HOW TO BUY AT AUCTION Wickliff Auctioneers is focused on making auction bidding as transparent and user-friendly as possible.  You will not buy a $10,000 painting by simply scratching your nose or waving at someone across the room.  Our auctioneers are experienced professionals who know the difference between a bid being made on an item and a common gesture.  Bidding at auction is easy, and can be accomplished by many methods.  Anyone having questions about executing bids at any of our auctions may contact any of our staff for assistance.

Methods of Bidding at Wickliff Auctioneers

There are four ways to bid:

• In person
  Before you can bid on an item, you must register for the sale.  Our registration clerk is the first person to greet you when you enter our building, and can answer all your questions about bidding.  Questions about specific items in the auction should be addressed prior to auction day, but one of our auctioneers may be able to assist with item-specific questions during the auction.  After you've registered with your photo ID, and picked up your paddle, acquire one of our text catalogues to follow along in the gallery.  All items will be listed in order of sale, pertinent details will be listed, along with low and high estimates for each lot, and, in some cases, significant provenance or condition reports.  In the saleroom, the auctioneer will call out bids for each item. If the item is one which you desire and the price is within your ability to pay, simply raise the paddle, ensuring you have made eye contact with the auctioneer or one of the bid assistants on the floor. Continue until you're the only bidder remaining, or the amount has exceeded your expectation of value. The auctioneer will then bring down the gavel and declare the item “sold”.  If you have outbid all other bidders, you WIN! 

• Online with Live Auctioneers
  Live Auctioneers is a platform which Wickliff Auctioneers uses periodically to broadcast a live auction over the internet, allowing real-time bidding from registered users.  More details about each auction, and terms associated, are available by clicking the Live Auctioneers link on the detail page of each sale to be broadcast.  Pre-registration and approval is required to participate, usually 24 hours prior to the commencement of an auction is a recommended minimum.
  
  
• By telephone
  If you prefer to bid by phone, one of our auction floor bid assistants can call you when the item in which you are interested comes up for bid.  Wickliff Auctioneers is pleased to offer phone bidding on items where the median pre-sale estimate is $1,000 or greater.  Phone bidding must be arranged by 6pm the day prior to the start of any scheduled auction event.  A limited number of phones are available; preference is given by earliest request received.
  
  
• Absentee Bidding, Online or Fax
  Many of our regular clients entrust Wickliff Auctioneers to execute absentee bids for them the day of the auction.  Wickliff Auctioneers uses a bidding interface on our web catalogue which syncs with our in-house auction management software.  Bids placed via the web catalogue are simply downloaded into our software, and the system will notify the auctioneer and staff on each lot that an absentee bid is present on that item.  Our online absentee bid system is the most reliable way to transmit a bid to us in absentia.  Additionally, we accept absentee bidding via fax using our Fax Bid Form  Simply place an absentee bid at least 2 hours before the sale and we will bid on the item for you; just complete the form and fax it to our office.  Winning bidders are notified via phone, or email, of your success on Mondays (following a Saturday auction).  Non-winning bidders will not be notified, but our sale results are posted on our web catalogue a few days following an auction.  Minimum amount for absentee bidding is $100/lot.  Absentee bids submitted below this threshold may or may not be executed, at the auctioneer's discretion.

Absolute or Reserve Auction

In the state of Indiana, per auctioneer licensing law, all items put up for auction are sold with reserve unless otherwise stated.  Therefore, any item offered for auction may be withdrawn from selling prior to the culmination of the sale of that lot, most commonly done by the declaration of “sold” or by the fall of an auctioneer’s gavel.  Items may be passed or the bidding closed at anytime prior.  In an Absolute Auction, wherein the item will sell to the highest bidder, regardless of price, day of sale, the item may only be withdrawn prior to the solicitation of bidding, or the opening of that lot for auction.  Once the auctioneer asks for bids on an Absolute Auction, the item must sell, regardless.  Although the majority of items in a Wickliff sale are sold without reserve, we do not use the term Absolute Auction in our advertising, as protection to both buyers and sellers. 

Settlement, Methods of Payment

Wickliff Auctioneers accepts cash, approved checks, Mastercard and Visa for payment, as well as cashier’s checks and money orders.  Payment may also be made via Paypal or wire transfer.  Items may not be removed from the gallery until complete payment has been made.   For absentee, online and fax bidders, if the winning bidder has not contacted us within 24 hours of being notified of their success, we will charge the credit card supplied with the bid.

Shipping, Pickup or Delivery

Wickliff Auctioneers does not provide in-house shipping services, but is happy to provide references for outside shippers who make pickups at our facility following each auction.  If you are a winning bidder and wish to have your item shipped, please contact us for contact information for recommended shipping outlets.

Winning bidders who wish to pick up items after the completion of any auction may do so for 1.5 hours following the last item selling, or on Mondays from 10am until 5pm.  We do not have laborers on staff, so anyone needing assistance in moving large items should supply their own help.  Pickups of any item more than 48 hours after an auction require an appointment as our showroom is not open to the public except during auction events and previews.  All items are to be removed from our gallery within 5 days following an auction. 

If large item moving services are required, we can also recommend contract intrastate and interstate moving companies with whom we have experience.