[Rob D.]

It's pretty easy with most of the major auction houses to see what their specialties are by checking the history of their sales online. If you're selling a particular niche of collectible, do a search and see how many times the AH has handled that type of collectible.

One piece of advice I would give is, if time allows, wait until the auction house has an auction. Then, send an email with a few questions about one or two items. Maybe request a larger scan. Call to see how easy it is to reach a live person during the weeks before an auction's end date. Leave a voicemail and see how long it takes for someone to get back to you.

Every auction house will have a great sales pitch ready to give a consignor. What you want to see first-hand is how they treat potential bidders. Because if your calls or emails aren't returned when you make these inquiries, why would you think it will be different when it's your items that are for sale? When an AH takes a week to return a call or email and tries to explain it away by saying that, "It's just been crazy around here," that's a red flag for me. That's when I want them working their hardest and to be at their best -- when it's my items that are on the block.