The auction house must be able to adapt its sales fees to your situation. Everything is negotiable... taking certain parameters into account. The auctioneer incurs unavoidable costs in putting items up for sale (photography, experts, guarantee, digital platform, physical management of objects, exhibition, catalogues, collection of funds, etc.)
In general, the lower the value of a work (less than a thousand euros) and the more isolated it is, the higher the costs. The management of the sale by an auction house to arrive at your "seller's statement" and your full payment, with costs deducted from the hammer price, is important.
Similarly, volume (more than one cubic metre) and weight (more than ten kilograms) are among the parameters that set sales costs at between 15% and 22% excluding VAT.
If you own a work of art whose quality justifies a high estimate and the expected hammer price is high (e.g. 100,000 euros or more), it is normal for you to ask the auction house to adapt the selling fees (sales costs), while at the same time demanding the presence of an expert, a competent auctioneer, a catalogue, a live broadcast sale, a specialised sale, etc
Your contact auctioneer, head of department, clerk or expert, will be able to advise you according to your assets. He or she will also discuss the tax implications of the sale with you.
An auctioneer has a permanent duty to advise. He or she must assess your personal situation and take account of the taxes and charges levied on his or her client before fixing his or her fees.
The concepts of capital gains tax or exemption from capital gains tax, VAT on fees, resale rights or taxes on precious metals must be discussed beforehand if you fall into one or other of these tax categories.
Other important areas to look into are the highly controlled certificates authorising the sale of certain animal species (CITES) and export passports (to be applied for before the sale, depending on the expected thresholds and the type of objects on offer (manuscripts, sculptures, paintings, etc.).
Rest assured, nothing is prohibitive or inaccessible, but everything must be discussed in advance