BIDDING

(1) By submitting bids, by any method, the bidder accepts these Terms & Conditions of Sale of Status International (henceforth referred to as "the auctioneer"). These Terms & Conditions also apply to purchases of any unsold lots after an auction has concluded.

(2) All lots have reserves & estimates specified eg: $300-$400, with the first figure being the reserve, which is the minimum price the lot will be sold for. Any bids below that specified reserve will automatically be increased to the specified reserve.

Starting prices of lots on the auction floor will be either the reserve, or one bidding step above the second highest absentee bid received.

Usual bidding steps are:

Bids not adhering to these guidelines will be automatically adjusted upwards to the next closest bidding step.

(3) Absentee bids from customers not attending the auction are treated in utmost confidence, and lots will be sold at one step above the second highest bid received. Absentee bids & instructions are processed with care, but the auctioneer does not accept responsibility for any omissions, while any errors made by bidders are their responsibility. New clients must provide verifiable references, and/or at auctioneer’s discretion enclose a deposit in advance of the sale.

(4) The purchaser of the lot shall be the highest bidder, as determined by the auctioneer. If identical absentee bids are received, the first bid processed takes precedence, and absentee bids take precedence over identical room bids, and over live internet bids. The auctioneer reserves the right to refuse any bid, to withdraw or re-offer any lot, or group several lots together etc. Agents bidding on behalf of clients that are not disclosed in advance do so on their own responsibility for payment of the invoice.

PAYMENT & SHIPPING

(5) Room buyers: payment is due on the day of the sale.
Absentee bidders: payment is due within 7 days of the date of the invoice. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to find out the total amount due, by contacting the auctioneer if necessary, and to remit payment promptly.

(6) Buyers commission of 21.45% (GST inclusive) will be added to the hammer price of each lot. All lots are sold on a GST inclusive basis (where applicable), without any extra GST being added to the hammer prices of any lots.

(7) Auctions are conducted in Australian dollars and all lots are invoiced in Australian dollars. Invoices can be settled as per our list of acceptable payment methods, some of which may be subject to verification and/or clearance, with any payment fees being the responsibility of the buyer. All credit card & online system payments are subject to non-refundable service fees, and the auctioneer reserves the right to refuse credit card payments and require payments by other methods.

(8) Lots that are not collected from our offices, will have costs of packing, shipping & transit insurance added. Packing & despatch of lots is done with care, but all shipping is done strictly at buyers risk, and for example damage to some types of fragile items might not be covered by transit insurance. Any customs fees or import taxes etc are the responsibility of the buyer, and the auctioneer accepts no responsibility for the actions of customs or other authorities in any country.

(9) (9) Late payment (more than 30 days from auction date): a service charge of 3% per month or part thereof will be added to amount owing. Refer also to clause (17). Failure to pay: the auctioneer is entitled to re-sell the lot either publicly or privately and the buyer is then responsible for any deficiency. The auctioneer may also proceed against the buyer for breach of contract and/or sell any property belonging to the buyer that may be in the possession of the auctioneer.

DESCRIPTIONS

(10) Descriptions in the auction catalogue are made with the greatest care, but are merely the opinion of the Auctioneer, and should not to be taken as statements of fact. Information about numbers known, or numbers printed/minted, or catalogue values etc, are taken from latest publications available to the auctioneer, but are not guaranteed. Similarly all larger quantities are approximate. Any amendments to descriptions may be published on our website prior to the auction, and/or be announced by the auctioneer before the lot is offered, and would supersede descriptions in our printed auction catalogues and/or other online sites for the relevant lot(s).

(11) Lots are available for viewing prior to the auction at the premises of Status International. However, the auctioneer reserves the right to refuse admission to any person to the viewing or to the auction.

(12) Single lots are sold as correctly identified & genuine, unless indicated otherwise. Any single lot qualified as “sold as is“ in description is not guaranteed in any way & can not be returned for any reason. Bidders should be familiar with our list of abbreviations and condition descriptions as they form an integral part of lot descriptions.

(13) Illustrations of single lots in auction catalogue and/or on our website also form part of the lot descriptions and lots can not be rejected for features visible in the illustrations, such as in stamps: margins, centering, perfs, cancels etc, and as in coins: scratches, uneven edges or tone, cracks etc, and as in other collectibles any visible wear or damage. Illustrations can not necessarily be relied upon for exact reproduction of colours.

(14) Any items can be expected to show condition problems reflecting their age, nature & previous use. For example postally used covers/letters etc can be expected to show folds or tears from opening etc, while blocks or sheets of stamps may have some perf separations, or marginal damage. Similarly, any militaria or sporting items can be expected to show wear & tear from being worn & used. Unless severe & not visible in photos, such faults will not be mentioned, and are not grounds for returns. Items described as having specific defects/faults/imperfections/blemishes etc are not returnable on account of these or any other factors relating to their condition.

(15) Single lots that are proven (to the auctioneer’s satisfaction) to be not genuine or significantly not as described may be returned within 3 days of receipt, intact as received and in the original auction packaging. If an item has been altered in any way, then the buyer has no return rights unless the auctioneer has agreed in writing to such alteration. Also no lot can be returned if the buyer, or his agent, had the opportunity to inspect the lot before the auction.

(16) Lots stated to contain a collection/accumulation/range etc with more than 10 items and/or any undescribed material are sold strictly “as is” without any guarantee for individual items, and can not be returned for any reason. Our descriptions of lots are as per our catalogue/website, while any owner’s descriptions/notations inside an auction lot do not form part of our description. Also any items visible in scans on website but not mentioned in our descriptions are not guaranteed in any way.

(17) Buyers who are late with payment may forfeit any return privileges (even if lot is not as described or not genuine etc), as the vendor may have been already paid.

EXPERTISING / AUTHENTICATION

(18) All stamps/covers with recognized expert certificates are offered on the basis of those certificates, especially if the certificate is within last 10 years, and no return of any such lots will be accepted for any reason. Similarly, all coins/banknotes encapsulated by recognized grading services, are sold as per their certification & grading and are not returnable for any reason.

(19) Prospective buyers wishing to bid on lots "on extension" conditional on them being expertised or authenticated, should inform the auctioneer in writing no later than 24 hours before the auction. The auctioneer has absolute discretion whether such a conditional bid is accepted, and failure to request an extension prior to the auction may mean that such a later request after purchase may be refused by the auctioneer. For philatelic items extension requests can be granted to obtain certificates confirming the identification & authenticity of the item, and that it has not been significantly altered by being repaired or regummed etc. The certificate will be obtained from an expert or expertising service chosen by the auctioneer, and will be at buyers cost if result is positive. For numismatic items extension requests can only be granted for confirming authenticity of the item, and no extensions will be granted for obtaining opinions on condition, or grading, or quality etc. All such matters of "condition" of all categories of items have to be decided prior to the auction by the bidder, or by the auctioneer as per instructions given by the bidder. Items for which no recognized authentication services exist (for example most militaria) are sold on an “as is" basis, strictly on the basis of the auctioneer’s opinion about their authenticity.

(20) Lots purchased conditional on being authenticated are payable in advance, as per points (5)-(10), unless other arrangements have been agreed to. Payments will not be released to the vendor until after lots have been authenticated, or refunded to the buyer if the lots are proven to be not genuine.

GENERAL

(21) The auctioneer shall not be liable for any default of the purchaser or vendor. Also the auctioneer shall not be liable for any errors in the catalogue text or illustrations or on the website, or any subsequent consequences of such errors. The only remedy possible for such errors, is return of the relevant lots as per conditions of sale (15)-(17), and cancellation of the sale of the lots & refund of purchase price and commission.

(22) The contents of our auction catalogues, and descriptions & pictures on our website are copyright and cannot be reproduced in any shape, way or form without written permission of Status International.

(23) Every person on Status International premises or attending the auction is deemed to be there at his/her/their own risk, and can have no claim against Status International in respect of any accident, damage, injury or loss. While viewers are responsible for any damage that they might cause while viewing lots.

(24) Any items with Third Reich symbols are offered for sale solely for academic, artistic or educational purposes. Therefore, buyers of such items warrant that they are purchasing such items only for such academic, artistic or educational purposes, and warrant that they will not use such items for any purposes contrary to the relevant laws in Australia, or applicable in other countries.

(25) In the event of any legal disputes, bidders/buyers agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales, Australia.