Buying

How to buy on Auctium

Every lot on Auctium is selected by an expert and every payment moves through escrow. Here is the whole journey, from account to doorstep.

Creating your account

Registration is free and takes a minute. You need an account to place bids, follow lots and manage your orders. Choose a username when you sign up — it's the only name other users ever see, and it appears masked (first three letters + asterisks) with your country flag in bid history.

How bidding works

When you bid, you tell us the maximum you're willing to pay. That figure stays hidden — from other bidders and from the seller. Our system then bids for you automatically, always the smallest increment needed to keep you in the lead.

If the current bid is €1,200 and your maximum is €2,000, you lead at €1,250. If someone bids €1,500, we instantly answer €1,550 on your behalf — until your ceiling is reached, and never beyond it. You can raise or lower your maximum at any time while you're not the highest bidder.

The result: you never pay more than one increment above the second-highest bidder's maximum. Bid your true number once and let the system do the rest.

Soft close — no sniping

A bid placed in the final 5 minutes extends the auction by 5 minutes from that moment, and every further bid resets the window. It works like the going-once, going-twice rhythm of a live saleroom: everyone gets a fair chance to respond, and last-second sniping gains no advantage.

Reserve prices

Some lots carry a reserve — a confidential minimum below which the seller isn't obliged to sell. The figure is never published; you'll only see whether a reserve exists and whether it's been met. If an auction ends below its reserve, the lot isn't sold and no payment is taken.

Payment & the buyer's premium

Win an auction and you pay the hammer price plus a 3% buyer's premium — the only fee a buyer ever pays. The full amount is shown next to every bid before you confirm, and again at checkout.

Your payment never goes directly to the seller. It's held in escrow by Auctium while the seller ships. Only after your inspection window closes — or you confirm the object is as described — are funds released.

Delivery & your 7-day inspection

Sellers ship within 3 business days of payment, fully insured and tracked, with signature on delivery. From the day your object arrives you have 7 days to inspect it — with your own expert if you like. If anything isn't as described, open a dispute from your order page: the sale is unwound and you're refunded in full.