Buying at our auction

BIDDING

There are several ways to bid at Oriental Art Auctions:

BID LIVE ONLINE

Many clients prefer bidding live online. It’s easy to register with us online and you can watch the auction as it happens and place bids from the comfort of your computer. You can easily register on our website.
After being approved you receive an email. Now you can subscribe for the auctions on our website and make bids or auto bids.
Clients who wish to bid on line through our website during auction should register 24 hours in advance of a sale.

IN THE ROOM 

Simply register at the sale room, or on auction days at the registration and cash desk. You may need to provide identification. Once you have registered you will be handed a bidding number to use in the saleroom. When the bidding begins on your lot raise your number to bid. When the bidding stops the auctioneer will bring down the gavel and read out your number if you have won the lot.

BY ABSENTEE BID

If you are unable to attend the auction we can bid on your behalf. You can leave an absentee bid completing an absentee bid form and either hand it to a member of staff or email it to info@orientalartauctions.com. Please note that our bid department may contact you for further details.

Either way, the amount you enter on the form should be your maximum limit excluding buyer’s premium and applicable VAT. We will bid up to that limit for you, and remember you may end up paying less than your limit, depending on other bidding on the day.

All absentee bids must be received 24 hours in advance of the auction.

BY TELEPHONE

If you would like to bid by telephone, a member of staff will call you from the saleroom on the auction day, just before your lot(s) come up, and will then relay to you the events in the room, and bid on your behalf live at the auction when instructed to do so.

If you would like to bid by telephone please contact our team prior to the auction with your details of the lots you are interested in and your full name, mailing address, telephone number(s) and email.

Once our team have processed your bid request you will receive an email confirmation.

All telephone bids must be received 24 hours in advance of the auction.

Please note that Oriental Art Auctions cannot be held responsible for being unable to contact you by telephone. We advise you to remain in an area where mobile communication has good reception.

VIEWING

VIEWING IN PERSON

All items may be viewed for inspection in person at the sale room. Viewing dates will be published well in advance on the website. You can always make an appointment for viewing outside the viewing days.

VIEWING ONLINE

Our auctions are available to view online. We make very high resolution images available online so you can check the item well online. For further information on a lot you may be able to view a condition report online (see below) or contact info@orientalartauctions.com

ESTIMATES

All lots carry an estimated price range, which indicates our opinion of value. If there is a reserve on the lot then it cannot be sold below that price. Reserves are never higher than the bottom estimate.

CONDITION REPORTS

We highly recommend that potential bidders gather as much information as possible regarding a lot before placing a bid. Oriental Art Auctions provide as much possible information regarding condition and detailed photographs of each object online. If, however, you are unable to view a lot in person you may request a condition report and/or additional images of a lot by email info@orientalartauctions.com

We kindly request that you submit your wish for additional information as early as possible.

CATALOGUE ALTERATIONS

Lot descriptions and estimates are prepared in advance of the auction and may be subject to change.
Any alterations will be published on the alteration sheet and be mentioned by the auctioneer before bidding of the items in question begin.

UNDERSTANDING BUYER’S PREMIUM AND THE FINAL PRICE YOU WILL PAY

All purchases are subject to a buyer’s premium of 30% excluding VAT per lot. When you successfully bid on any lot, the price you pay will be the hammer price (the value you bid at the auction), plus the buyer’s premium.

The premium is subject to VAT at the standard rate, with the exception of lots marked in the catalogue with a hash (#) where VAT applies to both hammer price and buyer’s premium. 

Credit card payments are subject to a 4% surcharge on the final total.

REGISTRATION

Should you wish to bid at auction, you will need to register with Oriental Art Auctions.
You can register on our website. If you are approved, you receive an e-mail.
Now you can subscribe for all of our auctions separately.

Prior to placing bids please be sure to read our Conditions of Sale for Buyers. By submitting a bid (in any form) you are agreeing to these Conditions of Sale.

We kindly ask that all first time bidders to supply a Government issued photo ID (passport/ driving license) and a copy of creditcard details (including CVC-code) 
in order to be able to bid during auction.

You may present these documents in person at our saleroom or, if registering for a telephone, internet or absentee bid, by email.

We may, at our discretion, ask you to provide a bank reference and/or deposit as a condition of allowing you to bid.

PAYMENT

Congratulations on your successful bidding, the next stage is payment.

There are number of ways to pay to make it as easy as possible for you.  We accept cash, credit or debit card or bank transfer.

All items must be paid for before they can be collected.

BANK TRANSFER

Please find details in any email invoice we issue or upon request from our accounts department.

CASH

Cash payments can be made at the accounts desk during or after an auction. Please note that due to money laundering regulations we cannot accept cash payments above € 15,000.

CREDIT OR BANK CARDS

Payment can be made by credit or bank card.  Please note we can accept Visa or MasterCard only, and there will be 4% surcharge

COLLECTION AND SHIPPING

If you attend an auction in person and are successful in your bid, you are free to collect and remove your item there and then once payment has been cleared.

If you are not able to collect in person, Oriental Art Auctions provide in-house packing and shipping possibilities as well as providing quotes for external shippers.

Please contact info@orientalartauctions.com and we will provide you with the various possibilities.

EXPORT OF GOODS

As you may be aware several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, such as rhino horn, ivory, coral and tortoiseshell. If you are interested in bidding on a lot containing these materials and you wish to export please make sure you are familiar with all relevant customs regulations prior to bidding.

It is the buyer’s sole responsibility to obtain any relevant export or import license.

Please be aware that lots marked with the symbol Y may be subject to CITES regulations when exporting outside the EU.

CONDITIONS OF SALE

For further information on buying at Oriental Art Auctions please see our Conditions of Sale.


敬示

诸位尊敬的竞买者,鉴于对拍卖会后不付款者,本拍卖机构希望您在竞买前务必注意以下事项:

拥有中华人民共和国国籍的竟拍者其姓名须与其中华人民共和国居民身份证、中华人民共和国护照上的姓名均一致,否则其不得参与竟拍(以防盗用他人护照)

如已参与竞买,本拍卖机构有权宣布其竟买资格无效。

竟买前务必自己或委托人仔细检查物品的年代和品质。以避免拍卖机构与竞买人之间发生误会。

本拍卖机构已与中华人民共和国多家律师事务所及相关律师已达成共识。

对参与竞拍违约者以及提供假证件、假电话号码、假住址证明必须承担相关的违约责任及各项赔偿费用。包括律师费、诉讼费、仲裁费、公证费、翻译费、差旅费、通讯费等。一定情况下本拍卖机构或委托人将申请限制竞买人入拍卖机构所在地国家的国境,或者出中华人民共和国的国境。

望各位竞拍者一定一定遵守本拍卖机构的规则与约定!!!

感谢各位竞拍者。

Notice to all bidders

As we wish to avoid unpaid bids in our auctions, please note the followingpoints before bidding.

  1. Bidders who haveChinese nationality must register using their name as stated on their Chinese resident’s identity card and Chinese passport, as a condition of participating in any auction. This rule is stipulated to prevent identity theft. If a bidder has entered a bid using a false identity, the company reserves the right to cancel any existing or future bid made by that bidder.
  2. Please carefully inspect and investigate the age and quality of original lots by yourselfor have them inspected by your agents, in order to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding between the company and bidders. 
  3. The company has received legal advice from Chinese law firms, to the effect that anybidders who violaterelevantrules or provide fake identity, phone numbers or proof of address, shall bear all liabilityand relevantcosts, including lawyers’ fees, litigation fees, arbitration fees, notarial fees, translation fees, travel fees and communication fees. In some circumstances,the company or the seller may apply to prevent the bidder from entering the country where the company is based or prevent them from departing from China.

Bidders are required to followthese rules and the company’s terms and conditions.

Thank you for bidding with us.