How to Run an Online Estate Sale Auction
Clearing a house — after a death, a move into care or downsizing — by online auction lets buyers bid from home instead of queuing at the door, and every lot is bid up rather than priced in advance. This guide takes you from sorting the rooms to handing over the last box.
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Confirm who can sell
Before anything is listed, make sure whoever instructs the sale has the authority to sell. After a death that is normally the executor or administrator of the estate; otherwise it may be the owner or someone acting under a power of attorney. The rules differ by country, so if you are unsure, ask the lawyer handling the estate. Keep a written list of anything the family wants to keep, so nothing is sold by mistake.
Sort, value and set aside
- Pull out anything that may be valuable — jewelry, art, silver, collections — and get specialist advice or an appraisal when you are unsure what it is.
- Set aside personal papers and photographs for the family.
- Identify what will not sell — worn soft furnishings, broken items — and plan to donate, recycle or clear it separately.
Group the contents into lots
Items with value on their own become single lots. Everything else goes into box lots by room or type: kitchenware, garden tools, books, linen. A typical house produces a few hundred lots. Number them in the order buyers will view the catalogue, and keep box lots honest: photograph what is in the box, not just the box.
Photograph and describe
Use good daylight, a plain background where you can, and several angles for anything of value. Say what you know and what you do not — “signed, artist unknown” is more useful than a guess. Note damage, missing parts and whether electrical items have been tested.
Set the timeline
- Catalogue and photograph: allow a few days, more for a large house.
- Bidding: around a week is common, with lots closing in staggered batches on the last evening.
- Viewing: a preview day before the close helps with furniture and higher-value pieces.
- Collection: one or two days soon after the close, booked in time slots.
Take payment before collection day
Ask winners to pay online before they arrive. You avoid handling cash at the door, and collection becomes a simple check of names against paid lots. State in your terms when payment is due and what happens to unpaid lots — usually they are offered again.
Clear what is left
Some lots will not sell, and a few will not be collected. Decide beforehand what happens to them: a second sale for the remainder, an offer to the underbidder, donation to charity or a clearance firm for the rest. Leave the property in the state agreed with the family or their agent.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an online estate sale auction take?
For an ordinary house, roughly two to three weeks from start to finish: a few days to sort and photograph, about a week of bidding and a day or two for collection. Larger houses take longer.
Who is allowed to sell the contents of a deceased person's home?
Normally the executor or administrator of the estate. The rules differ by country, so check with the lawyer handling the estate before anything is sold.
Is an online estate auction better than a traditional estate sale?
It reaches buyers who would never come on the day, avoids queues and cash at the door, and lets every lot be bid up instead of priced in advance. A traditional one-day sale can still suit a small house with little of value.
What happens to items that do not sell?
Common options are a second sale for the remainder, offering the lot to the underbidder, donating to charity or using a clearance firm. Agree which with the family before the sale starts.