FAQ

Frequently asked questions
All FAQ Auction basics After the auction Consign to auction Online shop Shipping Payment Guarantee Right of revocation Contact

All FAQ

When is the next auction? How can I place bids? Can you ship to an alternative address? Search our FAQ pages for the most frequently asked questions of our customers. If you don't find the answer you were looking for, send us an email and we will be happy to help!
ratisbon's offers online auctions only. This means you will be able to place your bids online from any computer or mobile device at any location for a specific span of time. ratisbon’s offers two types of auctions. LIVE AUCTIONS and TIMED AUCTIONS:


1. LIVE AUCTIONS As in an auction room, all lots are called up one after the other and you can place your bids without being limited by a countdown. Live bidding will only be possible on the one lot up for auction.


“GOING ONCE! GOING TWICE! FAIR WARNING!” will warn you that your desired lot is about to get sold. Any new bid will stop this procedure and allow any bidder to place a new bid.

You don’t have to be online on the day an auction ends. Place your absentee bid for one week prior to the end or at any time on the day the auction ends. We will bid on your behalf when your lot is about to get called for auction.


2. TIMED AUCTIONS Timed auctions are very similar to auctions on eBay. Place your bids online for the one week of the auction which is conducted using a countdown and which will indicate for how long bids are accepted. You can select a maximum bid to make sure you don’t get outbid on your desired item. On the day an auction ends, it will start to close from 2 pm (Central European Time) and lots are closed progressively from that time in 40 seconds intervals.


By the way: All bids have to be placed in EURO however you are able to double-check the bids you are selecting in USD and GBP.
LIVE AUCTIONS

Place your absentee bid for one week prior to the end or at any time on the day the auction ends. As in an auction room, live bidding will only be possible on the auction day.


TIMBED AUCTIONS

Bids can be placed for a specific span of time once an auction has started . We publish the starting and ending time of our auctions which do run for usually 8 days providing a lot of time to place bids online.
No, bids can’t be placed before an auction has started.
LIVE AUCTIONS

The date and the starting time of the auction will be published in the catalog. The auction closes after the last items was called for auction.


TIMBED AUCTIONS

Our online auctions usually run for a period of 8 days. Auctions usually start to close on a Saturday or Sunday from 2pm CET and lots are closing progressively from that time in 40 seconds intervals. The exact ending time of your desired lot will be mentioned in the details. In addition, a count down is running to provide the time still left to place bids.
All bids have to be placed in EURO however you are able to double-check the bids you are selecting in USD and GBP.
No, we don’t. To be fair to all customers, items can not be bought outside the auction. If you see lots marked “withdrawn” it does not mean we have sold it outside the auction. These lots may have turned out not to match our quality standards or are a replica.
If you don’t see an option to enter your bids, the auction has most probably not started yet. Search for a "bidding starts on ..." note shown on the details page of every item. Our website makes it easy to select bids and place them online once bidding is open.
Even if you signed up for an account with ratisbon’s you will need to have it verified for bidding. Go to Register to bid to verify your account for all future auctions. You will only have to do it once and it will only take 2 minutes of your valuable time.
LIVE AUCTIONS

You are not limited by a countdown then placing your bids. “GOING ONCE! GOING TWICE! FAIR WARNING!” will warn you that your desired lot is about to get sold. Any new bid will stop this procedure and allow any bidder to place a new bid.


TIMBED AUCTIONS

Yes, you can, however, we don’t recommend it. Other customers might do the same and you might easily get outbid not having enough time to enter higher bids. Enter your secret maximum bid to be safe up to your maximum limit.
No, they don’t. Your bids are secret.
No, you can place bids and increase your bids to your maximum bid without affecting the current price if you are the highest bidder.
In auctions, the buyer's premium is a percentage additional charge on the hammer price (winning bid at auction) of the lot that must be paid by the winner. Although many auction houses charge more, ratisbon’s currently charges a 24,5% Buyer's Premium (including VAT) on the hammer price. The buyer's premium will be shown on your invoice.

Please note that ratisbon's does offer a reduced buyer's premium on unsold lots as a service to both, the consignor and the buyer.
All unsold lots marked with "BUY NOW" can be still purchased after the auction has ended. We do charge a 22,5% buyer’s premium on unsold lots on the day the auction ended and offer a reduced buyer’s premium after 24 hours. The reduced buyer's premium offer is as follows: day 2: 17,5%, day 3: 12,5%, day 4: 7,5%. From day 5: 5%.
Congratulations! You were the highest bidder on your desired item. You will receive an email confirming all items won after the last lot of the auction has ended. This email may take until Monday to arrive. Make sure to regularly visit my ratisbon's/PAY WON LOTS to get the latest news on your order. Here, you can let us know about your favourite shipping or payment method before we send your invoice.

When your invoice is ready, you can also find all payment information at my ratisbon's/PAY WON LOTS. You will also be able to pay us from there or change your payment method in case there is any problem.

Please note that we may have hundreds of invoices to be sent so it may take a while to receive it. If you don’t have receive your invoice on Monday, please check your spam/junk folder or go to my ratisbon's/PAY WON LOTS. It will be there!
The email we send after all lots of an auction has closed is only to confirm the items you had won only. We will start to calculate shipping costs and send invoices on the Monday after an auction.
If you want to speed up the process, you can let us know about your preferred payment and shipping method for your new order here: my ratisbon's/PAY WON LOTS
Don't worry if you don't have time to let us know about your preferences, we will send an invoice suggesting the most convenient shipping method for this order automatically. We will simply use the payment method you have chosen for your last order.
Please note you can always change your shipping or payment method at any time after your invoice has been sent. Just drop us a line!

Please note that we may have hundreds of invoices to be sent so it may take a while to receive it. If you haven't received your invoice on Monday, please check your spam box. It will be there!
Yes, you can! Don’t pay your auction invoice and simply order what you were planning to purchase. Drop us a line asking us to combine orders if we haven't done so automatically in the meantime.
Even if you have already paid for your original order already, we can still combine orders if your original order has not already shipped.
Yes, that is absolutely no problem. In this case, please do not pay the invoice you received. Send us an email letting us know your new shipping address and we will send a new invoice. Paying your invoice before letting us know your new address can mean our shipping team sends your order faster than we can reply to your email. Please note that changing your address in our system does not update the address for an existing order.
All unsold lots marked as "available" can be still purchased after the auction has ended. We do charge a 24,5% buyer’s premium on unsold lots on the day the auction ended and offer a reduced buyer’s premium after 24 hours. The reduced buyer's premium offer is as follows: day 2: 17,5%, day 3: 12,5%, day 4: 7,5%. From day 5: 5%.
If you are thinking of consigning with us, send us an e-mail or call us! We will be happy to evaluate your items and answer all the questions you might have. For more information and a form to upload pictures of your treasures go to consign to auction.

For more information on consigning go to consign to auction. Consigning is easy and usually works in three steps as follows.


  • 1. Send us a list of all the items you want to have at auction as well as some pictures.
  • 2. We will get in contact with you and discuss all the details. We will be happy to assist finding a starting price as well as finding the best way to offer your single items or entire collections.
  • 3. Ship all your items after our confirmation or visit us locally. We will take care of the rest. We guarantee detailled descriptions, top quality photos and extensive advertising to promote your items in the best possible way. We both want to sell your items for the best price! So offering them in the best way possible is our goal!
Selling through ratisbon's online auctions certainly also means getting paid quickly! Over 80% of all consignors get paid only 20 days after the end of the auction! How we will pay you? You let us know! We use all the common ways to pay. Bank drafts, Cheques, PayPal, Cash.
Please note you can also use your outcome on any orders placed with ratisbon’s at any time.
ratisbon's has thousands of customers, not only for top quality high end items but also for more common items. Selling through ratisbon's online auctions guarantees top market prices. We will find the perfect customer for you and protect you from losing money by selling to a dealer, who obviously needs to earn a profit too. Visit our about us page for feedback from our customers.

Our selling fee varies from 15% - 25% only. You can’t get any better, keeping in mind that ratisbon's reaches a world-wide collecting audience and achieves impressive market results. Our exact selling fees are 15% for items with a result of over 300 Euro and 20% for all lots with a result from 151-300 Euro. If an item sells for 150 Euro or less, we charge a 25% fee.

By the way, we offer lower selling fees for items of high value! Get in touch with us and we are happy to discuss details.
We only sell consignments at our regular auctions, however, if you have a very rare and special item you prefer to offer to the collector’s world via our online shop you may want to take advantage on our private sales program. Please click here for more details.
Yes, we do! Aside our online auctions, we offer a fine selection of antiques, coins, militaria, design & furniture as well as jewelry in our online shop. All items listed in the online shop are available for “buy now”. We update the shop with new arrivals every month and publish the exact date and time when new items are available.
No, you don’t! We will only add shipping costs to the item price. There is no buyer’s premium charged for our shop items. Unsold auction lots offered through our shop will will offered with a reduced buyer's premium.
Yes, you can! If we haven’t sent a combined invoice automatically, just drop us a line and we will be happy to do so.
All orders placed with ratisbon’s are checked by a specialist in order to calculate the shipping costs to your country for the items you ordered. We will also double check your selected shipping method and are happy to assist in case there is a better option available than the one chosen by you.

If you decide to change your shipping or payment method after receiving your invoice, just drop us a line and we will be happy to send a new invoice according to your preferences.
To pay your invoice either see the email "payment instructions" we sent to you or visit my ratisbon's/ORDERS.
We are only selling consignments at our regular auctions, however, if you have a very rare and special item you prefer to offer to the collector’s world via our online shop you may want to take advantage on our private sales programm. Please click here for more details.
Our general logistic partners are DHL and Fedex. If you prefer another carrier for your high value order we will be happy to make arrangements with your preferred carrier.
Holding parcels and shipping on your preferred date is no problem. Just send an email to us before paying to make sure our shipping team does not send your order too early. Our shipping team is fast! Let us know your preferred shipping date prior to your payment and we will be happy to schedule your parcel according to your preferences.
Yes, that is absolutely no problem. In this case, please do not pay the invoice you may have already received. Send us an email letting us know about your new shipping address and we will be happy to send an updated invoice to you.
Paying your invoice before letting us know your new address can mean our shipping team sends your order faster than we can reply to your email.
Please note that changing your address in our system does not update the address for an existing order.
Please note that most of the countries we deliver to do not charge for historical collectables. However, any order placed on the site and to be delivered outside the European Union may be subject to taxes and customs duties which are levied when the package reaches its destination. The taxes and custom duties relating to the delivery of the item are the responsibility of the customer. We are not required to check and inform you of customs duties and taxes. Only the authorities of your country are competent.
We usually send out orders within 1-3 working days after your payment has been received. In most cases, we are faster than this! We will inform you when your goods are being dispatched and provide a tracking number, In addition, you can always check at my ratisbon's/ORDERS. Delivery times will vary depending upon the delivery destination and type of shipping service you have chosen.
Yes! We will inform you when your goods are being packed as well as when forwarded to your carrier. We will send an email containing a tracking link as well. Please be sure to check your spam/junk box if you are missing an email. In addition, you can always track your order at my ratisbon's/ORDERS.
Yes, you can. We will be happy to prepare your goods for pickup, but you need to make an appointment. Please contact us to discuss more details. There are no extra costs involved for you.
We pack all the items very carefully to ensure they reach you safely. Our shipping team guarantees high quality packing reflecting the value and rarity of your desired goods.
All orders placed with ratisbon’s are checked by a specialist in order to calculate the shipping costs to your country for the items you ordered. We will also double check your selected shipping method and are happy to assist in case there is a better option available than the one chosen by you.

If you decide to change your shipping or payment method after receiving your invoice, just drop us a line and we will be happy to send a new invoice according to your preferences.
To pay your invoice either see the email "payment instructions" we sent to you or visit my ratisbon's/ORDERS.
We offer all the common ways of payment such as by Mastercard and VISA, EU or international bank transfer using our IBAN and BIC as well as a paying via PayPal or cash. For more information, please visit payment.
Please contact us before placing your order or online bids and we will be happy to discuss further details.
Yes, you can use your auction payoff credit with any of your future orders if you decide not to receive your outcome right now. Just let us know after placing an order and we will be happy to use your credit towards your new bill. During checkout, you will also be ablt to choose the option "auction payoff" (only available to consignors).
To meet the high security standards required for card payments, we do not keep or even access your card details. For this reason, we cannot charge credit cards via the phone. However, when choosing "Mastercard/VISA" during checkout we will automatically send an invoice which provides you with a convinient payment link.
For more information, please visit payment.
We only offer collectables which to the best of our specialists knowledge are authentic. About 15% of all consignments are returned to the consignor after extensive research due to authenticity issues.
Unlike traditional auction houses we do offer a full right of return. If you are not satisfied with what you won or bought, you may return it within 14 days. Please inform us and we will instruct you on how to return the goods. For more information, please visit right of revocation.

Important note: Revocating may disappoint the consignor, who like you is a collector. Stating a reason for your revocation is not required, but helps to explain the issue to the previous owner of the item.
Unlike traditional auction houses we do offer a full right of return. If you are not satisfied with what you won or bought, you may return it within 14 days. Please inform us and we will instruct you on how to return the goods. For more information, please visit right of revocation.

Important note: Revocating may disappoint the consignor, who like you is a collector. Stating a reason for your revocation is not required, but helps to explain the issue to the previous owner of the item.
By law you can, but this situation is easy to avoid. We encourage you not to bid on any collectable if you are unsure if it fits into your collection. Ask us to cancel your bid prior to the end of an auction to avoid this situation. This way the consignor will not be disappointed when at the end of the auction, your order is cancelled and the item has to be returned to them.
You are welcome to use our pictures for discussion purposes. It will be your responsibility to cover offensive symbols from the 1933-45 period of German history.
ratisbon's
History Trader AG
Frauenberg 1
94575 Windorf
Germany

email: info@ratisbons.com
telephone: +49 8541 9053699
support hours: 9 am - 4 pm
opening hours: appointment only
Haven‘t found the answer you're looking for?
We are looking forward to hearing from you!