AUCTION TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Buyers premium of 17% plus GST applies to each lot.
- All online bids are final and unable to be deleted.
- Payment is required by 7pm Tuesday for Weekly Estate Auctions and can be made by EFTPOS, Visa and Mastercard (in house) or direct debit only, as noted on invoices. No cash and no cheques.
- Payment and Collection opening hours: Monday 9am-7pm and Tuesday 8.30am-7pm
- N.B. Only when there is a public holiday and the Weekly Estate Auction falls on a Tuesday, pick up and payment is Tuesday 9am-7pm and Wednesday 8.30am-4.00pm.
- Failure to collect your items within the designated timeframe will result in them being rebooked into auction under your name, with a 50% vendor commission charged for the resale to cover storage fees. All relevant information is included in the original invoice. Furniture purchases must be collected within one week, and Gallery purchases within two weeks.
- Interstate and country buyers (that live 200km+ from Adelaide) – contact our packing department to arrange storage: info@scammellauctions.com.au
TO AVOID ANY FEES, PAYMENT AND COLLECTION BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON THE TUESDAY FOLLOWING THE AUCTION ARE IMPERATIVE FOR THE SMOOTH OPERATION OF OUR AUCTION ROOMS. We appreciate your understanding.
We have carriers available to deliver larger purchases to your organisation
- Small (non-breakable) items can be packed and posted for a small fee (see bottom of page for details).
- Country (+200km) and interstate buyers to arrange collection, please contact our Transport department.
- All items we sell are to be expected to have some wear, use or aging due to the nature of auction house goods. If a lot is marked a/f it informs the buyer it is sold with “all faults” and that our staff have noted the damage that exceeds general wear and tear of vintage & antique goods (eg, damage to individual lots, broken chair legs, torn upholstery etc)
- Electricals are not tested, nor are they sold as working. The onus falls on the buyer to assure themselves of the quality and condition of each lot.
- All measurements provided with items are approximate only.
- Our buyers are encouraged to view our items in person during inspection hours so they feel confident with the quality and condition of the pieces they wish to buy. If you are unable to make it in, send friends or family on your behalf, or email/call the office to receive a condition report.
- All descriptions in the catalogue are a guide only. Intending buyers are encouraged to inspect lots during viewing or contact us for a condition report and satisfy themselves as to the condition of any lot.
Please remember this is an auction house, and your items are not purchased with any sort of guarantee as to condition.
REFUND POLICY
Auction Rooms of the past (and still with many of our peers today) offer no refunds to Buyers, quoting “caveat emptor” or letting the buyer beware.
This offers Buyers at auction very little confidence, especially if you are not in the same state!
According to the ACCC on Consumer Guarantees – Rights to a repair, replacement, refund, cancellation or compensation do not apply to items: bought at auction where the auctioneer acted as an agent for the owner (but you do have rights to full title, undisturbed possession and no unknown debts or extra charges) https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees.
It’s different at Scammells.
One of our Core Values is Courage | Honesty | Integrity, and in line with this we offer our Buyers a refund based on criteria being met. We do this to offer you some confidence in buying from Scammells.
A refund is offered unless –
- The item/items are part of a group# lot
- The item has been marked A/F (all faults – see our All Faults Policy)
- The item has wear and tear consistent with condition, age and/or usage
- The item is electrical or mechanical
- The item has been removed from the building (for local buyers only)
- The lot/item is part of a Wine/Spirits Auction
# (Group can be referred to as “Assorted”, “Group”, “Mixed”, Sundry” and/or “Quantity” in the catalogue description)
(Item refers to a lot or part of a lot)
Time is of the essence, and a refund is only offered within 48 hours of the time of the auction commencement for local buyers (within 200km of Adelaide), and 7 days for buyers intra/interstate or receiving items by pack n post service. Refunds are in full only (no partial refunds offered).
ALL FAULTS or A/F
Some items in our catalogue are marked A/F, which means “sold with all faults”.
Technically ALL items at Auction are A/F, as they are all secondhand or antique.
To help buyers our Team make assessments as to what is “normal for age, condition and usage”, and what is damaged or in poor condition, and hence A/F.
Where an item is marked A/F, the onus is on the Buyer to request a condition report for more information on the damage.
We do not check electrical or mechanical items.
Group lots are not assessed as A/F as it is accepted that anything undamaged and of value would be extracted for individual lotting.
No refunds are offered on items marked as A/F, and final determination is made by our expert Team.
According to the ACCC on Consumer Guarantees – Rights to a repair, replacement, refund, cancellation or compensation do not apply to items: bought at auction where the auctioneer acted as an agent for the owner (but you do have rights to full title, undisturbed possession and no unknown debts or extra charges) https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees
Examples of A/F (and not)
An outdoor chair is expected to have been aged by the weather, rusted if metal and the finish in average condition – this is not A/F, just normal for its condition and usage.
A cedar dining chair that has had the backrest broken and glued, is A/F.
A teapot of 100 years old with tea stains and crazing is not A/F, as this is considered normal for its age and usage.
A teapot of 100 years old with a broken and repaired spout is A/F.
BIDDING ONLINE
Bidding online is simple and makes the auction room accessible for everyone.
Online registration gives you access to the online bidding room, allows you to leave absentee bids, create watch lists and assigns you a permanent number, yours for life. There is no need to register again, even if you attend one of our auctions in person. Registration is free.
Check our website regularly for catalogues as we are now running online auctions regularly throughout the month on top of our weekly estate auctions and speciality auctions.
All bids left online are LIVE and FINAL.
BIDDING INCREMENTS
Once the auction commences, the auctioneer will announce the lot number and description of each lot. The auction takes bids in order of a bidding progression. Typically this is fixed and based on the value of the item for auction.
For example:
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$10 rises between $50 and $200
(ie 60, 70, 80, 90, 100)
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$20 rises from $200 to $500
(ie 300, 320, 340, 360, 380, 400)
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$50 rises from $500 to $1000
(ie 650, 700, 750, 800, 850… )
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If an item is “knocked down” or sold to you, the auctioneer will announce your number and the sale price.
ABSENTEE BIDS
Absentee bids can be placed using our online bidding system. You will need to create an account first (see above). The system is simple to use, and updates you live if you have been outbid. After the sale you can log back in and see if you have been successful.
Your absentee bid cannot be seen by other buyers, just the amount the lot is currently at. The bidding will start at the minimum bid amount for each lot and only increase when other bids are lodged for the same lot.
Please note the absentee bidding system is LIVE, which means all bids are locked in once placed and cannot be deleted or reduced.
PACKING & POSTAGE
Our packing department can arrange packing & postage of smaller, non-breakable, purchased items to be sent Australia-wide, using Australia Post delivery. We can also pack your items for your preferred courier.
For international buyers & breakable items, we advise you to use Pack and Send
For all packing and postage needs, please contact our office for a quote before paying your invoice as fees will be applied.
Please note – without prior communication before purchase, Scammells will not offer the packaging of artwork including paintings, prints, pictures & textiles. Please contact our recommended carriers for a packaging quote Transport
We charge $23+gst per half hour for packing, plus Australia Post charges.