There are three easy steps to selling items with Olympia Auctions:
Fill in an online form, visit us or ask for a home visit. We then give you an estimate.
We examine your item and do further research. We confirm or revise the estimate and advise on next steps.
We include your object in a specialist sale, marketed to an international audience.
The quickest route to getting a free valuation is to use the form below.
All valuations are free of charge, with no obligation to sell your item with us.
You can send us images and details using the form on this page. You can make an in-person appointment to visit our London saleroom. Alternatively, you can arrange a video call or request a house visit.
The quickest way to get a free valuation is to fill in the form on this page.
Send us images and any information using the form on this page. Our specialist team will review the images and give you an initial estimate.
If you then decide to bring or send the item to us, we will confirm or adjust our estimate based on our examination of the item.
If you do wish to send us something for valuation, we would be happy to advise you on the practicalities of transporting works to London.
When you bring something to us for a valuation, we examine your item, discuss any information you have about the object, provide an estimate and talk you through the auction process.
Watch an in-person valuation at Olympia Auctions
You can make an appointment to visit our specialists between 10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday. You are also welcome to drop-in without an appointment every Tuesday and Thursday, from 10am – 5pm.
Our address is Olympia Auctions, 25 Blythe Road, London, W14 0PD. Find us on What 3 Words.
To arrange a video call with one of our specialists, email enquiries@olympiaauctions.com with the following details:
Email Tania Forte if you would like to arrange a house visit to get something valued: tania.forte@olympiaauctions.com
If you decide to bring or send something to us for sale, we will give you a receipt with an initial estimate and a brief description. We will then do further, in-depth research to confirm the estimate, and we’ll give you a detailed description of your item. Once we have signed the paperwork with you, we will photograph your item ready for auction.
We have regular specialist auctions, and we’ll need to have your items at least six weeks ahead of the sale date to allow time for research, cataloguing and photography.
We will confirm the exact date that your item will be auctioned when you leave it with us for sale.
Some auctions are timed and are therefore open to bids over several days.
Our commission for selling an item at auction is a standard 15% but this may be reduced for higher value lots, collections or repeat business. This charge is only payable if an item sells at auction.
We add an insurance charge for loss or damage of 1%.
There is also a charge, at cost, for photography to illustrate your item in our full-colour printed catalogues and on our website. These photos are designed to both inform and inspire buyers.
In some cases, we might recommend a fee for additional research but we will always talk to you about this before incurring any costs. This research may include material examination, paint testing, X-ray fluorescence, thermoluminescence and microcrystalline or metallurgical analysis.
We will talk you through and set out in a Sale Agreement all estimates, reserves and sale fees or charges in advance of the auction.
See the full terms and conditions for selling with Olympia Auctions. We will be happy to help if you have questions about any of our terms and conditions of business.
No, we do not operate a lotting fee.
We do not have a minimum lot value.
We apply our world-class expertise to antiques worth £100 upwards, but you can list an item for less than £100. We sell artworks with starting prices of £50.
You set the reserve price. This is the price below which you don’t want to sell. Reserve prices are set at or lower than the lowest estimate. We recommend that all lots carry a reserve price.
Details of your items will reach people all over the world through at least four online auction sites, a printed catalogue, targeted marketing and press promotion, e-mails and social media campaigns. Buyers may also be alerted via in-person views and attending events at our London saleroom.
Among the regular online auction websites we use are the-saleroom, Invaluable, Drouot and our own bidding platform Olympia Live. We also use other specialist platforms such as 51BidLive and LiveAuctioneers for suitable sales.
Using our extensive international network, we inform specialist interest groups and collectors. Our experts also spend time talking to potential buyers, either on the phone or at our private and public views, events and exhibitions.
In addition, your item will be included in a fully illustrated catalogue both online and in print. We are one of very few auction houses that still believes in the value of printed catalogues.
We will let you know the results soon after the auction has ended. You are also welcome to come and watch in-person auctions or log-in to observe those online.
We also publish sale results on our website.
Payments are made 35 days after the sale, subject to our receiving full, cleared funds for the lots sold. The charges for commission, insurance, photography and any testing, as detailed above, are deducted before payment.
Yes, our experienced team offer valuations on individual items, house contents valuations and a collection management service for insurance purposes.
Yes, our experienced team offer valuations, house contents valuations and a collection management service for probate purposes.
Yes, we provide valuations of art, antiques, jewellery and other possessions for the purposes of family division.
Yes, we provide valuations of art, antiques, jewellery and other possessions for tax purposes. We can also help with offers in lieu of tax (the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme), tax-free sales to public bodies, and conditional exemption of your objects from inheritance tax.
Yes, we provide valuations and we can also help with heritage planning opportunities for your works of art, including offers in lieu of tax (the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme), tax-free sales to public bodies, conditional exemption of your objects from inheritance tax, and the Cultural Gifts Scheme.
Email antonia.grace@olympiaauctions.com if you would like to discuss holding a fundraising valuation day or similar event for your charity.
Call +44 (0)20 7806 5541 or drop-in and visit us in person every Tuesday and Thursday, from 10am – 5pm at 25 Blythe Road, London, W14 0PD. Find us on What 3 Words.