The most common question first-time consignors ask is also the most reasonable one: if I hand you my coins, cards, or bullion, what do I actually walk away with? This post answers that in full. It walks through every cost that touches a consignment at US Collectibles NE, in the order it applies, and works a real example so you can see your net rather than guess at it.
The figures below reflect our Consignment Agreement, which every consignor signs before anything is cataloged. Read the agreement itself for the binding language; this post is the plain-English version.
The one big cost: commission
Commission is how a consignment auction house makes its money, and it is the main cost you pay. We charge commission on a tiered schedule based on your cumulative settled proceeds, meaning the total you have earned through us over time, not the size of any single sale:
- Standard tier, $0 to $24,999 in cumulative settled proceeds: 20 percent commission, so you keep 80 percent.
- Silver tier, $25,000 to $49,999: 18 percent commission, so you keep 82 percent.
- Gold tier, $50,000 and up: 15 percent commission, so you keep 85 percent.
Two things make this schedule friendlier than it looks. First, tier upgrades are automatic and apply to all your future sales the moment your cumulative proceeds cross a threshold. Second, once you reach a tier, you do not drop back down during the life of your agreement. A consignor who has settled $60,000 with us over time pays 15 percent on everything going forward, not just on the amount above $50,000.
Commission is deducted from the sale proceeds at the moment of sale, so you never receive an invoice. Your statement shows the hammer price, the commission, and your net for every lot.
The cost you do not pay: buyer premium
Auctions add a buyer premium on top of the hammer price. Ours is 10 percent. It is worth being clear about who pays it, because it is a frequent point of confusion.
The buyer premium is paid by the buyer, not by you. It is added to the winning bid at checkout and does not come out of your proceeds. If your lot hammers at $1,000, the buyer pays $1,100 plus any sales tax, and your commission is calculated on the $1,000 hammer, not the $1,100 total. The premium is one of the ways the house is compensated by the buyer side of the transaction rather than the seller side.
The temporary hold: the 10 percent holdback reserve
This is the piece that surprises consignors most, so it is worth explaining carefully. On every settlement we hold back 10 percent for 30 days.
The reason is buyer chargebacks. A buyer can dispute a credit-card charge weeks after an auction closes. If we had already paid you your full proceeds and then had to refund a buyer, we would be chasing you for money you had already received. The holdback absorbs that risk. We withhold 10 percent of your settlement for 30 days from the date of sale, and at the end of that window, if no chargeback or dispute has been raised on the transaction, the held amount is released to you in the next regular weekly payout.
Two points that matter:
- The holdback is a timing delay, not a fee. Absent a dispute, you receive all of it. It is your money, held briefly.
- The holdback does not affect your tier math. Your full settled proceeds count toward the cumulative total that moves you from Standard to Silver to Gold, even the portion temporarily held.
When you get paid
Payouts run on a weekly cycle through Stripe Connect, by direct deposit rather than a mailed check (we do not issue paper checks unless the law requires it). Auctions close Sunday night, and proceeds from a Sunday close are typically available for payout the following Friday, subject to the buyer's payment clearing and the holdback described above. You can watch each stage in the consignor portal; nothing requires action on your end.
Taxes
Two tax points, neither of which is a fee we charge:
- Sales tax is collected from the buyer at checkout in the states where we are required to collect it. It is never deducted from your proceeds.
- Income reporting. We collect an IRS Form W-9 from every consignor at onboarding, before any payment is issued, regardless of how much you expect to sell. If your proceeds reach the current IRS reporting threshold, which is $2,000 for the 2026 tax year, in a calendar year, we issue you a 1099-NEC. Getting the W-9 on file up front means your first payout is never delayed for paperwork. This is reporting, not an extra cost, and it is not tax advice; talk to your own advisor about how a sale affects your return.
The smaller fees
Most consignments involve only the commission above. A few situations carry additional costs, all disclosed before they apply:
- Pickup. For local consignments we can arrange pickup at $0.725 per mile within a 200-mile radius. The pickup fee is waived for consignments estimated at $5,000 or more. Mailing items in avoids this entirely.
- Outbound shipping to buyers. Shipping to the winning buyer is charged to the buyer, not to you. Items selling above $500 ship insured with signature confirmation.
- Storage. The first 30 days in our custody are free. After that, an unsold or unclaimed item accrues a storage fee of $1.00 per day per item until it sells, is returned to you, or is otherwise disposed of. In practice this only comes into play for an item that sits unsold across multiple relistings.
- Returning an unsold item. If you ask for an unsold item back, the return shipping is billed at actual carrier cost.
- Optional photography. Standard cataloging photography is included. If you request professional photography beyond that, the amount is set and disclosed at intake.
- Early withdrawal. You can withdraw an item for free any time before it enters an active auction or store listing. If you withdraw after work has already been done, we may charge for pickup, photography, or storage costs already incurred.
If a lot does not meet its reserve, it does not sell, and there is no commission on a no-sale. Depending on what we agree at intake, an unsold lot can be relisted, repriced, or returned to you at return-shipping cost. The only costs that can attach to an unsold item are the storage and return-shipping fees above, and only in the situations described.
A worked example
Suppose you are a new consignor (Standard tier) and you consign a coin that hammers at $2,000.
- Hammer price: $2,000
- Buyer pays: $2,000 + 10% buyer premium ($200) + any sales tax. The premium and tax are the buyer's cost, not yours.
- Your commission (20% of the $2,000 hammer): $400
- Your gross proceeds: $1,600
- Held back for 30 days (10% of $1,600): $160
- Paid to you on the next weekly cycle: $1,440
- Released after the 30-day holdback window, absent any dispute: $160
- Your total net: $1,600
If that same sale later pushed your lifetime total past $25,000, every future sale would be calculated at the 18 percent Silver rate instead of 20 percent, and past $50,000 at the 15 percent Gold rate.
The bottom line
For most consignors the real cost is one number: the commission, starting at 20 percent and falling as you sell more. The buyer premium is paid by the buyer. Sales tax is paid by the buyer. The holdback is your own money returned after 30 days. The smaller fees apply only in specific situations and are always disclosed first.
The commission is the price of not having to photograph, list, answer buyer questions, collect payment, chase non-payers, handle chargebacks, and ship every item yourself. For most sellers with more than a handful of pieces, that trade is well worth it. If you want a realistic read on what your items are likely to bring and what your net would be, the best next step is a short conversation before you send anything.