The preview is the inspection window before an auction during which prospective bidders can examine lots in person. Preview hours might run from a few hours the morning of the sale to a full week before the auction, depending on the format and venue.
Preview is essential for fairness — it gives bidders the chance to evaluate condition, provenance, and authenticity before committing money. For online auctions, the preview is often replaced (or supplemented) by detailed photos, condition reports, and video walkthroughs. Bidders who skip preview should expect to pay “as-is” premiums for the convenience.
Major auction-house previews are events in themselves. Sotheby’s and Christie’s host multi-day exhibitions of upcoming sales, often free to the public. The exhibitions function as informal catalog reveals, marketing events, and pre-sale relationship-building with serious collectors. For smaller auction operations, the preview is typically held at the auction venue starting an hour or two before the sale begins. Either way, the preview serves the same legal function: giving bidders a meaningful opportunity to inspect what they’re committing to buy.