Buying
Buying on VALÉORINE
Every lot offered has been selected and catalogued before it reaches you. What you will pay in total is shown before you bid, payment is made to VALÉORINE rather than to the consignor, and the lot is despatched to you directly by its owner under a tracked service.
Payment terms
the published payment terms
From the close of the sale, per the fee scale in force.
Despatch deadline
the published despatch deadline
Counted from cleared payment, calculated on the platform.
Protection window
the published protection window
From delivery, during which funds remain held.
The journey
From discovery to delivery
- 01
Discover
Browse the sales and the lots within them. Every lot is catalogued by VALÉORINE within its field before it is offered.
- 02
Read the lot
Description, condition, dimensions, provenance as far as it is documented, and the estimate. Where a fact is uncertain, the entry says so.
- 03
Understand the total cost
Hammer price, the buyer's fee, tax where it applies and shipping are shown together before you commit, so the amount payable is never a surprise.
- 04
Register to bid
Registration establishes who you are. It is required once for the account, not for each sale.
- 05
Bid, or leave a maximum
Bid live in the closing minutes, or leave a confidential maximum and let the platform bid for you by the smallest permitted increment.
- 06
Win and pay
If you are the leading bidder when a lot closes, an invoice follows. Payment is made through the platform, never directly to the consignor.
- 07
The consignor despatches
Once your payment has cleared, the consignor must despatch the lot to you directly by an approved tracked service within the published deadline.
- 08
Track, receive, and be protected
Follow the parcel from your account. If the lot does not arrive, or does not match its catalogue entry, the protection window gives you time to raise it before the consignor is paid.
Finding a lot
Browse the sales, or search by field, maker, period or keyword. Every lot carries its own page with the catalogue entry, condition report, provenance as far as it is documented, the estimate and the closing time.
Read the lot before you bid
The catalogue entry, condition report and images issued at cataloguing are the record against which the lot is judged. Where a fact is uncertain, the entry says so, and you may write to us about any lot before bidding.
One registration, then bid in any sale
Registration establishes who you are once, for the account. Bidding requires a verified account because a bid is a commitment.
Bid live, or leave a maximum
You may bid in the closing minutes, or leave a confidential maximum. A maximum is never disclosed and is used only to bid on your behalf by the smallest permitted increment, up to the limit you set — never above it.
Reserves
A lot may carry a reserve: the confidential minimum below which it cannot be sold. The figure itself is never disclosed. If bidding closes below it, the lot is unsold and no purchase arises.
Total cost, before you commit
The buyer's fee in force is shown on every lot before a bid is placed.
- Tax is applied where it is due, on the basis published for that sale.
- Shipping is quoted according to the shipping method offered on the lot.
- The fee scale applied to your purchase is recorded permanently against the transaction.
Payment through the platform
Invoices are settled with VALÉORINE within the published payment terms of the sale. Funds are never sent directly to a consignor, and no consignor is paid before the conditions of release are met.
Despatch and tracking
Once your payment has cleared, the consignor has the published despatch deadline to despatch the lot to you by an approved tracked service. Untracked despatch is not accepted. You follow the parcel from your account.
Buyer protection, if something is wrong
You have the published protection window from delivery to examine the lot against its catalogue entry and raise a discrepancy through your account. Your payment is still held: the consignor's proceeds cannot be released while that window is open or a dispute stands. Where a claim is upheld the sale is rescinded and you are refunded from the held funds.
Every figure on this page is read from the fee scale, despatch rule and protection window in force on the platform at the moment you load it, not written into the text of the website. The Conditions of Sale published with each sale prevail in the event of any difference.