FCS auctions online help desk

What are the Auction Types?

We currently use only one auction type:

TIMED ONLINE - Online Only bidding, No Auctioneer, individual lots are closed in consecutive order using a countdown clock
                             a pre-bidding period of 4 to 7 days, followed by the final bidding at the advertised time.


How do the auctions work?

You do not have to be registered and logged in to view an auction
You do need to be registered and logged in to bid on an auction


To bid on an auction click on the link to the auction from the home page.
You will see a listing like this:

Catalogue listing


To bid on this screen, simply click on the blue bid button. You will be asked to Confirm or Cancel your bid.

OR

Click on the title of a lot and you will see a screen like this below:

Catalogue listing detail

Make a Bid

Bidding can be done from the Grid view catalogue or by opening an individual lot as shown above.

Submitting a bid in the 'My Bid' box will place the next bid at that amount. The down arrow presents a range of bid amounts that you can select from.

Submitting a bid in the 'Maximum bid' box will place the next bid amount and the system will continue to bid for you up to your maximum.  In each case you are required to confirm your bid, a 2 step process to bid

'Maximum bid'. Here you can enter your bid and the system will automatically bid on your behalf up to this amount. If you enter a maximum bid that is equal to another bidder’s bid then their bid will be placed first. If you enter a maximum bid that is not consistent with the bid increments for the lot then your maximum bid will be adjusted.

For example, if you entered a maximum bid of $10,054 for the above lot it will be adjusted down to the nearest bid acceptable i.e. $10,000.

If you are outbid you will receive an email with a link to that lot. Click the link in the email to bid again. At the end of the auction or the following day if the auction ends late at night you will receive an email if you are the winning bidder. If you are the highest bidder, but the reserve has not been reached, after the auction you will be contacted by the Agent and advised of the Reserve Price and hopefully negotiate a sale. Please make arrangements with the Selling Agent regarding payment and picking up your lots (not FCS auctions).

Reserve prices?

Do the items have reserves?

Some lots may have reserves - when the reserve price is reached you will be notified by a message "on the market".

If you are the highest bidder at the close of a lot and the reserve has not been reached, the lot will be "Referred to the Vendor".
You will receive an email at the end of the auction advising the Reserve Price amount and inviting you to offer that amount or make an offer. 


What happens if I am the winning bidder?

If your bid is successful, you will receive a confirmation email, followed by an invoice after the auction has ended. Your invoice will advise you information about payment and collection.

Does my bid include GST?

For all of our auctions, your bid amount is ex GST.

GST, if applicable, will be added at invoicing. Some sales may not have GST added if the Vendor is not registered for GST.

Read the terms for each sale to know if GST will be added.

Buyer’s premium?

All auctions will have a buyer’s premium. Read the terms for each sale.

When a buyer's premium applies, it will be added at invoicing. GST applies to buyer's premium.

How do the auctions close?

Timed Online Auction - Each lot has a countdown clock. If there is active bidding and there is a bid in the last 20 seconds the countdown clock will reset to 20 seconds to allow continued bidding. Lots will close in consecutive order.

The closing time and the bidding extension time will vary between auctions depending on the number of lots and the type of items being offered. See the description at the top of the auction listing, for this information. 

Webcast auction - lots are closed by the Auctioneer.


What do the banners mean?

NO RESERVE: there is no reserve price on this item. As soon as a bid is placed on this item the banner "ON THE MARKET" will display

No banner: This item has a reserve price and bidding is currently below the reserve price. See Reserve Prices note above. 

NEAR RESERVE: Bidding on this lot is within 1 or 2 bids of the reserve price

ON THE MARKET: Bidding on this item has exceeded the reserve price (if any), and will be sold to the highest bidder