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 most items to purchasers located in the continental United States via FedEx Ground or Home Delivery Service, to purchasers in Alaska and Hawaii via FedEx Express Services and to international purchasers via FedEx International Economy Service. For packages with a value in excess of $7500, we will ship via UPS in order to fully insure your package, unless insurance coverage is reduced or waived at the purchaser’s request. Faster shipping services may be requested at purchaser’s expense. Purchaser must notify us if they would like to make shipping arrangements through a third-party shipper. We shall not, under any circumstances, be liable for the loss, theft, or damage to property, including, but not limited to selection of a third-party shipper, the acts or omissions of any third-party shipper, or the acts or omissions occurring in packing for shipment by a third-party shipper.
As a courtesy, we may provide pre-auction shipping quotes 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.
It is our intention to include the cost of shipping on the invoice for all purchases from our June 4 Hiroshige auction. Successful bidders on June 4, who are planning to bid on June 11 should let us know upon payment of their invoice. If they are also successful on June 11, they will only be invoiced for the increased cost of insurance, and the increase, if any, in package size. Most domestic packages will have a base cost of $40 or $55 , plus $1/$100 for insurance up to $7,500 for FedEx or $1.25/$100 for UPS. International packages, and packages shipping to Alaska and Hawaii will be custom quoted. This may result in a short delay in invoicing. 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, although we often begin shipping during the week following the auction.
Local pick up is by appointment, and subject to the physical distancing and masking procedures in place at the time.
We will defer shipping for paid customers upon request. If we are currently holding a prior purchase for you and your purchases from this auction can fit in the same size package, you will only be billed for the additional insurance. If you require a larger package, then you will be charged the increased cost and additional insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is new for this auction?
A: We are experimenting with a Friday sale. This should allow us to more quick invoice our international winners. Unlike most or our auctions, there is not a confidential reserve. That means that any print with at least one bid will sell. As was the case with our June Auctions; shipping will differ depending on the total value of the package. If the insured value is $7500 or less we are able to use FedEx. However, if the total value is in excess of $7500, we will use UPS in order to fully insure the shipment
Q: When will the sale be held?
A: The auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 11 am, Chicago time, on Friday, July 22. 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 28%.
Q: Are the prints and paintings in the auction framed?
A: No. Nothing in this auction is framed.
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 3:00 pm Chicago time on the Thursday before auction at auctions@floatingworld.com 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. For domestic shipments of prints within the 48 contiguous states that can fit within boards measuring up to 31 x 26 inches (including a safe amount of space between the margins and the edge of the board), we charge a flat rate depending on the size of the largest print. Certain over-sized items, as well as international shipments, require a custom shipping quote. $1/$100 for FedEx deliveries with an insured value up to $7500, or $1.25/$100 for UPS deliveries, where we can insure for the full value, will be added for insurance, unless waived.
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 review 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: Do the prints in this auction have reserves?
A: In this auction, the starting bid is the reserve, so any print that gets a bid will sell.
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 Friday, and by Monday at the latest.
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 Live Auctioneers 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. International winners and exempt buyers can contact us for other payment options.
Q: How is shipping handled?
A: We plan to include a shipping charge on the initial invoice for all winners Please see our Shipping Procedures at the top of this page, as well as our Terms and Conditions of Sale for additional information.
Q: If my package is over $7500 in value, can I still have my it shipped via FedEx?
A: We can still ship your package via FedEx, but the maximum insurable value is $7500.
Q: Are there any other fees?
A: In addition to the purchase price, buyer’s premium and shipping, US residents who are not otherwise exempt will be assessed sales tax based on their shipping address. 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