How to Catalog a 200-Lot Auction in Under 5 Hours with AI

The Math on Manual Cataloging

If you've ever cataloged an auction by hand, you already know the numbers — even if you've never tracked them.

For a typical 200-lot sale, here's what manual cataloging looks like:

• Photography: 2-3 minutes per item across 200 lots = 7-10 hours
• Description writing: 10-15 minutes per lot (research, type, proof) = 33-50 hours
• Data entry: Lot numbering, categorization, value estimates = 3-4 hours
• Review and corrections: 3-4 hours

Total: 46-64 hours. That's more than a full work week, and most of it is spent writing descriptions.

What Changes with AI

The photography doesn't change — you still need to take good photos. But the description writing, value estimation, and data entry steps collapse from 40+ hours to under 2 hours.

Here's why: instead of researching each item, composing a description, and entering details field by field, you upload your photos and the AI handles all of that in seconds per item. It identifies what's in the photo, writes a catalog-appropriate description, suggests a value range, generates tags, and fills in dimensions and condition notes.

The revised timeline:

• Photography: 7-10 hours (unchanged — this is physical work)
• AI-powered cataloging: 1-2 hours (upload, review, minor edits)
• Catalog assembly: 30-60 minutes (lot ordering, assignments)
• Review: 1-2 hours (spot-check descriptions, adjust values)

Total: 9.5-15 hours. If you subtract the photography time (which you'd do regardless), the desk work drops from 39-54 hours to 2.5-5 hours.

The Full Workflow: Intake to Export

Most articles about AI cataloging stop at "upload photos, get descriptions." That's the easy part. Here's the complete workflow from receiving items to having an export-ready catalog.

Step 1: Receive and Photograph Items

When consigned items arrive, photograph each one. A few tips that actually matter for AI accuracy:

• Shoot on a clean background. A white sheet or plain table. The AI identifies items better when they're not competing with clutter.
• Include multiple angles. Front, back, any marks or labels. The AI reads maker's marks, signatures, and labels if they're visible.
• Capture condition issues. Chips, cracks, stains, missing parts. The AI will note them if it can see them.
• Group related items together when they'll sell as a single lot.

For detailed photo tips, see our photo guide.

Step 2: Bulk Upload with Quick Add

Don't upload items one at a time. Use Quick Add to batch process:

1. Open Quick Add from your dashboard
2. Drag in a folder of photos (or select multiple files)
3. Each set of photos becomes a queued item
4. The AI processes them in the background — titles, descriptions, tags, value estimates

For a 200-lot auction, you can queue everything in 15-20 minutes. The AI processing runs in the background while you do other work.

Step 3: Review and Edit

This is where your expertise matters. The AI does 85-90% of the work, but you know your market better than any model:

• Scan titles — Are they accurate? Do they mention the right maker, period, or material?
• Check value estimates — The AI gives a range. Adjust based on your experience and recent comparable sales.
• Add context the AI can't see — Provenance, exhibition history, "from the estate of..." details that aren't visible in a photo.
• Fix any misidentifications — The AI occasionally confuses similar items (reproduction vs. period, for example). A quick scan catches these.

Most items need zero or minor edits. Budget 30-60 seconds per lot for review.

Step 4: Build Your Catalog

Create a catalog and add your reviewed items:

1. Create a new catalog with your auction date and title
2. Add items — they automatically become lots with sequential numbering
3. Drag and drop to reorder lots in your preferred sequence
4. Assign lot number suffixes (100A, 100B) for grouped items
5. Set reserve prices if applicable

Step 5: Assign Consignors

If you're working with consignors, assign each item to the right consignor with their commission rate. This matters for post-sale settlements — Estimint generates consignor settlement statements automatically after the auction closes.

For more on consignor workflows, see our consignor management guide.

Step 6: Export to Your Platform

Export your completed catalog as a CSV formatted for your auction platform:

• AuctionFlex
• Proxibid
• LiveAuctioneers
• BidWrangler, HiBid, Invaluable

Map your fields, include images, and download. Upload to your platform and your lots are live.

Step 7: Sale Day and Beyond

On auction day, use the clerking module to record bids in real-time. After the sale, close your catalog and Estimint generates buyer invoices and consignor settlements automatically. Track fulfillment — pickups, shipping, delivery confirmation — all from the same interface.

A Real-World Example

Here's what this looks like for a typical estate sale auction:

Monday: Estate items arrive. You spend the day photographing — about 200 items across furniture, decorative arts, jewelry, and household goods. Six hours of photography.

Tuesday morning: Upload all photos via Quick Add. 20 minutes of drag-and-drop. Go get coffee while the AI processes.

Tuesday afternoon: Review AI-generated listings. Most furniture and decorative items are accurate. You tweak a few values, add provenance notes to three items, and correct one misidentified piece of pottery. Two hours of review.

Wednesday morning: Build the catalog. Drag lots into sale order, assign consignors, set reserves on the high-value pieces. Export CSV to Proxibid. One hour.

Total desk time: about 3.5 hours (plus 6 hours of photography). Compare that to the 46-64 hours it would take doing everything manually.

Getting Started

You can test this entire workflow on the free plan — 200 listings, 30 days, no credit card:

1. Sign up and upload a batch of photos
2. Review the AI output against your own descriptions
3. Build a test catalog and try an export

If it saves you even half the time on your next auction, the math speaks for itself.

Start your free trial and catalog your next auction in hours, not days.