Auctioneers who publish their prices charge $700 to $1,100 to run an auction at your home (October 2026). Your agent often runs the auction or books the auctioneer, so the fee may already be in what your agent charges. Check your agency agreement (the contract you sign with your agent) for an auctioneer's fee, and ask if it isn't listed.

Fees have been rising. Two of those auctioneers raised their prices in 2024 and 2025, so lower figures you see elsewhere may be out of date.

And the auctioneer is only one cost of an auction. Advertising, your agent's commission and the sale documents your state requires add to the bill, and some of these are payable even if the property doesn't sell.

Treat the prices on this page as a guide only.

How much do auctioneers charge?

Auctioneers' published fees for an on-site auction, held at your property, run from $700 in Melbourne to $1,100 in Adelaide (October 2026). One Adelaide auctioneer charges $550, half its on-site fee, for an in-room auction (held away from the property, such as in an auction room) or an online one.

Its in-room price needs a booking of at least three auctions, so it suits an agent with several sales to book. Its online price can rise depending on where the online auction is held.

The table covers Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. If you're selling in Queensland, WA, Tasmania, the ACT or the NT, ask two or three auctioneers, or your agent, for a written price.

Some auctioneers take bookings directly from sellers, including people selling without an agent. Ask them to put the price for your date and type of auction in writing.

Why do some websites quote lower prices?

Many figures online are several years old, and auctioneers' prices have risen since. One Adelaide auctioneer charged $595 in 2022, then $880 including GST by September 2024 and $1,100 by December 2024. A Sydney auctioneer went from $770 to $880 in 2025.

Do auctioneers take a percentage?

Auctioneers' published prices for home auctions are a flat fee per auction, not a percentage of your sale price.

Your agent's commission is separate. You negotiate it with the agent, and it can be a fixed fee, a percentage of the sale price or both. Our guide to real estate agent fees and commission explains how it's charged.

Is the auctioneer's fee included in the agent's commission?

It can be. Your agent may run, or "call", the auction themselves, or book an auctioneer.

If they call it, there may be no separate fee. If they book one, the fee may be passed on to you as an expense.

In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and WA, the agreement must show what you'll pay. Each state has its own name for the agreement:

• NSW: the agent can ask you to pay an auctioneer's fee only if it's set out in the agency agreement, according to NSW Fair Trading.
• Victoria: the sales authority sets out the commission and marketing expenses, with GST shown separately. Every expense you agree to pay must be recorded in it.
• Queensland: the agent's appointment form lists any other fees and charges, with the amount and when each is payable.
• SA: the sales agency agreement must list the agent's services, all fees and charges, and any services charged separately.
• WA: the written authority to auction sets out the agent's services, fees and charges.

In Victoria, auctions are usually run by an agent acting as auctioneer, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria. In SA, the agent normally organises the auctioneer for the seller, says the SA Government.

If your agreement doesn't mention an auctioneer, ask the agent who'll call the auction and who pays them.

What does it cost to sell a house at auction?

As well as any auctioneer's fee, you can expect to pay for advertising, your agent's commission and the contract and disclosure documents your state requires. Selling through an online bidding platform can add a platform fee. Our guide to the cost of selling a house covers the rest of the bill.

If you're selling at auction in Queensland, timing matters too. The Queensland Government says the seller disclosure statement and prescribed certificates must be given or made available to an auction buyer before the hammer falls.

If they aren't, the buyer may be able to end the contract at any time up to settlement, the day ownership passes to the buyer. Some sales are exempt.

Does it cost more to sell at auction?

It can, says WA's Consumer Protection, once you add the cost of holding and coordinating the auction, its advertising, the auctioneer's fees and any chairs or marquee you hire.

What do you pay if your property doesn't sell at auction?

You may still pay for the advertising and the auctioneer. When bidding doesn't reach your reserve price (the lowest price you've told the agent you'll accept) or another price you're willing to sell at, the property is "passed in".

In Victoria, if it's passed in and not later sold to the highest bidder, you'll generally pay the marketing expenses and the auctioneer's fee but not the agent's commission, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria. Elsewhere, check what your agency agreement says is payable if the property is passed in.

Selling before auction day may not cancel the auctioneer's fee either. Several auctioneers' booking terms (October 2026) charge the full fee once the auction is booked, even if the property sells first or is withdrawn. One Melbourne auctioneer charges it for a cancellation less than 28 days before the date.

Moving the date can cost more too. Under that Melbourne auctioneer's terms, a new date within 21 days of the original adds no fee, but a later date may cost a second full fee.

If your agent booked the auctioneer, ask whether your agreement passes these charges on to you. Terms differ between auctioneers, so get them in writing before the date is booked.

What's the new reserve price rule for Victorian auctions?

In Victoria, your agent now has to make your reserve price public. For residential auctions run by an agent from 16 October 2026, the agent must publish it in the property's advertising at least 7 days before the auction, or the auction can't go ahead.

Your agent asks for your reserve in writing, with their proposed figure and reasons. You then accept their figure or name your own, signing to confirm, or ask them for another proposal. The reserve must be a single dollar amount, without words or symbols such as "from" or "+".

If you formally change the published reserve, up or down, the 7 days start again. You can still accept a bid below it on the day.

A late change can push back the auction date, and the auctioneer's rescheduling terms may then apply. Consumer Affairs Victoria sets out the new rules for agents.

Questions to ask before you sign

Ask each agent you're considering:

• Will you call the auction yourself, or book an auctioneer?
• Is the auctioneer's fee in your commission or charged to me, and does it include GST?
• Do I still pay it if the property sells before the auction, is passed in or the date moves?
• Will the auction be on site, in a room or online, and is there a venue or platform fee?
• Which advertising costs do I pay if the property doesn't sell? In Victoria you can negotiate "no sale, no fee", where you pay no commission or outgoings (expenses such as advertising) unless the agent sells.
• How long does your exclusive period (when only this agent has the right to sell your home) run after the auction? In NSW, a sale during that time may still earn the agent commission, even if you find the buyer. In Victoria, if an exclusive authority names no period, it ends 30 days after the auction.
• In Victoria, when will you publish my reserve, and what happens to the date if I change it?
• Is the person calling the auction authorised to do so in this state?

Put these questions to two or three agents and you'll see what each one's auction will cost you. You can compare local agents on OpenAgent.

More about selling at auction

For how the day runs, see how a property auction works and the role an auctioneer plays. If you're still deciding, our guide to auction or private sale weighs the two.

Where these figures come from

• Auctioneers' fees: we checked about 59 Australian auctioneers, auction rooms, online auction platforms, for-sale-by-owner services and fixed-fee agencies on 19 October 2026. Four auctioneers, in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, published a current fee on their own websites to run a single home auction, and the range comes from those four.
• Older prices: archived copies of auctioneers' own price lists, 2022 to 2025. Estimates in articles weren't used: the ones we found repeated earlier figures, gave no named source, or appeared beside an older range that traces back to earlier figures, including our own.
• Booking terms and the online platform: the businesses' own websites, checked on 19 October 2026.
• Rules: NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Queensland's Office of Fair Trading and the Queensland Government, the SA Government and WA Consumer Protection, checked on 19 October 2026.