In-person Bidding
Bidding in the auction room is exciting and dynamic. In order to bid in person, you are required to register for a physical paddle. Your live auction paddle number is different than your online auction paddle. You will need to complete the registration process, prior to each live auction in order to obtain a paddle. This can be done either at the live auction or at one of our advance previews, by way of completing a registration form. Government issued photo identification as well as specified financial information will be required.
Bidding typically begins below the low estimate and generally advances in the following bid increments:
Telephone Bidding
Heffel offers alternative bidding options for those unable to attend a live auction. Telephone bidding is an excellent option for collectors who want to experience the dynamic spirit of a live auction, from anywhere in the world.
Heffel has a dedicated team of telephone bidders communicating with remote collectors throughout the auction in real time. Please specify your language preference on your Telephone Bid form in order to be paired with the appropriate Heffel specialist. We will do our best to accommodate your preference.
Due to high demand, please complete and submit a Telephone Bid form a minimum of 24 hours prior to the commencement of the sale. Heffel will confirm receipt by telephone or e-mail. If you have not received our confirmation within one business day, please resubmit your bids or contact us. We encourage those registering to telephone bid to indicate their maximum bid directly on their form. In the event that the Heffel specialist is unable to reach you during the sale, your assigned specialist can bid on your behalf, up to your maximum bid.
All maximum bids must be in-keeping with our specified bidding increments.
Absentee Bidding
Remote bidders also have the option to submit absentee bids for Lots that they are interested in. This option is optimal for those who may be travelling or otherwise occupied during the auction.
During the live auction, the auctioneer will bid on your behalf. The auctioneer will always work to purchase the Lot at the lowest possible selling price, bidding up to your maximum amount as required.
Due to competing interest and processing time, please complete and submit an Absentee Bid form a minimum of 24 hours prior to the commencement of the sale. Heffel will confirm receipt by telephone or e-mail. If you have not received our confirmation within one business day, please resubmit your bids or contact us.
DIGITAL SALEROOM (ONLINE BIDDING)
Collectors can now participate in Heffel live auctions by bidding online in our digital saleroom. The digital saleroom enables bidders to experience the thrill of the live auction from anywhere in the world and place bids in real-time, while viewing a live video stream of the sale.
As always, the auctioneer will accept bids in the order they are received. When competitive bidding subsides, the auctioneer will call out ‘fair warning’ and then ‘last call’ to indicate that the lot will close imminently. These messages will also be displayed in the digital saleroom.
Our digital saleroom is optimized for desktop, tablet and mobile devices. We strongly advise using the latest version of Chrome (PC, mobile, tablet) and Safari (Mac, Apple mobile and tablet devices) for an optimal bidding experience.
Those who wish to participate in our upcoming live auction through the digital saleroom should register at least 24 hours from the start of the auction.
Bidding
Heffel hosts monthly online auctions where more than hundreds of artworks are offered, and divided into themed specialty sessions. Bidders are able to compete for works of interest by submitting bids in the specified increments through our online auction platform.
In order to bid in our online auctions, please register here. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a Heffel online auction paddle number that can be used across all of our online sales. We do our best to process registrations as they are received, however please be mindful of our business hours which will affect processing times. We encourage new bidders to review our FAQs to learn more about the online auction platform.
You will be notified by e-mail and SMS if and when you have been outbid on a Lot. It’s important to keep a close eye on the online auction as the sale closes and ensure that you do not rely solely on outbid notifications. Each session has a different closing time, which are specified on the online auction homepage. All closing times are noted in Eastern Time (ET).
As the auction closes, you may find that sessions will go into overtime, as bidding extension of 1.5 minutes will be added to the entire auction session, if a bid is submitted on any Lot within the last 1.5 minutes on the bidding clock. These time extensions will continue to be added until no bids are received for a full 1.5 minutes on any Lot in the entire session. If you would like to have one of Heffel’s specialists bid on your behalf, please feel free to contact us.
Please note that online bidding is only available for our online auctions.
Autobid
You also have the option to leave an Autobid, or maximum bid, on a Lot they are interested in. Autobids in an online auction function similar to absentee bids in a live auction. Bidders will indicate the maximum amount they would like to bid, and Heffel.com will bid up to this amount against other bidders as necessary, until this maximum is exceeded. If there are no bids submitted against your Autobid, it will remain at the lowest amount.
Heffel offers a wide variety of artworks through Private Sale, which are available for immediate purchase. To view all works currently available, please click here. If you are looking for something specific, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Heffel is also proud to represent several important artists, including David Blackwood and Joe Fafard, and showcase their works in our galleries across Canada.
Please note that the purchase prices listed on works available through Private Sale are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium, and are subject to applicable taxes.
The Buyer’s Premium is the amount paid by the Buyer to the Auction House on the purchase of a Lot, which is calculated on the Hammer Price as follows: a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) of the Hammer Price of the Lot up to and including $25,000; plus twenty percent (20%) on the part of the Hammer Price over $25,000 and up to and including $5,000,000; plus fifteen percent (15%) on the part of the Hammer Price over $5,000,000, plus applicable Sales Tax.
All items that are offered and sold by Heffel are subject to our published Terms and Conditions of Business, our Catalogue terms and any oral announcements made during our live sales.
Successful purchasers will receive an e-mail which includes an invoice and detailed payment and shipping instructions.
Payment is due within seven days of the close of the auction. Heffel is pleased to accept the following payment methods:
Please note that all Certified Cheques, Bank Drafts and Personal or Corporate Cheques must be verified and cleared by Heffel’s bank prior to the release of any purchases.
We are happy to assist with arranging collection or shipment of your purchases. For further information regarding third party shipping options and procedures please click here.