Frequently Asked Questions

Black Dog Auctions is a Dublin, Georgia auction house run by licensed auctioneer Jeff Kidd (GAL AU003898). We have been conducting live and on-site auctions for Middle Georgia since 2012, and we also run on-site estate sales, online auctions with proxy bidding, auction consignment, estate liquidation, and private sales.

We are based at 1807 Jarondon Dr, Dublin, GA 31021 and serve Dublin, Laurens County, and Middle Georgia. Our online auction platform serves bidders and consignors nationwide.

Full estates and everything in them: furniture, tools and shop equipment, antiques, collectibles, artwork, jewelry, sterling silver, coins, vehicles and outdoor equipment, household goods, and one-of-a-kind finds.

Call Jeff Kidd at (478) 279-2817, email contact@blackdogauctions.com, or use our Contact page to submit a message with up to five photos. We respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.

Create a free account, add a credit or debit card for bidding authorization, browse the available lots, and place your maximum bid on any item. Our proxy bidding system automatically bids on your behalf up to your maximum.

Set the maximum amount you are willing to pay. The system places the lowest possible bid to keep you in the lead, only going higher when you are outbid — up to your maximum. You never pay more than necessary.

Bid increments are based on the current price: $0–$99.99 uses $5 increments, $100–$499.99 uses $10, $500–$999.99 uses $25, $1,000–$4,999.99 uses $50, and $5,000 and above uses $100 increments.

If a bid is placed in the final minutes of a lot, the end time extends automatically by a few minutes. This ensures all bidders have a fair chance to respond and prevents last-second sniping. Soft-close can trigger multiple times.

Most lots are offered with a confidential reserve — a minimum price agreed with the consignor, below which the lot will not be sold. We do not disclose reserve amounts, or which lots carry one, before, during, or after an auction. Bid the maximum the lot is worth to you; our proxy system will never bid above your maximum. If a lot closes below its reserve, its page will say the reserve was not met and no sale is formed. The consignor then has a limited window — typically 24 hours — to accept the high bid. If they accept, the sale is formed at that moment. Your saved card is charged after the auction closes if your order is under our auto-charge threshold; orders at or above it receive an invoice to pay by bank transfer or wire. Lots you win in the same auction are combined into one order. Full details are in Section 3 of our Terms of Service.

Every lot is catalogued and photographed by us before it is listed, with a description and condition notes. Items are sold as-is, so read the description, look at every photo, and ask us before bidding if you have a question about a lot.

You will receive an email, SMS, and in-app notification. An invoice is generated with the full breakdown — winning bid, the 15% buyer's premium, Georgia sales tax, shipping if applicable, and the processing fee (3%, discounted when you pay by bank). Once the sale is formed — when the consignor accepts your bid, or the decision window ends — your saved card is charged automatically after the auction closes if your order is under our auto-charge threshold; orders at or above it receive an invoice to pay by bank transfer or wire. Lots you win in the same auction are combined into one order. You can also pay manually from the checkout page.

Certificates can be generated for selected auction items, providing documented provenance, authentication details, and item descriptions for your records, insurance, or resale purposes.

Stripe ACH bank debit, ACH bank transfer and wire transfer are accepted on any order, whatever it is worth. Credit and debit cards are accepted only on orders under our auto-charge threshold — at or above it, cards are not accepted. Zelle is offered on direct purchases only, never on an auction win. The exact options shown at checkout also depend on the seller's settings.

Yes — a 3% processing fee applies to all orders. Pay by bank and the fee is discounted to reflect the lower cost of bank payments: 0.8% capped at $5 for ACH, a flat $15 for wire, and no fee at all for Zelle on a direct purchase. The fee and any bank payment discount appear as their own lines at checkout and on your receipt.

Zelle is available on direct purchases. You send the payment yourself from your banking app, to the address shown at checkout, with the reference we give you in the memo. Zelle doesn't notify us automatically — there is no merchant integration for it — so after sending, record the payment at checkout with its confirmation number. We match it against our account and your order updates once confirmed, usually the same business day.

Yes. Send what your daily limit allows and record each payment as you go. Your order stays open and shows how much has been received and how much is left, so you can finish over several days. Nothing is released until the full amount has arrived.

Saving a credit or debit card authorizes us to collect payment when you win an auction. This protects sellers by ensuring winning bidders can fulfill their commitments. Winning orders under our auto-charge threshold are charged to that card; orders at or above it are invoiced to pay by bank transfer or wire instead. You can update or remove your saved cards at any time from your Profile page.

Once the sale is formed — when the consignor accepts the high bid, or the decision window ends — your saved card is charged automatically about an hour after every lot in that auction has been decided, if your order is under our auto-charge threshold. Orders at or above it are invoiced to pay by bank transfer or wire, and are never charged to a card. If the consignor is still deciding other lots, your charge waits for them, and everything you win in the sale is collected once, on a single order. Your invoice page shows when the charge is due. You can pay manually at any point before then if you prefer.

The system retries up to 3 times. If all attempts fail, you will be notified by email and SMS to complete payment manually. Items left unpaid may be relisted or offered to the next highest bidder.

Yes. A 15% buyer's premium is added to the hammer price on our auctions. The premium is always displayed on the auction and lot pages before you place a bid.

Georgia sales tax (8%) is added to purchases unless you hold a valid resale or exemption certificate. Send us your certificate before the auction closes and we will apply it to your account.

Pickup is Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM, at 1807 Jarondon Drive, Dublin, GA 31021, once your order is paid. Bring help and a suitable vehicle for large pieces — the buyer is responsible for loading. Select "Local Pickup" at checkout.

Shipping can be arranged within 100 miles of Dublin, GA. Fees vary by item, distance, and the care it needs, and are quoted after the sale. Contact us before bidding on large items if you will need delivery.

Where carrier shipping is offered on a lot, rates are calculated at checkout based on the item size, weight, and your delivery address, with tracking provided once it ships.

Shipping insurance is available and recommended for high-value items. The cost is based on the declared value and covers loss or damage during transit.

No. Delivery is offered within 100 miles of Dublin, GA, and carrier shipping where available is within the United States only.

We accept furniture, tools and equipment, antiques, collectibles, vintage pieces, art, sterling silver, coins, jewelry, vehicles, and other quality items from estates, downsizing households, and private collections — from a single piece to a whole house.

No. There are no upfront fees or hidden charges. We only earn a commission when your item successfully sells at auction.

Submit your items with photos for evaluation, or call us for a walkthrough. If accepted, we handle photography, cataloging, marketing, and auction placement. The process from submission to auction day typically takes 2–4 weeks.

Yes. You can agree on a reserve price with us so your item does not sell below a minimum you are comfortable with. Reserve amounts are confidential and are never shown to bidders. If a lot closes below its reserve, you have a limited window — typically 24 hours — to accept the high bid; if you decline or the window passes, the item is returned to you at no cost.

Drop items off at 1807 Jarondon Drive, Dublin, GA by appointment, or ask us about pickup within our service area. All items are fully insured while in our possession.

Payment is issued within 10–14 business days after the auction concludes and the buyer has completed payment.

If a consigned item does not meet its reserve, you have a limited window — typically 24 hours from close — to accept the high bid. Accepting forms the sale immediately; the bidder is charged about an hour after you have decided every lot in that auction, on one order with any other lots they win in it — there is no separate confirmation step. Accepting a few lots on its own collects nothing: no bidder is charged while any of their lots is still awaiting your decision. Otherwise you can relist it at a lower reserve, consign it for a future auction, or have it returned to you at no charge.

An estate auction is a sale of personal property — furniture, tools, vehicles, collectibles, art, jewelry, and more — typically from a deceased person's estate, a downsizing, or a trust liquidation. Items are sold individually to the highest bidder, either live on site or online.

Contact us for a free consultation. We visit the property, then evaluate, catalog, photograph, market, and auction the contents on your behalf — on site, online, or both.

Yes. We manage the entire process from initial evaluation through final settlement — cataloging, photography, marketing, live and timed auctions, buyer communication, pickup days, and post-sale administration, including clearing what is left.

Dublin, Laurens County, and Middle Georgia. For items outside the area, our online auctions accept consignments that can be delivered to Dublin.

Items are sold at auction to the highest bidder. We set appropriate starting bids and, when agreed upon, reserve prices based on current market values, comparable sales, and more than a decade of selling estates in Middle Georgia.

Our live auctions are held on site, and many are streamed so you can watch and bid from anywhere. Timed online auctions run on this website around the clock until each lot closes.

Private sales are select items available for immediate purchase at a fixed price — no bidding required. Browse estate finds including furniture, collectibles, art, silver, and more.

Create an account, browse the Private Sales section, and click "Buy Now" on any item you wish to purchase. Payment is made at checkout by bank debit, bank transfer, wire or Zelle at any amount, or by credit or debit card for purchases under our auto-charge threshold.

Prices listed on private sale items are fixed. For inquiries about specific pieces or to discuss pricing on high-value items, contact us directly.

Returns are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact us within 48 hours of receiving your item if there are any issues with authenticity or condition discrepancies from the listing description.