Personal property auctions
Your contents, sold to bidders near and far. Your front door stays closed.
Online bidding lets buyers compete from anywhere, without opening your home to crowds of shoppers. Prime prepares the catalog and coordinates a scheduled pickup at an agreed location, with access and timing planned around your move.
Every sale starts with the home, the people, and the move date.
Estate sale or online auction
In-home estate sale or online auction?
An estate sale brings shoppers into the home to browse. An online auction brings bidders to a catalog, with collection scheduled in advance.
Buyers browse items in person.
Shoppers visit the home during posted sale hours to view and purchase items.
- Home access and privacy
- Visitors enter during sale hours, so traffic, parking, supervision, and privacy need planning.
- Prices and unsold items
- Items carry asking prices. Unsold pieces are often marked down the next day; some may remain after the sale.
- Licensing and bonding
- Estate sale companies aren’t licensed like real estate firms or bonded like auction firms.
Bidders browse the catalog online.
Buyers can view the catalog and bid 24/7 during the published window; pickup is scheduled in advance.
- Broader buyer reachOnline catalogs give items broader exposure and invite more bidders to compete, which can drive higher sale prices.
- Competitive biddingBidders compete without a fixed asking-price ceiling; agreed reserves and sale terms apply.
- Privacy and planned pickupBidders view the catalog without touring your home. Set the auction dates and pickup timeline with Prime in advance.
Prime is a licensed, bonded, and insured auction firm.
A stronger sale price and lower costs can help you net more.
Prime’s online auctions can connect your property with bidders beyond a single in-person sale. Your seller net is the final sale proceeds less the commission and any other agreed costs. Prime sets out the fee plan in writing so you can see how it adds up before deciding.
See completed auction resultsHow your seller net is calculated
Sale resultFinal sale price
Agreed costsCommission and other costs
Your seller netWhat you keep
Your final net reflects the winning bids and agreed fees and costs.
Clear terms from catalog to closeout
A defined online auction process, planned around your move.
The catalog, bidder registration, published terms, closing process, and pickup plan are set before bidding opens. Prime documents the scope and responsibilities for your sale.
Online auction format
Bidders review the catalog online and compete under published auction terms.
Shape the work to fit the auction
Your move date, family decisions, contents, and access shape the auction plan.
Photographed, cataloged, provenance researched
Approved items are photographed and cataloged; available provenance and supporting details are researched for bidders.
Define the bidding timeline
Auction dates, closing, and pickup are set in advance. The online catalog accepts bids 24/7 during the published bidding window.
A controlled pickup plan
Collection times and access areas are set in advance for the property.
Written responsibilities
Fees, terms, exclusions, seller tasks, and post-sale work are discussed before launch.
Follow the catalog from anywhere
See the lots. Watch the bidding. Stay in the loop.
The Prime Auction Solutions app lets buyers follow upcoming sales, save lots, receive activity notices, and bid online. Browse the catalog before the sale, wherever you happen to be.
A conversation before an inventory
We start with your move, not your inventory.
You do not have to sort and count the whole house before reaching out. Start with the decisions already in front of you.
- 01What is the next important date?
- 02What must stay with the family?
- 03Is the house listed, sold, or still being prepared?
- 04Who needs to approve the plan?
Where your sale happens
Sold in your home is the starting plan.
When the property and schedule allow, the contents can be photographed and sold online from the home. Buyers do not browse room to room. Collection follows a scheduled, controlled pickup plan.
When a sale cannot stay in the home
Some situations call for approved items to move off site before cataloging or pickup. That choice depends on the property, timing, access, and scope, and should be discussed before work begins.
A clear sequence from first call to closeout
How a full-home auction works.
Your written plan sets the scope and responsibilities. These are the usual milestones for an in-home online auction.
Illustrative images show activities and objects that may be part of each stage. They do not depict actual Prime assignments.
01Start with the move
We learn what is changing, when the home needs to be ready, who is making decisions, and what the family needs to keep.
02Walk the home and understand the contents
A focused review looks at the property, access, categories, condition, timing, and the practical work required to prepare an online sale.
03Agree on scope and terms
Before work begins, the written plan identifies what may be offered, what is excluded, the schedule, fees, access, pickup, and responsibilities.
04Prepare and photograph the catalog
Approved items are grouped and described so bidders can assess what is offered. Condition notes and available information are presented clearly.
05Market the sale and open bidding
The online catalog is shared with relevant audiences. Bidders can review lots, ask questions, register, and place bids during the published window.
06Close bidding and confirm purchases
Bids are finalized under the sale terms. Buyers receive the information they need for payment and scheduled collection or shipping.
07Coordinate collection
Purchased items are grouped for scheduled handoff. The plan protects the home's private areas and keeps access within the agreed pickup zone.
08Complete the agreed closeout
Prime provides seller accounting and completes the post-sale work set out in the agreement. Settlement timing is defined in the specific engagement.
The Prime pickup
Buyers never walk through your home.
The winning bidder arrives during the scheduled pickup window. Purchased items are brought to the designated staging area for handoff. Private rooms remain private, and the access plan is agreed with you in advance.
01Home
→Approved lots are identified and grouped.
02Staging area
→Purchased items move to the agreed handoff zone.
03Buyer
Collection follows published pickup instructions.
Marketing and reach
Help the right buyers see what makes each piece worth a closer look.
A maker’s mark. The proportions of a cabinet. The condition of a painting. Useful photographs and descriptions help remote bidders understand what is offered. Prime prepares the catalog around your approved property and promotes the sale through online auction channels.
- Clear photographs and logical lot groupings
- Useful descriptions and available condition information
- Published dates, terms, and collection instructions
- Online access for interested bidders near and far
Shipping and delivery
A plan for buyers beyond the local pickup.
A porcelain bowl and a dining table need different handling. Where shipping is available, the sale terms explain who arranges packing and transport and what the buyer pays. Buyers can plan for collection or delivery before they bid.
Shipping availability and cost vary by lot. Review the listing and ask questions before placing a bid.
A useful guide for both sides of the sale
For sellers. For buyers.
Know the plan before the first lot goes live.
- Confirm decision-makers, exclusions, and move dates.
- Review fees, buyer terms, and timing in writing.
- Understand access, collection, and any off-site work.
- Ask how unsold or excluded property will be handled.
Read each lot and its terms before bidding.
- Review photographs, descriptions, dimensions, and condition notes.
- Read buyer premiums and payment terms before bidding.
- Ask questions before the bidding window closes.
- Plan collection or shipping within the posted instructions.
Stories from Prime clients
Organization mattered all the way through.
★★★★★“We interviewed three companies. Prime’s commission was competitive, but what set them apart was how organized they were. In the end, they were the best decision we made. Our luxury home is in a gated community, and we did not want hundreds of people coming in and out or disturbing our neighbors. Prime understood that from our first meeting. They catalogued everything beautifully, ran the auction online, and managed an orderly pickup through our garage, so no one ever walked through our home. Bidders came from across the country. We were amazed at how much sold, and what we netted at the end was more than we expected. It was also wonderful to know our pieces are going to families who will continue to enjoy them. The team was absolutely fantastic. We highly recommend Prime Auction Solutions.”
★★★★★“We lived in our home for decades and had no idea where to start. Anne helped us decide what would actually fit in our new condo, and Prime sold the rest to bidders we never could have reached. Pickup was so organized that it never felt like our home was on display. We recommend Prime and Anne to anyone considering downsizing. They have a five-star team.”
★★★★★“When Mom moved to assisted living, I lived three states away and dreaded dealing with the house. Prime catalogued everything, found buyers for pieces I never would have known how to sell, and made sure not one stranger walked through her home. It was amazing: items we thought we had to pay to haul away were sold and carefully removed from the home. They handled it all with the care she would have wanted. Thank you, Prime.”
Selling the house too?
Plan the contents and the property together.
The home sale and the contents sale affect one another. Talk with Prime about the move date, the property’s sale plan, and how the two timelines can be coordinated.
Anne NouriAARE, BAS, CAI, GPPA
Explore real estate auctionsStraight answers before you decide
Questions families ask first.
Is an online personal property auction right for every home?
No. The contents, condition, location, timing, access, buyer interest, and your goals all matter. Prime reviews the situation before recommending an auction, another path, or a narrower scope.
Do bidders walk through my home?
No. Bidders view the online catalog and can bid at any hour during the published window. There are no public sale hours for shoppers to walk through the home. Collection is scheduled in an agreed area.
How long does bidding last?
A typical online bidding window is about 10 to 14 days. The catalog is available and accepts bids 24/7 during the published window. Auction dates, closing, and pickup timing are confirmed for each sale.
What if some items should stay with the family or do not sell?
Tell Prime what must stay with the family before the catalog is finalized. The written plan identifies exclusions and explains how unsold property will be handled after the auction.
Can large furnishings or a full household be included?
Potentially. Prime considers the property's location, access, condition, likely demand, removal logistics, and timing. A large item is not automatically suitable, and a whole-home plan is not a promise to accept every item.
How do buyers collect or ship their purchases?
Each sale has a planned pickup window and agreed access area. Where the terms allow shipping, the listing explains how buyers arrange and pay for it.
Is auction cataloging the same as an appraisal?
No. Approved items are photographed and cataloged, with useful details and available provenance researched for bidders. Catalog research and auction estimates are not a formal appraisal; appraisal work is defined separately.
What should the written auction agreement cover?
It should set out the sale scope, exclusions, terms and fees, access and pickup plan, responsibilities, post-sale accounting, and settlement timing before bidding opens.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about the home and the next date on your calendar.
Share the property city, your target move date, and where you are in the home sale. Prime will review the details before discussing whether an online personal property auction fits.
An inquiry is not an engagement or a promise that items will be accepted.