Sale Terms and Important Information

Auction conditions

1. KUNST & DESIGN AUKTIONSHAUS SCHOPS TUROWSKI

KUNST & DESIGN AUKTIONSHAUS Schops TUROWSKI (hereinafter referred to as: ‘auctioneer’) auctions in public, voluntarily in the name and for the account of third parties.

2. Conduct of auction

The auction is to be conducted in Euro. Calling prices are such prices listed in the catalogue as limit prices. Calls for offers are increased by specified bidding steps, which are listed in the catalogue.

The auctioneer is entitled to offer numbers outside the order of the catalogue as well as merge, divide and/or pull them out. The auctioneer is entitled to deny the acceptance of a bid provided that good cause is shown. Such good cause is given in particular, if auctioneer does not know a person who places a bid and such person refrains from supplying security at the latest until start of auction. The auctioneer is entitled to request a current certificate of liquidity of a bank or savings bank or a cash deposit.

3. Preview

All items on offer at the auction can be viewed and examined (preview). Preview takes place in the premises of auctioneer in Krefeld. Upon request condition reports and further information beyond the catalogue text are provided to people who bid in absence.

4. Items on offer at auctions / catalogue description

Items are used and come to auction in such condition in which they are at the time of the acceptance of the bid. Catalogue descriptions and respective descriptions on the internet sites of the auctioneer are made according to best knowledge and conscience, but are no guarantees according to law. The same applies respectively for oral information, information in writing or information in text form. Further buyer is hereby informed that due to technical reasons pictures of the items, particularly in the catalogue or on the internet sites as well as in the event of sending them by E-Mail may differ from the respective original, particularly regarding colour and resolution.

Only the respective works of art are offered in the auction, but not frames, passe-partouts or picture glass. These can be given to the buyer free of charge with the work. No liability is assumed for those parts that are not part of the auctioned item.

5. Catalogues

Catalogues will be provided to interested parties upon request.

6. Bids

Participation in an auction

There are different ways to participate in our auctions.

Potential buyers in an auction are obliged to use an auctioneer’s bidding template, which has to be filled in before (registration) and is attached to the catalogue, can be downloaded from the auctioneer’s internet site or is previously send to the potential buyer upon request.

Bids can be made in writing or in text form (e.g. on paper by mail, by fax or E-Mail) before the auction, by telephone, by traditional signs in the auction hall or live via internet auction sites.

Hall bidders

The potential buyer participates in person and bids by traditional signs in the auction hall.

Absentee bids

Bids in writing or in text form have to reach auctioneer at least 24 hours prior to the respective auction (potential buyers are obliged to use the auctioneers bidding template) and must have been confirmed by the auctioneer. Bids are starting from a limit price for a lot or a certain number of lots and when the auctioneer invites the bid.

Bids by telephone

Potential buyers who want to bid via telephone can be contacted by telephone during the auction. The potential buyer is obliged to use the auctioneers bidding template where the lots he intends to buy have been indicated. 

The bids must have been confirmed before the auction in writing or in text form.

Potential buyers are obliged to previously provide a telephone number, where they can be contacted during the auction.

The auctioneer hereby explicitly excludes the warranty for formation and maintaining the telephone connection as well as for possible other trouble with the telephone connection in fact particularly any warranty for the lack of acceptance of a bid. We refer to clause 10 paragraph 2 regarding the scope of this liability exclusion.

Internet auction sites

Bids can be submitted live over the Internet via auction platforms where our catalogue is listed. In the event of a successful bid, the platform commission has to be paid in addition to our premium (see also Chapter 12).

7. Acceptance of a bid

Acceptance of bid is given to such potential buyer who offers the highest bid if no higher bid has been offered upon three consecutive calls of such highest bid. If several persons offer the same bid and no higher bid is offered upon three consecutive calls of such bid, the acceptance of bid is allocated by the auctioneer depending on the time he received the bid. Auctioneer is entitled to offer the item again, if a higher bid has been ignored by mistake.

8. Taking into possession / invoice/ payment / passing of risk

Acceptance of bid obliges to immediate taking into possession and payment. Buyers are obliged to pay within six calendar days upon acceptance of bid or issuing an invoice, whereupon the respective later date is essential. Payment is usually made by bank transfer. At the auction house on site, payment can also be made in cash, by EC or credit card (Master or Visa card). When paying by credit card, an additional fee of 5% of the invoice amount will be charged.

Buyer is in default without reminder after the above payment limit has elapsed. With handing over of the auctioned item, the risk of random destruction or deterioration of the item lays upon the buyer (passing of risk). If instead of handing over the item such item is send the provision in clause 15 applies. Passing of risk takes place, in the event that no prior handing over of the item took place, at the latest upon default.

If payment takes place in a foreign currency any possible currency losses and/or bank fees have to be paid by buyer.

Invoices issued during auction or immediately thereafter are issued with the caveat of review.

Export delivery is exempted from VAT, however, within the EU this applies only to businesses with VAT identification number. Once proof of export and proof of acceptor are provided to auctioneer, the foreign buyer is entitled to reimbursement of VAT. Custom and VAT that accrue from import have to be borne by the buyer in any event.

9. Retention of title

Property of the item is not transferred to buyer until full payment of all sums owed to auctioneer (retention of title). While retention of title is valid buyer is obliged to refrain from selling the item (item which is owned with reservation) or otherwise dispose of the property hereof. Buyer is obliged to refer to the existing third-party property if third parties, in particular bailiffs, try to get hold of the item which is owned with reservation and to notify auctioneer accordingly without delay in order to enable the enforcement of property rights.

10. Limited Liability

Claims for indemnity - irrespective of legal basis - against auctioneer including its representatives and auxiliary persons, which presume negligence, only exist, if a material contract obligation has been breached. In such event claims for indemnity are limited regarding its amount to the damages which are typically predictable.

Claims concerning damages of life, body and health as well as damages to property pursuant to the German product liability statute (Produkthaftungsgesetz), damages due to purpose or gross negligence as well as for guaranteed characteristic of state are not subject to the above limited liability.

If a buyer can proof within one year upon the auction that information regarding the auctioned item, which lessen its value or usability not insignificant or making it void, were wrong, then auctioneer is obliged to enforce its claim - as the case may be jurisdictional - against the person who issued the item to the auction. In the event where such claim is successful auctioneer reimburses the purchase price matching payment with physical delivery of the bought item in unchanged condition.

11. Binding offer

If acceptance of bid is made under condition, particularly because the highest bid is less than the limit, person who made such bid is bound by its bid for 30 days upon its acceptance. Acceptance of bid made under condition becomes unconditional upon confirmation by the auctioneer.

12. Commission / surcharge

On top of the price for acceptance of bid a surcharge (commission) in the amount of 24% plus currently applicable VAT has to be paid. If the bid is made via an online auction platform, the premium increases by the commission charged by the platform (Lot-tissimo and The Saleroom: 3%). Payment of the full amount has to be carried out in Euro and within the time limit set in clause 8 above. Bank fees, if any, have to be paid by buyer.

13. Resale rights

For works of art whose sale is subject to resale right fee, the buyer participates in the resale right fee pursuant to § 26 German Copyright Act in the amount of 4 % of the acceptance of bid price. Items for which such fee is requested are marked with a small star* in the title in the catalogue.

14. Default

In the event of payment default auctioneer is entitled to choose between fulfilment of purchase agreement or withdrawal from the agreement and request for damages caused by failure to fulfil the obligations from the initial agreement. Upon default interest upon the due amount has to be paid. Interest rate for consumers is 5 % points above the respective German basis interest rate and for the rest 8 % points above the respective German basis interest rate.

Further the item can be auctioned again at the expense of the person in default. The person in default is liable for any minor proceeds as opposed to the prior auction. He is not entitled to higher proceeds, if any.

The auctioneer is entitled to exclude him from any further auction.

15. Taking along / Shipping

In general, purchased items cannot be taken immediately. Notwithstanding that upon agreement the immediate taking away of small purchased items is possible, in particular objects stored in show cases and paintings. In general, it is the buyer’s obligation to pick up the purchased items. Upon request shipment of small objects up to a weight of 30 kg can be organised by auctioneer. For such service and for the packaging necessary for the shipment costs accrue, the amount of which can be checked at the auctioneer’s internet site under the flag ‘shipment’ in a price list. For items that increase the above weight limit the auctioneer can name adequate shipping companies.

Shipment, if any, take place at the expense of the buyer. In the event that buyer does not act as consumer, risk of random destruction or deterioration of the item is passed to buyer upon handing over to such person who is in charge of shipment.

16. Publishing of results

Results will be published on the auctioneer’s internet site in general starting with the work day following the respective auction.

17. Post-auction sale

This auction terms and conditions apply to the free-hand sale after the end of the auction, so called post-auction-sale, respectively. Post-auction sale starts after the auction. Provisions for distance selling pursuant to §§ 312b-d German Civil Code (BGB) do not apply. Post-auction sale starts at the day following the respective auction in the premises of the auctioneer in Krefeld and lasts 10 days in total.

18. Consequences of delayed pick up

If items that were bought in auction or during post-auction sale are not picked up within 10 days upon the end of the post-auction sale, then Buyer is obliged to pay fees for unrequested storage in the amount of

10 EURO for small objects (particularly show-case objects and paintings)

20 EURO for big objects (particularly furnishings)

per week, whereupon he can previously ask whether a particular item is deemed small or big.

19. General provisions

Place of fulfilment and jurisdiction is Krefeld if the buyer is merchant/business man or does not have a general jurisdiction in Germany or is a public legal entity or a public law special fund.

Should one or several of the above provisions proof to be or become void the validity of the remaining terms remains unaffected.

German law applies. The provisions of CISG are excluded. In the event that this auction terms and conditions are provided in several languages the German text prevails.