About Us

What we do

Since 2017, The Auction Collective has been helping brands, creators, charities, and individuals run their own auctions with confidence and outstanding results.

‍Founded by Tom Best, a former Christie’s auctioneer, and powered by technology from Vir Sarin, formerly eBay’s Global Head of Engineering, we combine the insight of experienced auction professionals with reliable, smart technology, turning every auction into a strategic opportunity for our clients.

Our team brings deep auction expertise across strategy, software, and marketing, and we’ve worked with clients in over 65 countries to deliver both headline-making results and discreet private auctions, including world records for watches, luxury cars, artwork, and experiences.

How we work

Every auction we run is tailored to your specific goals and format. Whether you’re selling artwork from a personal collection, raising funds for a meaningful cause, or launching a unique experience in a private, invite-only event, we adapt our approach to provide the right level of support for your auction and its scale.

Self-Serve with Expert Guidance

Run your auction independently using our intuitive Indy.auction platform while receiving strategic guidance from our team at every stage. We support you through auction setup and design, estimate preparation, and post-auction administration.
Full Auction Management - We create a bespoke support package to cover all aspects of your auction. This can include managing your Indy.auction account, handling bidder registration and enquiries, and providing any additional services needed to ensure a smooth, successful event.

Full Auction Management

We create a bespoke support package to cover all aspects of your auction. This can include managing your Indy.auction account, handling bidder registration and enquiries, and providing any additional services needed to ensure a smooth, successful event.

This approach gives you the flexibility to engage as much or as little as you need, with expert guidance at every stage — from initial planning to post-auction follow-up and reporting.

Our Services

Designed to support everything from benefit auctions and studio sales to brand activations and collector events.

Auction Planning and Design

We work with you to structure your auction, set lot order and descriptions, arrange imagery and refine your auction narrative.

Operational Support

Our team delivers hands-on support for live, timed, and hybrid formats, including auctioneering, lot management, and bidder support.

Compliance and Settlement

We handle bidder verification, compliance checks, and post-auction logistics coordination so you can focus on what matters.

Marketing and Promotion

We offer visibility opportunities through The Auction Collective website, our curated newsletter, and social channels when auctions meet our curation criteria.

Our Clients

We work with clients across sectors, including art institutions, cultural organisations, charities, brands, and individuals.

It’s your auction, not ours.

We aim to be a silent partner empowering you to run your auction, your way. Auctions should reflect your identity, support your mission, and connect bidders to the value you are offering. We work in partnership with you to make sure your auction delivers on those principles whilst simultaneously achieving commercial success.

Powered by

All auctions delivered by The Auction Collective run on Indy.auction, our white-label auction software.

Customise your auction’s look and feel so it matches your brand identity.

Create online auctions quickly with intuitive tools and templates.

Run timed, live, or hybrid auctions.

Maintain ownership of your bidder data and use it to grow your marketing reach.

Make changes at any time without development support.

Explore Indy.auction

Let’s Work Together

If you are planning an auction and want clarity on process, audience, or outcomes, we can help. Contact us to talk through your goals.