Seller guidance · Art
Sell Art Privately With a Written Net Estimate
Start with the work and its records
Useful first details are the artist, title if known, date, medium, dimensions, edition number if relevant, location, acquisition history and your timing. Explain whether you own the work or act for an estate or other owner. Photographs and supporting records can be requested by email after the text enquiry.
An individual work, a group or a collection may need different sale plans. Confirm whether the office can accept the enquiry and what expertise would be required. Independent condition or authenticity advice may be needed for a meaningful estimate. Material unresolved concerns can prevent a sale; these examples do not establish a buyer.
How Passion Asset Advisory compares art sale routes
The net result rule compares what the seller would receive after the written fee and agreed expenses, alongside timing and risk. No route is assumed to win. Distinguish an auction hammer price from a premium-inclusive result and a private asking price from an evidenced completed sale.
| Route | When to consider it | Costs and limits to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Private placement | Targeted approaches and a negotiated timetable | Agreed advisory fee, diligence and transport costs; no assured buyer or final price |
| Dealer offer | A written purchase offer with defined conditions | Actual cash offer, checks, payment and release terms; the dealer's margin is part of its economics |
| Auction | A suitable sale with credible demand for the work | Reserve, seller fees, expenses, buyer-premium effect, sale calendar and possible no-sale |
Source: Passion Asset Advisory’s editorial route comparison, reviewed 28 September 2026. These are contract checks, not realised returns or confirmed buyer demand.
A private sale need not produce the highest net. An auction may generate strong competition; a dealer offer may meet an owner's timing needs. Compare the available evidence and gaps before the owner chooses the route.
Art sale fees and a worked net example
The published private art sale fee terms, reviewed September 28, 2026, are 10 to 15% of the completed sale price, subject to an accepted engagement and written scope. Confirm the exact rate, payment trigger and approved expenses before work. No completed sale means no success fee; separately approved third-party work may still be payable. Any auction-advisory scope and auction-house charges must be stated separately.
| Assumption | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Assumed completed sale price | Agreed buyer consideration | $100,000 |
| Illustrative agreed rate within the published range | $100,000 × 10% | $10,000 |
| Seller net before other costs and tax | $100,000 − $10,000 | $90,000 |
Source: Passion Asset Advisory calculation using the stated $100,000 sale assumption and 10% rate. Data as of 28 September 2026; published fee terms require an accepted engagement and written scope.
This example assumes the 10% rate is agreed; it is not a promise that every mandate uses that rate. Deduct any approved condition report, legal, insurance, transport, storage and other costs, plus applicable taxes, to arrive at the final seller result. This page does not provide a personal tax calculation.
The example uses only the stated art-sale assumptions. Other asset categories and providers have different fee terms; do not transfer their calculators or rates to this work.
What a seller mandate covers
- Evidence review: ownership and authority, provenance documents, relevant catalogue history and condition concerns.
- Estimate and route: comparable completed results where credible evidence exists, with asking references and evidence gaps identified separately.
- Approved presentation: decide what may be shared, the intended audience, public-listing permission and the owner's minimum acceptable terms.
- Negotiation: manage offers on the seller's side; no sale is accepted without the owner's agreed authority.
- Completion: coordinate specialist legal and payment arrangements, release, insurance and transport under the contract.
This page is not an art inventory listing. Any accepted mandate must identify one represented side, not advice to both buyer and seller. Private outreach can limit publicity but cannot promise permanent anonymity: counterparties and professional providers may need ownership and identity information.
Selling a collection or deciding to wait
A collection may need separate estimates, different routes and staged timing. Review the works' relationships, available demand, storage costs and any owner or estate deadlines. Waiting or selling fewer works can be a valid recommendation; a higher future price is not assured.
Ask whether the office can accept the enquiry and what evidence and timing could be agreed. An initial reply is not a completed valuation or purchase offer. Paid work requires written terms. Read the MANDATE method and the art market evidence and cost guide; neither replaces a work-specific sale estimate.
FAQ
Questions about selling art privately
How do I sell art privately without going to auction?
Passion Asset Advisory’s reference guidance starts with ownership details, the work’s description and available records. Confirm whether a proposed adviser can accept the enquiry before relying on an estimate or private approaches. Any accepted contract should set the represented side, fee, expenses, sharing permissions and acceptance terms. A buyer, price and completion date are not guaranteed.
Should I sell my art at auction or privately?
Compare evidence for the specific work, potential buyer demand, written fees, timing and the risk of no sale. Private placement can limit publicity; an auction may produce competitive bidding. Neither route always gives the highest net result. Review the available comparisons and their limits before deciding.
How do you value a work of art before sale?
Review the artist, period, medium, dimensions, edition, provenance and condition against credible comparable completed results where available. Identify sale dates and whether results include premiums. Asking prices and evidence gaps are disclosed separately. An initial review from documents or photographs is not a substitute for necessary specialist examination.
What published fee terms apply only if an art sale is accepted?
The published private art sale success fee is 10 to 15% of the completed sale price, subject to acceptance and written scope and costs. At an illustrative $100,000 sale and agreed 10% fee, the seller receives $90,000 before other costs and tax. This is arithmetic, not a current offer or promised sale outcome.
Do I pay if the work does not sell?
Under an accepted private-sale engagement, no completed sale means no success fee. Separately approved specialist reports, legal work, storage, transport or other third-party services may still cost money. The mandate should state those obligations, the marketing period and what happens if the owner withdraws or a proposed sale fails.
Art
Compare the routes before you choose.
Compare the work’s evidence, possible sale routes and net amounts before appointing anyone. The published terms do not establish an available service, a valuation or a buyer; any acceptance and responsibilities need written agreement.