If you plan to sell art at auction, I offer two levels of support: free referral guidance or full-service consignment management. In both cases, the goal is to place each work with the right auction house and terms, with minimal friction for the client.
1) Full-Service Consignment Management (4% of hammer price): I assess best-fit auction houses, negotiate key terms, advise on reserve strategy, and help position work for the most suitable sale format (including themed sales, live versus online format, and timing). I also coordinate practical details such as photography fees, shipping, and handoff. My fee is 4% of hammer price (sale price before buyer's premium and auction-house fees), invoiced after sale proceeds are received.
2) Free Referral Guidance: If you prefer to consign directly, I can assess your artwork and make a no charge recommendation on who to approach. The auction house you decide to consign with can make a big difference in terms of finding the right audience for your piece, and therefore lead to a higher chance of sale, and at a better price. On our call, I can also advise on a reasonable auction house commission fee, timeline for sale, whether it should (or is reasonable to expect it to) be featured online or live, and expectations for additional fees. If you do proceed with that referral, please mention that Stacey Blouin / Blouin Appraisals referred you so the auction house can attribute your file correctly.
Send clear images, dimensions, medium, and any known provenance, purchase history, and condition notes. From this I can estimate likely auction fit and identify which houses are appropriate.
I compare venues, sale category, timing, reserve strategy, seller commissions, photography fees, and settlement terms. For full-management files, I handle negotiation and communications through consignment.
I can coordinate shipping and handoff requirements and make sure paperwork is aligned with the chosen auction house. This is often where delays and avoidable costs happen if the process is unmanaged.
Typical timelines are 3-6 months depending on auction calendar fit and value tier. For full-service management engagements, my fee is 4% of hammer price and is invoiced after sale proceeds are received. Referral-only guidance has no client fee.