Private sale vs auction: the differences

The four differences

Privacy: a Finarta private sale keeps both identities hidden until settlement and publishes nothing; an auction produces a public catalogue and a permanent public result. Fees: Finarta charges 3% on the seller and 3% on the buyer; auctions charge roughly 10–25% seller’s commission plus a 25–40% buyer’s premium. Speed: a private sale is negotiated directly, without a season calendar; an auction sets fixed sale dates weeks or months ahead. Certainty: a private sale is an agreed price with a qualified buyer; an auction can end in a buy-in that becomes part of the work’s public history.

When each route makes sense

An auction can suit purely speculative works, or sellers who want a public price record and can wait for the right season. The private route wins for important works where discretion matters, estates and successions, collection restructuring, and for any seller who does not want a failed public sale attached to the piece.

On a €500,000 work, the average Finarta transaction, the fee difference alone is measured in five figures.

How Finarta runs private sales

Finarta Art Club is a private collectors club founded in Luxembourg in 2015, with a vetted network of 450+ top-tier galleries in 30 countries. Works typically range from €100,000 to several million euros. Membership is €1,000 for twelve months, and members remain anonymous until a transaction is settled.