Floating World Auctions Shipping Procedures and FAQs
Shipping Procedures
Shipping, insurance, packaging and handling of purchased lots is at the expense of the purchaser. As a service to the purchaser, Floating World Auctions will ship appropriate items to purchasers located in the continental United States solely via FedEx Ground or Three Day Select Service, to purchasers in Alaska and Hawaii via USPS Priority or appropriate FedEx service and to international purchasers and those located in via FedEx International Economy Service. Faster FedEx services may be requested at purchaser’s expense. We are not obligated to ship by any other method, and purchaser may make other shipping arrangements. We shall not, under any circumstances, be liable for the loss, theft or damage to property, including, but not limited to selection of shipper, the acts or omissions of any shipper or the acts or omissions occurring in packing for shipment.
As a courtesy, we may provide quotes, based on an estimated size, weight and value of the package, as well as a shipping zip code supplied by a prospective bidder. Post-sale determination of shipping costs does not constitute grounds for cancellation of any purchase made at our auction.
It is our intention to include the cost of shipping on the invoice for domestic continental purchasers and to expedite the shipping cost, most domestic packages will have a base cost of $35 or $50, plus $1/$100 for insurance. Larger packages, and international packages regardless of size, will be custom quoted. and this may result in a short delay in invoicing international purchasers and those in Alaska and Hawaii until the cost of shipment has been determined. International recipients will be responsible for paying duties and taxes associated with their packages. Shipment will not be made until all sums to us have been paid.
Shipment may take up to 21 days after payment is received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will the sale be held?
A: The auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 11 am, Chicago time, on Saturday, February 29. This translates to 09:00:00 PDT using Live Auctioneers’ display format.
Q: How long will the auction last?
A: That is hard to predict. Since the auction is completely automated, and bids are collected solely on the LiveAuctioneers platform, we expect it to move at a brisk pace.
Q: Is there a buyer’s premium?
A: Yes, the buyer’s premium is 25%.
Q: Are the prints and paintings in the auction framed?
A: No, unless otherwise specified, our items are not framed or matted.
Q: What do the dimensions on your listings mean?
A: Generally, we give the dimensions of the image only, exclusive of margins, and provide the height first, followed by the width. In the cases where the dimensions are for something else, this is described in the “Comments” section of the listing. Examples include multi-panel items, such as triptychs, or pieces without a defined plate line. For the ceramics, the dimension shown are height by width by depth.
Q: How much will it cost to ship my purchases?
A: Our shipping procedures are discussed above in the “Shipping Procedures” section. The cost of shipping is a function of destination, and size and value of a shipment. If you would like to get a shipping estimate in advance, please contact us no later than 1:00 pm Chicago time on the Friday before auction at auctions@floatingworld.com with the shipping destination, lot number or numbers, and a hypothetical insured value, and we will provide a courtesy estimate. Post sale determination of shipping costs does not constitute grounds for cancellation of any purchase made at auction. For domestic shipments, we charge a flat rate depending on the size of the largest print, as well as $1 per $100 for insurance. Certain over sized items, as well as international shipments, require a custom shipping amount, as well as insurance, as described above.
Q: Can I leave absentee bids even if my registration hasn’t been approved?
A: Yes, you can still leave absentee bids even if we haven’t approved your Live Auctioneers registration. However, if you are not approved one hour before the auction starts, your absentee bids may be canceled by LiveAuctioneers.
How Live Auctioneers Works for an Automated Auction
Q: How can I bid through Live Auctioneers?
A: Please reviews the helpful articles and videos provided by Live Auctioneers, by Clicking Here.
Q: Why hasn’t my registration been approved?
A: You probably haven’t met our approval criteria. Bidders who were previously approved to bid in our auctions and were previously approved to bid in 5 or more other auctions are automatically approved. In that case, we would need to approve your registration manually. Once the auction starts, it is unlikely that we will be able to approve your registrations, so please consider registering prior to the day of the sale.
Q: How does the bidding work on Live Auctioneers?
A: There are two ways to bid:
Before the auction begins, you can place an absentee bid on any lot. These are transmitted to our auctioneer during the sale.
During the auction, you can follow everything that is happening on the Live Auctioneers auction site, including the Live Auctioneers App, for our sale and place real time bids against other live bidders on Live Auctioneers and other live bidding platforms, as well as bidders who are bidding with us directly.
Q: How do I leave an absentee bid?
A: To leave an absentee bid with Live Auctioneers, just fill in the field with the amount of your bid, review it and submit it. For more information on how to place absentee bids, please go to Leaving An Absentee (Proxy) Bid.
Q: How can I tell if my absentee bid is winning?
A: The amount of the current winning bid is displayed on the lot listing. Regardless of the amount of the initial bid that is placed, only the starting bid will be displayed. Subsequent absentee bidders will only have the option to place the next bid (or higher). If it does not exceed the first bidder, the bidding will increase to one increment above the first bidder, and if it exceeds the first bidder, then the bidding will advance to one bid over the first bidder. A tie goes to the earliest bidder.
Q: Can you give an example?
A: Sure. Assume the starting price on a lot is $40. Bidder 1 enters $75, and the listing shows the bidding at $40. Bidder 2 enters a bid of $65. Bidder 1 is still winning, and the bidding advances to $70. Bidder 2 sees they are outbid, and enters the next bid of $75. The bidding advances to $75, but since Bidder 1 bid first, Bidder 1 is still winning. Bidder 2 then bids the next bid of $80, and is the winner. Bidder 3 comes along, and bids $100. Bidder 3 is now in the lead, and the bid showing on the lot is now $85.
Q: How can I submit real time bids through Live Auctioneers?
A: Shortly before our auction is scheduled to begin, our auction will be listed on the Live Auctioneers home page under Live Catalogs. If you are signed in to Live Auctioneers and are an approved bidder, you will see a Bid Live link to the right of our listing (If you are not signed in or are not approved to bid, you will see a View Live link). Click on the link to open the Live Auctioneers Bidding Console.The bidding console allows you to view and bid in real time with the auction house. You can place bids by clicking the Bid button on your screen. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, you may need to download a plugin to participate in the auction. For more information on how to use the bidding console, please go to Using the Bidding Console.
Q: What if I encounter technical difficulties, such as problems with loading the Bidding Console?
A: For technical assistance, please go to Live Auctioneers and click on the pull down help link located at the upper right corner of the page. We recommend testing this during weekday hours, when LiveAuctioneers has associates available for live chats.
Q: I left an absentee bid on Live Auctioneers, and it looks like I am bidding against myself. What’s going on?
A: Your absentee bid has priority over live bidders on the Live Auctioneers platform, and their computer sends us the earliest bid at the same increment.
After the Auction
Q: How do I know if I won the auction?
A: Winners will receive a notice directly from Live Auctioneers. We will try to to send you your invoice later on Saturday, and by Tuesday at the latest.
Q: What are my payment options?
A: We accept checks, drafts, money orders, Zelle and Venmo, as well as credit card payments through the Live Auctioneers Payment System. The Live Auctioneers Payment System imposes a surcharge for credit card payments, which will show up on you invoice as a processing fee. We are not accepting PayPal or any other method of credit card payment for this auction, without prior arrangement. If you arrange to pay by other credit card method, there is a processing fee of 3% for domestic credit cards and 4% for international credit cards, based on your registered address. If you wish to pay by check, draft, money order, Zelle or Venmo, you may omit the amount of the processing fee. There is a $25 charge for payments by wire transfer, any shortfall, and all fees must be paid on the buyer’s end. If you want to pay by Zelle or Venmo, please let us know your platform credentials, and we will initiate the funds request, thus ensuring the funds are properly directed.
Q: How is shipping handled?
A: We plan to include a shipping charge on the initial invoices of most winning bidders residing in the continental US. Shipping may be billed on an updated invoice for winning bidders residing outside the US, or in Alaska or Hawaii, and for certain oversized packages. You can wait until the shipping charges are added before you pay us. Please see our Shipping Procedures at the top of this page, as well as our Terms and Conditions of Sale for additional information.
Q: Are there any other fees?
A: In addition to the purchase price, buyer’s premium and shipping, Illinois residents without a valid resale number must pay 10.25% sales tax (as do any other customers who pick up prints in person), and international bidders are responsible for all applicable customs, duties, taxes, etc., including any such items that are charged back to us.
More Questions?
We tried to cover everything, but if you still have questions, or suggestions for other topics to cover, please email us at auctions@floatingworld.com
This page was last updated on 2.13.20 at 10:30 pm