How Does an Online Estate Auction Work?

If you've never sold at auction before, the process can feel like a black box. Here's the whole thing, step by step, the way we run it at Fletcher Auctions.

Step 1: The walkthrough

Everything starts with a walkthrough. An auctioneer meets you at the property, looks at what's there and listens to your situation: a house that needs to be empty before closing, an estate the family is settling from out of state, a workshop full of tools nobody has room for.

You'll get an honest read on the spot: what's likely to do well at auction, what may not be worth selling, and roughly what the timeline looks like. If auction isn't the right fit, a good auctioneer tells you at the walkthrough, not after you've signed.

Step 2: The agreement

Before any work begins, you receive a written proposal covering services, commission and timeline. Auctioneers work on commission, so the incentives are aligned: the better your items sell, the better we both do.

Step 3: Cataloging and photography

This is the part most sellers underestimate, and the part you don't have to do. The auction team sorts everything into lots, writes honest descriptions and photographs each lot clearly. A full household usually takes several days to catalog properly.

One rule matters more than any other here: don't throw anything away before the walkthrough. Old advertising signs, shop tools, costume jewelry, paper ephemera: the things families assume are junk are often what bidders compete hardest for.

Step 4: The online auction

Your auction goes live on the bidding platform, promoted by email and social media to a regional buyer base. Most auctions run one to two weeks. Bidders browse the catalog, ask questions and bid from anywhere, which is exactly why online auctions tend to outperform a one-day, in-person sale. You're not limited to whoever shows up on a Saturday morning.

Step 5: Pickup days

After the auction closes, winning bidders pick up their items on scheduled pickup days, staffed and managed by the auction team. You don't need to be there. Invoicing, payment collection and load-out are all handled for you.

Step 6: Settlement

Finally, you receive an itemized settlement statement (every lot, every selling price) along with payment. From walkthrough to settlement, most estate auctions take about three to five weeks.

What it costs

Commission structures vary by project size and type, which is why the walkthrough comes first. What you should always expect: the terms in writing before work starts, and no surprise fees at settlement.