European and Asian Fine Antiques

Registration and Commission bids Registration to bid live on Liveauctioneers.com will remain open throughout the sale, however we cannot guarantee you will be approved to bid if you register after 9am. Commission bids will close at 9am on the morning of the sale, should you wish to leave a bid after this time please call the auction house. New International Bidders New International Bidders are required to leave a 1000 pound refundable deposit on the first time of registering, please contact the auction house for further information. Condition reports Buyers must satisfy themselves before bidding as to the physical condition of an item, the description of a lot does not imply an item is free from defect. Swanley can provide condition reports on request by provide no guarantee to reports given other than in relation to forgeries. Payment Payment must be made within 5 days of the auction date if bidding via Liveauctioneers.com and payment is not made directly to the auction house in 5 days the buyer authorises Swanley to take full or part payment from the card registered. Payment can be made by debit card (corporate, commercial and non-UK debit cards subject to a 2% surcharge), most credit cards (subject to a 2% surcharge) and bank transfer, please contact the auction house for bank transfer details. Collection of Lots All furniture and rug lots must be cleared by 5pm five working days following the auction. All other lots must be cleared by 5pm seven working days following the auction. Storages charges of 2 pound per lot per day + VAT will be strictly enforced thereafter. INFORMATION FOR BUYERS 1.Introduction. The following informative notes are intended to assist Buyers of Swanley, particularly those inexperienced or new to our salerooms or online only bidding platform. All sales are conducted according to our printed Conditions of Sale which are readily available for inspection in person, on our websites and normally accompany catalogues. Our staff will be happy to help you if there is anything you do not fully understand. These terms apply to Swanley Auction Ltd. trading as Swanley. 2.Agency. As auctioneers we usually contract as agents for the seller whose identity, for reasons of confidentiality, is not normally disclosed. Accordingly if you buy your primary contract is with the seller. 3.Estimates. Estimates are designed to help buyers gauge what sort of sum might be involved for the purchase of a particular lot. The lower estimate may represent the reserve price or may be above the reserve price. Estimates do not include the Buyer's Premium or VAT (where chargeable). Estimates are prepared some time before the sale and may be altered by announcement before the sale. They are in no sense definitive. 4.Buyer's Premium. The Conditions of Sale oblige buyers to pay a buyer's premium of 20% on the hammer price of each lot purchased in-house and 25% on purchased through Liveauctioneers platflom. In addition VAT is payable on this premium at the standard rate, presently 20%. (Buyer's premium 30% inclusive of VAT) 5.VAT. The addition of (*) or (VAT applied on hammer price) to the lot description indicates that VAT is payable by the purchaser at the standard rate, presently 20%, on the hammer price as well as being payable on the buyer's premium. This imposition of VAT is likely to be because the seller is registered for VAT within the European Union and is not operating the Dealers Margin Scheme or because VAT is due at 20% on importation into the UK. Lots which appear without either of the above symbols indicate that no VAT is payable on the hammer price. This is because such lots are sold using the Auctioneers' Margin Scheme and it should be noted that the VAT included within the premium is not recoverable as input tax. 6.Artist's Resale Rights. Lots as indicated in the catalogue and if sold for the equivalent of 1000 euros or more on the day of the auction will be subject to a further percentage of the hammer price as follows: From 0 to 50,000 euros subject to 4% From 50,001 to 200,000 euros subject to 3% From 200,001 to 350,000 euros subject to 1% From 350,001 to 500,000 euros subject to 0.5% Exceeding 500,000 euros subject to 0.25% The Artist?s Resale Right payable will be the aggregate of the amounts payable under the above rate bands, subject to maximum royalty payable of 12,500 euros for any single work each time it is sold. Calculations of the artist?s resale right will be based on the pound sterling/Euro reference exchange rate quoted on the date of sale by the European Central Bank. 7.Agents. We are, primarily, agents for the seller. We are dependent on information provided by the seller and whilst we may inspect lots and act reasonably in taking a general view about them we are normally unable to carry out a detailed or any examination of lots in order to ascertain their condition in the way in which it would be wise for a buyer to do. Intending buyers have ample opportunity for inspection of goods and, therefore, accept responsibility for inspecting and investigating lots in which they may be interested. Please note carefully the exclusion of liability for the condition of lots contained in the Conditions of Sale. Neither the seller nor we, as the auctioneers, accept any responsibility for their condition. In particular, mechanical objects of any age are not guaranteed to be in working order. Additionally, in specified circumstances lots mis-described because they are ?deliberate forgeries? may be returned and repayment made. There is a three week time limit. (The expression ?deliberate forgery? is defined in our Conditions of Sale). 8.Electrical goods. These are sold as 'antiques' or 'decorative' items only and if bought for use must first be checked for compliance with safety regulations by a qualified electrician. 9.Coloured gems. It is common practice for gemstones to be treated in order to enhance colour and clarity. Unless stated buyers should presume coloured stones may well have been exposed to some sort of treatment. 10.Export of goods. Buyers intending to export goods should ascertain (a) whether an export licence is required and (b) whether there is any specific prohibition on importing goods of that character because, e.g. they may contain prohibited materials such as ivory. 11.Bidding. Bidders are required to register with us before the sale commences and lots will be invoiced to the name and address on the registration form. Some form of identification may be required if you are unknown to us. Please enquire in advance about our arrangements for telephone bidding. 12.Commission bidding. (i) Commission bids may be left with the auctioneers indicating the maximum amount to be bid excluding the buyers? premium. They will be executed as cheaply as possible having regard to the reserve (if any) and competing bids. If two buyers submit identical commission bids the auctioneers may prefer the first bid received. Please enquire in advance about our arrangements for leaving commission bids by telephone, email or fax. Please ensure bids are left at least one hour prior to the start of the auction. 13.Live Online bidding. (a) An online bidding service is offered via Liveauctioneers.com. In completing the bidder registration, the buyer is agreeing to Swanley conditions of sale. (b) In the case where a debit or credit card has been used to register the buyer also agrees to authorise Swanley, if they so wish, to charge the debit or credit card given in part or full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via the online bidding platforms. (c) Any lots purchased via Liveauctioneers.com will be subject to an additional 5% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price. (d) Swanley offers online bidding services as a convenience to its clients, but neither Swanley nor the seller will be responsible to you for errors during or after the sale or failures to execute bids, either live bids or commission bids placed on the internet or on your mobile device, including, without limitation, errors or failures caused by: (i) any loss of connection to the auction being conducted online; (ii) a breakdown or problems with the online bidding software or the website service provider; and/or (iii) a breakdown or problems with any internet connection, computer, mobile device or system. 14.Methods of Payment. Payment can be made by cash, debit and credit cards or bank transfer. Credit cards and non-UK personal debit or business debit cards are subject to a 2% surcharge. For international bank transfers an administration fee of 25 pound is payable. Any cheques tendered will need to allow 10 days to be cleared before removal of lots purchased is permitted. Please note that regulation of money laundering means we are limited to receiving the equivalent of 15,000 euros in cash payment. 15.Collection and storage. (a)Please note what the Conditions of Sale state about collection and storage. It is important that goods are paid for and collected promptly. Any delay will involve the buyer in paying storage charges. All furniture and rug lots must be collected within three working days following the auction. All other lots must be collected within five working days following auction. Storage charges of 2 pound per lot per day + VAT will be strictly enforced thereafter. (b) Swanley are unable to pack, post or deliver any items purchased through public or online auction, a list of suggested companies is supplied upon issuing of invoices, upon request or on the company website/s. These are suggestions only and are not the recommendation of Swanley or affiliated with Swanley in anyway and as such Swanley cannot be held responsible for the individual performance of these companies.