Bidding is available in person, online, by absentee, and by telephone. A Buyer’s Premium of 22% (inclusive of GST) applies to the hammer price of all lots. Please see the full Terms & Conditions. By bidding at our auctions you agree to be bound by these terms.
In Person Bidding
To bid in person arrive on the day, complete a registration form, and receive a numbered paddle. Take a seat in the room and when your lot comes up, raise your paddle. The auctioneer will acknowledge your bid and if when the hammer falls yours is the highest bid, the auctioneer will declare you the winner. The auctioneer will write down your number against the lot and at the end of the auction you can collect your winnings.
Online Bidding
To bid at the auction online you will need to create an Auction account. Existing BMJ webshop customers: Your Bookshop account and Auction account are separate accounts.
Once you create an Auction account you will need to verify your email. If you have created an auction account but not received your verification email please contact us to complete your verification. Once your account is verified you can place bids online. Before the auction commences you can place online bids, the highest bid when the live auction commences is where the live bidding will start, or finish, if there are no more bids.
To be able to bid live online on the day you will need to be logged in. If you have not logged in for a while it is best to make sure you are registered and can login before auction day.
On auction day, when the auction commences the catalogue screen will automatically switch over to the live bidding format, just be on any page of the auction at the starting time and it will load. If it hasn’t loaded and the start time has passed, hit refresh. If it is still not loading or you are having any trouble logging in or bidding on the day call the auction support line on 1300 667 153.
Once the live auction has loaded bidding will soon begin. When your lot comes up, it’s time to press the button. When bidding online there is a very short delay (<1sec) between what is happening in the room and what is coming up on your screen. Though the delay is short it’s best to not wait for the auctioneer to make the third and final call on a lot you want. Once the hammer falls a lot has sold. If your online bid comes through a second late, it will be too late. If you want it bid quick.
Online Auto-Bids: If you can not attend the live auction you can leave a maximum auto-bid. When you place a maximum auto-bid the system will automatically bid on your behalf to the next increment ONLY when there is a competing bid. ie. A lot starting at $10 has no bids. You place a maximum auto-bid of $60. The system will place your bid at the opening bid of $10. If no one else bids you win the lot at $10. If someone else bids $20, the system will place another bid for you at the next increment, $30. The system will continue placing bids on your behalf when there is a competing bid in increments up to your maximum. Leaving your highest maximum bid is the best way to potentially secure your favourite lots if you are unable to attend the auction live.
Occasionally you can lose a lot that sells for the same amount as your maximum because the flow of bids is against you when it reaches the maximum. Continuing the above example, the system bids for you at $30, someone else bids $40, the system bids for you at $50, someone else bids $60, because your maximum was $60 and the next valid bid is $70 the system will not bid for you again. If no one else bids the competing bidder wins the lot at $60 because the flow of bids was against you. You were the highest bidder at $50 you cannot bid against yourself to $60, the competing bidder won the lot. If you don’t want to lose out by one more bid than you were willing to pay, best to put your max bid one increment higher, or you can use a paper absentee bid with the auctioneer to make use of the +1.
If the live auction has already commenced, you can also leave an auto-bid by scrolling through the open lots and leaving a maximum auto-bid, just be sure it complies to the bidding increment table below.
Absentee Bids
You can also submit your bids in writing directly to the auctioneer before auction day. The auctioneer will hold your bids at the rostrum and execute your bids on your behalf. It works similar to the online system bidding on your behalf as described in online bidding above, but the live human auctioneer will do it for you. The other benefit of a written absentee bid over an online auto-bid is that the auctioneer will prioritise the opening written bid, so it provides you a slightly increased chance of winning a lot if there are competing bids at the opening amount.
A written absentee bid also gives you the option to indicate to the auctioneer to bid +1 if the flow of bids is against you at the maximum bid, as in the situation described in online bidding above. Continuing the above example: Your written absentee bid has a maximum bid of $60 and you have indicated +1, with the flow of bids as above the auctioneer executed your bid at $50, and then a competing bid at $60, because you have indicated +1 and your maximum bid is $60 and at $60 the flow of bids is against you, the auctioneer places one final bid for you at the next increment of $70. If no one else bids then you win the lot. If someone else bids $80 then the auctioneer will no longer bid on your behalf.
An absentee bid in writing on the appropriate form may be submitted, whether by email or in person, to the Auctioneer 12 hours before the commencement of a sale.
Telephone Bids
A request for a telephone bid may be made for any lot with a low estimate of at least $1,000 in writing on the appropriate form and may be submitted, whether by email or in person, to the Auctioneer 24 hours before the commencement of a sale. This service is offered as a convenience to prospective buyers. The Auctioneer will make all reasonable efforts to contact the prospective buyer before the commencement of the requested lot, however in no circumstance will the Auctioneer be held responsible for any error or failure to execute bids.
Bidding Increments
All bids, including absentee bids, must be made in the following increments (The Auctioneer reserves the right to direct the bidding at their discretion):
| From: | To: | Increment: |
| AU $0 | AU $99 | AU $10 |
| AU $100 | AU $499 | AU $20 |
| AU $500 | AU $999 | AU $50 |
| AU $1,000 | AU $1,999 | AU $100 |
| AU $2,000 | AU $4,999 | AU $200 |
| AU $5,000 | AU $9,999 | AU $500 |
| AU $10,000 | AU $19,999 | AU $1,000 |
| AU $20,000 | AU $49,999 | AU $2,000 |
| AU $50,000 | AU $99,999 | AU $5,000 |
| AU $100,000+ | AU $10,000 |
Payment & Collection
Unless otherwise arranged prior to the commencement of the auction, no purchases may be collected until the end of the sale. No purchases may be collected until paid for in full. All lots must be collected or shipping arranged within 7 days.
All payments must be made in Australian Dollars.
Accepted Payment Methods: Cash, Bank Transfer, Visa, Mastercard.
International customers: We recommend using Wise (formerly TransferWise) to complete a bank transfer in AUD.
Surcharges: Visa and Mastercard attract a surcharge equal to the cost of acceptance.
No surcharge for payments made in cash or bank transfer. Cheques by prior arrangement only.
Download Absentee Bidding Form
Download Telephone Bidding Form
For shipping information please see the shipping information page.