Auction format and policies

  • We have limited in-person preview available and instead will be offering preview digitally. If in-person preview is available for the auction you are bidding in, it will be listed on the catalogue page along with an email of someone to contact to coordinate your in-person preview appointment. If you would like to request a digital preview appointment, additional photos, condition reports, or have questions about the auction please contact info@quinnsauction.com.

    Unfortunately, we cannot offer in-person previews or digital previews for our off-site estate auctions. If you have questions about an item please email info@quinnsauction.com and we will try to answer them for you.

  • Our pickup hours are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY:

    Monday – Thursday 10:00AM – 6:00PM

    Friday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM 

    We are not open on the weekends.

    Pickup appointment information and instructions will be included with your auction invoice email.

  • You MUST have an appointment to pick up items.  It is the buyer’s responsibility to make and keep their pick-up appointment or to cancel and make a new one if necessary. Removal dates and times are published when each sale is posted. Please consider the removal dates before bidding.  Below are some tips to make the pick-up process at Quinn’s fast and easy. 

    AFTER THE AUCTION

    • Within a day of the last item being auctioned, invoices are sent out. Your invoice is sent to the email address in your bidder profile. If you are expecting an invoice and don’t see one, check your spam folder.  
      RASMUS BIDDERS Note –  If you do not receive your invoice you should A) check your spam folder; B) check to make sure the auction is closed – Go to www.rasmus.com and on the left hand side under the auction header pics, click the checkbox ‘view only open auctions’, this will bring up all the closed auctions – find the auction you bid in. If it is not listed the auction hasn’t yet been closed. If it is listed there you can access your invoice by clicking the small person icon in the upper right. You will see a link ‘view my orders’ click on the link and you can view and print your invoice from this location.

    • Please READ your invoice. Follow the special instructions for each pick-up process in your invoice. We are continually adapting our pick-up process to provide the best service possible. 

    • In your invoice there will be one large green button. Clicking will take you to the sign up sheet where you can select your pick-up time. If you have limited availability for pick-up, you will want to respond as soon as the invoice arrives to have the best chance at getting your desired time slot. We cannot schedule pick-up appointments for you. 

    • If needed, consider hiring Bungii to pick up your items. https://bungii.com/quinnsauctions/

    BEFORE YOUR REMOVAL 

    • Be prepared with enough manpower, tools and vehicle space to haul all items at your appointment time. There will NOT be staff available to help lift, move or load any items.  

    • Bring the necessary packing materials for your items.  

    WHEN YOU ARRIVE

    • Please follow the directions as outlined on your invoice. 

    • Have a copy of your invoice handy.

    • Weekly auction pickup takes place from the designated pickup door next to the parking lot. We will do our best to have tents set up in the event of inclement weather, but please come prepared to stand in the elements. For all other auctions please check in at the front desk and you will be directed to the appropriate floor.

    • You will be required to load your own vehicle; our staff will NOT be able to assist you.  If needed, you must bring your own help. If you are picking up large pieces of furniture you may be asked to park near a specific door to load.  

    ***If you are picking up items from multiple auctions, please follow the instructions indicated on each of your invoices. ***


    Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any other questions, please email info@quinnsauction.com.

  • Upon payment we can hold your small lots for up to 2 weeks after the date of the auction. Furniture and other large items can be held for a maximum of 7 days from the date of the auction. Items purchased in the weekly and estate sales will not be held.

  • Quinn’s does not offer in-house shipping for most items. The Gallery must receive payment in full before any of your merchandise will be available for removal by a third party shipping company. The Gallery reserves the right to hold merchandise purchased by personal check until the check has cleared the bank.

    Please direct shipping inquiries to shipping@quinnsauction.com and we will send you a list of shipping providers that we recommend.

  • If you are tax exempt you MUST provide a valid tax-exempt EIN number. 

 Consignment

  • Objects hold multitudes of value and we are empathetic to all of the hardships that come along with letting go. You want to pick the right company to help you through that process and Quinn’s has the experience and expertise to do it.

    Quinn’s 30 years in the auction business has given us the advantage of time. Over the past three decades we’ve built our reputation as one of the leading auction houses in the DC area, hired experienced department experts, perfected our photography and cataloging, assessed the markets, and created thousands of connections in the industry. We have built relationships so that our clients receive the best service referrals, including lower moving rates and donation pickup. Embracing the latest technology and industry standards, Quinn’s has evolved to selling online auctions across multiple platforms, which spreads our reach internationally and finds the right buyer for each piece we sell.

    The greatest gift time has given us is the relationships we’ve built with our clients. We are here to support you through transition from start to finish, so whether you have single item or multiple estates to sell, we want to work with you and will always offer a solution.

  • If you have a smaller collection or single item you’d like to consign, we’d be happy to evaluate photos and give you feedback. If we all agree your piece(s) could be a good fit for one of our upcoming auctions, client services will set up a drop-off appointment. Please do not bring items to us without an appointment or during one of our auctions since it is difficult for us to give you and your items the attention they need.

    Email clientservices@quinnsauction.com with photos or to make a weekday appointment. 

  • Here at Quinn’s, we understand that when faced with selling the majority of an estate, your problem is bigger than the items you’re trying to sell. You’re likely going through a major life transition and need some help navigating the process. That’s where we come in- our professionals will help you assess what you have in your home and determine how it should be sold to maximize your profits. In the event that there are also items that need to be donated or disposed of, we can help facilitate that too.

    Downsizing or liquidating an estate is overwhelming both emotionally and logistically, but we will make the process as quick and efficient as possible.

    If you have a large number of items or an entire estate to be evaluated, one of our representatives would be happy to make a house call. Please email to make an appointment with clientservices@quinnsauction.com.

  • If you’d like help transporting your consignments, Quinn’s can pick up any item that you would like to bring to auction. To inquire about prices and scheduling of a pick up please contact us clientservices@quinnsauction.com.

  • If you have an item or items that you are interested in consigning, please contact us at info@quinnsauction.com or through our contact form. In your email please include 1) photos of the item(s) you’re interested in selling. Room shots are ideal when there is a large quantity of items 2) a description and 3) any information you have on provenance that will help us determine value.

    When contacting Quinn’s please provide multiple forms of contact. This will allow your Quinn’s representative to more effectively assist you.

 How to bid

  • All of our auctions take place online, which allows us to extend our customer base worldwide and benefits both consignors and buyers.

    To bid on auction items online, you need to sign up for a buyer account on the auction platform and register by adding a credit card, if you have not already.

    Live online bidding is available for some of our auctions, in which we have dedicated staff members executing all online bids from multiple platforms.

    You can find links to the online catalogs for all of our auctions by visiting the Upcoming Auctions page.

  • Clients are welcome to leave phone or absentee bids and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid. Download and submit our absentee/phone bid form at least 24 hours before the sale to arrange to bid. Once completed, this bid form can emailed to Lori.Taylor@quinnsauction.com. Lori can be reached at 703-532-5632 ext. 555.

    When placing a phone bid, we ask that you provide us with a primary and a back-up phone number to ensure that we can reach you at the appropriate time. You may also leave a “safety bid”. If we cannot reach you on either of the provided phone numbers and we will bid on your behalf up to this “safety bid”.

    We will not charge your purchases to your credit card if you want to pay by cash or check when you pick up. When you place an absentee bid you are making a binding agreement to purchase the item “as is.” Please review the terms and conditions for each auction If you are a successful bidder on any items we will email an invoice to you after the auction. Items need to be picked up promptly.

  • How to Register for an Auction

    Go to the auction page and find the auction you wish to participate in – click on the orange ‘go’ button. This brings you to the auction inventory page – look in the upper right hand corner and click on ‘create an account’ – you will then create your profile for the software – this is a one time registration – after you have created your profile, you can then register for the auction by clicking the ‘click here to register for the auction’ button.
    To verify your SMS (cell phone) go to your bidder profile by clicking on the small person icon in the upper right hand side of the auction inventory page and enter the phone number as 1234567891 with no additional spaces, extra digits or special characters. You will then receive a six digit code via a text message on your phone. Enter the verification code in the verification box.
    During the registration process you will be asked to verify your email. An email with a button to verify your email will be sent.

    Tax Exempt Certificates

    Tax exempt certificates are uploaded in either a pdf or a photo format either during the registration process or if you have already registered for an auction and want to upload a tax exempt certificate after you registered, you can go to the auction inventory page and click on the blue ‘tax exempt’ link on the left hand sidebar. Once the tax exempt certificate is uploaded you can attach it to their future registrations during the registration process.

    Invoices

    Your invoice is sent to the email address in your bidder profile. If you do not see your invoice email in your inbox, please check your spam and junk folders. Also, please note that you can access your invoice by going to the auction page and clicking on the small person icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen under the header. This will bring up a link ‘view my invoices’ – click on the link and you can view and print your invoice from this location.

FAQs

how do i bid?

First please view our ‘How to Bid’ section above. If that is not sufficient, please feel free to our client services team and they will be happy to answer any of your questions.

I believe my item is worth more than you say it is. what are my options?

Do personal research; search the web for auction results at Quinn’s from past auctions or live internet bidding sites to find market comparables. You can also ask a staff member to seek 3rd party council, or ask for or seek out a fair market value appraisal.

How do i know if i will make a certain amount of money from my item(s)?

We do not create the market but reflect it. With that in mind, if choose to sell through Quinns your item(s) will sell objectively for the auction value, rather than emotional value. There are no guarantees at auction, but both you and Quinns benefit from the highest possible sale price.

what is the advantage of selling at auction?

An educated staff evaluates and places your item in the auction it will make you the most money. Auctions will reach an appropriate and diverse buyer base through utilizing multiple platforms, networking with other area sellers, and a large group of regular bidders.

what types of auctions do you have?

Quinns holds weekly auctions, estate auctions, fine & decorative arts auctions, rare books & print auctions, and specialty auctions.

Our weekly auction reaches 150,000+ registered bidders in the greater capital area, far more than any other in this area. Our partner Rasmus, the largest commercial auctioneer in the region, has been online only now for close to 20 years. 

Quinns also offer online estate auctions. These sales are conducted in-home and bidding takes place online.

Our Fine and Decorative Arts auctions include our highest value items. These auctions generally include furniture (especially mid-century modern), china, high-end sterling, paintings and other flat art, Asian art (for which we also hold specialty sales), and glass art. We also market to international buyers, as these are the sales to which they pay the most attention.

Our Book and Print auctions specializes in fine & rare books, maps, autographs & manuscripts & other ephemera.

We also offer various specialty auctions, typically one to two a month. Our specialty sales include: Stamps & Coins, Jewelry & Watches, Dolls, Toys & Trains, Pottery & Porcelain, Military & Firearms, Japanese Art, and many other categories as our clients have items. 

Do you ship?

We no longer ship most items in house. Please direct shipping inquiries to shipping@quinnsauction.com and we will send you a list of shipping providers that we recommend.