Can You Work With an Appraiser or Auction House?

Can You Work With an Appraiser or Auction House?

Last updated: October 2026

Yes. We work with any customer, and that includes appraisers and auction houses.

Antique moves often involve more people than a regular move. An appraiser who needs to see the pieces before anything leaves the house. An auction house that's taking some of them. Family members who are taking others. We're the ones who carry it all to where it's going.

Where we fit in

The appraiser decides what a piece is worth. The auction house decides how to sell it. We move it. Keeping those roles clear makes the whole process easier, because the worst version of an estate move is the one where nobody is sure whether the sideboard in the dining room is going to auction, to a cousin in Naperville, or to the new condo. Clear roles fix that. Fast.

Before the move, let the appraiser finish their work. Once you know what's going where, we can plan the move around it.

Pieces headed in different directions

Estate and antique moves rarely go to one address. Some pieces go to the new home. Some go to family. Some go to auction. We can handle all of it on one move, with as many stops as you need. Multi-stop moves are common for us.

The key is deciding before moving day. Mark each piece by where it's going, with a tag or a strip of colored tape. Give us a list of every address in order. Then the crew can load the truck so each stop comes off cleanly.

When nobody has decided yet

Sometimes the appraisal takes time, or the family needs a few weeks to agree. Our storage service can hold pieces in the meantime. We pick up, store, and deliver when you're ready. Storage is billed monthly, or daily for short stays.

Protecting valuable pieces

Pieces headed to auction need to arrive in the condition they were appraised in. For mirrors and marble, we build custom crates ourselves. Same for glass. Everything else gets padded in moving blankets, which are free during the move.

Every move includes our standard coverage, which is based on weight. For appraised pieces, that won't match their value. You can buy full coverage insurance through us or through your own insurer.

When the house needs clearing too

Antique and estate moves often end with a house that still has things in it. Furniture nobody wants. Boxes from the basement. Our estate cleanout service removes almost all kinds of household junk. Usable items go to local donation centers, and the rest goes to the junk yard.

If you're handling a family member's estate, our guide to moving after a death in the family may help.

Other people we work with

Appraisers and auction houses aren't the only ones. We work with realtors, home stagers, renovators, and all kinds of other household service providers. Read do you work with home stagers and other service providers.

Working with appraisers and auction houses is part of our antique furniture moving service, one of our moving services.

Call (773) 275-4100 or email info@wcmoving.com, and tell us where each piece is going.