Traditional Route

Major Auction House

You Keep

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Targeted Private Sale

MoveArt Campaign

You Keep

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Ready to Keep More of Your Sale?

No commissions. No buyer premiums reducing your hammer price. Just a flat fee and our AI's full effort finding the right private buyers for your work.

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Understanding the Fee Structures

Auction House Fees (What You Actually Pay)

Seller's commission: 10–15% of hammer price at major houses
Buyer's premium: 15–26% added on top — reduces buyer headroom, indirectly caps your price
Insurance during consignment: 0.1–0.15% of estimate
Shipping and crating to auction house: $200–$2,000+
Photography and cataloguing: $150–$500+
Unsold lot fee (if no buyer): $200–$500
Wait time: typically 3–9 months to the auction date

MoveArt Targeted Sale (What You Pay)

Flat campaign fee: $149, $349, or $699 — that's it
Zero seller's commission on the sale price
Zero buyer's premium — buyers pay you directly, no middleman
You negotiate directly with interested parties
Keep 100% of the agreed sale price
Campaign launches within 3–5 business days
Responses typically begin within 2–4 weeks

When Auction Houses Make Sense

Blue-chip artists with strong recent auction records
Works valued over $500K where major house prestige drives price
Artists with active auction market and collector demand
Estates needing to liquidate multiple works quickly
When provenance and authentication benefit from public record

When Private Targeted Sale Wins

Mid-market works ($2,000–$200,000) where auction fees bite hardest
Contemporary or emerging artists without deep auction history
Sellers wanting discretion (no public pass if unsold)
Works needing to reach niche collectors, not generic auction audience
Anyone who has done the math and wants to keep more of the sale

Auction vs Private Sale Calculator

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