Q:
What is a "classical auction
sale"?
A:
Hammersite's classical auction sales are similar
to any regular auction sale: a detailed catalog,
with a photo of every item, detailed descriptions,
starting prices and estimates. Prospective
customers can view all items online or at
Hammersite's premises. Auctions open for
around-the-clock bidding on a predetermined
date and normally run for 3-5 days. During
this period any registered user may bid on
items in which he or she is interested. The
results of the aution will be posted on the site
after the auction closes, and sellers and winning
bidders will be notified by e-mail or by
fax.
Q:
Why
should I sell my art object through
Hammersite?
Expenses: auction
houses charge for color illustrations in the
catalog at a rate of between $100-400 per item
(depending on the size of the photo.) Items values
at $1000-2000 are normally illustrated in black
& white only, or not at all, while items sold
on Hammersite are all professionally photographed
in full color, free of charge!
Exposure: Not only are items on exhibition
at our showroom, they are also available to any
person in the world with a browser and an internet
connection. Furthermore, our customers benefit
from Ben-Ami
Auctioneers' decades of experience and large
existing customer base.
Expertise: Hammersite's partnership with Ben-Ami
Auctioneers' offers our customers access
to deep expertise in art evaluation and
appraisal and the large, loyal customer base
served by Ben-Ami for twenty
years.
Ample Time To
Bid: Bidders at live auctions have only few
minutes to make up their minds. The cautious ones
will abstain from bidding.Those who cannot attend
a live auction may of course place proxy bids, but
some will not bother. At Hammersite's Internet
auctions a bidder has days at his disposal to make
a decision. He/she does not have to leave home or
office to go to the auction room. He can do it at
his leisure without leaving his desk. A seller has
plenty of time to change his reserve price if he
sees that he may not sell his item.
Frequent and ongoing auctions, short
consignment period: Internet auctions require
much less time to organize than live ones. A
seller does not have to wait for months to get his
painting or art object
sold. A seller on
Internet auctions will wait 2-3 weeks between
consignment and sale; a seller in live auctions
will have to settle with 3-6 months.
Q:
What
happens if bidding activity increases towards the
end of the auction? Do you still close the auction
at the announced
time?
A:
Hammersite
auctions do not close as long as active bidding is
going on. For example, if an auction is scheduled
to close at 1:00 but a bid is places at 12:59,
then the auction's closing time will be extended
by 5 minutes. This enables bids on items to reach
a fair price instead of going to the user who
manages to place a bid a second before the auction
is supposed to
close. | |
