Guide · 18 June 2026 · 5 min read
How to choose auction management software
A practical buyer's guide for auction houses: the criteria that matter, the questions to ask vendors, and how to plan a migration without disrupting your sale calendar.
Most auction houses do not choose their management software from a blank page. They start with spreadsheets, a word processor for catalogues, an accounting package and the back offices of one or two bidding platforms. That works until the number of lots, sales or staff grows. Then the same information is typed three times, and every sale day ends with an evening of reconciliation.
Choosing auction management software means choosing how the house will work for the next ten years. This guide sets out the criteria that matter, the questions worth asking vendors and the points to plan for a migration. It applies whether you sell fine art, coins, stamps, wine or the contents of estates.
01
Start from your workflow, not from a feature list
Before comparing products, write down how a lot travels through your house today, from the consignor's first call to the payment of the net proceeds. For each step, note who does the work, which documents are produced and where information is re-keyed. Our article From consignment to invoice describes this lifecycle step by step.
Then list the types of sale you run or plan to run: live auctions in the saleroom, hybrid sales with phone and online bidders, timed online auctions, offer sales, fixed-price sales. A system built for only one of these will force workarounds for the others. In Selloff, for example, the sale type (auction, eBay-style timed sale, offers or retail prices) is chosen per sale, and the rest of the chain follows: bids, invoices, statements.
02
The criteria that matter
Consignments and consignors
The system should record each consignment with its own terms: seller's commission, fixed fee per lot, insurance on sold and unsold lots, and any broker or business referrer. It should produce the documents you give consignors (receipt, description list, results list, settlement statement) and keep track of what was sent and when. See consignor management.
Cataloguing
Look at the lot description screen as your specialists will: structured fields for your speciality, categories, tags, images, reference catalogues, estimates and reserves. If you publish in several languages, check how alternative titles and descriptions are handled, and what happens when a lot is re-offered in a later sale. Ask to see the printed output too: a PDF catalogue, or an export your designer can use in InDesign. See lot descriptions.
Bids and sale day
Every channel must end up in one place: absentee bids, telephone bids, room bids and online bids. Check how the software handles bid increments, bidder registration and purchase limits, and what the auctioneer sees on the rostrum. If your procedures require a second person to confirm bids entered by a colleague, check that the software can enforce it rather than rely on habit.
Bidding platforms
If you publish on Drouot, Interenchères, Sixbid, Numisbids, Biddr or Philasearch, the integration is not a detail. Ask how the catalogue goes out, how bids and results come back, and how platform bidders are matched with your existing clients. Our guide to selling on several platforms from one catalogue covers the usual pitfalls. See bid import from platforms.
Invoicing, accounting and VAT
Buyer invoices must combine the hammer price, the buyer's premium, insurance, shipping and the correct VAT. VAT on auctions is complex and varies by country: margin schemes, exports, lots with and without VAT on the same invoice. Do not accept a vague answer. Bring two or three real invoices from your last sale and ask the vendor to reproduce them. Check multi-currency support, payment reminders and the export to your accounting software as well. See VAT & international tax and accounting export.
After the sale
Unsold lots, after-sale offers, collection, shipping and lots coming back from certification all create work. If you ship many parcels, look for shipping slips, a shipping cost matrix and barcode scanning at the packing table.
Client relationship
Buyers and consignors are often the same people. A single client record with purchase history, consignments, bids, emails and documents helps every department. Segmentation and email campaigns built on that history are more useful than a separate marketing tool fed by exports.
03
Hosting, security and data ownership
An auction house's data (clients, consignors, results, maximum bids) is confidential and commercially sensitive. Ask:
- Where are the servers located, and under which jurisdiction?
- Is your data kept separate from other customers' data?
- How often are backups made, and have restores been tested?
- Can you export all your data, in usable formats, at any time and at the end of the contract?
- Who at the vendor can access your data, and how are user roles and permissions managed on your side?
Selloff is delivered as software as a service, with each client's data kept separate. A dedicated server is available when needed. See security, hosting & backups.
04
Questions to ask vendors
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Which auction houses similar to ours use the software, and may we speak to one of them?
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Can you run a demonstration with a sample of our own lots and clients?
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Which modules are included in the price, and what costs extra?
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How are updates delivered, and how often?
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Who provides support, in which languages, and are they reachable on our sale days?
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How do you handle requests for specific developments?
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What does the migration plan look like, and who does the work?
On pricing, compare the total cost rather than the headline price. Per-user fees, per-module fees, per-lot fees and integration costs add up differently depending on your size and your sale calendar.
05
Planning the migration
Migration is usually the part that worries houses most, and the part that deserves the most planning.
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01
Clean the contacts first
Duplicates across your old system, spreadsheets and platform exports are normal. Agree on merging rules before the import, not after. See contact import.
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02
Decide how much history to bring
Past results and lot histories are valuable for estimates and client relations. Open consignments, unpaid invoices and unsettled consignors are essential.
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03
Choose the moment
Switch between two sales, not in the middle of a catalogue. Leave time for a test run of the whole chain on a small sale or a dummy catalogue.
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04
Train by role
Specialists, front desk, accounting and shipping use different parts of the system. Short, role-based sessions work better than one long general training.
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05
Keep the old system readable
for a while, for reference and audit.
06
Making the decision
Shortlist two or three systems and send each vendor the same brief: your workflow, your sale types, your platforms and your accounting software. Ask for a demonstration based on that brief. Score the answers against your own criteria, not against the length of the feature list.
If you would like to see how Selloff handles your workflow, book a demo and bring a real catalogue.
Frequently asked questions
What is auction management software?
Auction management software is the back-office system an auction house uses to run its sales end to end: client records, consignments, cataloguing, bids, invoicing, consignor settlements, payments and shipping. It replaces the mix of spreadsheets, generic CRM and separate accounting tools that many houses start with, and connects to bidding platforms and accounting software.
How long does it take to switch to new auction software?
It depends mainly on the volume and quality of your existing data and on your sale calendar. Most houses plan the switch between two sales: contacts first, then open consignments and lot history, then a first sale on the new system with the vendor's support. Ask each vendor for a written migration plan based on your own data.
Should auction software connect to platforms like Drouot, Interenchères or Sixbid?
If you publish your catalogues on online platforms, yes. Without a connection, staff re-key catalogues and bids by hand, which costs time and causes errors on sale day. Check which platforms are supported, whether bids come back automatically, and how platform bidders are matched with your existing clients.