There are several ways you can take part in our auctions: you can either be present in person, or submit a bid in writing or online or by phone. In all cases, you need to pre-register with us.
If you wish to attend our auctions in person, you must be issued a bidder number prior to the beginning of the auction. For this, please present an identity document (e.g., an identity card or a passport).
If this is the first time you are bidding with us, we ask our new clients to fill in our registration form. Please note that purchase commission and VAT must be added to the hammer price.
You have the option of participating in the bidding with a maximum bid in writing. This can be done by letter, by fax or the Internet (in this case, please see the following paragraph). If you wish to participate in the bidding with a maximum bid in writing by letter or fax, please fill in the bidding form and send it to DOBIASCHOFSKY AUKTIONEN AG no later than 24 hours prior to the beginning of the sale. All our auctions are carried out without purchase commissions or VAT. Our house will bid up to the maximum amount that you indicated in your letter.
As a registered client, you have the option of submitting your written bid using the “my account” function on our website or of submitting your request for telephone bidding. You must send your bid no later than 24 hours prior the beginning of the sale. With less than 24 hours, there is no guarantee that we would actually take into consideration your bid.
You also have the option of participating in our auction sales by telephone. To do so, please register no later than 24 hours prior to the beginning of the sale, either in writing or in person. Please provide a telephone number where we can reach you during the auction. We will contact you just before calling the desired batch and will bid for you according to your instructions. DOBIASCHOFSKY AUKTIONEN AG assumes no responsibility for connection and transmission problems. All our auctions are carried out without purchase commissions or VAT.
Our catalog is also available on online platforms (currently Invaluable and Lot-tissimo), where online live bidding is possible. For this you have to register in time (min. 24 h before the auction) directly on the platform and then log in there before the lot is called at the auction. For this the provider charges a premium of 3-5% (depending on the provider) on the hammer price, which will be listed separately on our invoice.
Please check your maximum bid amount after registration and contact us in time if you want to increase it.
For the blue catalogue pages, the auction house Dobiaschofsky exclusively conducts a written auction, a so-called «vente silencieuse». For this auction only written bids are accepted. No oral, physical auction will take place for these objects. Bids in person or by telephone are therefore not possible. The objects are marked with a blue dot during the exhibition and are all shown on our website.
Written bids must be received by the auction house by e-mail, postal mail or fax or by hand delivery no later than on auction Friday, 24:00. The general conditions of sale apply.
The bidders are urged to read the terms and conditions in our catalogs or on our website. By submitting your bid, you hereby accept our terms and conditions, which we list in your contract as well.
In our paper catalog, we described each lot according to the current scientific criteria. Some lots are also accompanied by an image. In the Internet version, a text and a picture illustrate each one of the offered artworks.
Before any sale, it is possible to see personally the artworks that we will auction at DOBIASCHOFSKY AUKTIONEN AG. Our employees are at your disposal to answer all of your questions. Descriptions of the artwork, as well as additional photos are equally available upon request.
The estimated prices correspond to our appraisals, published in the catalog and must be understood as indicative. Our appraisals are supported both by our experience, based on the hammer price of similar items at prior auction sales, and the interests of the seller.
Each work has a « limit » price. This is the lowest price at which the seller had declared to be willing to sell his property. The limit is confidential; before the auction, it is known only by the seller himself and by DOBIASCHOFSKY AUKTIONEN AG. The limit is usually between half and two thirds of the estimated price.
The grant price (hammer price) is the price at which the auctioneer awards the artwork. To this must still be added the purchase commission and the VAT.
A purchase commission is added to the hammer price. For a hammer price of up to and including CHF 200'000, the purchase commission amounts to 25%. Starting with a hammer price of CHF 200'000, it decreases to 22%. In addition to the purchase commission, the buyer must pay the Swiss VAT.
The buyer must pay VAT on the purchase commission, up to 8.1 %. For the lots marked in the catalog with an asterisk (*), the hammer price is also subject to VAT. If for the corresponding objects the buyer presents an export declaration stamped by the Swiss tax authority, the auction house will then proceed with reimbursing the VAT on the hammer price that was paid.
If you win the auction, you will receive an invoice immediately after the sale. The amount contained therein must be paid immediately and in full.
The auctioned items can be removed starting with the Wednesday following the sale during our regular business hours (Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00). The gallery is closed on the Monday and Tuesday following the auction.
During the auction, items may be delivered only to overseas buyers. In the interest of our vendors, we can deliver the items to the buyers only after receiving full payment.
If you desire to export your auctioned items outside Switzerland, please inform us beforehand so we can prepare the necessary paperwork for customs. If you want us to send to you the purchased items, please get in touch with us. Please comply with point seven of the terms and conditions of our auction sales.
In case of any dispute, the printed conditions of sale in German, shall be legally binding.
