Legal

Seller Terms

These Seller Terms apply whenever you submit or sell an object through Auctium. They supplement the General Terms of Use. In short: be who you say you are, describe what you sell honestly, ship it properly — and the deposit warranty backs your word.

1. Eligibility and verification

To sell on Auctium you must be at least 18, register as a seller, and complete identity verification (KYC) with us and our payment provider. You declare truthfully whether you sell as a private individual or as a professional — professionals may have additional legal obligations towards buyers, and we may ask for your VAT number. If registration or verification remains incomplete, payouts are held until it is resolved.

2. The €25,000 deposit warranty

Before your first listing, you place a refundable €25,000 deposit warranty. It is held by Auctium — never spent — for as long as you sell with us, and it stands as a guarantee behind every lot you offer.

We may use the deposit, in whole or in part, to cover:

• fraud — for example offering counterfeit or stolen objects, or shill bidding;
• misrepresentation — refunds and costs when an object proves not as described and you fail to resolve it;
• unpaid remedies — amounts you owe us or a buyer under these Terms that remain unpaid after notice.

If we draw on the deposit, you restore it to €25,000 before listing again. When you close your account in good standing — no open disputes, no outstanding obligations — the remaining deposit is refunded in full.

3. Submission and expert review

Every object is submitted for review under the submission guidelines for its category. Our experts may approve, reject or adjust a submission: they verify details, set the estimate range and opening bid, refine titles or descriptions, and may request additional documentation. Meeting the guidelines does not guarantee selection, and repeatedly resubmitting rejected or misleading objects can lead to suspension.

Estimates and pricing suggestions we provide are non-binding guidance; you remain responsible for the accuracy of everything in your listing. Once a lot is approved and scheduled, it remains available for sale until the auction ends — you cannot withdraw it without our explicit approval, and while it is listed with us you may not offer it elsewhere.

4. Commission

Selling costs nothing until your object sells. On a successful sale, Auctium deducts a 3% commission from the hammer price. Expert review, marketing to our bidder base and the escrow service are all included. See the fee schedule for a complete worked example.

5. Your object must be as described

You guarantee that every object you offer is authentic, lawfully yours to sell, and exactly as described in the final listing — condition, completeness, provenance and documentation included. Omitting material information (a repair, a replaced part, a restored area) counts as misrepresentation. If an object is not as described, the buyer is refunded and the amount — plus reasonable costs — is recovered from your payout or, where necessary, from your deposit warranty. Your responsibility continues after payout: hidden defects or inauthenticity discovered later remain yours.

6. Shipping

When the buyer's payment is in escrow, we notify you to ship. You must ship within 3 business days, using a service that is fully insured and tracked, with signature on delivery; an object counts as shipped when the carrier registers its first scan. You carry the risk of loss or damage until delivery, you package the object professionally, and for cross-border sales you make accurate customs declarations at the full transaction value. Drop-shipping from third parties and shipping from an address different from your registered one are not permitted.

7. Payout

The buyer has a 7-day inspection window from confirmed delivery. When it closes without a dispute — or the buyer confirms acceptance — your payout is released: hammer price minus 3% commission, plus the shipping cost the buyer paid, transferred to your connected payout account. Typical time from hammer fall to money in your account: 10–14 days. Payouts are paused while a dispute or verification is open, and we may withhold or offset payment where these Terms are breached.

8. Prohibited conduct

As a seller you must not:

• Shill bid — bid on your own lots or have anyone connected to you do so, or otherwise manipulate prices or demand.
• Offer counterfeits, stolen goods, or objects that infringe third-party rights or breach cultural-heritage, sanctions or export-control law.
• Make off-platform deals with buyers you met through Auctium, or use your listings or messages to promote an outside shop or channel.
• Interfere with other sellers' listings — for example bidding without intent to pay.
• Refuse to deliver a sold object, or artificially inflate shipping costs.

9. Consequences of breaching these Terms

Depending on the breach, we may reject or remove listings, suspend or reverse payments, draw on your deposit warranty, suspend or terminate your account, and claim damages, costs and statutory interest — out of court or before the competent courts. Fraudulent conduct may be reported to law-enforcement authorities. Where we suspend or terminate, we will tell you why unless the law prevents it.