# Auctioneer

> The person who conducts the sale from the rostrum: announces each lot, takes bids from the room, the telephones, absentee orders and the internet, and knocks the lot down to the highest bidder.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/auctioneer
- Language: English
- Also known as: Commissaire-priseur (France)
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/commissaire-priseur.md

## Definition

The person who conducts the sale from the rostrum: announces each lot, takes bids from the room, the telephones, absentee orders and the internet, and knocks the lot down to the highest bidder.

In France, commissaire-priseur is a regulated profession. In Switzerland and other countries, the title and the conditions for conducting auctions vary by jurisdiction. Whatever the legal framework, the auctioneer controls the pace of the sale, applies the bid increments and the reserve, and settles disputes in the room.

In Selloff, the auctioneer's console shows the current lot and the bids from every channel, and notes for the auctioneer can be recorded on each lot.

## Related features

- [Live auctions & online bidding](https://www.selloff.auction/features/live-auctions.md): Run the room from the auctioneer's console and take live online bids through Selloff Live Auction, with every hammer price recorded in Selloff.

## Related terms

- [Knock-down](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/knock-down.md): The moment the auctioneer brings down the hammer and declares a lot sold to the highest bidder. In most legal systems, the knock-down concludes the contract of sale at the hammer price.
- [Clerk](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/clerk.md): The member of staff who records the sale as it happens: the hammer price and the buyer's paddle number for each lot, as well as unsold and withdrawn lots. The clerk's record is the basis for invoicing.
- [Auctioneer's book](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/auctioneers-book.md): The printed or on-screen list the auctioneer uses on the rostrum, showing for each lot the absentee bids and telephone bookings. It lets the auctioneer execute written bids fairly and in the right order.
- [Live auction](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/live-auction.md): An auction conducted in real time by an auctioneer, with lots offered one after another and bids taken as they come, in a saleroom, online or both.