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Going once, going twice…you might not hear that familiar auction call from the comfort of your couch, but online auctions can be just as thrilling as the in-person ones. Read our primer on scoring vintage and antiques via online auction
From the noisy, packed halls of the old-school auction house has emerged a digital auction option for the modern age.
There’s the same thrill of competition and reward of acquiring a vintage treasure, but you can do it all from the convenience of your laptop or phone.
Enter the world of online auctions.
Part nostalgia, part strategic treasure hunt, online auctions are buzzing digital marketplaces that offer collectors a surprising array of vintage and antique relics — often for a fraction of the prices at antique stores or online retailers.
If you’re searching to inject some retro charm into your home, source a rare piece for your collection, or acquire antique inventory for your resale business, the hunting, the bidding, and the eventual win of participating in an online auction cannot be undersold.
It’s a type of fun that rivals any bricks-and-mortar shopping spree. And warning: It can be addictive!
Despite the ease of online purchasing, it’s important to approach the auction game with a bit of strategy to help ensure success.
Traditional, in-person auctions start low and climb up as bids increase. The rapid-fire pace of the incoming bids can be thrilling until the back-and-forth reaches a crescendo and the gavel slams to declare a winner.
Most online platforms follow this same ascending model. There’s no gavel, but when that clock runs out, your time is up.
However, sometimes you’ll see reverse auctions online. Reverse auctions flip the script and have the sellers competing for a buyer. The buyer indicates an item they’re seeking and the sellers respond with their offers.
Live sales in general are on the rise on social media, where the seller will show items to buyers in real time and buyers indicate if they’d like to purchase.
Social media–based auctions can either be done through live selling, or in a non-live format, where the seller posts an item and deadline, and then the bidding happens in the comments.
Vintage vendors often host their own auctions via their online platforms. Instagram, Facebook and TikTok pages make for casual, community-driven auctions filled with unique and quirky finds. Buyers bid on the items shown until the seller announces the auction for that item is over.
Be sure to check that you’re dealing with a reputable seller before sending any money or bids (ask around or check for buyer feedback).
If you’re a buyer who’s reached the end of your hunt, found an item, and are ready to bid, prepare thyself for the emotional rollercoaster to come.
You might have placed a generous max bid, but now you anxiously watch the timer tick down and there’s no telling if someone might still swoop in at the last second with a snipe.
Or not. Perhaps you’ll win big and score that item for a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere. Or maybe you’ll be locked in at the top of your budget. Either way, a win is a win in the thrilling, confusing and potentially disappointing world of online auctions.
The original auction site with global reach and plenty of vintage finds (but beware of reproductions and fakes, particularly because eBay does not cater specifically or exclusively to vintage and antique sellers).
Commonly used for online estate sales, MaxSold is great for finding vintage and antique furniture and housewares.
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A popular site for local auctioneers, searchable by geography. Many auctions will even ship internationally (indicated on the main page of each auction) so feel free to search by item if there’s something special you have been hunting for.
Dedicated to high-end collectibles such as art, jewellery and antiques, LiveAuctioneers is for buyers who know what they want and are willing to pay a little extra to snag a quality item without wading through pages of less interest.
Independent vendors are taking to their own websites to host auctions. It’s a great way to discover curated finds, and often an easier way to connect with local sellers to be able to retrieve items without needing to ship.
If you come across an online auction site, before jumping into the game, take a minute to check for descriptions from the host auctioneer, including their location, shipping and return policies.
Check reviews online or their social media. Avoid bidding on any auctions that request payment off-platform. You should see some trust signals, like what credit cards they take on the platform, an FAQ page, or instructions on how to buy and pay.
Not sure? It’s okay to ask questions. Most online auction platforms feature a “contact” option or list emails and phone numbers to ensure that you’re working with a credible seller.
Also check if you’ll be eligible to pay in your preferred currency or have the credit card transaction convert for you, and that you are eligible to receive shipping to your desired address.
Reserve price: This is the number the seller has set as the minimum price they’ll accept for an item.
Although bids might come in under this reserve price at the beginning, at the auction close, the item will only go to the highest bidder if their bid is higher than the set reserve.
If the bids don’t reach the reserve, then the item is considered not sold and is retained by the seller.
Buyer’s premium: The number can vary, but most auctioneers will add an administrative fee of between five and 20 per cent to all winning purchases.
Snipe bidding: A big part of the excitement of online auctions happens in the last few minutes. The bidding picks up and buyers compete vigorously to outbid one another before the clock runs out.
Some platforms have a feature that extends the bidding time by an extra few seconds or minutes each time a snipe sneaks in.
Proxy bidding: If online auctions seem more stressful than exciting, a proxy bid is the way to go. A set-it-and-forget-it approach, proxy bids work by using the highest bid that you set ahead of time to keep you in the game.
For example, if you set a proxy bid of $50, every time someone bids on an item the system will automatically increase the bid for you in incremental amounts, until it reaches your pre-set price.
Live bidding: Being part of the action is a huge appeal of online auctions for some bidders. Live bidding involves actively monitoring the lots that pique your interest and bidding up until you win.
Before you bid, look closely at photos and read the descriptions. You can message the seller for more details about condition or dimensions. This is especially the case with social media auctions, where they'll likely reply to anything you leave in the comments on an item.
With any platform, know that, as fun as they are, auctions are also serious business. If you win an item, you’re required to pay.
It can be easy to get swept away in the frantic rush of auctions, particularly as they garner more interest and the clock ticks down to closing.
Consider your price ceiling before you get too invested, and remember that even if you lose out, you’ll always find a new treasure so long as you keep looking.
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Krista Montelpare is a freelance writer based in Nova Scotia and the founder of vintage shop Cellary.
