Today was our pickup day for auctionable items. (Nothing has been auctioned yet.) Mike, the crew manager and his team were absolutely great to work with! Very thorough, very efficient! read more

Mike and his crew picked up this morning. a very efficient and friendly process. I highly recommend them!

I just participated in my first auction here. There were about 5-6 things that I was interested in bidding on, and I ended up with one, so bidding was competitive. Fair, but competitive. As with any auction, if you're able to preview the items, DO IT! Here's my beef with Pete's... I'm 90% sure that the item I won was NOT in fact what they advertised it to be. Not even close. And pretty obviously so after seeing it in person when I went to pick it up. Needless to say, I didn't preview. Yes, it's my fault, but I would think purveyors of these kinds of goods would know the difference between a vintage item and an obvious repro. If they're in doubt, they should say so. I will participate again, but I will definitely be more careful and/or preview. Otherwise, the online bidding system worked fine and they were nice and helpful when I arrived to pick up my item. read more

Pete loves to do "winner takes choice", or high bid takes choice. This is a game for "LOSERS"!!! Why? Well, first of all, you aren't really even bidding on what you want. Well, maybe you are, but the person bidding against you is bidding on something different, and you think they may want what you want. So, you are really bidding against what some other person may value some other item at, and that could be more than your item. But, you do not know this. You just want to buy the item, but to do so, you have to bid ... 1) Not even knowing what the person bidding against you is actually bidding on. 2) You have no idea what they will pay, but you are still bidding against them for what you want, but they don't. 3) Pete knows this, and laughs all the way to the bank. This may be the stupidest con game in the world. You may be bidding against someone that you have no idea what they are bidding on, or what the value is of that item. In other words, you do not have a clue what you are doing and might as well be bidding on a sealed box. This is actually pretty hysterical when you think about it. Would you walk into a furniture store to buy a lamp, and bid for "highest paying buyer winning position", knowing that you are bidding against a guy that could care less about your lamp, but he is bidding on the "winning position" to buy a sofa? And he will pay more for the sofa than for the lamp, but you do not know this. You think that he might want your lamp. This "game" is a disaster. For fools. You aren't even bidding on what you want. You are bidding against what other people may be thinking or wanting, and the fact that they are even here, playing such a stupid game, indicates that NOBODY IS THINKING. They just want something, and are willing to be stupid to get it. LOL. "Winning bidder takes choice" is a game for losers. Pete knows this, and treats people this way. Like they are stupid. Pete's a good 'ole boy curmudgeon, but he's not real nice. And it runs in the family. LOL! read more

I highly do not recommend this place of business I went there and the auctioneers daughter who works there was bidding on items increasing the prices and the the auctioneer had no problem with her bidding. And you definitely get the feeling that they favor their regular customers. Not a very ethical place to do business in my opinion. read more

I've been a loyal customer of Pete's Auction Service for nearly 5 years now. Pete's Auction Service is by far the best auction for high end items on the eastern seaboard! Pete personally managed this business with his family and they welcome all. You always feel like family when you're there. Additionally, Pete is hard but very fair. He's honorable and will go the distance to help you with his team of movers and on occasion will remind you if you forgot to pick up an item you purchased. Pete has his auctions mostly on Wednesdays and on occasion Saturdays where he auctions off car, trucks and vintage collectible cars or horse wagons. Regarding the negative post below, I strongly disagree and spoke with Pete about this. That post doesn't accurately describe how Pete managed his business and strongly recommend you don't take it into consideration given most of the posts here are largely laudable. I can't say enough about Pete's Auction Service but I will say he's never ever been involved in any controversial situations. If someone has commented on Yelp or Google reviews that was negative, it has to be someone who either lost an item or has a personal vendetta. I strongly recommend visiting Pete's Auction Service and see for yourself that this is by far the best auction company on the east coast and possibly the USA entirely! read more

See all

One of the most important aspects of an auction house is honesty and I appreciate that Pete's Auction Service runs an honest show. I have even witnessed Pete call out an elderly gentleman who tried to bid up his own consignment. Theft is not tolerated and cameras are positioned to catch any dishonest individuals. They are then asked not to come back. It is a family operation and I know how hard they work. There are also guys to help you load your vehicle, which I find very helpful. Pete has a no nonsense style which I appreciate and allows him to sell a number of items in a day. As a customer who has been attending the auctions for the past several years, I look forward to every sale and never come home empty handed. Always treasures to be found! read more

Pete's auction service is not the way to go for an estate. Communication and follow through do not exist. Watch them inventory and take our own. Get a copy when they leave. Do not leave things off the inventory you will never see a dollar. They also send you a post sale inventory where described things as miscellaneous or boxes very disappointing. So much lost. Don't fooled by these folks if you work with them take a complete inventory and be there for your auction or they will take advantage of the situation. Really sad don't use or you'll regret it. read more

I have been attending these auctions for years ! and hands down this is THE best auction House around ! always a variety of interesting items ... something for everyone. Family owned and operated, and that's how they treat you ... like family ! They have staff on hand to help you load your items and are flexible if you can't take it with you that day. Very professional, knowledgeable and honest. If you've never been to an auction , this is the place to start ! Trust me , you'll be back again and again ! read more

My mother passed away last year and I moved into her home to take care of my disabled brother. I decided to use Pete to help sell some of the items in the house on auction. One of the items that he picked up was the box containing my mother and my father's ashes that we had set aside for memorial in a family cemetery in their home towns. I told him as soon as I noticed the box had been taken off the fireplace mantle that the ashes were in the box and could I please have it back. He said he had already packed it in the truck and I would have to wait to get it back once the truck was unpacked. One of my brothers, Pete, and his helper were present for the discussion about getting the box back. I felt confident that he would return it once the truck was unpacked. I waited several months and received a check for the items that he was able to auction but no box with my parents ashes or any acknowledgment that it was found. When we asked where the box was he was unable to recall any such conversation. Im sure estate sales can be emotional and dealing with grieving families can be tough but you have to wonder what kind of person would be so callous and self absorbed to disregard a request to have the ashes of their parents returned. read more

I have used Pete's as an outlet to sell several of my and my family's items. Some just trinkets and some big ticket items. I have been treated fairly and always been paid promptly with an accounting of each lot sold. Some items were sold in box lots, but this was pointed out as a possibility when I signed the contract. To be fair, I was told beforehand that the items were probably not valuable enough to sell piece by piece. But he took them, and I didn't have to find another way to dispose of them. I went and watched him before I first consigned, and I believe that the way he sells his table items gives the highest return to the consigner. And make no mistake, I am his customer as much as or more than the auction bidder. Without my inventory, the buyer would not have anything to bid on. Overall, I was pleased with my proceeds. Were there things I had hoped would sell for more-yes. Did he get way more for some items than I believed they were worth-also yes. I am not a reselling expert, so I can't judge the market. He put my items in front of interested buyers and that is what made the difference. I will use Pete's Auction Service again when I have more things to sell. read more

Will never bid on anything again with these crooks . I bid on a big ticket item and was the highest bIdder. They kept extending the deadline (twice) for an extra 2 minutes after I had clearly won, and then they sold the item AT A LOWER PRICE to someone else after they accepted my bId and indicated that I was the highest bidder. Totally smells OF a scam. Beware!!!!!!! read more

I love Pete's Auction. It took me quite a while to write this review because I'm worried to let my secret place go. If you are looking for: - furniture - antiques - collectibles - any type of ceramics - guns or knives You have to come to one of their sales. Their sales are generally every other Saturday beginning at 9:30. They have a great email list which sends out alerts. You can get some really amazing items for a song that would cost an arm and a leg closer to D.C. I have seen mid-century modern furniture sell for a tenth of the price it would be at a retail outlet. So here's the rundown: You get there and park anywhere on the grass. The auction is held inside the bid white barn. You will see a ton of people and a ton of cars parked. Often times there is even a police officer directing traffic because this auction is the place to be if you are in Madison on a Saturday. After entering through the door, you smile to the nice ladies on the right selling hot dogs, hamburgers, coffee, and baked goods. You turn to your left towards the sign that says "Register to Bid". All you need is your license which you hand over. They write down your information and ask for your phone number. They hand you a bidder number, and you are ready to go. Pete (the auctioneer) explains the rules of the sale in detail. Pay attention to him and to what is actually being sold. Once he says "Sold," you are the new owner of that item, for better or for worse. That being said, it is a lot of fun going out here. I always get plenty of laughs from the auctioneer, his assistants, and the fellow auction attendees. Enjoy yourself. Get some good deals. VERY IMPORTANT No GPS or Waze will get you to this place correctly. It always thinks that it is on South Seminole Rd instead of North. So what you have to do is be on the lookout after passing the Prince Michel winery on your right going away from DC. After you pass the winery, go three or four more miles, and it will be on your left just after you crest a hill. There are several buildings there which are all blue, and you should see all the parked cars as well as the Special Event road sign. Credit cards- Expect to pay a 2% administrative fee. read more

The best auction house we have ever been to! The only live auction I will attend. They are always fun & interactive. If you want to find great treasures, & have fun doing it, visit Pete's Auction! read more

NOICE. Been looking for an auction house like this near Charlottesville for some time, not sure how we didn't know it was here, seeing as it's been here as long as we have. WTF. Anyway, the most well-known auction houses in Charlottesville are typically quite expensive. But here, you get REALISTIC prices on nearly everything unless there's a bidding war. First off, the address here, good luck. Best thing to do is keep going past Madison, and eventually you'll see the warehouse on the right, you can't miss it. Parking is haphazard and in the grass, but easy. Once you get inside, WELCOME TO GLORY. Pete's is run awesome, unlike most auction houses we've seen. The bulk of furniture and larger items tend to be situated around the outside walls, minus the front one, and then they have typically six large table areas FILLED with everything imaginable. There doesn't seem to be a system to where they start, but furniture tends to go first. Once you're registered, get READY SON. Basically, Pete's runs like this. The bigger items they go through one at a time, but when you get to the tables it's an insane free-for-all essentially. The auctioneer will usually open bids on WHATEVER you want, and people tend to focus on the killer items first. After this phase passes, you'll then hear them say things like "$10 choice", which means you start a bid at that (they can go lower if you wait), and then bid up as other people do. Win, and, well you get to pick WHATEVER you fancy on that table that's not already purchased. Sometimes if they don't get enough interest they'll just say "$5 everything left" and you can just take it all. Prices are highly reasonable overall. Bigger items still nab big prices, but at probably 10% of what you'd see them marked for at antique stores. I wouldn't be surprised if 90% of antique dealers in VA stock their stores with this place, and I'm pretty sure I recognized a few of them. Hands down best auction house in VA, probably the world. Even nuubs can enjoy it and nab nice things for reasonable prices, maybe even ridiculously reasonable prices. read more

This is far and away my favorite auction with guaranteed treasures & exciting atmosphere!

When I lived in Virginia, we loved going to this auction. We won many things from them. Everything we bought was also a good price and if I still lived near there , we would still be going to it. Pete and Jane are were nice and honest people that we got to known over time. read more

Some of the worst people on the planet own this place. I've been here a few times before and it was fine but the last one I went here everyone was just terrible. Yelling at people, slamming doors on them. Yelling at customers. Absolutely disgraceful. Zero excuse. read more