Terms and Conditions
All property offered and sold though Second Story Books ("Auctioneer" or "Company") on Invaluable.com shall be offered and sold under the terms and conditions set forth in the following Conditions of Sale. By registering for and/or participating in any Second Story Books sale, you ("Bidder" or "Purchaser") acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.
Conditions of Sale
By placing a bid, whether through a third-party agent or representative, by phone, online, absentee bid or by any means, the Bidder acknowledges their thorough reading and understanding of these terms and conditions in their totality, all catalog descriptions and images and all matters incorporated herein either directly or by reference and agrees to be fully bound thereby. These terms and conditions pertain solely to the Bidder and not to any third party. In order to participate in a sale, all Bidders must be 18 years of age or older and meet the Auctioneer's qualifications. Such determination may be made at the Auctioneer's sole and unlimited discretion prior to, during or after the close of the auction.
Lots Offered at Auction
Second Story Books exercises due diligence to accurately and precisely identify and describe all property offered at auction, and the descriptions and identifications published on Invaluable represent the views held in good faith by Second Story Books. However, Second Story Books and its staff or representatives assume no risk, liability, or responsibility for identification, authenticity, or authorship of any property offered for sale. All items are sold in as-is condition, and the images provided for each lot should be regarded as an integral part of that description.
No item purchased from this auction may be reproduced for commercial use.
THE AUCTIONEER MAKES NO WARRANTY OF TITLE, WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPERTY.
In no way shall the Auctioneer be responsible for the correctness, nor deemed to have made any representation or warranty of description, genuineness, attribution, provenance or condition of the property and no statement by anyone or in the catalogue, in any advertisement, or which is made at the sale, in the bill of sale or invoice, or elsewhere, shall be deemed such a warranty or representation or an assumption of liability. Without in any way waiving the foregoing, any complaint regarding authenticity, genuineness, attribution or provenance must be submitted to the Company in writing within 25 days of the day of sale or such complaint shall be waived.
If the Auctioneer determines that the bidding is not commensurate with the value of the lot being offered, Second Story Books reserves the right to pass and withdraw the lot from the sale.
With the fall of the hammer, title to any offered lot or article immediately transfers to the highest Bidder as determined at the Auctioneer's exclusive discretion. Such Bidder immediately assumes full risk and responsibility for the property purchased, agrees to sign any requested written confirmation of purchase and agrees to pay the full purchase price as the Company may require.
In the event of any dispute between Bidders, the Auctioneer shall have the sole and final discretion either to determine the successful Bidder or to re-offer and resell the article in dispute. If any dispute arises after a sale, the Company's sale record shall be conclusive in all respects.
Buyer's Premium
The total Buyer's Premium is the sum of Second Story Books' 17% Buyer's Premium plus Invaluable's 3% service fee. The total Buyer's Premium of 20% is based on and added to the hammer price of all lots. The total purchase price is the sum of the hammer price and the Buyer's Premium of 20%.
Payment
The Purchaser is responsible for the full and timely payment of the total purchase price plus any state and/or local sales tax as required by law and any shipping and insurance charges. Payment is due within five calendar days of the invoice date. If payment is not made within this period, Second Story Books retains the right to charge the Purchaser's credit card on file on the sixth day for the full amount due.
The Company accepts the following forms of payment: checks in US dollars made payable to Second Story Books, major credit cards, bank transfers and PayPal payments sent to research@secondstorybooks.com.
No lot will be released until payment has been made in full and funds have cleared our bank.
Shipping
FOR LOTS WEIGHING LESS THAN 50 POUNDS: Lots purchased from Second Story Books through Invaluable will be packed and shipped by Second Story Books' inhouse shipping department. Purchasers are reminded that immediately upon winning the item, they assume all risks and responsibility for the item. Second Story Books takes great care to responsibly handle and pack all items being prepared for shipping. Second Story Books insures through Travelers Insurance, Inc. at a rate of $0.70 per $100 of value. Shipping and insurance charges are included in the Purchaser's invoice total. All items will be shipped to the address as it appears on the invoice unless the Purchaser notifies the Company in writing within 48 hours of the auction's end of a different shipping address or that the Purchaser will pick up the item(s) at Second Story Books' Rockville, Maryland location.
All items shipped domestically are fully insured and require direct signature (someone at the delivery address must sign). Second Story Books ships via UPS ground to domestic street addresses and via USPS First Class to domestic post office and rural boxes.
Second Story Books uses USPS Priority Flat Rate for most international shipments and DHL for large international shipments. International Purchasers will be responsible for any and all fees and expenses including, but not limited to customs duties and taxes. Second Story Books staff will, at the purchaser's request, initiate a claim with USPS if an item purchased from us appears to be delayed or lost by USPS. However, Second Story Books cannot control the rate at which packages are processed by USPS and its partners and cannot guarantee that a package will arrive by a particular date.
Lots will be shipped to Purchasers within 5 business days of receipt of full and cleared funds.
FOR LOTS WEIGHING 50 POUNDS OR MORE: Second Story Books does not ship lots weighing 50 pounds or more. The purchaser is therefore responsible for arranging the shipping or pickup of these items, and and of notifying Second Story Books of these arrangements.
NOTE: The state of Maryland has issued numerous restrictions to control the spread of the coronavirus. As long as these restrictions remain in place, we are not able to guarantee that purchases will be shipped within five business days of receipt of payment. We will, however, correspond promptly with any customer whose shipment might be delayed to notify them of the circumstances. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Purchasers who wish to engage a third-party shipper are responsible for contacting that shipper, making all arrangements and covering all costs, including, but not limited to, pick-up fees, packing, shipping, insurance and Maryland sales tax. Purchasers must sign a release form authorizing Second Story Books to release their purchased item(s) unpacked to the specified third-party shipper. Second Story Books requires that all third-party shippers pick up all purchased items within seven business days of the date of the Purchaser's invoice, provide sufficient packing material to responsibly transport the items being picked up and sign a receipt that includes images of the item(s) showing the condition of the item(s) when released by Second Story Books.
Arbitration of Disputes
Any disputes between the Company and Bidder shall be resolved through mandatory binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Arbitration will be conducted in Montgomery County, Maryland. Any award rendered may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. The losing party at arbitration will bear the costs associated with the arbitration process, including, but not limited to, the arbitrator's fees. The Bidder is responsible for any fees incurred by the Company in collecting monies owed by the Bidder to the Company, including but not limited to, attorneys' fees.
Shipping Terms
FOR LOTS WEIGHING LESS THAN 50 POUNDS: Lots purchased from Second Story Books through Invaluable will be packed and shipped by Second Story Books' inhouse shipping department. Purchasers are reminded that immediately upon winning the item, they assume all risks and responsibility for the item. Second Story Books takes great care to responsibly handle and pack all items being prepared for shipping. Second Story Books insures through Travelers Insurance, Inc. at a rate of $0.70 per $100 of value. Shipping and insurance charges are included in the Purchaser's invoice total. All items will be shipped to the address as it appears on the invoice unless the Purchaser notifies the Company in writing within 48 hours of the auction's end of a different shipping address or that the Purchaser will pick up the item(s) at Second Story Books' Rockville, Maryland location.
All items shipped domestically are fully insured and require direct signature (someone at the delivery address must sign). Second Story Books ships via UPS ground to domestic street addresses and via USPS First Class to domestic post office and rural boxes.
Second Story Books uses USPS Priority Flat Rate for most international shipments and DHL for large international shipments. International Purchasers will be responsible for any and all fees and expenses including, but not limited to customs duties and taxes. Second Story Books staff will, at the purchaser's request, initiate a claim with USPS if an item purchased from us appears to be delayed or lost by USPS. However, Second Story Books cannot control the rate at which packages are processed by USPS and its partners and cannot guarantee that a package will arrive by a particular date.
Lots will be shipped to Purchasers within 5 business days of receipt of full and cleared funds.
FOR LOTS WEIGHING 50 POUNDS OR MORE: Second Story Books does not ship lots weighing 50 pounds or more. The purchaser is therefore responsible for arranging the shipping or pickup of these items, and and of notifying Second Story Books of these arrangements.
NOTE: The state of Maryland has issued numerous restrictions to control the spread of the coronavirus. As long as these restrictions remain in place, we are not able to guarantee that purchases will be shipped within five business days of receipt of payment. We will, however, correspond promptly with any customer whose shipment might be delayed to notify them of the circumstances. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Purchasers who wish to engage a third-party shipper are responsible for contacting that shipper, making all arrangements and covering all costs, including, but not limited to, pick-up fees, packing, shipping, insurance and Maryland sales tax. Purchasers must sign a release form authorizing Second Story Books to release their purchased item(s) unpacked to the specified third-party shipper. Second Story Books requires that all third-party shippers pick up all purchased items within seven business days of the date of the Purchaser's invoice, provide sufficient packing material to responsibly transport the items being picked up and sign a receipt that includes images of the item(s) showing the condition of the item(s) when released by Second Story Books.
