Changing Overnight
Online luxury sales had been ramping up for some time, as consumers became more comfortable with buying used items online, and auction houses and other resellers explored strategies beyond the traditional high-touch model of live sales. 

Once the shutdown became a several-month-long reality, luxury resellers discovered to their genuine surprise that people were more willing to spend than ever. “Buyer behavior has changed dramatically, overnight,” says Rosenblatt. “We’ve seen 10 years of digital adoption over the last 10 months.”

That’s in large part because these companies have refined their understanding of what can and will sell without an in-person viewing.

“A lot of it is truly click, then buy,” says Ervin. “Part of that is what we choose to put online—we won’t put something that’s high value and needs a lot of research. We tend to offer signed pieces, so you know the brand name and might know the design already.”

Stocking Stuffers
At Christie’s, wealthy buyers can bid online for an Hermès “Himalaya” crocodile Birkin bag made with white gold and diamond hardware, estimated between $200,000 and $250,000, or (and?) a 18 karat pink-gold Patek Philippe chronograph watch manufactured in 1950, which has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. 

At Sotheby’s, someone with a holiday budget of about a quarter-million dollars can bid in its online jewelry sale on a diamond ring with a 5-carat cushion-cut diamond flanked by .8 carats of heart-shaped diamonds on a platinum band; the ring carries an estimate of $150,000 to $200,000.

Alternately, if someone has lost out on the “Himalaya” Birkin at Christie’s, they can take a crack at the same, slightly smaller version of the bag—this one from 2010—which is offered at Sotheby’s for $260,000 to $300,000 in a sale that closes a day later. 

1stDibs goes even higher.

A wealthy person looking for a pick-me-up might find encouragement in a $2.35 million, 35.31 carat yellow diamond necklace surrounded by another 47 carats of multi-shape diamonds. They can have it shipped express for an extra $100, according to the site.

For a holiday surprise, they can buy a $365,000 Victorian fire screen filled with taxidermied hummingbirds. (Disclosure: sales tax will run you more than $32,000.)