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 Federal Express Ground Service, and to international purchasers and those located in Alaska and Hawaii via Federal Express International Economy. Floating World Gallery is not obligated to ship by any other method, and purchaser may make other shipping arrangements. Floating World Auctions 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. Shipment may take up to 21 days after payment is received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will the sale be held?
A: Part I of the auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 11 am, Chicago time, on Saturday, May 4, 2019; the lots in Part II of the auction are scheduled to close beginning at approximately 11 am, Chicago time, on Sunday, May 5, 2049
Note, that this set of FAQs are for Part I of our auction; click here for Sunday FAQs.
Q: How long will the auction last?
A: That is hard to predict. We hope to complete between 50 and 60 lots per hour.
Q: Is there a buyer’s premium?
A: Yes, the buyer’s premium is 25% of the hammer price.
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.
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 5:00 pm Chicago time on the Friday before the sale 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.
Q: If I am successful both days, can my purchases be sent together?
A: If you purchase prints on both days, that should be no problem. However if you purchase ceramic lots on Sunday, we will only combine the shipment if it can be done safely.
Q: What is required to bid through Floating World Auctions?
A: You must first set up an account with Floating World Auctions, and then you must register for the sale. If you registered on our new platform for the prior sale, you should use the same log in credentials. As part of the registration process, you will be required to accept our terms and conditions of sale, and submit credit card information.
Q: Will you charge my credit card when I register?
A: No, but there will be a $1.00 authorization, which may show up as a pending charge that will not be processed.
Q: I registered for your last auction; why do I have to register again?
A: Our programming requires registration for each auction to ensure that the terms and conditions of sale are accepted each time.
Q: What if I already have an account with Floating World Gallery?
A: Because we are on a separate auction platform, you will be required to set up a new account, which is specific to our auctions. However, if you have already set up an account on our current auction platform, you can log in with that.
Q: How can I submit my bids?
A: Once you register for the auction, you can use the PLACE BID link that appears on each lot. Alternatively, you can use the WATCH link and you will receive a push notification 5 lots before that item comes up at our live auction. This will also create a watched lot list for all items you are watching in our auction.
Q: Will my bid be exercised at the maximum amount if there are no other bidders?
A: No. If there are no other bidders, your bid will be exercised at the reserve, if any, otherwise at the starting bid.
Q: What if someone else leaves an absentee bid on the same item that I bid on?
A: If the amount of the bids are the same, than priority goes to the person whose bid comes in first. If the bid is lower than yours, then (assuming no other bidders) you will win the lot for 1 bid over the other bid.
Q: Can I change my absentee bid after I place it?
A: Yes. On a computer, after you log into your account, if you go to the lot you want to edit, your bid will show at the top of the detail page. If you hover the cursor above the bid, links for “EDIT” and “DELETE” will appear. You can use the “EDIT” link to raise your bid. However, at the present time, if you want to lower your bid, you will need to use the “DELETE” link first, and then enter a new, lower bid. Please note that changing your bid will give it a new time stamp, and in the event of tie bids, preference goes to the earliest time stamp. Currently, you can only increase your bid from the App, so if you need to delete or reduce your absentee bid, please use a computer.
Q: Can I leave or change an order bid once the auction starts?
A: We understand that your absentee bids on a particular lot can be accepted up until the time that lot comes up for sale. Even if you do not plan to leave absentee bids, we strongly urge you to complete your registration before the auction begins.
Q: Can I bid live with Floating World Auctions?
A: Yes, in fact that is the driving force behind our new website and App. On either, you can go to our site, and click on the “Join Auction” link. In addition, we offer live bidding through Live Auctioneers or through Invaluable Auctions. Please note that order bids left with us are considered “received” when submitted through our site, and bids from Live Auctioneers and Invaluable (regardless of whether they are proxy bids or live bids) are considered “received” when transmitted to us during the auction.
Q: How can I tell how far along you are once the auction starts?
A: Now that our auction is running live on our Auction Website and App, you can easily check the progress of our auction.
Q: Why am I being invoiced for the credit card fee if I want to pay by check?
A: We include the surcharge on the invoice because it has an embedded payment link. It shows up as a separate line item, and if you are paying by check, you may omit that charge. And don’t work – if you inadvertently send a check that includes the credit card fee, it will be refunded.
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 United States. If shipping is not include on the invoice for our winning bidders residing outside the continental US, we will include that on updated invoice. We may also have to send a an updated invoice certain oversized packages. Please see the top of this page or our Terms and Conditions of Sale for additional information.
Q: If I am successful on multiple bidding platforms, can my purchases be shipped together?
A: Of course. We try to watch for this, but it is helpful if you advise us when this occurs. As long as you bid under the same name on one of these platforms, we will automatically combine those shipments, although we will need to manually adjust your shipping charge on one of the invoices to account for a single shipment.
Q: Are there any other fees?
A: In addition to the purchase price, buyer’s premium, credit card or wire fees 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.
Q: When can I expect to receive my purchases?
A: We will start shipping within a week of the auction, and may take up to 21 days after payment to ship. We try to ship packages in the order of payment.
Q: How can I find out the auction results?
A: With our new auction platform, prices realized should update for each lot almost immediately. Please note that unlike our prior website, which showed the selling price including the premium, our new site will show the hammer price. Prices realized should also appear on the respective lots on the live bidding platforms. We will try to invoice our winning bidders on Monday and Tuesday.