How To Bid
As a service to bidders unable to attend the auction, absentee bids will be accepted by phone, by contacting Laurie Savage, Director of Special Events, at (617) 879-7012 until Friday, April 4, 2008 at 5:00 pm (EST). Completed absentee bid forms may also be left with the gallery attendant during public preview hours or during the Preview Reception. All auction items purchased by an absentee bid are subject to the terms of sale stated below.
A minimum bid amount of 50% of the Fair Estimated Value has been established for each silent auction item. You may not bid below this amount.
Any Silent Auction item may be purchased outright by paying 150% of its Fair Estimated Value. Artwork may be purchased at any time during the auction event by placing a Buy It Now sticker with your bidder number on the artwork bid form. Once a sticker has been placed onto a bid form, the work is considered sold. Bid forms will remain adjacent to the work until the section is closed. The Buy It Now Option is also available to Absentee Bidders.
All sales will be recorded and tracked using the bidder number printed on your bid card at the auction event. Bid cards will be assigned only when associated with a valid credit card, regardless of artwork payment method. Alternately, a signed blank check may be left at the registration table. This will ensure prompt payment of all artwork and shorten the checkout process significantly. If you registered to come with a guest, other than your spouse, your guest will have to register for his or her own bidder number unless you have requested otherwise. See Silent Auction and Live Auction below for information on the bidding process.
You may preview live auction items from the time the doors open until the start of the live auction. The live auction will begin at 7:30pm and continue without interruption until all items have been auctioned. To bid in the live auction, hold your bid card up high with the number toward the auctioneer. Either the auctioneer or a bid spotter can accept your bid. The highest bid acknowledged by the auctioneer shall be deemed a legal contract for that bidder to purchase the item.
(opens at 7pm and remains open throughout the evening)
There are four silent auctions that will close consecutively in 15-minute intervals upon completion of the live auction. Each item offered in the silent auction will have a bid form posted adjacent to it. To place a bid, write your bidder number on the form opposite the amount you want to bid. Place your bids in at least $25 increments. Increment levels are posted on the bid form, any bid not entered in the proper increment amount will be disqualified. You may bid on any item in the silent auction section until the section is closed. At the posted closing time, a silent auction captain will determine the winning bid on each form and collect the forms. If you emerge as the highest bidder at the close of the silent auction section, your bid constitutes a legal contract to purchase the item.
In the event of a dispute over a silent auction bid, oral bids may be taken at the discretion of the silent auction captain, but only from those who have already placed written bids. The silent auction captain will determine the successful bid and the decision will be final.
A buyer's premium equal to 10% of the final and winning bid price per auction item will be applied to the final invoice to be paid by each buyer.
Cash, Personal Checks, Visa, MasterCard and American Express only will be accepted as payment. Successful bidders can proceed to the Pay Table after the close of the final silent section to pay for their items and to pick up a receipt of payment. They may then proceed directly to the Wrap Room, collect their purchases, and depart.
All purchases are final and must be paid for the evening of the auction. No exchanges or refunds will be allowed.
The Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc. does not provide shipping services for your auction purchases. We recommend that, whenever possible, you take your purchases home with you. This will ensure the safest transport of your delicate items. Packing for purchaser take-home is provided at no extra charge by the Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc. Items that are not removed will be held at the college for pickup within one week of the event. Items left at the auction without shipping or pick up instructions will be shipped to the purchaser at the purchaser’s expense. Please call Laurie Savage, Director of Special Events at (617) 879-7012 to make arrangements.
The Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization. If the price you pay for a piece exceeds the fair market value of the piece as stated in the auction catalog, the excess portion of the price may be deducted as a charitable contribution. Please consult with your tax adviser or preparer for details.
The Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc. reserves the right to add or withdraw items to or from the auction without notice. The Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc. has attempted to describe and catalog all items accurately, but all items are offered “as is, where is”. The Foundation neither warrants nor represents, and in no event shall be responsible for, the correctness of the descriptions, genuineness, authorship, provenance, or condition of the items. No statement made in this catalog or orally at the auction or elsewhere shall be deemed such a warranty, representation or assumption of liability. The values listed are estimates of fair market value. Items have not been appraised by the Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc.
Each person (bidder) issued a bid number assumes all risks and hazards related to the auction items obtained at the auction. Each bidder agrees to hold harmless from any liability arising there from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation, Inc., its elected and appointed officials, members and employees, the auctioneer, the auction company and its agents and employees, the event organizers, sponsors and or volunteers connected with the auction.
All items purchased become the property of the successful bidder once that bidder is acknowledged by the auctioneer.
We thank you for your support and wish you the best of luck on your auction bidding!
