Buying Furniture at Auction: What to Check, Pay and Haul

Is buying furniture at auction worth it?

Often, yes. Estate and moving auctions turn up solid-wood dressers, dining sets, bookcases and desks built to last, and bulky pieces draw fewer bidders because buyers have to haul them. You also find one-of-a-kind pieces you won't see in a store.

The trade-offs: no returns for normal wear, no delivery unless the sale ships, and limited ways to check upholstery for odors or pests from photos. If those don't scare you off, auctions are a practical way to furnish a home with better pieces for less.

How can you tell quality furniture from photos?

Ask for more photos of anything you can't see, or go to the preview. These are the details that separate quality from looks, and most of them show up in a good photo of the back, the inside of a drawer and the underside.

• Solid wood vs veneer vs particleboard: check the edges, the back panel and drawer bottoms
• Dovetail joints on drawers, rather than staples and glue
• Drawers that slide, doors that close and legs that don't wobble
• Water rings, burns, lifting veneer and missing hardware
• Upholstery stains, tears, sagging cushions and any odor notes in the description
• Every part of a set: leaves for a table, rails for a bed, shelves for a cabinet

What does auction furniture really cost?

Add every cost before you bid. Example: a dining table closes at $150. A 15% buyer's premium makes it $172.50, and 8.25% sales tax brings it to $186.73. A rented truck and a helper might add another $60, so your real cost is about $247.

That can still beat new by a wide margin, but it changes which lots make sense. A $40 side table is a great buy if it rides home in your car, and a poor one if it needs its own truck trip. On Auktia, all-in pricing shows the current bid, buyer's fee (buyer's premium), tax and any shipping together while you bid. Pickup items (lots) show their distance from you.

Which furniture is worth buying at auction?

Hard pieces with simple construction are the safest buys: you can judge them from photos, clean them easily and refinish them if needed. Upholstered and particleboard pieces carry more risk for less reward.

• Solid-wood dressers, chests and nightstands
• Dining tables and chair sets, checked for wobble and every leaf
• Bookcases, desks and filing cabinets from office closeouts
• Patio furniture bought in the off-season
• Mid-century and antique pieces, if you've checked recent sold prices

How do you get auction furniture home?

Most furniture is pickup only. The sale page lists the address, pickup times and the remove-by date, so check that you can be there before you bid. Measure doorways, stairs and your vehicle, and remember that heavy pieces like armoires, china cabinets and pianos may need more than two people.

Some sales ship, either at a price on each lot or as one combined amount added to your invoice after the sale. For pickup, see what to bring to an auction pickup: moving blankets, straps, a dolly and the tools to take off legs and doors.

What mistakes do people make buying furniture at auction?

Each of these can turn a $150 bargain into a frustrating weekend, and all of them are avoidable with five minutes of checking.

• Not measuring the room, the doorway or the vehicle
• Forgetting the table leaves, bed rails or hardware listed in the description
• Buying upholstered pieces without checking for odors, stains or pests
• Missing the remove-by date and forfeiting the piece
• Bidding on a set without confirming every piece is included in the lot