How does this all work?
Items are sold through professionally managed online auctions, which allows us to reach a large audience and lets buyers compete over time. This works especially well when there’s volume, because it creates steady interest without the pressure of an in-person sale.
Throughout the process, we focus on:
- Identifying value where it makes sense
- Using time and labor efficiently
- Avoiding unnecessary work on items that won’t benefit from it
Our goal is not just to sell things, but to manage the process in a way that’s practical and effective for your situation.
Our auctions are professionally managed online sales designed to reach a wide, motivated audience, without the disruption of an in-person estate sale.
Once items are photographed and listed, interested buyers register to participate. The auction runs over 1-2 weeks, giving people time to browse, place bids, and return as new items catch their eye. Many buyers bid on multiple items, while others are searching for something very specific.
Because bidding happens over time and is open to a large audience, prices are driven by real demand. This competitive format often works in the seller’s favor, especially when there’s volume.
We handle everything behind the scenes — marketing the auction, managing bidders, collecting payment, and coordinating pickup or shipping – so the process stays organized and hands-off for our clients.
Yes — everyday items are often some of the most popular parts of an auction.
Many buyers are not just collectors; they’re people furnishing homes, setting up apartments, running small businesses, or looking for practical, well-made items at fair prices. Kitchenware, tools, furniture, décor, and household goods tend to attract steady interest.
That said, not every item is worth selling individually. Part of our job is to group items in ways that make sense for buyers and use our time efficiently. This helps ensure the process is practical and cost-effective, while still giving items a chance to find new homes.
When something isn’t a good fit for auction, we’ll explain why and discuss the best alternative options with you.
Higher-value items receive special attention.
As part of the sorting process, we identify items that may have greater value or require a more tailored approach. These items are photographed and listed individually, researched more carefully, and positioned to reach the right buyers.
In some cases, higher-value categories may be sold separately or handled under different terms than everyday household items. We’ve done specialty auctions for clients with collections like estate jewelry, coins and military items.
In general, you’ll find that high value items command higher sales outcomes.
Our goal is to ensure valuable items are:
- Properly identified
- Presented in a way that makes sense for the market
Our auctions typically have anywhere from 150 to 700+ lots. Smaller auctions generally include a nicely curated collection of higher value items (example here). A full house auction is generally 500 or more lots (example here). Lots may include large pieces, like a dining table with chairs, and small pieces, like a set of candlestick holders. Our clients are usually surprised by how much we can sell – things you might have thrown out could be worth something to the right buyer!
We usually cannot take sales that are furniture-only or primarily-furniture. These sales do not perform well in an online auction format. There are exceptions, and often clients have more than furniture – rugs, art work, decorative items, tools, lawn and garden items, garden sculpture, kitchen goods from better brands and clothing is just a small sampling of what we can include in an auction (basically everything except food and firearms).
Working with bird’s nest auctions
We look at a combination of value, demand, and practicality.
When sorting items, we consider:
- Buyer interest: whether there’s an active market for similar items
- Value potential: how much an item is likely to sell for in an auction setting
- Time and labor involved: whether the effort to photograph, list, and manage an item makes sense
- Condition and completeness: items that are clean, usable, and complete tend to perform best
Our goal is to focus time and attention where it benefits the overall outcome of the sale. That means highlighting items that are likely to generate interest while grouping lower-value items. This approach helps keep the process efficient while still giving belongings the best chance to find new homes.
Items that aren’t auctioned remain with the home or are grouped for donation or removal.
Particularly for full house auctions, cleanout services are the last step of the process to remove items that could not be sold. We can coordinate this on your behalf, or connect you with companies that we use on a regualar basis.
The timeline can vary depending on the size of the project, the number of items, and how the auction is structured.
In general, the process includes:
- Time to sort, photograph, and prepare items for auction (1-3 days)
- A multi-day online auction (7-14 days)
- Pickup and shipping coordination (1 days)
From start to finish, most projects take three weeks. Larger estates or multi-auction projects may take longer, especially when there’s a high volume of items. Some clients choose to run multiple auctions.
We’ll talk through timing expectations early on so you have a clear sense of what to expect. We can also help you sort out any logistical issues.
You do not! Most clients choose to be there while we’re working, but one of the benefits of our process is that we can work around items that are staying with the home or being kept by the family. We’re happy to work off of your notes if you can’t be there, or we can coordinate via video chat.
We invoice buyers, collect payment, and coordinate pickup or shipping for sold items. Pickups are scheduled and managed by our team, and we oversee the process to ensure items are collected as expected.
After all items have been picked up or shipped, we provide a clear summary of the results and issue your payout in accordance with our agreement.
Any items that were not auctioned or sold remain with the property and are handled separately by the client or their chosen clean-out provider.
We don’t! Our online auctions, like all online auctions, are 100% market-driven. That means that bidders set the price through competitive bidding. If you have one or two pieces that you’d like to have a minimum price on, please let us know and we can work with you on those specific items. You can read more about this here.
Financials
Every estate is different, so our pricing is designed to flex with the actual work involved. Our model has two parts:
1. Sort day fee: For estates that need hands-on sorting and discovery, we charge $800 per sort day. This covers our team’s time on-site for things like organizing, unwrapping and building out the lots that make your sale perform. We’ll estimate the number of sort days upfront in your proposal based on the size and complexity of your estate, and finalize based on actual days worked. For curated downsizes where sorting isn’t needed, this fee doesn’t apply.
2. A commission on auction proceeds: We take a percentage of your gross auction total, which covers everything involved in running your sale:
- Marketing and advertising
- Item research
- Managing bidders and customer service
- Social media promotion
- Invoicing, payment processing, and client follow-up
- Fully staffed pick-up day and coordination of item handoff
Our commission structure is tiered. We take 50% on the first $10,000 in gross proceeds, and 35% on anything above that. Precious metals, vehicles, and certain specialty items are calculated separately at a reduced rate.
This structure lets us give each sale the time it deserves. Some homes are straightforward; others require more discovery and organization. By separating the sort day fee from the commission, we can take the time needed to do the job right, without building that cost into every client’s rate regardless of what’s actually involved.
Because no two estates require the same amount of work, and we don’t believe in rushing through someone’s belongings just to fit a flat commission model.
A commission alone covers what sells. It doesn’t account for everything that happens before a single item hits the auction block: the unboxing, the organizing, the grouping of lower-value lots, the hours spent working through rooms that need attention before they’re ready to photograph. That work doesn’t always show up in the final sale total, but it absolutely affects the outcome.
Separating sort day fees from commission lets us be honest about that. You’re paying for the time it takes to do the job thoroughly, not absorbing it invisibly into a higher commission rate.
It also has a practical benefit: thorough sorting significantly reduces what needs to be hauled away. When we take the time to properly go through everything, we find homes for far more than a rushed job would, which means lower removal costs and less ending up in a dumpster. (And it keeps that random gold jewelry squirreled away in a box 35 years ago from being hauled away in a dump truck. You’re welcome!)
A commission-only model works best for very high-value, highly curated estates. Our structure is designed for the spot most people actually find themselves in: items in good condition, plenty of unique and fun vintage finds, but not necessarily things worth hundreds or thousands of dollars each. You shouldn’t need a house full of antiques or fancy equipment to get professional, attentive service.
Your payout check is sent about 3-4 weeks after the auction pick up day with an itemized sales summary.
Click below to view our services guide, which contains even more details on our services, examples of sold items, a meet the team page and a sample breakdown of costs.