Cannons Auctions

What Cannons Auctions does

Cannon's Auctions (legal entity Cannon's Online Auctions, LLC) is a family-owned estate auction house founded in 1943 and headquartered at 9125 W. Broad St, Richmond, Virginia. The company specializes in online estate auctions, personal property sales, and estate liquidations, serving individual sellers (estate executors, downsizing seniors, divorcing couples, and debtors) and consumer buyers (collectors, antique enthusiasts, and bargain hunters) across Central Virginia, including Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, Powhatan, and Richmond counties, with recent activity extending to Orange, VA.

The company's core technology is a proprietary online auction platform (bid.cannonsauctions.com) that supports real-time internet bidding alongside in-person attendance, with absentee bid submission and automated maximum-bid representation. Auction events are conducted via three formats: regularly scheduled gallery auctions at the Richmond facility featuring multi-consignor lots (700-800+ lots per event), on-site estate sales conducted at the seller's location, and online-only auctions. A web-based bidder registration system issues Bidder IDs linked to credit card details. Consignments of single items, collections, or entire estates are accepted Tuesday through Friday by appointment.

Cannons Auctions operates a transaction-based revenue model with no subscription or recurring components. The company charges an 18% buyer's premium on the gross sales price of each lot, plus a 3% late payment handling fee (waived for timely cash/check/credit card payment), and a $25 per-vehicle title fee. Sellers pay a competitive commission structure with custom plans tailored to seller goals, though specific seller rates are not publicly disclosed. Marketing is conducted organically through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and specialty online auction platforms. The company maintains professional memberships in the National Auctioneers Association and Virginia Auctioneers Association.

Name

Cannons Auctions

Legal name

Cannon's Online Auctions, LLC

Website

https://cannonsauctions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cannon's Auctions is a family-owned Richmond, Virginia estate auction house founded in 1943 that operates an online bidding platform and on-site estate sales, serving individual estate sellers and consumer buyers of antiques and personal property across Central Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Auction Services

akta.pro primary industry

Bankruptcy, Probate & Estate Property Auctions (BPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Estate auctions
• Online auctions
• Estate liquidations
• Personal property auctions
• Consignment auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Seller Commissions: Competitive commission structure where sellers pay a commission on successful sales. Custom plans tailored to seller goals.
2. Buyer's Premium: 18% buyer's premium added to gross sales price on each lot, generating revenue from buyers.
3. Late Payment Fees: 3% handling fee on gross sales price applied for late payments (waived for timely payments by cash, check, or credit card).
4. Vehicle Title Fees: $25 title fee charged for each vehicle title processed.
5. Estate Liquidation Services: Full-service estate liquidation including downsizing, divorce, debt, and death scenarios. Free consultations with tailored specialty packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cannons Auctions operates an estate auction house offering online, gallery, and on-site auctions of personal property. The company conducts estate liquidations and consignment sales, connecting sellers of estates and personal property with buyers through a proprietary online bidding platform and physical gallery auctions.

Product overview

Cannon's Auctions operates as a traditional auction house offering a unified online bidding platform for estate auctions and liquidations. The core offering consists of Online Estate Auctions (the primary bidding platform), supplemented by Estate Liquidation Services, Consignment Services, Gallery Auctions (scheduled multi-consignor sales), and On-Site Auctions (direct-from-location sales). Additional features include Absentee Bidding for remote participation and a Bidder Registration Platform for buyer onboarding. The company accepts consignments of antiques, collectibles, jewelry, furniture, and general household items, with a focus on Central Virginia. No separate module or add-on structure exists—the services function as a single integrated auction service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Estate Auctions

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• National Auctioneers AssociationminorOthersProfessional membership organization for auctioneers. Member benefits include access to education, technology resources, and industry standards.
• Virginia Auctioneers AssociationminorOthersState-level professional association for auctioneers in Virginia. Supports professionalism and education within the Commonwealth.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Hindman: Multi-city US auction house (formerly Leslie Hindman) with strong estate and fine art categories. Wider portfolio and geographic footprint make it a broad incumbent in the same auction category as Cannons.
• Heritage Auctions: Largest US collectibles auction house with national reach across estate categories including jewelry, antiques, and collectibles. Competes for the same consignors at the high end but operates at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• Bonhams Skinner: Major international auction house with US operations covering estate jewelry, antiques, and fine art. Overlaps with Cannons in estate category but operates globally with much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Brunk Auctions: Asheville, NC-based regional auction house running multi-consignor sales of antiques, fine art, and estate property. Comparable in operating model, online bidding capabilities, and mid-market regional positioning.
• Leland Little Auctions: Regional North Carolina auction house specializing in estate auctions, fine art, and antiques with a hybrid online and gallery model. Highly comparable to Cannons in service mix, target consignor/buyer profile, and regional scope.
• Cowan's Auctions: Cincinnati, OH regional auction house with established online bidding platform and estate/fine art focus. Comparable business model with online + live auction integration serving similar consignor demographics.
• Pook & Pook: Pennsylvania-based regional auction house with strong estate and fine art categories. Operates gallery auctions plus online bidding, similar in customer base and category mix to Cannons.

Emerging players

• LiveAuctioneers: Online auction aggregator that hosts regional auction houses and connects them to a national bidder pool. Cannons-style regional houses face increasing competition for buyer attention through this platform.
• Bidsquare: Online auction aggregator focused on premium estate, fine art, and antiques auctions. Serves as both a competitive channel and potential distribution platform for regional auction houses like Cannons.

Others

• eBay: General online marketplace with an extensive auction-style listings category that competes for estate liquidation consignments and buyer attention. Not a direct peer in fine estate auctions but a structural competitor for lower-end personal property.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CannonsAuctions
• Facebookfacebook.com/CannonsAuctions
• Instagraminstagram.com/cannonsauctions
• Xx.com/CannonsAuctions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cannons-online-auctions-l.l.c

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cannons Auctions