Bidding & FAQ’s

Buying at auction is like buying wholesale. Most items can be purchased for up to 70% off retail prices. Our trade vendors consign with us as an avenue to liquidate stock quickly.

We also work closely with working artist studios, so effectively the artwork goes direct from the studio to the auction, cutting out the ‘middle man’ or gallery. We even have galleries both nationally and internationally buying from us to then on-sell. So when buying from us at auction, you can be certain that you are getting great value for money!

Our aim is, and has always been, to protect both the artists, to ensure they are correctly remunerated for their work; and our customers, to ensure they are being sold a genuine artwork at a reasonable price.

Here are a few definitions of terms used in artwork descriptions.

“After” refers to piece produced by reproduction or a piece that is in the style of an artist but one that is not produced by that artist.

“Mixed Media” is a combination of various techniques and/or materials used on paper or canvas.

“Limited edition” refers to a piece that is part of a limited series of works produced

An “Original work” is one that is produced by the artist represented

“Decorative” refers to an artwork that is not an original but a form of reproduction of the original.

Note: Any representation or statement by OzBid Auctions in any catalogue, advertisement or brochure as to the authorship, origin, date, age, period, attribution, genuineness, provenance, condition, quality, medium or estimated selling price of any lot is a statement of professional opinion only.

Ozbid Auction Terms & Conditions

1. Auctioneer is Agent for Vendor
OzBid Auctions is agent for the Vendor and is not responsible for any default by the Vendor or the Buyer.

2. Buyers Premium
The Buyer is required to pay to OzBid Auctions a Buyer’s Premium based on a percentage of the hammer price.  This Buyers Premium is 24% including GST.

3. Shipping
Free Shipping does not apply to all lots. Refer to our VIP shipping terms for more information here.

4. Buyers Registration Form
Every bidder shall create a bidding account and register for each auction, thereby agreeing to and accepting the terms and conditions via the online forms.

5. Highest Bidder
Subject to any reserve price, the highest bidder shall be the Buyer. Any dispute will be settled by the Auctioneer at the auctioneer’s discretion. The auctioneer regardless of the fall of the hammer, can use their discretion to reopen the bidding or withdraw the lot from sale.  The decision of the Auctioneer shall be final.

6. Regulation of Bidding

7. Rights of Auctioneer and Vendor
The Auctioneer and the Vendor reserve the following rights which may be exercised by the Auctioneer without giving any reason therefore:
a) To keep secret the existence and amount of the reserve price (if any) of a lot;
b) To bid on behalf of the vendor or any prospective Buyer with or without disclosure;
c) In the event that any lot is not sold at the auction to offer to sell same thereafter by private treaty but otherwise subject to these conditions.

8. Buyer Bids as Principal
Every Buyer shall be deemed to bid as principal unless prior to the auction he discloses to OzBid Auctions that he will be bidding on behalf of the principal and supplies the full name and address of his principal and a copy of a written authority to bid for and on behalf of that principal and such authority is satisfactory.

9. Statements Made by Auctioneer at Rostrum
All conditions, notices, descriptions, statements and other matters in the catalogues and elsewhere concerning a lot are subject to any modifying statements made by the Auctioneer from the rostrum.

10. Catalogue Descriptions
a. Any representation or statement by OzBid Auctions in any catalogue, advertisement or brochure as to the authorship, origin, date, age, period, attribution, genuineness, provenance, condition, quality, or estimated selling price of any lot is a statement of professional opinion only.
All pieces are photographed and catalogued to be as true as possible to the item.
b. Buyers must satisfy themselves as to all matters referred to above (a) by inspection or otherwise prior to the date of the auction.

11. Exclusions of Warranties
a. All Lots are sold “as is” and OzBid Auctions make no representations or warranties other than those implied by Law.

12. Guarantee
a. If:
i. Within seven (7) days of the date of auction OzBid Auctions receives notice in writing from the Buyer including two written expert findings that the item is a Forgery, and
ii. Within seven (7) days of such notice, the Buyer returns the Lot to OzBid Auctions in the same condition as at the date of auction, and
iii. Within a reasonable time thereafter the Buyer satisfies OzBid Auctions that the item is a Forgery and that the Buyer is able to give a good and marketable title of the Lot free of any liens or encumbrances, then OzBid Auctions will set aside the sale and refund the Buyer paid for the Lot.

13. Agreement for Sale and Payment of Purchase
a. The buyer agrees to pay OzBid Auctions the Purchase Price within 48 hours of the auction closing, unless other payment terms have been agreed to by Ozbid Auctions in writing prior to the auction.
Payment shall be made in Australian Dollars either in cash, credit card, or by electronic transfer direct to OzBid Auctions bank account.
b. If other payment terms have not been agreed to prior to the auction and the buyer fails to complete payment in full for their purchase within 48 hours, Ozbid Auctions will take a deposit from the buyer for their purchase to secure their items with the buyer’s credit card on file.

14. Remedies for Non-Payment or Failure to Collect Purchases
a. If a Buyer fails to pay for any purchased Lot, OzBid Auctions shall, without further notice to the Buyer and in it’s absolute discretion without prejudice to any other rights or remedies, and without being bound to give any notice, be entitled to to issue proceedings against the Buyer for damages for breach of contract.

15. Returns and refunds
We encourage you to contact us and ask as many questions needed about a specific item before you purchase. You may also wish to request additional photos. Please feel free to enquire until you are fully satisfied.
We do not accept returns for change of mind.

As with all auctions, the fall of the hammer is final and all lots are ‘sold as is’. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you need to before the auction, so as to satisfy yourself. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more detailed information. OzBid Auctions takes into consideration the Australian Consumer Law. If you feel you are entitled to a refund under this law please contact us.

Ozbid offer a range of shipping options so that no matter where you are in the world, you can enjoy your amazing new artworks!

1. Free Shipping 

Ozbid offer Free shipping for many of our auctions!

When free shipping is offered it applies to Australian Capital cities and surrounding metro areas*

Your artworks will be professionally packaged using bubble wrap, corners, cardboard and black plastic for secure transport.

Ozbid will book in the door to door, sign on delivery courier on your behalf.
Once this booking is made, we will email you the tracking information.

*Excludes Darwin. A custom VIP shipping quote will be attained for you.
*Excludes International deliveries. See below for our affordable international VIP shipping options available.
*Free shipping does not apply to individual artworks with a total value (Hammer price + Buyers Premium) of $5000 or above. A custom VIP shipping quote with insurance options will be attained for you.
*Free shipping does not apply to extra-large artworks over 200cm x 100cm in size. A custom VIP shipping quote with insurance options will be attained for you.
Please contact us for more details and delivery options for the above.

2. Head Office Collections
You are most welcome to collect your artwork from our Sydney head office, located at 2 George Street, Leichhardt Sydney, NSW. By appointment Mon-Fri between 8am-4pm

3. VIP SHIPPING (When free shipping doesn’t apply)

Ozbid offer a flat fee for delivery of artworks to the Australian capital cities and surrounding metropolitan areas (excl. Darwin) under 120 x 90cm as per below:

1 item $25

2 items $40

3 items $60

4 items $80

For artworks larger than 120 x 90cm up to 200 x 100cm below flat fees apply to Australian capital cities and surrounding metropolitan areas (excl. Darwin):

1 item $60

2 items $80

3 items $100

4 items $140

Note: If you live outside of the Australian capital cities and surrounding metropolitan areas, we will attain a custom VIP shipping quote for you.

4. International Deliveries
If you are an international bidder you can rest assured that OzBid Auctions will arrange the appropriate method of shipping your items to you.

In most cases, we will un-stretch the artwork (mostly for Aboriginal artworks or works on canvas) and arrange for an economical quote.
We use FEDEX, UPS, TNT AIR. If your item/s do not require un-stretching, we will securely package the item/s as is. Once the pick-up has been booked with the courier, you will receive an email from us with the online tracking details.

Below is an indication of courier costs for shipping in a tube:

Small tube: around 60cm in length = $80 (this will be up to 2 items bundled)

Medium tube: around 90cm in length = $120 (this will be up to 2 items bundled)

Large tube: around 120cm in length = $180 (this will be up to 2 items bundled)

Extra-large tube: around 150cm in length = $220 (this will be up to 2 items bundled)

If your item can be shipped without un-stretching, we will attain a custom quote including insurance options.

Insurance
If you require your artwork shipped with insurance, please contact us for detailed transport insurance options.

Most artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity. If this is the case, it will be clearly noted in the lot description in the catalogue. All certificates/photos/documentation supplied to us by the vendor are passed on to the purchaser.

Throughout the process of acquiring and consigning art – from reputable galleries, artists directly or private owners – we are committed to ensuring all of the work we sell is authentic.

All artworks sold at our auctions are backed by a guarantee of authenticity, and it is our firm understanding at the time of sale that what we are selling is true to the value of the work. If any issues of artist authenticity arise, Ozbid take all queries seriously and act on them immediately.

It is standard practice across all auction houses to add a commission fee to the sale price of every item known as a Buyer’s Premium (BP).

The Buyer’s Premium is 24% including GST on the hammer price. For example, if an item is sold for (hammers at) $100.00 with a 24% BP, the final cost to the purchaser will be 100 + 24% = $124.00 (Including GST).
Please note GST is considered inclusive in the hammer price.

We accept Mastercard, Visa and AMEX with no surcharge.

At the completion of the auction an invoice will be emailed to you notifying you of artworks won. This email will contain instructions on how to pay your invoice online.

Payment for purchases must be completed within 48 hours of the auction ending, after which time your credit card on file will be charged and an email confirmation will be sent to you.

Alternatively, if you would like to pay via bank transfer, please email stating that you have done a bank transfer.

Forms of payment include: Cash, Bank transfer, Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX) and PayPal.

The Artists’ Resale Royalty Scheme is Government Legislation and started on 9 June 2010. Under the scheme: commercial resales of artworks for $1,000 or more must be reported; and a 5% royalty is payable on some resales.

The Australian government appointed Copyright Agency to manage the scheme. Key features of the scheme: it applies to resales of existing as well as new works; it applies to a range of original artworks, included limited edition prints authorised by the artist; a royalty is not payable on resales for under $1,000.

Ozbid adhere to the standards of the Australian Resale Royalty Scheme were applicable.

Ensure you can Connect!
• Download the most recent version of your internet browser. We highly recommend using Google Chrome.

• Update your operating system if needed (Windows or Mac) with the latest version.

• Ensure your Internet connection is stable.

• If you experience technical issues during the auction, try “refreshing” your browser to re-sync connection. Please be aware, there is (approximately) a 2-3 second lag with the video stream. However, the auction interface is updated instantly, so keep an eye on the “Bid Amount”.

• You can access the live video broadcast on all Internet connected computers, iOS and Android devices (phones and tablets).

In our auctions many works are sold unreserved and sold to the highest bidder on the day!

Some items will have a reserve on them. If these items do not meet their reserve, they will be passed in (not sold during the auction). If an item is passed in, it is open to offers/negotiation and it’s reserve will be disclosed upon request.

Bidding in a Timed Auction is fun and easy. After registering your details on our website, you will have access to place your bids via the online auction catalogue.

You can place your maximum bid and the system will bid incrementally on your behalf against other bidders.

If you are ‘outbid’ you will immediately be notified via email. This will give you the best opportunity to increase your maximum bid to win the lot!

Note: If you place a bid within the last 5 minutes of the auction end time, this lot will be extended for a further 5 minutes, to fairly allow other bidders to return and increase their bid if they wish.

At the conclusion of a Timed Auction, all winning bidders will be notified via email. We can then arrange fast door-to-door delivery to you, anywhere in the world!

You will first need to sign up if you don’t already have an Ozbid bidding account (which online takes only around 30 seconds to do) or sign in if you do and then simply click ‘Register to bid’ via the auction catalogue for this auction.

You can then place your absentee bids online prior to the live online auction commencing or bid in real-time via our live video broadcast!

When the auction begins live online, you will be able to watch, bid and be part of the auction action, just like being in the auction room but from the comfort of your own home.

Placing your bids live online is really fun and easy – All you have to do is click the “Bid now” button located on the top of the live video broadcast page, which updates automatically in real time.

You can watch and bid from your computer, tablet or smart phone – Just make sure to check the minimum system requirements of your computer (for more information please see “What internet connection and system requirements do I need?”)

All items are consigned to us from ethical and reputable galleries, dealers, artists or private vendors. All artworks and items consigned are personally checked by our specialist staff for quality and authenticity.

All of the works on offer will be published in our online catalogue, so that you can view the works and read their descriptions prior to placing your bids online. Each lot will have multiple photos (overall plus close up images) to give you a great understanding of each piece.

As such, we don’t have formal viewings for our online auctions however, if you are based in Sydney, Australia we can arrange a time with you to privately view your favourite artworks prior to the auction day at our Sydney Head Office. Please email us if you would like to arrange this.

If you are located outside of Sydney and would like additional photos or information on your favourite piece, please contact us via email and we can arrange this for you.

If you are not yet ready to bid but would like to watch the auction, you are welcome to watch in real time online via the live video broadcast.

When absentee bidding, you leave your maximum bid online and the system will bid incrementally on your behalf against all other bidders.
If your absentee bid outbids all other bidders, you will then will the item!
If your maximum bid is outbid during a timed auction or prior to a live auction commencing, you will be notified via email to give you the opportunity to increase your  maximum bid if you wish.

Example:

Lot 55 currently has no absentee bids with a starting price of $550. You leave a maximum absentee bid of $800.

Another bidder then bids $600 (as the bid increments in this example are going up by $50’s).

The system will then automatically exhaust the other bidder’s bid and you will become the highest bidder at the next bid increment of $650. If no one else out bids you, you will win this item for $650 hammer.

As such, depending on how much bidding activity there is on the piece, the bid amounts will either increase until your maximum bid is exhausted and you are outbid or until you win the item!

If you’re unable to bid live online from your computer, phone or tablet, you can leave an absentee bid prior to a live auction commencing or at anytime prior to a timed auction ending. This way no matter where you are in the world, you can still participate in the auction.

With an absentee bid, you leave your maximum bid online and the system will bid incrementally on your behalf against all other bidders.
If your absentee bid outbids all other bidders, you will then will the item!
If your maximum bid is outbid during a timed auction or prior to a live auction commencing, you will be notified via email to give you the opportunity to increase your  maximum bid if you wish.

Your maximum absentee bid remains anonymous, displaying only the next bid amount. All registered bidders can see the bidding history on a Lot. This means you can ensure you leave the highest bid to win!

Example:

Lot 55 currently has no absentee bids with a starting price of $550. You leave a maximum absentee bid of $800.

Another bidder then bids $600 (as the bid increments in this example are going up by $50’s).

The system will then automatically exhaust the other bidder’s bid and you will become the highest bidder at the next bid increment of $650. If no one else out bids you, you will win this item for $650 hammer.

As such, depending on how much bidding activity there is on the piece, the bid amounts will either increase until your maximum bid is exhausted and you are outbid or until you win the item!

A Timed Auction is an online-only auction, which means that all of the action takes place online via the auction catalogue and there is no Live video broadcast.

The duration of a Timed Auction is usually around 7 days. For example the auction will start at 5pm on a Friday and finish at 10am on a Sunday (days and times will vary).

The benefit of a Timed Auction is that active bidding is available 24/7 from anywhere in the world!
You can see the bidding history on every Lot, so you know exactly what you need to bid to win. You will receive instant email updates on any Lots you bid on and will be notified via email if you are outbid.

Note: If you place a bid within the last 5 minutes of the auction end time, this lot will be extended for a further 5 minutes, to fairly allow other bidders to return and increase their bid if they wish.

At the conclusion of a Timed Auction, all winning bidders will be notified via email. We can then arrange fast door-to-door delivery to you, anywhere in the world!

A Live Online Auction is a one-day only event, which is streamed live online so that no matter where you are in the world, you can still be a part of the action just like being in the auction room but from the comfort of your own home!

Prior to the live online auction commencing, the catalogue will be published on our website, so if you can’t participate in the live auction, you can still leave your absentee bids online at any time before to the live auction begins.

Bidding in a live online auction is really fun and easy – All you have to do once registered is click the “Bid now” button located on the top of the live video broadcast page, which updates automatically in real time.

At the completion of the auction, all successful bidders will receive and email with their invoice, payment will be taken via your credit card on file and we will then arrange fast and safe door-to-door delivery to you, anywhere in the world!