Auction basics

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%.