Auctions furs, removing buttons first (5)
I believe the answer is:
sales
'auctions' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'furs removing buttons first' is the wordplay.
'furs' becomes 'sables' (sable is a kind of fur).
'removing' suggests deleting specific letters.
'buttons first' becomes 'b' (1st letter of 'buttons').
'sables' with 'b' taken away is 'SALES'.
(Other definitions for sales that I've seen before include "commercial exchanges" , "Marketing" , "Periods when shops sell goods at discounted prices, bargain times" , "Cheap offer periods" , "Opportunities to sell" .)