Conditions of Sale
These Conditions of Sales have been recently up-dated. PLEASE REVIEW PRIOR TO BIDDING. Bidding acknowledges Acceptance of all Conditions of Sale.
All bidders, whether in person or via absentee, telephone bid or on-line are subject to compliance with the Terms & Conditions of Sale, as follows. Please familiarize yourself with these conditions prior to bidding.
NOTE: Lots containing ivory, tortoiseshell, whale's teeth, whale's bone of other animal materials may be subject to the Endangered Species Act and the United States Fish and Wildlife Department. Certain on-line platforms restrict the listing of such items. Scrimshaw, raw whale's teeth, 20th century bone models may only be purchased by Massachusetts residents and will not be shipped out of state. Some countries, as well, prohibit the importation of such property into their countries.
CONDITIONS OF SALE
1. All in-house bidders will be required to register prior to sale and to obtain a Bidder's Number Card. Registration shall include name, address, phone (s), re-sale certificate number (if applicable) and email address, if bidder chooses. White's Auctions reserves the right to refuse to register a bidder for past transgressions. On-Line bidders must register with Invaluable or Live Auctioneers with required information and need to be reviewed and approved by White's Auctions in order to bid. If a bidder is on the pre-approved White List, he or she will be automatically approved for bidding. If Disputes are filed for non-payment, such bidders will be suspended and blocked from bidding on future sales.
2. Any form of "bid rigging" or fraud will not be tolerated. Bidders are to bid themselves and without assigned agents. Violations of these principles constitutes a violation of the Sherman Act*. White's Auctions is committed to maintaining the integrity of the auction process and its reputation.
3. All bids and sales will be registered and recorded by Bidding number, Lot number and Buyer number.
4. All lots are sold "as is, where is" as to the condition at the time of sale. All measurements and/or weights are approximate. White's Auctions endeavors to catalog and/or list and describe all items as accurately as possible and to assign lot numbers respectively. Items will be offered in as close to listed Lot Number as possible. Condition reports are not guaranteed and may vary in accuracy. It is the responsibility for prospective buyers to inspect the items for themselves and use their own judgement as to the authenticity, condition and/or value of any lot offered for sale. White's Auctions makes no warrantees, whether written or verbal, as to the correctness of any description, attribution, authenticity or condition of said items.
5. We recommend that prospective bidder examine all items of interest personally, or by an expert chosen by the bidder. It is the responsibility for prospective buyers to inspect the items for themselves and use their own judgement as to the authenticity, condition and/or value of any lot offered for sale. If the results of your examination leaves a doubt in your mind DO NOT BID on the item(s) in question. By placing a bid in person, by phone, absentee or on the internet designates acceptance of these terms. We do not give refunds. All Sales are Final.
6. Items to be offered for auction will be exhibited for preview and inspection for sufficient time prior to sale. Once the auction starts, viewing is no longer available. Most lots are also available for viewing on www.auctionzip.com (ID #7546). All sales are final. On-line auction catalogs will be posted to on-line platforms (including Invaluable.com, Liveauctioneers.com, auctionzip.com) for preview approximately 2 weeks prior to sale.
7. At the auctioneer's discretion any lot may be withdrawn at any time prior to or during the sale for cause.
8. The Auctioneer shall regulate the advance of bids and may, at his absolute discretion, reject any bid or fractional advance he feels is not commensurate with the assumed value of the lot and may choose to pass the item, whether bids have been accepted or not. Passed items will not be put up again during the sale. They may be held for a future sale.
9. If the purchaser breaches any obligations under these Conditions of Sale, White's Auctions reserves the right to hold such defaulting buyer liable for the purchase price, cancel the sale or to re-sell the property, holding the buyer liable for any deficiency in the purchase price as well as any related expenses for re-sale or storage.
10. A 20% Buyer's Premium will be added to the hammer price (including sales tax if applicable) of all lots sold in house, by phone bid or absentee bid. A 25% Buyer's Premium is applied to On-Line sales. Massachusetts sales tax in the amount of 6.25% will be added, if applicable, to the final sale amount (after the BP). A 3% processing fee will be added to sale totals paid by Credit Card. This is in addition to on-line bidding fees. Sales tax will not be required of "bone fide" dealers who produce, or submit, a valid Sales Tax Exempt Certificate accompanied by proper identification.
11. The highest bidder acknowledged by the Auctioneer shall be the purchaser. In the event of a dispute between bidders, the Auctioneer shall have the sole right to determine the successful bidder or to re-offer and re-sell the lot in dispute.
12. Title and responsibility of the purchased lot shall pass to the purchaser upon the fall of the Auctioneer's gavel and/or "customary manner".
13. The in-house purchaser shall be required to remove the purchased items from the premises during or immediately after the auction, unless arrangements are made. No items shall leave the premises without receipt for payment shown to a staff member before the item(s) shall be released to the purchaser. The item(s) purchased shall remain at the purchaser's sole risk and responsibility. If items are to be picked up at a later time, arrangements must be made in advance by phone.
14. Payment by in-house registered bidders is due at the end of each sale in the forms of payment include cash, money order, good check or major credit card. White's reserves the right to hold any and all merchandise until checks clear. The purchaser agrees to pay White's Auctions a charge of $30.00 for any dishonored check (plus any applicable additional charges incurred in collecting the funds due). White's reserves the right not to refuse checks from individuals who have presented a bad check to the auction in the past or have said transgressions against other auction houses of which we have been made aware.
15. As a convenience to customers who cannot attend the sale, White's Auctions accepts Absentee and Phone bids. All such bids are accepted and executed as a convenience and all such bidders are subject to these Conditions of Sales. All such successful bids, (absentee or phone) must be honored in full. Absentee bids are executed competitively against floor, phone and live Internet bidding platforms up to, but not to exceed, the maximum amounts bid. White's does not bid "plus 1". Absentee shall not hold the White's Auction in any way liable for any errors in or failures to execute left bids. All Absentee bids must be submitted no later than the stated deadline prior to the auction (usually up to one hour prior to start time). Absentee bids are accepted via email or phone, as to the discretion of the auction house.
Phone bids will be accepted at the discretion of White's Auctions on certain lots and are executed as a convenience to customers. To arrange to bid by telephone or absentee please call (508) 269-9275. Any requests to arrange to bid by phone during the sale must be arranged no later than 24 hours prior to the sale day Eastern Standard Time. No telephone bid requests will be accepted or arranged the day of the sale. Phone bidders are subject to the Conditions of Sale. White's Auctions will make every effort to contact bidders in a reasonable time prior to the sale of the lot but will not be held liable in any way for failed, incomplete, inaudible connections or missed calls.
16. Successful bidders will be notified within 3-5 business days and will be invoiced, through regulate USPS mail and invoices are payable on receipt. Invoices for small shippable items will include shipping and insurance costs, payable by the purchaser. A 20% Buyer's Premium is added for all in-house, phone and absentee sales. A 6.25% Massachusetts Sales Tax will be added to the total sale amount for Massachusetts purchasers not holding a valid Massachusetts Resale Certificate.
17. Invoices for internet purchases will be sent via the internet platform to the purchaser's email registration. A Buyer's Premium of 25% is added to all internet purchases. A 6.25% Massachusetts sales tax is automatically added to invoices of all Massachusetts residents. If White's elects to ship in house the invoice will include shipping, handling and insurance costs. Said items will be shipped upon payment receipt and cleared checks. Failure to pay Internet invoices within the time stated (No. 18) will result in a Dispute filed with the Internet platforms which will cause the respective bidder's suspension and cancellation of the sale. White's Auctions reserves the right to charge a bidder's credit card if not paid 14 days from the date of the auction.
PLEASE NOTE: White's Auctions will no longer provide in-house shipping for most items. There is a list of shippers on the website www.whitesauctions.com. It is the responsibility of the buyer to make his or her own arrangements for insurance and shipment. Please make shipment and pick up arrangements quickly.
18. Acceptable form of payment will be cash, check, major credit card or wire transfer. A 3% processing fee is added to all credit card purchase totals. PLEASE NOTE: White's will not accept credit card payment for any invoice over $1,000. No credit card payments will be accepted for gold jewelry or gold coins. Payment must be cash, Certified bank check or wire transfer.
Full payment must be received within 15 days of the date of the auction. All property is sold As is/Where Is and ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO RETURNS, REFUNDS or POST SALE ADJUSTMENTS.
19. Items remaining with the auction house for later pick up must be picked up within 2 weeks of the auction date or may be subject to storage charges. While the auction will take due care of the items, the responsibility and liability for purchased items remains with the purchaser. White's insurance will be null and void on sold lots as the "transfer of ownership" passes and resides with the purchaser.
20. If White's is prevented from delivering any property to the purchaser due to fire, theft or any other reason, our liability shall be limited to the low auction estimate in the online catalog. In the case of the consignor, any loss due to fire, theft or any other situation, White's liability to the consignor shall be limited to the low auction estimate in the online catalog.
21. Items left beyond 90 days will be considered "abandoned" and may be offered for re-sale as property of White's Auctions.
22. Bidding on any items constitutes acceptance of all terms included herein and any other terms which may be added or announced at the time of sale.
23. Announcements made the day of the sale take precedence over on line descriptions and/or printed materials.
