Floating World Auctions Shipping Procedures and FAQs
Shipping Procedures
Shipping, insurance, packaging and handling of purchased lots is at the expense of the purchaser. We offer in-house shipping, and ship most items to purchasers located in the continental United States via United Parcel Ground Service and to international purchasers and purchasers in Alaska and Hawaii via United Parcel Air Service. Purchaser is responsible for providing us with an accurate shipping address and for confirming receipt of the package, and for reimbursing any reroute fees incurred for failure to provide accurate shipping information. We shall not, under any circumstances, be liable for the loss, theft, or damage to property, including, but not limited to selection of a shipper or to the acts or omissions of any shipper.
As a courtesy, we may provide pre-auction shipping estimates for in-house shipping based on a prospective bidder’s postal code and their estimated package size, weight, and value. Post-sale determination of shipping costs does not constitute grounds for cancellation of any purchase made at our auction.
Shipment may take up to 21 days after payment is received, although we usually begin shipping during the week following the auction. Local pick up is by appointment only on weekdays during normal business hours, beginning the Wednesday after the auction.
Local pick up is by appointment only on weekdays during normal business hours, beginning the Wednesday after the auction.
Successful bidders also have the option of LiveShipping, via LiveAuctioneers, which may be selected when checking out on the platform. We have selected United Parcel Service as the default shipper. The LiveShipping amount will be included on the invoice, along with local pick up and self-arranged shipping options. This is our first auction using LiveShipping, but we expect it to cost slightly more than in-house shipping for domestic packages and substantially more for international packages. We will be handling the packaging for domestic purchases and LiveShipping’s agents will arrange for the packaging of international purchases. To bypass LiveShipping, and use our in-house shipping service, please choose self-arranged shipping at checkout. In-house shipping will need to be paid separately. Click Here to additional information provided by LiveAuctioneers.
There is a discussion of the differences between LiveShipping and In-House shipping at the end of this document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s new for this sale?
A: We are now required to offer LiveShipping through LiveAuctioneers, and are no longer able to include an in-house shipping amount on your invoice. More information appears below, at the end of this document. We are also providing the dimensions of the sheet size, rounded up to the next inch, to facilitate the calculation of the costs for LiveShipping.
Q: When will the sale be held?
A: The auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 9 am, Chicago time, on Friday, October 10th. This translates to 07:00:00 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 27%.
Q: Are the prints and paintings in the auction framed?
A: Nothing in this auction is framed. The prints are shown against a grey background.
Q: What do the dimensions on your listings mean?
A: The dimensions for image size excludes margins and shows the height first followed by the width. In the cases where the dimensions are for something else, this is described in the “Notes” section of the listing. Examples include multi-panel items, such as triptychs, or pieces without a defined plate line. The dimensions for sheet size also show the height first, followed by width, rounded up to the next inch. For lots with multiple items, the sheet size shown is for the largest item in the lot.
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 an in-house shipping estimate in advance, please contact us no later than 3:00 pm Chicago time on the Thursday before auction at [email protected] with the shipping destination, and we will provide a courtesy estimate, exclusive of insurance. Post sale determination of shipping costs does not constitute grounds for cancellation of any purchase made at auction. The cost for most domestic packages will either be $40 or $60, depending on the cost of the largest item in the package, plus insurance, at $1/$100. International shipments, as well as shipments to Alaska and Hawaii, and oversized prints that do not fit in in our $60 package will require custom quotes. LiveShipping determines its own charges. We provide sheets sizes for the auction lots, and the size and costsoff our packaging, and LiveShipping does the rest.
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 prior to the start of the auction, we may not see that your registration requires approval.
How Live Auctioneers Works for an Automated Auction
Q: How can I bid through Live Auctioneers?
A: Please review this helpful article 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 or even during the auction, you can place an absentee bid on any lot that has not yet opened for live bidding. 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.
Q: Do the prints in this auction have reserves?
A: Yes. The reserve on any lot can be between the starting bid and the low estimate. If your bid is below reserve, then you will be notified by LiveAuctioneers and encouraged to bid more. Reserves are confidential.
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 leading bid is displayed on the lot listing. When you place your initial bid, you should receive a message which either advises you that you are the current leader and that amount, or that you have been outbid, and offering you a link to bid again. In addition, prior to the auction, if you click on the “My Items” link at the top right of any LiveAuctioneers page you will see a little heart icon, like the one below. This will bring up all of the items that you have “favorited”. In this instance, there are 2 bids among the favorited items. If you do not mark the items you bid on as favorites, there is a link on the Favorites page for “My Bids”, as shown on the below.
Whichever page you look at, there will be images of each lot, with either a green “LEADING” or red “OUTBID” banner to let you know your status.
Regardless of the amount of the first bid that is placed by any bidder, 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 $50. Bidder 1 enters $100, and the listing shows the bidding at $50. Bidder 2 enters a bid of $75. Bidder 1 is still winning, and the bidding advances to $75. Bidder 2 sees they are outbid, and enters the next bid of $100. The bidding advances to $100, but since Bidder 1 bid first, Bidder 1 is still winning. Bidder 2 then bids the next bid of $125, and is the winner. Bidder 3 comes along, and bids $150. Bidder 3 is now in the lead, and the bid showing on the lot is now $150.
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 support 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 domestic invoices later in the day on Friday.
Q: Why is the sales tax on my invoice?
A: LiveAuctioneers, as a “market place facilitator”, is required to collect and remit local sales tax in those jurisdictions that assess sales tax, absent an approved exemption, most frequently a purchase for resale. Accordingly, unless you register as a reseller with LiveAuctioneers, applicable sales tax will be added to your invoice, regardless of whether or not you are located outside of Illinois. It is our understanding that international bidders, however, will not be subject to the collection of sales tax as long as their packages are shipped out of the country. If you are a reseller, we strongly encourage you to register as such with LiveAuctioneers prior to the sale. The link is within your bidder profile.
Q: What are my payment options?
A: If you have sales tax on your invoice, you must pay through the LiveAuctioneers Payment System using either a credit card or a direct bank transfer. We are not accepting PayPal or any other method of credit card payment for this auction, and we are no longer accepting Venmo either. International winners and exempt buyers can contact us for other payment options.Exempt winners will also be subject to AutoPay if they do not contact us to opt out. If do not pay your invoice before the expiration of the 72 hour autopay or contact us about alternate payment within 72 hours after we send your invoice LiveAuctioneers will automatically charge the credit card on file. For most domestic winners, this means Monday afternoon. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU DO NOT PAY BEFORE THE AUTOPAY DEADLINE, YOU WILL ALSO BE CHARGED FOR LiveShipping, SUBJECT IF ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET:
- The LiveShipping quote is less than or equal to $100
- The LiveShipping quote is less than or equal to 50% of the item’s hammer price plus buyer’s premium
- The shipping address is at least 100 miles from the Floating World Auctions
Q: What if I want to use a different credit card or pay by direct bank transfer (ACH)?
A: If you want to use a different debit or credit card than the one on file, you can either change the card in your LiveAuctioneers profile, or checkout before the 72 hour payment window, using your preferred card. If you want to pay by ACH, you will need to checkout using LiveAuctioneers prior to the 72 hour payment window.
Q: How can I opt out of AutoPay?
A: You need to to notify us prior to the end of the 72 hour window. To be safe, please notify us at least two hours before, or earlier, if it the window closes after 5:00 pm Chicago time.
Q: If I opt out of AutoPay, can I opt back in?
A: No. Unfortunately, this cannot be reversed. However, the decision only applies to the current auction.
Q: Is there any advantage to using LivePayments to check out prior to the end of the 72 hour window?
A: Yes. We ship in the order that payment is received, so you will be further up in the shipping queue. Please note that ACH payments take longer to clear. Nevertheless your place in the shipping queue will be determined preliminarily by initial payment date.
Q: Since FWG is passing through the costs of processing, what is that cost?
A: These are the processing fees:
- LiveAuctioneers AutoPay credit or debit card: 3.99% + $0.25
- LiveAuctioneers AutoPay ACH bank transfer: 1% + $0.50
- Exempt and International Winners credit or debit card: 3%
In addition, unless we have previously received a wire from an international winner that had no deductions, we reserve the right to add a $25-$30 fee to cover the costs of intermediary bank fees.
Q: Why do I have to use LivePayments if I have sales tax on my invoice?
A: In order to comply with the Marketplace Facilitators rules, sales tax must be collected and remitted to the proper taxing authority for the jurisdiction to which the purchase is sent. LiveAuctioneers handles this for us, but only for payments made through LiveAuctioneers. We are not able to handle this on our own.
Q: Are there any other fees?
A: In addition to the purchase price, buyer’s premium, shipping and payment processing fees, US residents who are not otherwise exempt will be assessed sales tax based on their shipping address. Bidders are responsible for reimbursing us for any costs based on a rerouting fees we incur after shipping. International bidders are responsible for all applicable customs, duties, taxes, etc., including any such items that are charged back to us.
LiveShipping vs. In-House Shipping
This is our first auction for which we are required to offer LiveShipping. The information below is based on our current understanding of the program. Click Here to view more information about LiveShipping provided by LiveAuctioneers.
Q: What shipping service is used?
A: Both In-House shipping and domestic packages sent via LiveShipping use United Parcel Service. LiveShipping sends us shipping labels. International packages sent through LiveShipping will use the service selected by LiveShipping’s agents.
Q: Who will package our prints?
A: Our Shipping Department will handle the packaging for In-House shipping and domestic packages sent through LiveShipping. It is our understanding that for international packages sent through LiveShipping, their representatives will pick up the prints from us, and arrange the packaging and shipping independently. Accordingly, while we encourage all bidders to use our In-House shipping, we strongly recommend this for international winners.
Q: How can I make sure that I am able to get In-House shipping?
A: You must select Self-Arranged Shipping when you check out on LiveAuctioneers, and you must pay, or ask us to take you off AutoPay before the deadline expires. Because we are no longer able to include the cost of In-House shipping on your invoice, we will need to collect for that separately. We are still considering various payment options, and will try to make it as simple as possible.
Q: If I do not pay my invoice before my AutoPay deadline, will LiveShipping be included in the payment?
A: Yes, in cases where all of the following conditions are met:
- The LiveShipping quote is less than or equal to $100
- The LiveShipping quote is less than or equal to 50% of the item’s hammer price plus buyer’s premium
- The shipping address is at least 100 miles from the Floating World Auctions
Q: How are shipping costs determined?
A: The cost for most domestic packages shipped in-house will either be $40 or $60, depending on the size of the largest item in the package, plus insurance, at $1/$100. International shipments, as well as shipments to Alaska and Hawaii, and oversized prints that do not fit in in our $60 package will require custom quotes. LiveShipping determines its own shipping charge. We provide sheet sizes for the auction lots, and the costs and sizes of our packaging, and LiveShipping does the rest for domestic shipments. We were advised that this will be slightly more expensive than In-House shipping in most cases. LiveShipping for international packages is handled by an outside agent, who is also responsible for pick up and packages. We expect this to be significantly more expensive.
Q: If I win multiple items, will they be shipped in the same package?
A: Yes, both In-House and LiveShipping send multiple items in the same package, with the shipping cost based on the largest item.
Q: Will my package be insured?
A: We offer optional insurance with In-House shipping. The cost is $1/$100. For international packages we cannot insure for more than the declared value. Insurance is included in the LiveShipping price.
Q: Is there anything else I should know?
A: This auction includes some very large prints, which always cost more to ship. With In-House shipping, we may provide alternate shipping quotes when the prints are suitable to roll. LiveShipping only provides rates for for flat shipping.
More Questions?
- We tried to cover everything, but if you still have questions, or suggestions for other topics to cover, please email us at [email protected]
- Updated 10.6.2025 to clarify LiveShipping vs. In-House shipping language.
- Updated 9.28.2025 to raise LiveAuctioneer’s processing fee from 3.75% to 3.99%
- Updated 9.30.2025 to cover when the LiveShipping amount is included when an invoice is not paid by the AutoPay deadline