A lot is the one thing on this site where both sides know the value is uncertain. Pricing it well means being precise about which parts are not.
For a seller
Price the visible contents, and let the possibility of more do its work in the bidding. A low start on a well-shown lot almost always finishes higher than a high start on a lot nobody can assess.
What raises it:
- How much of it you have actually been through, said plainly
- A count and a real weight
- A theme — one household, one era, one subject
- Anything visibly good, shown
For a buyer
Decide what the visible contents are worth to you and bid that. People who bid on what might be in a lot lose money on average; people who bid on what is in it do not.
Why two similar lots differ
One is laid out on a table with a count. The other is a photograph of a closed box. Describing a lot honestly.
Sorting is the most profitable hour
"Forty assorted kitchen items" and "forty pieces of one dinner service" can be the same box. The second is worth more, and the difference is an hour of your time.
What must come out before pricing
Anything restricted — wildlife products, antiquities, weapons, anything needing a licence — and anything personal. "It came in the lot" is not an exception. Prohibited items.
Questions people ask
Should I value a lot item by item?
Only if you have been through it item by item. Otherwise price the lot.
Is an unopened box worth more?
To some buyers, yes — the unknown has a market. Describe it as unopened and give its weight.
What if something valuable turns up afterwards?
It went with the lot. That is the deal both sides made.
More: pricing estate lots, buying them.