Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this activity cover?
It covers operating an auction hall: receiving and cataloguing lots, presenting them to bidders in the room and online, running the sale, and settling the proceeds.
What kinds of goods can be auctioned?
Art and collectibles, vehicles and machinery, household estates, and surplus or seized goods can all be sold through an auction hall.
How does an auction hall earn?
It earns a commission on the hammer price, typically from both buyer and seller, for bringing them together and selling each lot.
Can the auction run online?
Yes. Bidding can take place in the room and through online platforms. Running the sale across both is part of this activity.
Is this the same as selling goods at a fixed price?
No. Selling at a fixed price as a retailer or wholesaler is a separate activity. This activity sells goods by auction to the highest bidder.
How to Start an Auction Hall Business with Meydan Free Zone
Picture a room of bidders, a lot on the block, and a hammer ready to fall. From art and cars to machinery and household estates, all kinds of goods change hands at auction, sold to whoever bids highest. An auction hall is the venue and the operator that makes it happen, in the room and increasingly online.
Auctions move billions in goods every year, and the venues that run them are a growing business. The global auction house market is forecast to grow from USD 38.73 billion in 2026 to USD 60.87 billion by 2035, according to Business Research Insights1.
The scale of activity is striking: the global art and antiques market alone saw 40.5 million transactions in 2024, up 3 percent, according to The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report2.
For an auction hall, that is a steady stream of lots and bidders: every sale earns a commission on the hammer price.
Auction halls sell all kinds of goods to the highest bidder, in the room and online, earning a commission on each sale. The market is growing as bidding moves digital. The headline number is the size of the global auction house market.
Sources: Business Research Insights (2026); Art Basel & UBS (2025).
Picture an auction house in the run-up to a sale. A specialist catalogues the incoming lots and sets estimates. A marketing team publishes the catalogue and takes online registrations. On sale day, an auctioneer works the room and the live online feed, and the hammer falls lot after lot. A settlements clerk collects payment and pays the sellers their share.
The house earns a commission from buyer and seller, so the work is a steady cycle of consigning, cataloguing, and selling. In a market moving online, the auction halls that win are the ones that draw the most bidders and the best prices.
Whether it is a painting, a classic car, or an estate of household goods, an auction hall brings buyers and sellers together and sells each lot to the highest bidder.
Who is this for?
- Auction houses and halls: Businesses running auctions of goods for UAE sellers and bidders.
- Live and online auctioneers: Operators selling lots in the room and through online bidding.
- Specialist and general salerooms: Firms cataloguing and auctioning a wide range of goods.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to operate an auction hall business as bidding moves online and global participation in auctions keeps rising.
Dubai Trade License from AED 12,500
Get Your License4540.92 - Auction Hall
Under this activity, your business is licensed to operate an auction hall, conducting auctions of goods and selling lots to the highest bidder on a commission basis.
An auction hall operates the venue and the process through which goods are sold to the highest bidder. The work spans receiving and cataloguing lots, presenting them to bidders in the room and online, running the sale, and settling the proceeds, typically for a commission on the hammer price.
The lots are mixed: art and collectibles, vehicles and machinery, household estates, and surplus or seized goods. It is a commission business: the auction house is paid to bring buyers and sellers together and to achieve the best price for each lot.
Business Activities List
Explore Over 2,500+| Lots | Sale | Channels | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed inventory across general goods, with sellers consigning under standard terms and reserves where appropriate. | Sale days on a published calendar, with the auctioneer working through the room lot by lot to a hammer fall. | A live floor and a synchronised online feed, with phone and absentee bids fed in through the rostrum. | A seller's commission off the hammer and a buyer's premium on top, with payment held until settlement clears. |
| AUCTION MARKET | MARKET FORECAST | MARKET GROWTH | ART TRANSACTIONS |
| Global auction house market was USD 38.73 billion in 20261. | Global auction house market forecast to reach USD 60.87 billion by 20351. | Global auction house market growing at 5.2 percent a year to 20351. | Global art and antiques market saw 40.5 million transactions in 20242. |
The activity is specifically for selling goods by auction. Selling goods at a fixed price as a retailer or wholesaler, rather than to the highest bidder, falls under a separate activity, as does buying and owning the goods to trade them as a principal.
The line is precise. If your business runs auctions and sells lots to the highest bidder on a commission basis, you are in. If you sell at a fixed price as a retailer or wholesaler, or trade the goods as a principal, a different activity applies.
Third-Party Approval: No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance: This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
Citations
1 Business Research Insights. Auction House Market Report. Business Research Insights, 2026.
2 Art Basel & UBS. Global Art Market Report 2025. Art Basel and UBS, 2025.
