How to Buy at an Empire Auction

Auctions can provide you with incredible opportunities.  You can be presented with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to acquire that rare and unusual item you've been searching for, or you may be the successful bidder on a fine piece of furniture at a price considerably lower than what you may have to pay elsewhere.  Whatever the case, the opportunities presented at auction may not be repeated.  Once a specific item is sold, another piece of similar quality or rarity may not be available for years to come, if at all, even at double or triple the price realized at auction.

These auctions are advertised regularly in local newspapers and occasionally in collectibles trade magazines.  A portion of the articles in our auctions are also highlighted on our website.  We also mail notices and email newsletters with information and illustrations of lots in our upcoming auctions to all clients on our mailing list. 

Would you like to be added to our mailing list? Simply call 514-737-6586 and we will be glad to assist you !

Public Exhibition

Before each auction there is a preview of the lots to be sold.  The entire contents of the auctions is put on exhibition for public inspection.  At the preview you have the opportunity to purchase an auction catalogue that gives a detailed description of every lot in the auction.

You can use the catalogue when examining articles on display to record your comments and the lot numbers of the items on which you may be interested in bidding.

The Auction

When attending the auction itself, be sure to arrive early so that you can have sufficient time to prepare for the sale.  All bidders must register for the auction by submitting their names and addresses, and then will receive a numbered paddle with which to bid.  You can then find a seat in the audience as lots will be displayed during the auction.  The auctioneer regulates the bidding and bidding increments, so if the auctioneer is selling a lot at a price at which you are willing to bid further,  simply raise your paddle so that the auctioneer can recognize it.  Bidders know that they are successful when the auctioneer calls out their paddle number after selling the lot.  At that point a member of our staff will ask you for a deposit of 25% of the price of the lot.  If you are unable to attend the auction but still want to bid, you may leave an absentee bid with our office.  There is no charge for this service.  We also offer a telephone bidding service, however we request that you contact our office a few days in advance of the sale.  Absentee bidders will be contacted a day or so after the auction.

Our auction system is run by a custom, state-of-the-art computer program that enables us to control all seller's, buyer's and lot information almost instantly, allowing us to provide you with an accurate invoice of your purchase within a very short time of your last purchase.  Our auctions are audio recorded and several written records of the auction are kept.  All items sold at Empire Auctions are subject to a 15% buyer's premium which is considered to be part of the purchase price of all articles.  Any applicable taxes will be calculated from this purchase price.  Purchases can be paid for by cash, Visa, Mastercard, Interac, American Express or certified cheque.  Clients wishing to pay by personal cheque must contact our office well in advance of the sale in order to provide the proper credit references.  Once your purchases are paid for, the items must be picked up after the auction, the following day, or within a given time frame as mentioned at each different auction.  No lots may be picked up during the auction.

Private Treaty Sales

Under certain circumstance, when a seller is interested in selling an item but not through public auction, Empire can act as an agent for the seller.  Such transactions or private treaty sales usually take place when a seller wants to sell an item or items but cannot or is not willing to wait for a future auction.  Arangements can be made for the private disposition of anything from estate jewellery, art collections or an entire estate.  Private treaty sales at empire reach millions of dollars every year.  For further information on this service please do not hesitate to call our offices.

How to Sell at an Empire Auction

Selling at an empire auction is an easy and proven method of realizing market value for your fine articles.  In fact, since all Empire auctions are public sales where competitive bidding determines the price, there's no limit as to the price that can be reached.
 

The owner of merchandise to be sold can be an art collector, a trustee or an heir selling estate property, or as in most instances, a private individual selling one or a few items such as a painting, a diamond ring, an antique dining room set, or one of a range of works of art or fine household articles.

Selling your property in an auction

The first step in consigning your article to auction is to bring it to our galleries where our experts will provide you with a free evaluation.  If you are unable to come to our galleries, you can send us photographs of your articles and we will respond through return email as to their appraised values and any other pertaining information.  Under special circumstances, we can arrange for one of our experts to visit your home to examine your objects for a minimal charge.  This charge will be refunded based on the consignment of these articles to our auction.  You can also contact us by fax or email at montreal@empireauctions.com.

We recommend that you bring your items to us personally, or if you will be sending items to our galleries, we recommend that you use an insured transporter.  If you are interested in selling the entire contents of a home or a complete estate, Empire can arrange to sell everything as part of a special estate auction.

Consignment agreement

Auction procedures allow you to set a minimum price below which your property will not be sold.  This price is known as a reserve and is established by the seller in consultation with our staff.  The auctioneer may at his discretion start the bidding at a price lower than the reserve and if the bidding does not reach or surpass the reserve price, the lot will be "bought in" and, in effect remains the property of the seller.  In this case the seller must take back the property or can reconsign it to a future auction with a substantially reduced reserve or no reserve at all.  Any items that remain unsold must be picked up by the owner within 10 days following the auction.

We recommend that all items left for auction at Empire be insured, otherwise Empire assumes no risk nor responsibility in the event of loss or damage.  Our insurance fee is calculated at 2% of the reserve price of each object. All lots to be offered in our auctions are properly described in a printed catalogue, and certain important lots will be illustrated.  The auction will be well advertised in newspapers, and also may be advertised in specialist trade magazines and on our website.  As well, a notice of auction is sent  by mail to our mailing list of thousands of proven buyers.  The entire contents of the auction will be exhibited during a public viewing for inspection by prospective buyers.

In organizing auctions, Empire acts solely as an agent for the seller.  We charge a commission to the seller of 15% of the final bid price plus a minimum handling fee starting from $25 per lot, depending on the items.  Two days after the sale you may call our offices for sales results; we will inform you of the prices realized of any items you have consigned for sale.  Cheques are sent out to successful sellers 35 days after the auction, subject to payment by the buyer.  The amount paid to the seller is the final bid price less the auctioneer's commission and any other applicable charges.