Understanding your options
Dealer vs. Auction vs. Consignment: What's the Difference?
When you start speaking with professionals about an inherited collection, you'll hear about different ways of doing business. These are different transaction structures — not rankings. This page explains them at a high level so you can tell them apart.
Four common structures
- Direct purchase
- A business or individual offers to buy the collection, or part of it, from you. If you accept, they become the owner.
- Auction
- An auction company offers items to bidders on your behalf. You typically sign an agreement first, and the outcome depends on the sale.
- Consignment
- Someone sells items for you, often over a period of time, under terms agreed in advance. You generally remain the owner until items sell.
- Appraisal or evaluation services
- A professional provides an opinion or a valuation, which may or may not be connected to buying or selling.
One business, more than one role
Many businesses perform more than one of these roles. A dealer might also take consignments; an auction house might also offer appraisals. That's normal — it's just helpful to know which role applies to your conversation.
Questions that bring clarity
- Are you buying the collection?
- Are you appraising it?
- Are you taking it on consignment?
- Will it be auctioned?
- Are there fees?
- What happens next?
No single right answer
Each structure has its own process, pace and costs. What fits depends on your situation and priorities. We don't recommend one over another.
InheritedCollection.com is not a dealer, auction house, consignment seller or appraiser. We connect people with independent professionals.
Related questions
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