Finding out what things are worth

How to sell antiques and inherited items in the UK

By the Sortwell team · Updated 9 November 2026 · 6 min read

A small English saleroom before a sale, with boxes of china on trestle tables, a longcase clock and framed pictures, each lot tagged with a paper label.

Short answer: Good pieces usually do best at a specialist or regional auction, with seller's commission of 15% to 22.5% at the salerooms we checked. Dealers are quicker but pay less. Selling online on eBay or Vinted suits small, easily posted things. Check for ivory before you list anything, because selling it without an exemption is a criminal offence. Most inherited items won't trigger Capital Gains Tax.

On this page

Your options compared
Selling at auction
Selling to a dealer
Selling online
Ivory: check before you sell
Do you pay tax when you sell inherited items?
Getting the proceeds right
Common questions

There's no single best place to sell. It depends on what you've got, how much effort you can spare and how quickly the house has to be cleared. If you're selling on behalf of an estate, first check that the executor can sell yet and that everything has been valued.

Your options compared

Route	Best for	Typical cost	Speed
Regional auction house	Most antiques, silver, jewellery, art	Commission plus small fees	Weeks to a couple of months
Specialist auction	Rare or high-value pieces in a particular field	Commission, sometimes negotiable	Often months
Dealer	Convenience, fair prices for good pieces	None directly, but they need to resell at a profit	Same day
eBay or similar	Small collectables you can post	Selling fees, postage and your time	Days to weeks
Local listings and Facebook Marketplace	Furniture and bulky things	Usually free, plus your time	Days to weeks
House clearance firm	What's left over	They charge you, or give a small credit	Same week

Selling at auction

An auction gets several buyers competing, which matters when you don't know what something's really worth. The cost comes as seller's commission taken from the hammer price, and sometimes extra fees on top.

Published commission rates at UK salerooms we looked at in November 2026 included:

Saleroom	Published seller's commission
Lymington Auctions	15%
Wotton Auction Rooms	15%, plus 1.5% loss and warranty and a £3.50 lotting fee
Catherine Southon Auctioneers	17.5% plus VAT, plus £10 plus VAT per lot for photography
1818 Auctioneers	22.5% including VAT

Before you commit, ask each saleroom for the following in writing:

The commission, and whether VAT is included
Any lotting, photography, insurance or unsold-lot fees
The estimate and the reserve, which is the lowest price you'll accept
When the sale is, and how long after it you'll be paid
What happens to things that don't sell

A reserve protects you from a bad day, but if you set it too high the thing won't sell and you may still pay a fee. Put low-value items together in one lot. Some salerooms have a minimum commission per lot, which can eat up everything on a £20 item.

If a good piece turns up, ask whether it'd do better in a specialist sale. Asian ceramics, clocks, books and jewellery all have buyers who go to sales devoted to their subject. For silver, the hallmarks will tell you the maker and year, which is what a specialist will ask first.

Selling to a dealer

Dealers pay on the day and take things away. They have to make a margin, so expect well below retail. Get offers from more than one, and know what you're selling before you ask, because a dealer isn't obliged to tell you it's better than you think.

Never sell to someone who knocks on the door, and be careful with "we buy anything" visits to an empty house.

Selling online

Online selling works best for small things that are easy to describe and post, such as vinyl, camera lenses, costume jewellery and collectable china. Furniture does better on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree, where buyers collect it.

Show everything clearly, including the flaws, and describe it honestly. Use "sold" prices to set yours. Bear in mind that you can spend a whole weekend making £40, so keep this option for items where the sums are worth your time.

Ivory: check before you sell

If a piece contains elephant ivory, or ivory from certain other species listed in the law, you must not sell it, offer it for sale or advertise it without an exemption under the Ivory Act 2018. The maximum penalty is a fine of £250,000 or up to 5 years in prison.

Older houses often hold more of it than you'd think. Look at piano keys, tea caddies, brush sets, knife handles, boxes, miniatures and inlay.

Exemption	Conditions	Cost
Musical instruments	Made before 1975, less than 20% ivory by volume	£20 to register
Items with a little ivory	Made before 3 March 1947, less than 10% ivory by volume, all of it integral	£20 to register
Portrait miniatures	Must meet the portrait miniature criteria	£20 to register
Selling to a qualifying museum	Must meet the museum criteria	£20 to register
Outstanding items	Made before 1918 and of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historic value	£250 to apply

You don't need an exemption to keep an ivory item, give it away, lend it for free, or leave it to someone in a will. Selling or hiring it out is what triggers the rules. GOV.UK has an eligibility checker, and an exemption certificate can take about 3 months. If you're registering on someone else's behalf, you'll need the owner's permission, so an executor should keep the paperwork.

Other species and materials have their own rules, particularly turtle shell, rhino horn and certain tropical woods. If you're unsure, ask the auction house before listing.

Do you pay tax when you sell inherited items?

Inheritance Tax is paid by the estate on the value at death. You don't normally pay it again for selling something you inherited.

Capital Gains Tax applies only if you make a gain when you sell, which is the difference between the sale price and the value when you inherited it. That's usually the probate value. In practice, most inherited possessions won't trigger any tax, for two reasons:

Personal possessions sold for £6,000 or less are normally exempt. Sets sold to the same person can count as one item.
Individuals have a £3,000 tax-free allowance for gains each year.

If the executor sells something during the administration of the estate, the estate may be responsible for any tax instead of you. Selling for much more than the probate figure can also raise questions about the original valuation. An accountant can help if the sums are large.

Getting the proceeds right

If you're selling as an executor, keep the money separate and accounted for. Pay it into the estate account, and keep the sale statement showing the hammer price, fees and date. If you're selling on behalf of several people in the family, agree the split in writing before the sale rather than after it.

Common questions

What is the best way to sell antiques in the UK?

For anything good, a regional or specialist auction usually gets the fairest price because several buyers compete. Dealers are quicker, and online listings work well for small, inexpensive things.

How much do auction houses take?

Published seller's commissions at the UK salerooms we looked at ranged from 15% to 22.5%, and some add lotting, photography or insurance fees. Buyers pay a separate premium on top of the hammer price.

Can you sell antiques with ivory in the UK?

Only if the item has a valid exemption under the Ivory Act 2018. You'll need to register it or get a certificate before offering it for sale, and it's a criminal offence not to.

Do I have to pay tax on selling inherited jewellery?

Usually not. If it sells for £6,000 or less, it's normally exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Above that, you only pay on the gain since you inherited it, and you may be able to use your £3,000 yearly allowance.

Sources

This guide is general information for people in England and Wales. The rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland can differ. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice, and Sortwell isn't a law firm or a valuer. If an estate is complicated or there's a disagreement, talk to a solicitor. Figures were checked on the date above.