Operations

Operator playbooks for modern auction houses.

How to start, staff and run an auction house — from cataloguing to settlement, simulcast to consignor pipeline. Practical, operator-side guides written for the people inside the salesroom.

7 articles

Operations

How to Start an Auction House: 2026 Operator's Playbook

A complete operator's playbook for starting an auction house in 2026 — licensing by region, business plan, technology stack, financial model, and the first-sale checklist.

15 min read

Operations

How to Become an Auctioneer: US State-by-State Guide

How to become an auctioneer in the US, UK, and Australia — license requirements, auction schools, apprenticeship paths, exam content, and what comes after.

16 min read

Operations

How to Run an Online Auction: Complete Operator's Guide

An operator's guide to running an online auction end-to-end — pre-sale catalogue prep, bid increments, simulcast, bidder verification, livestream, and settlement.

15 min read

Operations

How to Consign Items at Auction: A Step-by-Step Seller's Guide

A seller's plain-English guide to consigning items at auction — valuations, contracts, reserves, fees, and what happens when the hammer falls.

12 min read

Operations

How to Set Buyer's Premium: Tiered vs Flat-Rate Strategy

Operator-side guide to setting buyer's premium — market benchmarks, tiered vs flat-rate tradeoffs, regional norms, and worked numerical examples.

11 min read

Operations

Absolute Auction vs Reserve Auction: Which Format to Use

When to run an absolute auction vs a reserve auction — mechanics, legal disclosure, risk profile, and the psychological effect on bidders.

11 min read

Operations

How to Run a Live Simulcast Auction

Hardware, software, latency, clerking, and post-sale reconciliation for a live simulcast auction — operator's how-to.

12 min read

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