Frequently Asked Questions

How to buy at EMPIRE AUCTIONS

If you haven’t been to an auction before, be prepared to enjoy one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of buying rare and beautiful items. If you’ve been to another auction house before, be prepared for a breath of fresh air!

EMPIRE AUCTIONS conducts live auctions every month in Toronto and Montreal. These auctions are offered over a span of a few days and include more than 1,000 lots - a wide range of collectibles and fine household articles.

The auctions are advertised with clients being notified in advance with a colour brochure sent by mail or by email. The notification includes information about the upcoming auction, as well as photos and descriptions of some of the sale highlights. This is a free service. If you would like to receive notification of upcoming auctions, click here. As well, each auction is announced on our website, and in newspaper and radio advertisements.

Each auction is preceded by a public viewing, our “open house”, when clients come in to examine all the items on display. Strolling through the auction gallery can be as simple as visiting a local museum, or can be as thrilling as discovering treasures to make your home and personal life even more special. A catalogue listing all the lots to be sold is available. The catalogue lists all the items in the order that they will be offered, making it easy to follow the auction. Many of the items, specifically art and jewellery are listed with a selling estimate. We have experts and staff ready to answer your questions and advise you.

Bidding in the auction is always fun and exciting. It’s also easy.

If you plan to attend the auction, then you will be able to bid in person. There is ample free parking and comfortable seating. Anyone who wants to bid must register with their name and other information, and will receive a card with a bidding number. There is no charge to attend nor register for the auction. The auctioneer will start offering the lots, in numerical order as listed in the catalogue. In order to bid, one simply raises their hand or their bidding card. When the bidding on a specific lot is finished, the auctioneer will acknowledge the highest bidder number as the successful buyer, and then continue with the next lot. An EMPIRE AUCTIONS staff member will then approach the successful buyer for a deposit or credit card, if prior arrangements for credit have not been arranged.

If one cannot attend the auction to bid on something they admired at the viewing, an absentee or telephone bid can be placed. An absentee bid is a proxy whereby the bidder authorizes the auction house to bid on behalf of the client, up to but not exceeding a specified maximum bid for a specific lot. Some clients still want to make their bidding decisions in real time at the auction, even though they can’t attend in person. In this case, a telephone bid is arranged. The client specifies which lot or lots they want to bid on, and they provide us with a telephone number where they can be reached during the auction. A staff member present at the auction will telephone that client before the item is presented, and they can bid on the telephone.

As well, bids are accepted by fax and through the internet. Items highlighted on this website are available for bidding by following the appropriate links. Bidders are asked to provide contact information so credit can be confirmed before the auction if necessary.

Successful buyers can pay for their purchases in person during or after the auction, and then arrange to pick up their items. Each auction will have a paying and pick-up schedule posted. Our staff will help any buyer with packing or carrying of items, or we can help arrange for professional movers if necessary. Out-of-town shipping or courier services can also be arranged.

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Selling your items at Empire Auctions

It's easy to sell your items in our auctions- we're here to help.

The first step is to determine whether your items are suitable to be sold in auction, and then the values of these items.
We have trained experts and gemmologists ready to help you with your paintings, sculptures, jewellery, watches, antiques, silver, porcelain, rugs, rare coins, rare stamps, memorabilia, sports cards, and all collectibles.

We offer a free service where you can bring your items in for an on-the-spot appraisal. We are open Monday to Thursday 9am to 6pm, and Friday 9am to 5pm. Give us a call to set up an appointment - 416-784-4261.

Are your items too large to bring in, or are you located to far away to come in? Simply send us an email with information about your items, digital images of the items (smaller images are better) and your contact information (name, telephone number and return email address). Within a couple business days, we will evaluate your items and contact you. This is also a free service. toronto@empireauctions.com

In some cases, one of our experts can arrange a visit to your location, to examine your items.
There may be a fee for this service depending on the needs of the situation.

Once your items have been evaluated and determined to be suitable for auction, you can now decide to consign them to one of our upcoming auctions. Since we have catalogued auctions every month, you won't have to wait long. Your items can be included in our next upcoming auction, where they will be sold in a competitive bidding environment. Select items will be advertised in newspapers and on the radio, featured on our website, and in flyers that are are sent to thousands of Empire customers. A reasonable commission is charged for this service. Payment is sent to you seven weeks after the auction.

In some cases and for certain items, where payment is needed sooner, or even immediately, our auction gallery is authorized to purchase your items from you, if you wish.

Empire Auctions has sold important and large estates for many families, exceptional and valuable items for
Canadian federal and provincial governments, private individuals, importers, manufacturers,
charitable organizations and retail stores.

Empire has sold hundreds of thousands of items for tens of thousands of happy and satisfied sellers since 1964.

Be assured of professional, polite, and accurate service!