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Art Show – Bidding Rules

This section will inform you in advance about the bidding process. You don't actually have to take any action before the convention itself; there is no bidder pre-registration.


Register for a Bidder Number

The Eurofurence Art Show does not sell or buy art. It acts solely as mediator for sales from sellers to buyers. For this purpose, buyers need to register with their name, EF badge number, and contact details. The name and contact will be passed on to the seller for every confirmed sale, and the seller's contact data (as provided by artist or agent) will be passed to the buyer with the final receipts.

Please don't wait until the last second to register — we can handle only so many bidders per hour. Registration will be available during opening times, but not while closing, and not during the auction, so please make sure you are registered beforehand.

Naturally, it is not necessary to register as a bidder to just visit the show.

How to bid

At the Art Show registration, buyers will receive a copy of these rules and a sheet with bid stickers, which contain an anonymous bidder number.

To bid on an exhibit:

  • The buyer writes his bid on a sticker.
  • The bid must be in whole Euros.
  • No "fun amounts" like "three times pi plus seven" please. We do not want to solve mathematical equations. (Especially when it does not even amount to whole Euros.)
  • The bid needs to be as much as or more than the minimum bid, and more than any previous bid.
  • The buyer sticks the bid sticker to the bidsheet, in the first free bidding field.
  • If there is no free bidding field left, the exhibit will go to auction, see below.

A buyer may get new bid stickers any time if he needs more stickers than available on a sheet. He/she can bid as often as desired on any "for sale" exhibit (if no bidding fields are left, further bidding must be taken to auction). There are exhibits which are not for sale, and cannot be bid on.

Important:

  • A bid is a valid offer to buy, and must be honored.
  • A bid sticker must not be removed from a bidsheet, or changed after bidding. In case of mistaken bids, the buyer can inform the Art Show management, which will replace the bidsheet and invalidate the bid.
  • A buyer must keep his bid sticker sheet safe, to prevent others to bid in his name.
  • Collusion between artist/agent and buyer is forbidden. Fake bids, bids on one's own exhibit for the purpose of raising the price, or bidding in another's name against that person's will is prohibited.

Closing the Art Show

When the Art Show closes for good, every buyer gets the opportunity for final bids, until the exhibit in question goes to auction, or no more bids are offered. For this purpose, the Art Show team will close the show panel by panel (in the order of panel numbers) and call for final bids which must be placed on the spot. Once no more bids are offered, the panel counts as closed, the bidsheets are marked off, and no further changes are allowed.

That means: It is useless to wait with bids until the show closes, or to "guard" an exhibit at closing time. To secure an exhibit, bid early, bid often to outdo competitors!

Warning: If people crowd the show, security may deem it necessary to close the room and restrict admittance to prevent damage to the exhibits, or even worse, damage to the health of attendees. This may prevent you from placing final bids. We're sorry for this possible inconvenience.

If you have no more bids to place during closing, please leave the show to prevent crowding.

Art Auction

The auction is the final opportunity to buy disputed exhibits which have generated so much interest that the bidsheet is filled with bids. It is a voice auction, moderated by an auctioneer. Buyers can bid with their bidder number or their EF badge number. There is no upper limits to bids, but remember that you need to pay for the item at the convention in cash (see "Sales").

If you have bid on a piece that went to auction, make sure you attend this event, no matter whether your bid was the last on the bidsheet or not. Anybody may bid on any piece, not just the previous bidders, so you may lose the object of your desire! If no further bids are made beyond the bidsheet's, the exhibit goes to the last bidder on the bidsheet.

Depending on the number of auctioned exhibits, this event may take some time. General audience and adult items are auctioned at the same event; there is no separate adult auction.

Sales and Artwork Pickup

Final winners of the art are announced by bulletin. The lists can be found in some appropriate place (most likely in front of the Art Show).

Buyers must pick up their purchase at the designated art pickup times, and pay cash. Credit cards or cheques of any kind are not accepted. We will try to keep the lines as short as possible.

If you do not pick up your items, we will try to contact you, but please save us this effort. Neither we nor the artist will be very pleased. Remember, it may not be possible (or safe) to send the art you bought by mail. The artists rely on you! Check the winners' lists!

If you are sure you have won a piece, but don't find your number on the winners' list or are told at the counter that you haven't won it, speak up, so we can counter-check. The Art Show involves a lot of manual work, with a lot of numbers. While we try to double- and triple-check, mistakes are still possible.

Tips on bidding

  • The Art Show offers you "helper sheets" where you can write down the items you have bid on, the panels where they hang, and the amount you have bid. This is useful to keep an overview over the art you were interested in, and the total sum.
  • Keep in mind that you may win all the pieces you bid on, and have the necessary cash funds available.
  • The Art Show supplies wood boards you can carry in the show, and write on, as well as pens.
  • If you place a bid, first write the bid amount on the sticker (you have that wood board, remember) and then pull off the sticker and paste it to the bidsheet. It is difficult to write on the panels if you first paste the bare sticker, and then try to scribble a number, because the panels have lots of holes.
  • Write legible. Should go without saying.
  • If you make a mistake, come to the Art Show counter and ask the personnel about it. Do not change a bidsheet on your own, this will cause irritations.
  • We cannot answer specific questions on art pieces beyond the information on the bidsheet. You may be able to contact the artist to ask her or him personally. Perhaps you can find the artist in the Dealers' Den.
  • Please do not assume you have won nothing, or won everything. If you have placed any bids, check the winner lists or ask at the sales counter. Even if your favorite piece has gone to auction and you missed the auction altogether, it might still be yours if no one else bid on it.
  • Some art comes with packaging; there will be small numbered tickets with the bidsheets. You will receive some packaging with the art at sales time (may be complete boxes or just bubble wrap). This may not be totally sufficient for transport (esp. overseas) but should help you in securing your purchased art a bit better.
  • The bid stickers keep the bidding semi-anonymous, but naturally anybody may see you placing a bid. Likewise, in the auction you need to speak up to bid. Anonymity is not guaranteed.
  • And once again, because it is important: Do not lose your bid stickers! Someone else may find it and use it to bid in your name.

Read on:

Artist Guide