Frequently Asked Questions

The general steps are:
1. Preview items in-person or online
2. Register to bid.
3. Bid in person, absentee, phone or online.
4. Payment
5. Pick up or ship your property.

The bid increments can be viewed here.

Please preview carefully and bid wisely. When the auctioneer says "sold" at the end of the bidding on each lot, the title transfers to the new owner. The sale is final, and there are no returns.

The majority of property offered at Michaan's Auctions comes directly from estates and private collections and may show signs of use and age. All property is offered "as is", and prices are not reduced due to pre-existing flaws.

We encourage you to thoroughly inspect the property and request a Condition Report prior to bidding. Condition Reports are subject to our Conditions of Sale. They are supplied free of charge by our specialists and may be requested through the appropriate department.

The buyer's premium can be found here.

We accept credit card payment with Visa, Mastercard or Discover, Wire Transfer, Zelle, Money Order, Bank Check, Personal Check, Business Check, debit cards and cash.

At this time we cannot accept credit card payments from International buyers.

For all auctions, buyers will have seven days after the auction to pay and pick up successful lots.

Hours for payment and pick ups are Monday - Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:30.

Yes, Michaan's Auctions can conduct formal insurance appraisals for replacement value.

Michaan's Auctions also conducts fair market value appraisals, which are used for estate planning and equitable distribution purposes.

Michaan's accepts property for auction throughout the year. We advise sellers to consign their property at least two months in advance of the sale to allow for research, cataloguing, photography and publicity.

Our specialists will work closely with you to respond to your individual situation.

Yes. Please contact us to arrange a time to drop off your property.

You may call us at (510) 740-0220.

To waive the insurance fee, the consignor must provide Michaan's Auction with a "Letter of Subrogation" from the consignor's insurance company at the time of consignment. Any damage to the property is then the sole responsibility of the consignor.

If your item does not sell you will have the option of lowering the estimates and re-offering the item in a later auction, or you can pick up the item. Michaan's Auctions doesn't charge photography fees and as another courtesy to our consignors, we will not charge you an insurance or buy-in fee if you decide not to re-offer the lot.

The first step in the process is to arrange a consultation with one of our specialists. You may bring your property directly to our gallery, where a specialist will meet with you, conduct an evaluation and provide you with a preliminary auction estimate.

You can also submit images online by using our free online appraisal service.

Sellers pay a commission that is deducted, along with any agreed upon expenses, from the hammer price. Read more here.

Should you have any specific questions regarding the selling commission, please contact your specialists for more information.

30 business days after the auction.

Once we have discussed your requirements with you and inspected your property, we will give you an estimate of what the item(s) are likely to realize at auction and will advise you of the most appropriate sale.

Yes, please call (510) 740-0220 to schedule an appointment with the appropriate department during business hours Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

All Michaan's Auctions are free and open to the public.

Catalogs are exclusively published online and can be viewed here.

Results are posted online shortly after the close of each auction session and is available on the detail page for each auction.

You can find lists of past auctions by starting on the Calendar page and clicking the "Previous Auctions" link to navigate to older dates.

You may submit up to three images per request.

The auction estimate request form only accepts JPG images. If your image is not currently a JPG, open it in your photo editing software and save it as a ".jpg" file.

Individual images may not exceed 4 MB (4,000 KB). The total size of all images within a single request may not exceed 10 MB (10,000 KB). If your image is too large, open it in your photo editing software and save it at a lower resolution.

Yes, please go to michaans.com/mailing-list to register your email and receive email alerts on upcoming auctions and events prior all of our events. Registration is free.

You may submit an email through our contact page or call toll free at 1-800-380-9822.

Michaan's Auctions no longer provides shipping services. Buyers assume full responsibility for the packing and shipping of lots won at auction.

As a courtesy, we have provided a list of shippers our clients have used in the past.