques with steady demand |
| Consignment shop | About 30-50 percent commission, varies by shop | Retail | Weeks to months | Decorative furniture, lighting |
| Chairish | About 20-40 percent depending on plan | Listing price | Weeks to months | Vintage and antique furniture and decor |
| eBay | About 13.6 percent on most categories up to $7,500, 15 percent on jewelry up to $5,000, plus $0.30-0.40 per order | Listing price plus shipping | Days to weeks | Small, shippable items under about $1,000 |
| Etsy | 6.5 percent transaction fee, $0.20 listing fee, plus payment processing of about 3 percent and $0.25 | Listing price | Weeks | Vintage items 20 or more years old with design appeal |
| Facebook Marketplace, local pickup | Little or nothing for local sales | Asking price | Days | Furniture and bulky items |
eBay's published fee schedule lists a final value fee of 13.6 percent of the total sale up to $7,500 for most categories and 2.35 percent above that, plus $0.40 per order over $10. Chairish's published plans range from 40 percent for its basic consignor plan down to about 20 percent and lower on higher-tier subscription plans. Sotheby's raised its lowest buyer's premium tier to 28 percent in February 2026, according to a 2026 review of auction fees by the law firm Grossman LLP, and Christie's followed with 28 percent on lots up to $2 million from September 1, 2026.
Why the buyer's premium matters to you as the seller
The buyer's premium is paid by the winning bidder on top of the hammer price, but bidders know it. A buyer willing to pay $1,000 in total will bid about $780-800 when the premium is 25-28 percent. So a high premium lowers the hammer price you receive, and your own commission is then taken from that hammer price.
Which channel fits which antique?
| Item | Usually best channel | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Signed painting by a known artist | Auction house with a fine art department | Bidders who follow the artist |
| Chinese porcelain, jade, bronzes | Auction house with an Asian art sale | Specialists and international bidders |
| Sterling silver flatware or tea service | Silver dealer, or melt if common pattern | Priced by weight and pattern |
| Antique clocks | Clock dealer or regional auction | Specialists know repair costs |
| Victorian and Edwardian jewelry | Estate jewelry dealer or auction | Craft and stones are valued |
| Mid-century modern furniture | Chairish, regional auction, local listing | Strong design buyer base |
| Victorian brown furniture | Local listing or regional auction | Low prices; shipping exceeds value |
| Art pottery: Roseville, Rookwood, Weller | eBay or regional auction | Collectors search by maker |
| Antique tools, fishing lures, toys | eBay or specialist dealer | Collector markets online |
| Rugs | Rug dealer or regional auction | Condition and origin need expertise |
| Box lots and household antiques | Local auction or estate sale | Volume, not individual value |
Our guides to antique furniture and paintings go deeper on each category.
Auction houses: what to expect
An auction house takes your piece on consignment, catalogs and photographs it, sets an estimate and a reserve with you, sells it and pays you after the buyer pays, usually 30 to 45 days after the sale. A good house brings bidders you could never reach yourself, and competition between two determined bidders is how records happen. The costs are time and fees: seller commissions, photography, insurance and sometimes shipping to the saleroom. Ask for a written consignment agreement and negotiate on the commission if your piece is strong. Major houses usually want lots worth several thousand dollars; regional houses take lower values and are often the best route for American furniture, decorative arts and regional painters.
Dealers and consignment
A dealer buys outright, pays on the spot and takes the risk. That convenience is paid for in price: a dealer needs to resell at a profit, so an offer is typically well below what the same piece retails for in a shop. That is fair, not a trick. Get offers from more than one dealer, and prefer a specialist in your type of piece, since a clock dealer will pay more for a clock than a general shop will. Consignment, whether in a shop or online through Chairish, pays more per piece but only when it sells, and many consignment agreements cut the price after 30 or 60 days.
Say you are selling three pieces
Say you have a 1950s Danish teak sideboard, a Victorian walnut washstand, and a small Rookwood vase with a flame mark and a date cipher.
The sideboard has strong design demand. A regional auction or Chairish both suit it. On Chairish at a 30 percent commission, a $1,500 sale nets $1,050, with the buyer arranging freight. The washstand is a common Victorian form; regional auctions sell them for about $100-300, and shipping one costs more than it is worth, so a local Facebook Marketplace listing at $200 nets about $200. The Rookwood vase is small and collectors search by maker and date. You check sold results for the same shape and glaze, list it on eBay at a matching price, and if it sells for $300 you net about $259 after the 13.6 percent fee and the order fee (eBay also takes 13.6 percent of any shipping you charge). Three items, three channels, each matched to its buyers.
Common mistakes
- Selling to the first buyer. Get at least two offers or estimates.
- Comparing gross instead of net. A $1,000 hammer can net less than an $850 private sale once commission and fees are subtracted.
- Shipping furniture. Freight can exceed the value of common pieces. Sell large furniture locally.
- Pricing from asking prices. Use sold results.
- Refinishing before selling. Original finish is worth more to antique buyers than a new one.
- Sending a good piece to a house without the right specialists. A Chinese vase belongs in an Asian art sale, not a general household auction.
- Signing a consignment agreement without reading it. Check the commission, fees, reserve, term and payment date.
How WorthPic reads antique photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From clear photos of a piece, its marks and its underside, it reads the form and style that place it in a period, construction details, makers' marks and labels, signatures and visible condition. It gives an honest value range in US dollars with a most likely figure, explains what drives the price, and says which extra photo would settle a question. Knowing roughly what a piece is worth tells you which channel to try first.
What it cannot know from a photo is whether a mark is genuine, what restoration lies under the surface, or what two determined bidders might pay on the day. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise, and it is not a buyer or a marketplace.
What to photograph
- The whole piece from the front, sides and back in daylight.
- Every mark, label and signature close up and readable.
- The underside of pottery and furniture, and the inside of drawers.
- Damage and repairs, honestly. Buyers and auction specialists will find them.
- A tape measure across the piece, since size changes price and shipping.
When to get it looked at in person
For anything that might be worth more than a few thousand dollars, have an auction house specialist or a dealer in that field see it before you sell. For a document for an estate or insurance, hire an independent appraiser, as our antique appraisal guide explains. If a whole house needs clearing, see how estate sales work before you sell pieces one by one.
Sources
- eBay selling fees: final value fees of 13.6 percent on most categories, 15 percent on jewelry up to $5,000, and per-order fees.
- Grossman LLP: spring 2026 changes in buyer's premiums: the Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips premium tiers in 2026.
- USA Art News: Christie's and Bonhams increase buyer's fees (September 2026): Christie's 28 percent lower tier from September 1, 2026.
- HomeLight: estate sale companies: what sells at estate sales and the alternatives.
- GIA 4Cs: how to sell gemstones and jewelry: auction, sell back, trade in and consignment compared for jewelry.