# Pre-sale viewing

> The period before an auction when the lots are on public display so that prospective bidders can examine them in person. Viewing times and location are published with the catalogue.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/pre-sale-viewing
- Language: English
- Also known as: Viewing, Pre-sale exhibition, Preview
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/exposition-avant-vente.md

## Definition

The period before an auction when the lots are on public display so that prospective bidders can examine them in person. Viewing times and location are published with the catalogue.

Viewing is when many bidding decisions are made: clients inspect condition, ask for condition reports, leave absentee bids and book phone lines. For small, high-value objects such as coins or jewellery, viewing is often by appointment. Staff should be able to answer questions and register bids on the spot, which is easier when the catalogue, the bids and the client records live in the same system.

## Related terms

- [Condition report](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/condition-report.md): A written description of an object's physical state (damage, restorations, wear, missing parts) prepared by the auction house, usually on request, to help a bidder decide without seeing the object.
- [Catalogue](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/catalogue.md): The publication that presents the lots of a sale in order, with lot numbers, descriptions, images, estimates and the conditions of sale. It exists in print, as a PDF and online, often on several platforms at once.
- [Absentee bid](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/absentee-bid.md): A written instruction left with the auction house before the sale, authorising it to bid on a lot on a client's behalf up to a stated maximum. The auctioneer executes it as cheaply as competing bids and the reserve allow.