Terms & Conditions
CONDITIONS MAINLY CONCERNING BUYERS 2.1 The buyer 2.1.1 Any dispute of whatever nature about any bid or about the identity of the buyer (including without limitation any dispute about the validity of any bid, or whether a bid has been made, or any dispute between two or more bidders or between the auctioneer and one or more bidders) shall be determined at the auctioneer’s absolute discretion. 2.1.2 Every bidder shall be deemed to act as principal unless, prior to the commencement of any auction, Strauss & Co provides a written acknowledgement that a particular bidder is acting on behalf of a third party. 2.1.3 All bidders wishing to make bids or offers in respect of any lot must complete a registration form prior to that lot being offered for sale, which registration form will include an acknowledgement by the bidder that he is acquainted with and bound by these general conditions of business. Bidders shall be personally liable for their bids and offers made during any auction and shall be jointly and severally liable with their principals if acting as agent. 2.1.4 Bidders are advised to attend any auction at which a lot is to be sold by auction sale, but Strauss & Co will endeavour to execute absentee written bids and/or telephone bids, provided they are, in Strauss & Co’s absolute discretion, received in sufficient time and in legible form. When bids are placed by telephone before an auction they are accepted at the sender’s risk and must, if so requested by Strauss & Co, be confirmed in writing to Strauss & Co before commencement of the auction. Persons wishing to bid by telephone during the course of an auction must make proper arrangement with Strauss & Co in connection with such telephonic bids at least twenty hours before the commencement of the auction. As telephone bids cannot be entirely free from risk of communication breakdown, Strauss & Co will not be responsible for losses arising from missed bids. Telephone bidding may be recorded and all bidders consent to such recording. 2.2 Examination of lots 2.2.1 It is the responsibility of all prospective buyers to examine and satisfy themselves as to the condition of each lot prior to the auction, and that the lot matches any oral or written description provided by the seller and/or Strauss & Co. All illustrations of a lot in any catalogue are intended merely as guidance for bidders and do not provide definitive information as to colours, patterns or damage to any lot. 2.2.2 Strauss & Co shall not be liable for any error, misstatement or omission in the description of a lot (whether in any catalogue or otherwise), unless Strauss & Co, its employees or agents, engaged in intentional misleading or deceptive conduct. 2.2.3 In bidding for any lot, all bidders confirm that they have not been induced to make any bid or offer by any representation of the seller or Strauss & Co. 2.3 Exclusions and limitations of liability to buyers 2.3.1 If a lot sold to a buyer proves to be a forgery (which will only be the case if an expert appointed by Strauss & Co for such purpose confirms same in writing), the buyer may (as his sole remedy hereunder or at law) return the lot to Strauss & Co within three hundred and sixty five days of the date of the sale of that lot in the same condition in which it was as at the date of sale, together with a written statement by the buyer detailing the defects to the lot, the date of the sale and the number of the lot. Should Strauss & Co be satisfied in its absolute discretion that the lot is a forgery and that the buyer is capable of transferring good and marketable title to the lot to a third party purchaser thereof, free from any encumbrances and other third party claims, the sale of that lot shall be set aside and the hammer price of that lot shall be refunded to the buyer, provided that the buyer shall have no rights against Strauss & Co (whether under these general conditions of business, at law or otherwise) if: 2.3.1.1 the only method of establishing that the lot was a forgery was by means of a scientific process not generally accepted for use until after publication of the catalogue in which that lot was identified for purposes of the auction at which it was sold, or by means of a process which was impracticable and/or unreasonably expensive and/or could have caused damage to the lot; 2.3.1.2 the description of the lot in the catalogue in which that lot was identified for purposes of the auction at which it was sold was in accordance with the then generally accepted opinion of scholars and experts or fairly indicated that there was conflict of such opinion; 2.3.1.3 a buyer’s claim (whether in contract, delict or otherwise) shall always be limited to an amount equal to the hammer price of the lot; 2.3.1.4 the benefits of this condition shall not be transferable by the buyer of any lot to a third party and shall always rest exclusively with the buyer. 2.3.2 Neither Strauss & Co nor the seller: 2.3.2.1 shall be liable for any omissions, errors or misrepresentations in any information (whether written or otherwise and whether provided in a catalogue or otherwise) provided to bidders, or for any acts or omissions in connection with the conduct of any auction or for any matter relating to the sale of any lot, including when caused by the negligence of the seller, Strauss & Co, their respective employees and/or agents; 2.3.2.2 gives any guarantee or warranty to bidders other than those expressly set out in these general conditions of business (if any) and any implied conditions, guarantees and warranties are excluded. 2.3.3 Without prejudice to any other provision of these general conditions of business, any claim against Strauss & Co and/or the seller of a lot by a bidder shall be limited to the hammer price of the relevant lot. Neither Strauss & Co nor the seller shall be liable for any indirect or consequential losses. 2.3.4 A purchased lot shall be at the buyer’s risk in all respects from the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer, whether or not payment has been made, and neither Strauss & Co nor the seller shall thereafter be liable for, and the buyer indemnifies Strauss & Co against, any loss or damage of any kind, including when caused by the negligence of Strauss & Co and/or its employees or agents. 2.3.5 All buyers are advised to arrange for their own insurance cover for purchased lots effective from the day after the date of sale for purposes of protecting their interests as Strauss & Co cannot warrant that the seller has insured its interests in the lot or that Strauss & Co’s insurance cover will extend to all risks. 2.3.6 Strauss & Co does not accept any responsibility for lots damaged by insect infestation, changes in atmospheric conditions or other conditions outside its control, and shall not be liable for damage to glass or picture frames. 2.4 Import, export and copyright restrictions Save as expressly set out in 3.3, Strauss & Co and the seller make no representation or warranties as to whether any lot is subject to export, import or copyright restrictions. It is the buyer’s sole responsibility to obtain all approvals, licences, consents, permits and clearances that may be or become required by law for the sale and delivery of any lot to the buyer. 2.5 Conduct of the auction 2.5.1 The auctioneer has the absolute discretion to withdraw or re-offer lots for sale, to accept and refuse bids and/ or to re-open the bidding on any lots should he believe there may be a dispute of whatever nature (including without limitation a dispute about the validity of any bid, or whether a bid has been made, and whether between two or more bidders or between the auctioneer and any one or more bidders) or error of whatever nature, and may further take such other action as he in his absolute discretion deems necessary or appropriate. The auctioneer shall commence and advance the bidding or offers for any lot in such increments as he considers appropriate. 2.5.2 The auctioneer shall be entitled to place bids on any lot on the seller’s behalf up to the reserve, where applicable. 2.5.3 The contract between the buyer and the seller of any lot shall be deemed to be concluded on the striking of the auctioneer’s hammer at the hammer price finally accepted by the auctioneer (after determination of any dispute that may exist). Strauss & Co is not a party to the contract of sale and shall not be liable for any breach of that contract by either the seller or the buyer. 2.6 Payment and collection 2.6.1 A buyer’s premium, calculated at the applicable current rate of the hammer price, shall be payable by the buyer to Strauss & Co in respect of the sale of each lot. The buyer acknowledges that Strauss & Co, when acting as agent for the seller of any lot, may also receive a seller’s commission and/or other fees for or in respect of that lot. 2.6.2 The buyer shall pay Strauss & Co the purchase price immediately after a lot is sold and shall provide Strauss & Co with details of his name and address and, if so requested, proof of identity and any other information that Strauss & Co may require. 2.6.3 Unless otherwise agreed in advance, the buyer shall make full payment of all amounts due by the buyer to Strauss & Co (including the purchase price of each lot bought by that buyer) on the date of sale (or on such other date as Strauss & Co and the buyer may agree upon in writing) in cash, electronic funds transfer, or such other payment method as Strauss & Co may be willing to accept. Any cheque and/or credit card payments must be arranged with Strauss & Co prior to commencement of the auction. All credit card purchases are to be settled in full on the date of sale. 2.6.4 Ownership in a lot shall not pass to the buyer thereof until Strauss & Co has received settlement of the full purchase price of that lot in cleared funds. Strauss & Co shall not release a lot to the buyer prior to full payment thereof. However, should Strauss & Co agree to release a lot to the buyer prior to payment of the purchase price in full, ownership of such lot shall not pass to the buyer, nor shall the buyer’s obligations to pay the purchase price be impacted, until such receipt by Strauss & Co of the full purchase price in cleared funds. 2.6.5 The refusal of any approval, licence, consent, permit or clearance as required by law shall not affect the buyer’s obligation to pay for the lot. 2.6.6 Any payments made by a buyer to Strauss & Co may be applied by Strauss & Co towards any sums owing by the buyer to Strauss & Co on any account whatsoever and without regard to any directions of the buyer or his agent. The buyer shall be and remain responsible for any removal, storage, or other charges for any lot and must at his own expense ensure that the lot purchased is removed immediately after the auction but not until payment of the total amount due to Strauss & Co. All risk of loss or damage to the purchased lot shall be borne by the buyer from the moment when the buyer’s bid is accepted by Strauss & Co in the manner referred to above. Neither Strauss & Co nor its servants or agents shall accordingly be responsible for any loss or damage of any kind, whether caused by negligence or otherwise, from date of the sale of the lot, whilst the lot is in their possession or control. 2.6.7 All packaging and handling of lots is at the buyer’s risk and expense, will have to be attended to by the buyer, and Strauss & Co shall not be liable for any acts or omissions of any packers or shippers. 2.6.8 If the sale of any lot is rescinded, set aside or cancelled by an action of the buyer, and Strauss & Co has accounted to the seller for the sale proceeds, the seller shall immediately refund the full sale proceeds to Strauss & Co, who will in turn refund the purchase price to the buyer. 2.7 Remedies for non payment or failure to collect Without prejudice to any rights that the seller may have, if any lot is not paid for in full or removed in accordance with the conditions of 2.6 above, or if there is any other breach of these general conditions of business by the buyer, Strauss & Co as agent of the seller shall, at its absolute discretion and without limiting any other rights or remedies that may be available to it or the seller hereunder or at law, be entitled to exercise one or more of the following remedies: 2.7.1 to remove, store and insure the lot at its premises or elsewhere and at the buyer’s sole risk and expense; 2.7.2 to rescind the sale of that or any other lots sold to the buyer at the same or any other auction; 2.7.3 to set off any amounts owed to the buyer by Strauss & Co against any amounts owed to Strauss & Co by the buyer for the lot; 2.7.4 to reject future bids and offers on any lot from the buyer; 2.7.5 to proceed against the buyer for damages; 2.7.6 to resell the lot or cause it to be resold by public auction or private treaty, with estimates and reserves at Strauss & Co’s sole discretion, in which event the buyer shall be liable for any shortfall between the original purchase price and the amount received on the resale of the lot, including all expenses incurred by Strauss & Co and the seller in such resale; 2.7.7 to exercise a lien over any of the buyer’s property in Strauss & Co’s possession, applying their sale proceeds to any amounts owed by the buyer to Strauss & Co; 2.7.8 to retain that or any other lots sold to the buyer at the same time or at any other auction and to release such lots only after payment of the total amount due; 2.7.9 to disclose the buyer’s details to the seller to enable the seller to commence legal proceedings; 2.7.10 to commence legal proceedings; 2.7.11 to charge interest at a rate not exceeding the prime rate plus 3% per month on the total amount due to the extent that it remains unpaid after the date of the auction; 2.7.12 if the lot is paid for in full but remains uncollected after forty five days of the auction, following fourteen days written notice to the buyer, to resell the lot by auction or private treaty, with estimates and reserves at Strauss & Co’s sole discretion. The sale proceeds of such lot if so resold, less all recoverable expenses, will be forfeited unless collected by the buyer within three months of the original auction.
