A Victorian mahogany chest, a nest of Ercol tables and a run of 1960s teak sideboards can all cross the block in a single morning in Scotland, often for less than a flat-pack equivalent. Furniture auctions in Scotland are held regularly by houses such as Thomson Roddick Callan near Edinburgh, Crombie’s, McTear’s and The Great Western Auctions in Glasgow, Taylors Auction Rooms in Montrose and Lindsay Burns in Perth. Most run combined interiors sales mixing antique and modern furniture, and nearly all let you bid in the room or live online, with free registration and a buyer’s premium added to the hammer price.
To furnish a home with real character, or to hunt a specific maker, the Scottish salerooms are among the best value in the UK. This guide covers who holds these sales, what tends to come up, how the bidding works in person and online, what it costs, and a short checklist for your first visit. For the live schedule, the furniture auctions in Scotland page and the broader furniture auctions hub always show what is currently catalogued.
Where can I find furniture auctions in Scotland?
The quickest route is the Scotland auctions hub on Auction Eagle, which lists upcoming sales across the country as they are published. Furniture turns up most often in “interiors”, “home furnishing” and “antiques and modern” sales rather than in furniture-only auctions, so scan the general catalogues too. The active houses we track in Scotland are:
- Thomson Roddick Callan — Rosewell, by Edinburgh; frequent interiors and home-furnishing sales.
- Crombie’s Auctioneers — Glasgow, Lanarkshire; regular general and household sales.
- McTear’s — Glasgow; known for its Interiors sales alongside specialist departments.
- The Great Western Auctions Ltd — Glasgow; antiques, retro and household furniture.
- Taylors Auction Rooms — Montrose, Angus; general and antiques sales on the east coast.
- B.A. Auction Marts — Westhill, Aberdeenshire; outdoor sales where furniture meets tools and machinery.
- Cheeky Auctions — King Street, Tain, in the Highlands.
- Lindsay Burns & Company — Perth, Perthshire; long-established general and antiques auctioneers.
To see every saleroom in one place, including houses outside Scotland, browse the full list of UK auction houses.
What kind of furniture sells at Scottish auctions?
Two broad camps turn up side by side. The first is traditional antique and country furniture — mahogany and oak chests, dining suites, bookcases, dressers and occasional tables, much of it out of house clearances. The second is 20th-century and mid-century design, where names such as Ercol and Scandinavian-style teak have a strong following. You will also find honest, usable modern furniture: wardrobes, sideboards, upholstered seating and the kind of pieces that fill a first flat affordably.
Scotland’s rural and coastal houses add a flavour of their own. Alongside the parlour pieces come commercial and outdoor lots — shop and salon fittings such as mirror stations and hairdressing seats, garden and smallholding gear, and sometimes machinery. New to clearance-led sales? Our guide to what a house clearance auction is explains where much of this stock comes from and how to read a mixed catalogue.
What typically comes up in these sales?
Catalogue titles from Scottish salerooms give a good sense of the range. A few recurring themes:
Antique and modern furniture
Interiors sales pair period cabinet furniture with retro design and practical household pieces — the “antiques and modern furniture” billing is literal. Ercol furniture is a reliable draw for mid-century buyers, while salon and shop fittings such as mirror stations and hairdressing seats suit anyone fitting out a business on a budget.
Decorative objects and smalls
Furniture rarely sells alone. Expect an assortment of decorative objects and trinket boxes, an early 20th-century fretwork shadow box with locomotive and abbey, and nostalgic oddments such as a Viewmaster and mixed lot — the smalls that dress a room and often sell cheaply. These crossover with the ceramics and porcelain auctions in Scotland and the wider art and paintings auctions in Scotland.
Jewellery, books and collectables
Interiors catalogues routinely fold in a jewellery and collectables section. A Coro sterling silver and rhinestone naval crown sweetheart brooch or three volumes relating to T. E. Lawrence (1934–1938) show how a furniture sale can hand you a genuine collectable. For focused hunting, see the jewellery auctions in Scotland hub and our dedicated Scottish jewellery buyer’s guide.
Tools, trade and outdoor lots
At the outdoor sales the furniture shares a field with working kit: a bandsaw and drill, a welder and diesel tank, a Briggs & Stratton generator, a Lawnflite garden mower, an engine hoist, heavy-duty ramps, a Grey Fergie jack and a land leveller for a compact tractor. If you are kitting out a workshop or croft as well as a home, these mixed sales are worth watching.
What do these sales look like in practice?
Here are three representative Scottish sales to show the format — the Scotland auctions hub always carries the current calendar and dates.
Sales like the Ayr Home Furnishing and Interiors Auction at Thomson Roddick Callan‘s Rosewell centre near Edinburgh are the classic template: antique and modern furniture, a large selection of ceramics, glass and decorative ware, plus pocket and wrist watches and jewellery, run Online & In Person from The Auction Centre, Carnethie Street.
Up on the east coast, sales like the General Sale including Ian Carby oil paintings and Ercol furniture at John Milne Auctioneers in Aberdeen bundle paintings, gold and silver jewellery, quality costume jewellery and mid-century furniture into one well-rounded general sale, again Online & In Person.
In Glasgow, McTear’s Interiors: Past + Present sale brings jewellery, works of art, ceramics and furniture together and, like the others, runs both in the room and live online. You can follow all three on their McTear’s saleroom page and across the wider Scotland listings.
How do I bid — in the room or online?
You have three main ways to bid, and most Scottish houses support all of them:
- In the room: attend the sale, register for a paddle with ID, and bid on the day. Best if you want to inspect pieces first.
- Live online: platforms such as Easy Live Auction and the-saleroom let you watch and bid in real time from home, usually for a small live-bidding surcharge on top of the premium.
- Commission (absentee) and telephone bids: leave a maximum with the house and they bid on your behalf up to that figure, or arrange a phone line for higher-value lots.
Whichever you choose, use the viewing or preview period. Furniture photographs flatteringly; condition, veneer losses, woodworm and marriages of parts are far easier to judge in person, so view where you can or ask the saleroom for a condition report.
How much does it cost? Fees and buyer’s premium
The headline figure is the hammer price — the winning bid. On top you pay a buyer’s premium, a percentage added by the house, which in the UK commonly sits somewhere around 20–28% plus VAT, though rates vary by saleroom, so always check each catalogue’s terms. Online bidding usually adds a few percent more. Factor in VAT on the premium and, for larger pieces, delivery or courier costs, which quickly matter on a wardrobe or dining table. For how the wider market is moving, our UK auction market report is a useful read.
A checklist for your first furniture auction in Scotland
- Register in advance, online or in person, and have ID ready.
- Set a firm maximum per lot and add the premium and VAT before you decide — bid on the all-in cost, not the hammer figure.
- View the furniture or request a condition report; check drawers, joints, veneers and for signs of woodworm.
- Measure your doorways, stairwell and the spot the piece is going — big furniture is cheap to buy and awkward to move.
- Plan collection and transport; most houses give a short removal window and charge storage after it.
- Start small on a low-value lot to learn the room’s rhythm before chasing anything you really want.
Related departments often share the same sale, so it helps to know the collectables auctions in Scotland hub and, if watches catch your eye among the furniture, our UK watches buyer’s guide.
How do I keep track of new sales on Auction Eagle?
Start at the furniture auctions in Scotland page to see what is catalogued now, then follow the Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Perth houses listed above so new sales reach you first. From the Auction Eagle home page you can track every region and category in one place and never miss the sideboard, sofa or mid-century find you have been after.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are furniture auctions held in Scotland?
Furniture comes up regularly at Thomson Roddick Callan near Edinburgh, Crombie's, McTear's and The Great Western Auctions in Glasgow, Taylors Auction Rooms in Montrose, Lindsay Burns in Perth, B.A. Auction Marts in Aberdeenshire and Cheeky Auctions in Tain. The Scotland auctions hub on Auction Eagle lists upcoming sales.
How do I bid at a furniture auction in Scotland?
Register for free with ID, then bid in the room on the day, live online through platforms such as Easy Live Auction or the-saleroom, or by leaving a commission (absentee) or telephone bid. Most Scottish houses offer all of these.
How much is the buyer's premium at Scottish auctions?
On top of the hammer price you pay a buyer's premium, commonly around 20–28% plus VAT, though it varies by saleroom. Online bidding usually adds a few percent more. Always check the individual catalogue's terms before bidding.
What kind of furniture sells at Scottish auctions?
A mix of antique and country furniture — mahogany and oak chests, dressers and dining suites — alongside mid-century design such as Ercol and teak, plus practical modern household pieces and occasional shop or salon fittings.
Can I bid online at Scottish furniture auctions?
Yes. Most Scottish houses run their sales Online & In Person, streaming live bidding through Easy Live Auction or the-saleroom so you can watch and bid in real time from anywhere, usually for a small additional online fee.
Where can I see upcoming furniture auctions in Scotland?
Check the furniture auctions in Scotland page and the Scotland auctions hub on Auction Eagle, which show the live calendar of catalogued sales and let you follow specific auction houses for alerts.
