Two commissions sit on either side of an auction. The seller pays one out of the hammer price and the buyer pays another on top of it, and at the major houses the buyer premium starts at 26 percent. A lot that hammers at a given figure therefore costs the buyer considerably more and pays the seller considerably less. Working out which side of that gap you are on is most of what separates a good sale from a poor one.
| Service | Typical |
|---|---|
| Appraisal, single itemNational average | $250 to $300 per item |
| Appraisal, hourlyNational range | $25 to $300 per hour |
| Auction buyer premiumTypical range across houses | $20 to $28 percent of hammer price |
| Auction seller commission, lots under 5,000Typical range across houses | $10 to $25 percent of hammer price |
Ranges last checked September 2026. They come down automatically when they are due to be rechecked.
Every figure above comes from a named source we can link to, with the date we last checked it. We publish ranges rather than single prices because a range is what a provider will actually give you: the same job moves with what is being worked on, the materials, how hard it is to get at and how busy the trade is locally. Treat these as the order of magnitude to expect before you call, not as a quote.
Where a source publishes figures state by state, this page shows the figure for this state rather than a national average. Where no state-level source exists, it shows the national range and the local factors that move a job within it. We do not scale a national number by a multiplier of our own invention.
Every range carries a review date. When that date passes the number comes down until it is rechecked, rather than sitting here undated.
The same object has several defensible values at once. Fair market value is what it would fetch between a willing buyer and a willing seller, and it is the figure used for estate and donation purposes. Replacement value is what it would cost to buy a comparable piece at retail, and it is what an insurer wants. Marketable cash value nets out the costs of selling. Tell the appraiser what the report is for before any work starts, because an appraisal written for the wrong purpose is not usable for the right one.
Valuing something and wanting to own it are not compatible roles, and the professional standards that govern appraisal say so plainly. A dealer can give you an offer, and that offer is useful information, but it is not an appraisal. If you need an independent number, use someone with no interest in the outcome and pay them for their time rather than a percentage of the value they assign. A fee calculated as a share of the valuation gives the appraiser a reason to make it larger.
Furniture that has been stripped and refinished is often worth a fraction of the same piece with its original surface intact. Overcleaning a painting, replacing hardware, or relining a canvas that did not need it all cut into value in ways that cannot be undone. Conservation, which stabilizes without replacing, is a different discipline from refinishing. Ask what is proposed and what will be removed before anything is touched, and get a valuation first if the piece might be significant.
Look for a credential from a recognized appraisal body and for a stated specialty that matches your object. Someone who handles American furniture is not the person to value a Persian rug, and a generalist will usually say so. Ask what they have appraised in your category recently.
Ask how the fee is calculated. Hourly or a flat fee per item is normal; a percentage of the appraised value is a conflict and is not accepted under professional standards. Get the basis in writing along with an estimate of the hours before work begins.
When you are selling, get more than one route priced. A dealer buying outright pays less than an auction might realize but pays now and carries the risk. An auction may realize more, minus commission and charges, months later, and may not sell at all. Consignment with a dealer sits between the two. Which is right depends on the piece and on how much uncertainty you want to hold.
When you are buying, ask for the provenance and get the description in writing on the invoice. A written attribution is a representation you can rely on later; a spoken one is not. For anything significant, make the sale conditional on independent authentication and put that condition on the invoice too.
The table above carries the current ranges. Appraisers charge hourly, per item, or a flat fee for a whole collection, and a written report to professional standards costs more than a verbal opinion. Travel is usually extra if the appraiser comes to you.
A percentage of the hammer price that the buyer pays on top of the bid. It is set by the auction house, printed in the conditions of sale, and is not negotiable. Work out the premium before you bid, because the figure you win at is not the figure you pay.
Usually, and increasingly so as the value rises. Houses compete hard for consignments they expect to do well, and commission on a valuable single lot is often reduced or waived. On low-value lots there is little room to move. Ask more than one house before you sign.
Almost never without advice. Original surface is a large part of what collectors pay for, and stripping and refinishing a piece can cut its value substantially. Get it valued first, and ask about conservation, which stabilizes a surface rather than replacing it.
They should not do both. Professional appraisal standards treat valuing an item you intend to purchase as a conflict of interest. A dealer offer is worth having as a data point, but if you need an independent valuation, pay someone with no stake in the result for their time.