Won an Auction Lot in Chicago? Here’s How to Get It Delivered Safely
The hammer falls, the lot is yours, and now you have a problem auction houses will not solve for you: getting a painting, a sculpture, a chandelier, or a dining set from the saleroom to your home intact. Most Chicago auction houses give winning bidders a short pickup window, often just a few days, and after that, storage fees start. Here is how to handle it.
Before You Bid: Have a Plan
Know who is picking up your lot before the auction, not after. Winning bidders who scramble after the sale pay rush fees or, worse, hire whoever answers the phone first. A quick call to a crating and delivery company with the auction date and the lot description is enough to put a plan in place.
How Winning-Bidder Pickup Works
The standard process: we collect your lot from the auction house within the pickup window, transport it to our facility, build a custom crate for it, and then deliver or ship it wherever you need it to go. Fragile items are never moved unprotected further than they have to be.
Why Auction Pieces Need Custom Crating
Auction lots are, by definition, one of a kind: no original packaging, often fragile, sometimes with pre-existing condition issues that need documenting. A blanket and a hope are not a shipping strategy. Each piece gets a crate built for its dimensions, weight, and fragility, with soft packing and corner protection, and condition photos taken before crating so everyone shares the same record.
Local Delivery vs. Interstate Shipping
If you are in the Chicago area, we deliver white-glove: room-of-choice placement, installation or hanging, packaging removed. If the lot is heading out of state, we crate it and coordinate insured shipping to your door. Either way, the crating is the same museum-standard work.
Timing and Storage
Auction houses typically allow only a few days for pickup before storage charges kick in. If your schedule does not line up with the pickup window, we can collect the piece on time and hold it securely at our warehouse until you are ready for delivery.
We handle auction pieces regularly, including ongoing work with Potter & Potter and jobs for Hindman here in Chicago. If you have got a paddle number and a lot you love, call (847) 258-5530 or request a free quote online before the hammer falls, and we will take it from there.
