Finding what you want
With offices in Geneva, Hong Kong and New York, finding something that you want to buy at a David Feldman auction is now easier than ever. Our printed catalogues are produced to the highest standard and often become important reference works for collectors, thanks not only to the quality of the material on offer, but also to its superb presentation. Clients receive a catalogue based on what they have bought or bid in any of our previous auctions (though complimentary catalogues can be requested), and are also displayed in pdf format on our website.
For most of our clients, searching our catalogues online will produce the quickest results and direct access to the items that interest you. Auction lots can be viewed via our own website www.davidfeldman.com, but also via specialist auction sites such as stampauctionnetwork.com, stampcircuit.com and philasearch.com. Simply enter any keywords into the search box, and it will bring you results from all of our sales from every office. In this way you can view images of items that may not be found in the printed catalogue. For example, all the pages/cards etc. of the collections and group items are scanned and uploaded to our website. Even if they are not, you can send us an image request straight away. Of course it is not always ideal to view images on a computer screen, and sometimes only viewing the lots in person will suffice. This is usually arranged a week or two before the auction is due to commence (see the calendar for precise dates), but an appointment at another time can also be arranged.
How to Bid
If you have found the perfect item to add to your collection, the next step is to register your bids and your personal details with us. There are several different ways to do this:
In person – By visiting our Geneva, Hong Kong, or New York offices, you can register straight away and bid live in the auction room. This is often the best position to make a bid, as you get a feel of the room that can give you important information to help you and your bids. For example: How does the auctioneer conduct the sale? Who’s bidding? How many different people are bidding? Are a lot of the items reaching well over the estimate? Etc.
Online - Through our live internet bidding system you can bid from anywhere in the world as if you were there in the auction room. Your screen will be exactly the same as the one everyone in the room is seeing, showing the lot with the photo and the current bid, and you will also be able to hear the auctioneer speaking. Online bidders have the advantage of bidding straight to the auction screen and therefore receive preferential treatment if someone in the room bids at the same time. We do however advise you not to wait until the last minute to try to log on and participate live during the sale as your credentials need to be verified before you are allowed to bid at auction. Online bidding also provides you with almost complete discretion, with only your bidder number and location (country) being disclosed.
Telephone - Bidding by telephone offers a discretion that the other methods cannot provide. By giving us the lot numbers you wish to bid on which, we will call you before the item comes up for sale, and bid on your behalf. Talking with our specialist will also help to give you a feel for the auction if you are unable to also follow via the live internet bidding system.
Absentee bid – If you’re unable to take part in the live auction, then your best solution is to leave an absentee bid. This can be done by via the website, telephone, fax, email or regular mail – you may register your maximum bids for specific items and be comfortable in the knowledge that such bids will only be attained if other under-bidders continue to pursue the same items. The disadvantage of the absentee bid is that you will not be able to outbid a competing bidder once your maximum bid has been reached.
Our staff are always pleased to help anyone needing assistance with bidding, and encourage you to contact us with questions in the period leading up to the auction day. A hotline service will also be available for assistance during the auction itself.
Determining What to Bid
You are of course free to bid on any item that is of interest to you, but as with any form of purchase it is also your responsibility to be informed on the conditions of sale that can be found in the rear of our printed auction catalogues, and also on our website. Notable considerations include:
- The Buyer pays a sales commission. This is added to the final adjudication price (also known as the “hammer price” or the sale price announced in the in the room).
- Another consideration are the bid increments between bids. These increments will vary as the offer price increases – a fact that can be forgotten during the heat of the moment while trying to outbid a competitor. Note also that absentee bids that fall between bid increments are automatically increased to the next possible bid.
- In many cases postage & shipping of purchased items is extra. While we share our considerably discounted courier rates with our clients, the price of sending large boxes of material around the world should not be overlooked.
- A further consideration can be that of import duties and VAT. Items shipped outside of the country holding the auction will not be taxed in that country, but may incur import duties upon entry into your own country.
If you have any questions about these issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Many clients like to discuss their bids with us before the auction, and we are happy to be able to give our opinion on what we estimate a lot could realise and even provide opening bid information for clients with limited budgets to maximize their resources, etc.
We also recognize that our descriptions and images have to compete for space with other items in the catalogue and could leave you with a desire to have more information before feeling comfortable in making a bid. While we cannot provide written detail or scanned images of every item in large voluminous lots, we can provide some expanded descriptions and general scans.
Bidders Interested In Lots That Exceed Their Budgets
You can ask us to limit your total purchases to keep within your budget. This means that bids may be placed that add up to more than your budget, and we will bid on your behalf on lots in number order until your limit is reached. If lots of greater importance appear later in the auction, you may ask us to exclude them from the limit.
Bidders Interest in Buying Only One of a Group of Similar Lots
If there are multiple examples of the same stamp or item and you only wish to acquire one, you may bid on all of them but once one is acquired we will cancel your bids on the others. Simply place the word “OR” between the bids submitted on the lots involved. You may vary the amounts according to your personal preference.
Successful Bids
If your bids are successful, you will receive an invoice by email / mail shortly after the sale. Payment is due within one week of receiving your invoice. We accept several forms of payment and in different currencies. Please contact us to find out what suits you best, as fees may apply. Upon payment, your lot(s) will be sent the next day by insured mail or courier.
Click below to access to the conditions of sale: