For auction houses
Catalogue lots faster, settle consignors cleanly, sell the passed lots
Condition reports and consignor settlements are where auction house labour goes. SECND drafts lot copy from photos, keeps consignor terms straight, and gives passed lots a fixed-price second life online.
What breaks first in auction houses
Cataloging is skilled, slow, and constant
Every sale needs fresh lot descriptions and condition notes. The catalogue deadline is the thing that sets the pace of the whole business.
Settlements vary by consignor
Different commission rates, buyer's premium arrangements and expense deductions per consignor make settlement a bespoke calculation each time.
Passed lots go back in the box
A lot that does not meet reserve is dead inventory until the next relevant sale, which might be months away.
How it runs on SECND
The same five steps, every item, whether it sells on the floor or on a marketplace.
- 1
Draft lot copy from photos
Photograph the lot and get a first-pass description, category and condition note to edit rather than write.
- 2
Attach consignor terms
Commission rate, reserve and expense agreements live on the lot from the moment it is received.
- 3
Run the sale
Track hammer prices, buyer records and paid status against the lot record.
- 4
List what passed
Unsold lots become fixed-price listings on eBay, your storefront and other channels instead of waiting for a future sale.
- 5
Settle consignors
Net hammer against commission and expenses per consignor, and produce a statement that reconciles.
What you get
AI-assisted lot cataloging
First-draft descriptions and condition notes from photos, edited by your specialists.
Consignor terms per lot
Rates, reserves and expense agreements stamped onto the lot at intake.
Settlement ledger
Auditable consignor settlements across auction and post-auction sales.
Post-auction fixed-price listings
Passed lots crosslisted to marketplaces and your storefront with automatic delisting.
Buyer and invoice records
Who bought what, at what price, and whether it has been collected.
Multi-sale inventory tracking
Know where every lot physically is across warehouse, saleroom and collection.
Auction Houses: frequently asked questions
Does SECND run the live auction itself?
No. SECND is the inventory, cataloging, consignor and post-sale layer. It handles the lot record, the settlement, and the fixed-price online life of anything that does not sell under the hammer.
Can specialists keep control of catalogue copy?
Yes, and they should. The AI produces a first draft from photos; your specialist edits it. Over time the drafts move toward your catalogue's voice because corrections are learned.
How do passed lots get listed?
They are already catalogued from the sale, so publishing them as fixed-price listings is a bulk action. When one sells online it delists everywhere else automatically.
Can we handle different commission structures?
Terms are set per consignor and stamped onto each lot at intake, so a change to a consignor's future terms never rewrites the settlement on lots already consigned.
Run your auction house on one system
Start on the free plan, connect a marketplace, and see your first item go live. No card required.