Kunst-Auktionshaus WENDL, Rudolstadt in Thüringen

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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most important questions

You are here:  Kunst-Auktionshaus WENDLBuyingFAQ

Account
What advantages do I have when being registered?

By registering on our website, you create and manage your contact and login data in your "MY WENDL" account. We ask you to always keep these up to date. Once you are logged in, you can view your bids and invoices in your "MY WENDL" area and specify a shipping request. Bidding via our online catalogue is only possible for registered clients. There you can create a "Remember me"-list. You can also access the feature "Plan your bids" which allows you to access and send your commission and telephone bids. The section "Sent bids" allows you to see if we have processed your bids. After the auction, you will also be able to see the hammer prices here. As soon as you are logged in, you are automatically activated for "LIVE bidding".
As a seller, you can view a list of your consigned lots with pictures and descriptions. After the auction you can see the status of your consigned lots, any bids under proviso and your invoice.

Aftersales
How do our aftersale work?

Lots that were not sold during the auction automatically enter the aftersales. They can now be bought for the reserve (plus a buyer’s commission of 24.99 % incl. VAT). The aftersales are part of the auction and take place during the three weeks following each auction. Unsold lots will be presented in a separate section of our auction house and are available via our online-catalogue. During the aftersales, bids lower than the reserve, so called 'under proviso' bids, can be made in writing, only for lots with a reserve of at least 500 €.  As during the auction, the highest under proviso bid will have priority. During the third week of aftersales, we will contact the vendors to discuss the acceptance of under proviso bids. If the vendor agrees, the lot is sold for the highest offered under proviso bid plus the usual surcharge for bidders (24.99 % incl. VAT). If the vendor does not accept the under proviso bid, the object remains to be unsold and the items will be returned to the vendor when the aftersales have finished.

Auction Catalogue
Browse online!

From 2024 our catalogues will only be available online. If you are interested in a printed catalogue from past auctions, please send us your request by email to kontakt@auktionshaus-wendl.de or via our contact form.

AUCTION SCHEDULE
What time are my lots sold?

We produce a time schedule for every auction, which shows the order of the sale categories and an approximated time of sale for the sections at the different auction days. You will find a link to this schedule underneath every auction on this website. You can find the estimated call time for each lot in our online catalogue below the respective catalogue description. Please note that we sell about 140 to 150 lots per hour. Although our sale runs quickly, delays might occur. Therefore, please understand the provided information on the time of sale as an indication only. 

Bidding
How can I participate in an auction?

The most exciting way to participate in an auction is to bid in person in the saleroom. All you need to do is to get a bidding number from our cashier and you are ready to go. As an alternative, it is possible to leave a commission bid with us. In this case you inform us about the maximum sum in Euros that you would like to spend on a lot and we will bid up to this sum on your behalf. Please note that commission bids have to be instructed in writing (oral instructions to our staff – if in person or on the phone – will not be processed!). This is possible via our bidding form or via an informal email, telefax or letter. If you register on our website you can send commission bids conveniently via our online catalogue.Telephone bidding is available for lots with a reserve of at least 150 €. If you would like to be independent of telephone bidding or location, we recommend you register online for LIVE bidding. Detailed instructions on how to bid are also available in the section How do I bid?.

CITES
What do I need a CITES-certificate for?

CITES (Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora) is the result of an international conference in Washington DC in 1973. The agreement is connected to a set of rules to prohibit the trade with animals of endangered species as well as affiliated materials (e.g. ivory, corals, etc.). Since 2022 international ivory trade is prohibited. It is possible to apply for a CITES-certificate for internal EU trade if the artefact has been crafted before March 3 1947 or if the musical instrument has been aquired before 1975 and is still been used or has been used until recently by a perfomring artist. Certificates pre 2022 are no longer valid for commercial transactions.

CLAIMS AND RETURNS
When am I eligible to claim?

In general, if you won a lot the hammer price is binding. We do not guarantee nor are we liable for catalogue descriptions, denoted age, origin, size, weight, signatures, marks, and materials, nor damages etc. Clients have the duty to preview the objects. Additionally, condition reports can be requested via email or phone. If a client does not use the opportunity to preview the objects it does not make him eligible to claim. Complaints must always be made in writing. Faults concerning the object that we are notified will be passed on to the vendor and in particular cases, e.g. in suspicion of a fake, we will claim in the buyer’s interest from the vendor as far as this is possible. This procedure is under the condition that an expertise of an accredited expert is provided (paid for by the client submitting the claim) latest 4 weeks after the auction or the time of acquisition.

Collection of bought items
When can I collect my property?

We kindly ask you to pick up your goods not later than 3 weeks after the auction. Please collect your bought items during the auction or during our office hours: Tuesday to Friday (9 am to 12.30 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm). The auction house is closed on Mondays and during the Weekend. Your property will only be released after we receive complete payment. You will find our bank details on the invoice, which must be paid within 8 days. At the cashier of our auction house, we accept payment in cash, via Mastercard, VISA Card, GiroPay and Maestro. It is our pleasure to help you with the packing of your goods. If you cannot collect your items in person, we are happy to advise you on appropriate forwarding agencies & transport companies. However, it is your responsibility to arrange the shipping with the carrier.

CONDITION REPORTS
What condition are the objects in?

We report seriously visible faults and damages in our catalogue entries. Usually, traces of age and usage that go in hand with the age of the object will not be mentioned specifically. A catalogue entry without a note on the condition does not mean that the object is in perfect condition nor free of faults. It is the client’s duty to preview the objects in order to verify the items and to address uncertainties before the sale is conducted. When publishing the online catalogue, we recommend clients who are not able to preview their lots of interest to request condition reports and, if needed, additional photographs via email. During the preview, we are available to answer questions and special requests on the phone between 10 am and 6 pm, daily.

CUSTOMS
What do I need to be aware of when exporting my items?

If you export objects to a non EU-country and the invoiced value is more than 1000 €, you need to declare them at the responsible customs authority. For certain countries and items you might still need to register your objects, even if they were invoiced for less than 1000 €.

ESTIMATES
Is the value of an object fixed?

Consigned items are valued according to current prices on the market and accordingly the reserve is set in agreement with the vendor at an appropriate height to encourage bidders. Therefore, the set reserve does not necessarily represent the ultimate value of the objects. The reserve only serves as the lowest starting point for bidding during the auction and the lowest price the vendor would like to achieve with his item.

FEES AND ADDITIONAL COSTS
How much do we charge?

Clients buying at auction pay a commission fee of 24.99 % (incl. VAT). If you buy an item via LIVE-Bidding online, an additional fee of 3 % (on the WENDL website) and 5 % (on external auction platforms) plus VAT is payable. Vendors pay a fee of 17.85 % (incl. VAT) as well as an insurance fee of 0.5 % of the reserve. We do not charge any additional fees: The usage of our online catalogues and archives is part of our free service. Vendors do not pay any fees for photographs and catalogue entries, advertising, Internet services, or unsold lots. The VAT is only charged on the buyer’s or vendor’s fees – not on the lots themselves.

Increments
What increments ('steps') do you use in your sales?

Normally, bidding on a lot commences at the reserve. Lots 'without reserve' start at 20 €. If there are several commission bids on a lot, bidding will start at the second highest bid. Our increments follow circa 10 %-steps, but the auctioneer may deviate from those in exceptional cases. We always bid in the interest of our clients, which means that we do not take advantage of the maximum height of your commission bids. A lot is sold if no higher bid is offered after announcing the current maximum bid three times. Lots can also be sold if we receive a bid on the reserve and no further bid form a different party. Our increment practices can be seen in the following example: 20, 30, 40, 50, ... 170, 180, 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 330, 360, 390, 420, 460, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, ..., 2000, 2200, 2400, ...

INVOICE
How do I get my invoice?

Invoices are sent out shortly after the auction as email or to clients without an email address by postal mail services. They are also available to registered users in their "MY WENDL" account where they can be paid by SEPA direct debit, SOFORT bank transfer, GiroPay, VISA Card, Mastercard and American Express. Payment is expected immediately and latest 8 days of the invoiced date.

LIVE BIDDING
Can I participate in the auction online?

LIVE-Bidding is an additional service and we charge an additional LIVE bidding fee of 3 % plus VAT. External auction platforms charge an additional LIVE bidding fee of 5 % plus VAT. When bidding live, you are actively participating in the auction – even if you are not at the auction location or cannot bid via telephone. You can find all information on how to register and bid live here.

NEW CLIENTS
What do I need to know as a new client?

If you are a new client registering at the cashier in the auction house, please bring your National Identity Card or Passport. We also ask new clients who wish to bid via commission bid or online to provide information on references from other auction houses, galleries or art houses that the client bought from before. Bids of new clients are only processed if we accept the references. As a new client we kindly ask you to contact us in order to discuss this process.

Payment
What payment methods do we accept?

At the cashier of our auction house, we accept payment in cash, via Mastercard, VISA Card, GiroPay and Maestro.
Registered users can log into their "MY WENDL" account on our website and access "My invoices" where they will easily be able to pay the invoice online. Accepted methods of payment are SEPA Direct Debit, SOFORT Überweisung, VISA Card, Mastercard and American Express. Alternatively, you can pay via bank transfer (directly via your bank or via www.wise.com, no charges).

BANK DETAILS
Bank Address: Volksbank e.G. Gera Jena Rudolstadt, Marktstr. 22, 07407 Rudolstadt, Germany
Account Holder: Kunst-Auktionshaus WENDL
IBAN: DE52830944540309430301 | BLZ: 83094454 | Account number: 309430301

Bank Transfer within the EU
BIC-Code: GENODEF1RUJ

Bank Transfer from non-EU countries
SWIFT-Code: GENODEFF

Preview
Can I look at the objects before the sale?

Our clients have the possibility and duty to look at the items in order to verify their condition and quality, or to send a third party to do so on their behalf. During the preview, we do not only extend our opening times (starting on Saturday before the auction, daily 10 am to 6 pm), but also offer the opportunity to talk to our specialists in person. If you cannot come in person nor send someone on your behalf, we kindly ask you to call us or to send an inquiry by email to talk about possible questions and ambiguities.

RESERVES
What is a reserve?

The reserve is the lowest price that bidding can start from during the auction. It is set in agreement with the vendor and is also the lowest price that a lot should be sold for. For lots offered ‘without reserve’, bidding will start at 20 €.

RESULTS
How can I inform myself about the achieved hammer prices?

Hammer prices are published in our online catalogue immediately after the lot is sold. Unsold lots will automatically be available through our aftersales and can be bought for the reserve (plus 24.99 % buyer’s premium incl. VAT).The top results can be viewed after the end of the auction via the respective auction.

Shipping & Delivery
Will my bought items be delivered to me?

DieVersandExperten.de (DVE): Your partner for shipping and shipping insurance
DieVersandExperten.de UG (renamed from MBE Zwickau) will take over the entire shipping process (packaging, insurance, dispatch) for your goods. This allows more flexibility to customer requests and offers a wider range of shipping companies (in particular DHL).

Procedure:
(1) Receipt and payment of the WENDL invoice without shipping costs,
(2) Receipt and payment of the shipping quote from DieVersandExperten.de,
(3) Packaging and dispatch of the goods by DieVersandExperten.de.

DieVersandExperten.de UG
CEO: Steffen Voigt
Company headquarter: Hübnerweg 29, DE-09125 Chemnitz
Packaging branch office: Bosestr. 15, DE-08056 Zwickau
Phone: +49 375 7888 7058
Email: info@DieVersandExperten.de
Website: www.DieVersandExperten.de

Telephone Bidding
Can I bid by phone?

Telephone bidding is only accepted for items with a reserve of at least 150 €. It is not possible to telephone-bid on lots with a lower reserve – even if you hand in a higher written bid. For those lots we recommend LIVE bidding as an alternative. Telephone bidding has to be requested in writing and at the condition that the client bids at least the reserve. We will call all accepted telephone bidders about one hour before the estimated time at which their lot will be sold to test the connection and to inform about possible delays in the schedule. If we cannot reach a telephone bidder when his lot of interest is sold, we will bid the reserve on his behalf and the item will be sold to him if there are no other bidders. Telephone bidders can also hand in a security bid that would act as a commission bid during the auction if we do not manage to reach the client by phone. In this case, a member of our staff would bid on the client’s behalf until the provided maximum.

Transporters and Forwarding Agencies
Goods collection by assistance

If you are unable to collect the goods by yourself, please hire and authorise someone to assist you the soonest possible. Please send us this collection authorisation by email. The following list of forwarding agencies & transport companies provides you with an overview of forwarders who work for many of our clients and with whom we have had good experiences. If you have any further questions, we will be happy to advise you on the phone.

VAT
What is the VAT charged on?

Invoices will state the VAT that is charged on our commission fee. The VAT is only charged on the buyer’s or vendor’s fees – not on the lots themselves. Companies from other EU states can request an invoice without VAT before invoicing. For this purpose, please inform us about your VAT-ID.

WITHDRAWAL
Can I withdraw my bid?

All auction bids that we receive are binding. The catalogue is published three weeks before the auction, giving enough time to interested clients to verify the offered lots through research, request of additional information and preview, and to plan their bids carefully.