FAQ

Whether it’s a single item or an entire collection, if you have property you’d like to sell on Auctionata – or you’d like to find out if your property is suitable for auction – simply contact us to request a valuation. Fill out our valuation request form online, providing a description of your item(s). You can also upload photos to make it easier for us to carry out our initial evaluation.Valuation request form

You can also contact us by phone on +49 30 98320222. We’re available Monday to Friday from 9am-7pm CET. Alternatively, you can request a free callback.Contact form

If your item is suitable for auction, we’ll carry out a careful appraisal to determine its value. If you would like us to value your item, either send it to us or request a home visit from one of our experts. We have a global network of experts who are specialists in numerous fields. As soon as we receive sufficient information about your item, we can carry out a valuation.

When you send your property for valuation by our experts, your first five requests are free, with no obligation to you. Note that costs can be incurred at the valuation stage if our experts have to travel to view an item. Even after we’ve valued your items, you’re under no obligation to sell them. If you wish to list a suitable item for sale at our auctions or in our Shop, we’ll provide you with a contract for the consignment of your item. In addition to contractual terms, it states the starting price and estimated value for the item. If you wish, we can also provide high-quality professional photography to showcase your items.

Your items will then be listed at our next auction or placed on sale in our Shop. You’ll find items from a variety of categories listed at our weekly auction every Friday at 6pm CET (Central European Time) on Auctionata.com. In addition to our regular auctions, we also hold special auctions with specific themes.

Our auctions are conducted by state-certified, licensed auctioneers with international experience. Auctionata transfers payment to you six weeks following the end of the auction or the sale of your item in our Shop, provided the buyer’s payment has been processed and purchases from the Shop have not been cancelled. We organise shipping and delivery of your property to the buyer, so you don’t have to worry about arranging transport for fragile or difficult items.

If your item does not sell at auction, two possibilities are open to you. You can either decide to re-list your property in an upcoming auction, or place it on sale in our Shop. Items in our Shop are for immediate sale at a fixed price. However, depending on market conditions, prices in our Shop can be lower than the prices that items could fetch at auction.

When you send a valuation request in the week, you’ll receive a response from our team by phone or email within 24 hours. As soon as we receive sufficient information about your item, we can carry out a valuation.

The time it takes for our experts to provide an accurate valuation of your item depends on many factors, including the nature of the item and whether you send it to us or our experts visit you. As a rule, the entire process from valuation of an item to sale at auction and receipt of payment takes under 60 days.

You can sell all kinds of unique or collectible items, goods and even complete collections on Auctionata. We also handle valuation of inheritance and estates – and we don’t just cherry-pick the big finds. Our extensive network of international experts is qualified to handle any item of value.

There’s no item of value our experts can’t value for auction – whether it’s a diamond ring, a work of art, a piece of furniture, a teddy bear or a rare stamp.

Valuation request form

Every valuation request is assigned with a unique number called a valuation ID. You receive your valuation ID when you complete our online valuation request form. It’s also included in the email we send you to confirm your request. You can use your valuation ID and your email address to request an update on your requests online at any time.

If you lose your valuation ID, please contact customer service on +49 30 98320222. We’re available Monday to Friday from 9am-7pm CET.

Items are listed at our auctions with two “prices”. The first is the estimated value determined by Auctionata’s experts. This is the price that, according to our experts, a professional dealer would expect for the item.

The starting price indicates the minimum opening bid to be accepted at auction. It is usually below 50% of the estimated value.

Both prices are set by Auctionata and stated in the consignment contract for the item.

No, there are no hidden charges at Auctionata. You’ll find a full overview of seller’s charges in our overview of fees.

Valuation of your property through Auctionata never incurs any obligation on your part. You can have up to five items valued per year free of charge. Only when you decide to sell an item and return the signed consignment contract to us do you commit to selling it.

Auctionata provides a full range of services that goes beyond sale at auction. We are happy to take complete responsibility for organising packing, freight or shipping of your items to the buyer.

Auctionata transfers payment to you six weeks following the end of the auction or the sale of your item in our Shop, provided the buyer’s payment has been processed and any items purchased in the Shop have not been returned.

No. Valuation of your property through Auctionata does not incur any obligation on your part. Of course, we’ll be delighted if you do decide to entrust us with the sale of your property. If you decide to sell with us, we’ll draw up a contract for the consignment of your item. Only when you sign this contract do you agree to Auctionata placing your item for sale at auction.

Auctionata places the highest value on absolute confidentiality and adheres to traditional auction practice in this respect. Your details are safe with us and will not be disclosed to third parties as a matter of principle. Because our auctions are organised and run by Auctionata, you do not appear as the seller and do not have to handle enquiries from potential buyers. Selling online on Auctionata is highly convenient and requires virtually no effort on your part. Read more about this subject in our privacy policy.

Auctionata is a company with its headquarters in Vienna and offices in Berlin and Bratislava. Behind Auctionata is a large team of experts who value items, answer questions from potential buyers and sellers, and curate our Shop. Our auctioneers are responsible for conducting the live auctions; our marketing department publicises the auctions and produces the catalogues; and we also have a department dedicated to handling fees and delivery of items purchased at auction.

Would you like to know more about the people behind Auctionata? Meet our team

There are many advantages to selling on Auctionata that you simply won’t find anywhere else. We provide access to an extensive network of international experts who will value your property for free. As a seller on Auctionata, you have a full range of services available to you. As well as providing descriptions of your items and listing them at auction, we also provide professional photography if required; handle payment processing; and organise shipping and delivery of items purchased at our auctions or from our shop. All this is in addition to bringing sellers and buyers the best possible prices at auction.

Auctionata places the highest value on confidentiality and adheres to traditional auction practice in this respect. Your details are securely handled and will not be disclosed to third parties as a matter of principle. Your details are never visible to any other users of our website. You can read more about this topic in our privacy policy.

Yes. We provide a professional, mobile photography service at an additional charge. This service is, of course, optional. Our professional photographers will even visit you at home. They provide high-quality images of your property from the best perspective, to give it the best possible showcase in the auction catalogue.

First of all, your valuation request will be processed by the Auctionata team. You’ll be assigned a designated contact person who may contact you with further questions about your property. As soon as we receive sufficient information about your item, we can carry out a valuation. Then we identify one or more experts from our international network who are qualified to handle your request. This is how we provide you with careful, accurate valuations.

If you want to sell an item on Auctionata, you normally hand your property over to us to be listed at auction or placed in our Shop. Auctionata then assumes responsibility for insurance and liability of all items. In order to do this, we draw up a consignment contract for you to sign and return to us.

As well as contractual terms, your consignment contract also states the estimated value and starting price for your item.

You’ll find all information about fees in our overview.

On Auctionata, you can choose to sell your property on Auctionata either at auction or in our Shop.

As a rule, you can expect your items to sell for a higher price at auction. However, there is of course no guarantee that people will bid.

Items placed on sale in our Shop have a fixed price, set by our experts in consultation with you.

If you have further questions, please get in touch with us by phone or email. Our customer service team will be happy to answer your questions and make the process of selling on Auctionata as easy and rewarding as possible.

Email us at info@auctionata.com or call us on +49 30 98320222. We’re available Monday to Friday from 9am-7pm CET.

In order to buy items on Auctionata, your personal details (such as your name, phone number and address) need to be verified by us. Once you are verified, you can enter the online auction room and bid on items. If you make the highest bid the auctioneer accepts on an item, you commit to purchasing it.

Auctionata also offers buyers the chance to purchase items without bidding at auction. Our Shop contains a wide range of items specially selected by our experts. Prices in our Shop are fair and fixed.

Auctionata places the highest value on absolute confidentiality and adheres to traditional auction practice in this respect. Every bid in our auctions is binding; the bidder has to be absolutely committed to buying the item. That’s why it’s important every bidder in our online auction is registered and verified.

During our verification process, we check the details you provided (such as your name, address and phone number). We can either verify your identity by post, phone or credit card. By post, we send you a letter containing a security number you need to enter online. Over the phone, we can verify your identity instantly: a member of our customer service team will call you to check your details are correct. By credit card, we can also verify your details instantly online.

Auctionata attaches the greatest importance on absolute confidentiality and adheres, in this respect, to traditional auction practices. Your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties as a matter of principle and are never visible to any other users of our website. You can read more about this topic in our privacy policy.

The highest bidder who wins an item is only visible to bidders present in the online auction room. You can decide how you wish to be identified as a bidder in the online auction room. You can use your real name, just your first name, or a chosen alias/username.

The price of all items listed at auction or in the Shop on Auctionata is based on our experts’ valuation. Lots for auction have an estimated value and a starting price. The estimated price is the sum our experts estimate the item is worth on the market. The starting price is usually less than half of the estimated price. This provides the opportunity for buyers to start bidding on items at attractive prices.

Auctionata takes care of secure shipping and delivery of all purchases. With our logistics partners and experienced team, there’s no item – however large, heavy, small or delicate – that we can’t send safely.

You’ll find all information about our charges in our overview of fees

Buyer’s premium is a charge paid to Auctionata by the buyer to cover the cost of our auctions. The fee amounts to 24% of the winning bid (including VAT). The buyer’s premium for items on sale in our shop is already included in the price displayed.

What is the contribution to the Resale Royalty Right?

Due to the legal obligation for the resale royalty in the art market the following applies:

As a result of its membership in the AV Kunst, Auctionata charges the contribution to the AV Kunst of currently 2.1% of the revenues from the sale of fine arts and photographs pro rata towards the buyer as a part of the sales price.

The price published in the Online Shop therefore contains – as far as a good has been classified as a piece of fine art or photography, which was created since the 1st January of 1900 – a pro rata contribution (plus VAT) regarding the Resale Royalty Right.

At an Auction Auctionata charges additionally – as far as a good has been classified as a piece of fine art or photography, which was created since the 1st January of 1900 – a contribution currently amounting to 2.1% of the hammer price (plus VAT) as a pro rata contribution to the resale royalty right.

Auctionata properly remits the contribution to the Resale Royalty Right to the AV Kunst.

Yes. If you wish, you can request to collect your purchase yourself. Simply contact our customer service team. Email info@auctionata.com or call +49 30 98320222. We’re available Monday to Friday from 9am-7pm CET.

The purchase price for the items purchased is to be paid in advance. The customer must pay the purchase price immediately upon receipt of the invoice in PDF format. Payment on delivery is excluded. The customer may effect payment by bank transfer, PayPal or credit card (the credit card account will be debited on the following day after the ordering). Auctionata shall not charge any fees for this.

All bids entered in our actions are binding. Bidding on Auctionata is carried out according to the law, which states that buyers who purchase at auction are excluded from the right to withdraw that applies to other remote sales channels. As a result, we do not give right of withdrawal once a buyer has committed to purchasing an item at auction. In addition, this cannot be rectified with the seller, who has no influence on entered and accepted bids.

Buyers who purchase from our Shop have the right to a 14-day cancellation period. You can cancel your contract without stating a reason within 14 days in writing (e.g. by post, fax or email). If your item has been delivered but you still wish to cancel, you may do so by returning the item within the 14-day period.

Further information can be found in our terms and conditions.

Auctionata’s experts are in charge of carefully handling all valuation requests, examining items, and determining their quality and authenticity. This is how Auctionata guarantees that items listed for sale with us are genuine.