JWPPA Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: How can I participate in the JWPPA sale?

A: You can either bid directly through JWPPA or through Ebay Live. You can view the lots in the sale at the JWPPA website or on Ebay Live, or Live Auctioneers.

Q: When will the sale be held?

A: The auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 11 am, Chicago time, on Saturday, September 20, 2008. That translates to 09:00:00 PDT using Ebay’s time display format.

Q: How long will the auction last?

A: That is hard to predict. We hope to complete between 50 and 60 lots per hour.

Q: Is there a buyer’s premium?

A: Yes, the buyer’s premium is 20% of the hammer price (22.5% if the successful bid comes through Ebay Live or Live Auctioneers).

Q: Are the prints and paintings in the auction framed?

A: No, unless otherwise specified, our items are not framed or matted.

Q: What do the dimensions on your listings mean?

A: Generally, we give the dimensions of the image only, exclusive of margins, and provide the height first, followed by the width. In the cases where the dimensions are for something else, this is described in the “Comments” section of the listing. Examples include multi-panel items, such as triptychs, or pieces without a defined plate line.

Q: How much will it cost to ship my purchases?

A: Our shipping procedures are discussed below, in the “After the Auction” section. If you would like to get a shipping estimate in advance, you will need to supply the dimensions of the largest piece in the package (remember, generally our listings give the dimensions of the image only, exclusive of margins), as well as a hypothetical insured value, to Eric at The UPS Store #2203, 1341 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, 773-477-7670.

 

Bidding through JWPPA

Q: What is required to bid through JWPPA?

A: You must first set up an account with JWPPA, and then you must register for the September 20 sale. As part of the registration process, you will be required to accept our terms and conditions of sale, and submit credit card information.

Q: Will you charge my credit card when I register?

A: No, but we may use that information to verify your card and identity if we have not done business before (or recently).

Q: I registered for your last auction; why do I have to register again?

A: Our programming requires registration for each auction to ensure that the terms and conditions of sale are accepted each time.

Q: What if I already have an account with Floating World Gallery?

A: That will also work for JWPPA; just log in with your usual email address and password.

Q: How can I submit my bids?

A: Once you register for the auction, you can use the Place Order Bid link that appears on each lot on JWPPA.com. If you are not logged into your account with us, you will first be taken to the log in page. You will get the opportunity to review and confirm your bid before submitting it. You will also be given the option to authorize +1 bidding on any lot. We also accept bids from registered bidders via fax and telephone. If you submit your bids via fax, we strongly urge you to confirm receipt with us. We will also have telephone bidding available on a first come, first served basis.

Q: Will my bid be exercised at the maximum amount if there are no other bidders?

A: No. If there are no other bidders, your bid will be exercised at the reserve, if any, otherwise at the starting bid.

Q: What if someone else leaves an order bid on the same item that I bid on?

A: If the amount of the bids are the same, than priority goes to the person whose bid comes in first. If the bid is lower than yours, then (assuming no other bidders) you will win the lot for 1 bid over the the other bid.

Q: What is +1 bidding?

A: If you authorize +1 bidding, you authorize the auctioneer to go one bid higher than the maximum bid you specified, if and only if, that maximum bid cannot be exercised on your behalf, because you are “wrong footed”, or the +1 is required to reach the reserve.

Q: Can you give me an example of “wrong footed”?

A: Assume you bid $300 on a print that starts at $200. If no one else bids, you will get it for $200. However, further assume that several other bidders, whether through Ebay Live or through JWPPA, are interested in the print. The bidding will be in $25 increments. If the bid lands on you at $275, another bidder can bid $300, and if there are no further bids, the print will sell for the amount of your maximum bid, but not to you. If you authorize +1 bidding, however, then the auctioneer bids the next increment (+1) and your behalf, and assuming that there are not other bidders, you will win for $325.

Q: Can I change my bid after I place it?

A: Yes. After you log into your account, there is a link to view your order bids, and from there you can edit or delete your bids. Please note that changing your bid will give it a new time stamp, and in the event of tie bids, preference goes to the earliest time stamp.

Q: Can I leave or change an order bid once the auction starts?

A: No. The order bid function will terminate approximately 2 hours before the auction in order to give us time to prepare the list for the auctioneer. You can try to phone or fax in a change, but we cannot guarantee that it will be properly processed.

Q: How can I tell how far along you are once the auction starts?

A: Look at our auction on Ebay Live. First go to the Ebay Live Home Page. There will be a list of auctions in progress. Once you have located the JWPPA sale, click on the link.

How Ebay Live Auctions Work

Q: How can I bid through Ebay Live?

A: You can bid through Ebay Live directly or through Live Auctioneers. You must first sign up for our sale, using the sign up link appearing on the Ebay Live home page for our auction, as well as on the Ebay and Ebay Live listing page for each lot or the sign up link on the Live Auctioneers site. Live Auctioneers is an Ebay Live platform, so what we say below for Ebay or Ebay Live, applies to Live Auctioneers, as well.

Q: What is required to sign up?

A: You must be a registered user on Ebay and accept the terms and conditions of sale governing our auction. You may also check a box to request an email reminder of the auction from Ebay. In addition, you will be directed to log-in again and supply some basic contact information to Live Auctioneers. This information is forwarded to us.

Q: How does the bidding work on Ebay Live?

A: There are two ways to bid:

1. Before the auction begins, you can place an absentee bid on any lot. These are transmitted to our auctioneer during the sale.
2. During the auction, you can follow everything that is happening on the Ebay Live Auction Site for our sale and place real time bids against other Ebay Live bidders as well as bidders who are bidding with us directly.

Q: How do I leave an absentee bid?

A: Absentee bidding on Ebay Live is similar to bidding on Ebay; you just fill in the field with the amount of your bid, review it and submit it.

Q: How can I submit real time bids through Ebay Live?

A: Shortly before our auction is scheduled to begin, a flashing paddle will appear next to our listing on the Ebay Live home page. Next to that will be two links, one to and the other to . You must bring up the Ebay Live window by using the link to make sure you can bid in a timely manner. Ebay Live has a very detailed ONLINE TUTORIAL. Clicking on either link will open up a small window from which you can watch our auction live. However, if you use the View Live link, even though there is a bidding link you will not be able to bid immediately.

Q: It is almost 09:00 in the Ebay Live Clock on the day of the auction. Why does MY EBAY say that there are over 12 hours to go until the sale?

A: This was a programming decision that Ebay made, to allow Ebayers to search for items even after the auction has officially begun. Please rely on the Ebay Live site and the Ebay clock, and not the "Time Remaining" feature. Remember, on Ebay Live, the individual listings show the start time when the entire auction begins, whereas the basic Ebay site tells you the precise hour, minute and second when the auction ends.

Q: Can I bid on Ebay Live, even if I have left order bids with JWPPA?

A: Absolutely. However, please make sure that you do not bid against yourself.

Q: How can that happen?

A: While the bidding is taking place, you may not be able to tell whether the auctioneer is exercising a bid on your behalf or on behalf of another bidder. When you view through Ebay Live, you will see the designation “Auction House Floor” for any bids that are generated through JWPPA, and you will see the designation “Internet Bidder” for any bids that are placed through Ebay Live. Your order bid will show up as “Auction House Floor”, but so will competing order bids and telephone bidders. If you also bid through Ebay Live, there is no way for us to match your Ebay Live bid against your order bid. Here are several scenarios, based on an assumed order bid of $700:

 

1.       Bidding stops at $600 to Auction House Floor

That is your bid – do not bid more.

 

2.       Bidding stops at $700 to Auction House Floor

You cannot tell if that is your bid or not. It might be yours, or the prior bid of $650 bid could have been yours (assuming the $650 bid was also to “Auction House Floor”). We could have had order bids for $700, and the other bid came in first, so it had priority. Or we could have had a higher bidder on the telephone that did not jump in until the $650 bid was exercised on your behalf. Since you cannot tell whether it is your bid or not, you must decide for yourself whether or not to go higher.

 

3.       Bidding goes over $700

There is no longer a possibility that the auctioneer is bidding on your behalf, since you did not authorize a higher bid. At this point, you can bid on Ebay Live without risking a bid against yourself.

Q: Is this different if I use the +1 option?

A: Here is how that same scenario plays out if you left a bid of $700 +1

1.       Bidding stops at $600 to Auction House Floor

That is your bid – do not bid more.

 

2.       Bidding stops at $700 to Auction House Floor

That is your bid – do not bid more (if it was not your bid, then we would exercise +1 on your behalf).

 

3.       Bidding stops at $750 to Auction House Floor

You cannot tell if that is your bid or not. It could be your bid using the +1 option, because $750 is one bid over your $700 maximum. However, the $700 bid could have been yours (assuming the $700 bid was also to “Auction House Floor”). We could have had order bids for $700 +1, and the other bid came in first, so it had priority. Or we could have had a higher order bid or telephone bid. Since you do not know whether it is your bid or not, you must decide for yourself whether or not you want to go higher.

 

4.       Bidding goes over $750

Since the bidding is now over your order bid +1, you will not be bidding against yourself.

 

Q: I left a proxy bid with Ebay Live, and it looks like I am bidding against myself. Is that right?

A: Don't worry. When that happens, it means that there is another Ebay Live bidder, who is bidding live during the auction, and who is responding to your bid. However, since your bid was on file first, the Ebay Live computer will transmit your bid to us. Each time the other Ebay Live bidder bids, you proxy bid will automatically be transmitted until either the other bidder drops out or exceeds your maximum bid.

Q: What are the differences between bidding directly with JWPPA and bidding on Ebay Live?

A: The buyer’s premium is 22.5% for winning bids that come through Ebay Live, and 20% for bids that come directly through JWPPA. Ebay charges a commission for each successful bid that originates with them, and the additional fee partially defers the cost. In addition, Ebay proxy bidding does not provide for +1 bidding.

After the Auction

Q: How do I know if I won the auction?

A: Winners who submitted their successful bid through Ebay Live will receive a notice directly from Ebay Live. We will do our best to notify the winners who left order bids with us on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Q: What are my payment options?

A: We accept checks, drafts and money orders, as well as MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and PayPal. There is an aggregate maximum of $10,000 in credit card charges per bidder, household, etc. If you have a credit card on file with us, we will not make any charges without your authorization.

Q: How is shipping handled?

A: We have made arrangements with The UPS Store #2203, 1341 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, 773-477-7670, attention: Eric, to act as the primary shipper for domestic shipments, and packager for international shipments. We will deliver prints to The UPS Store, so you will not incur a pick up charge. Of course, you may elect to use another shipper. Please see our Shipping Procedures for additional information.

Q: Are there any other fees?

A: In addition to the purchase price, buyer’s premium and shipping, Illinois residents without a valid resale number must pay 10.25% sales tax (as do any other customers who pick up prints in person), and international bidders are responsible for all applicable customs, duties, taxes, etc., including any such items that are charged back to us.

Q: If I am successful on Ebay Live and with JWPPA, can my purchases be shipped together?

A: Of course. We try to watch for this, but it is helpful if you advise us when this occurs.

Q: When can I expect to receive my purchases?

A: We expect to begin releasing lots that have been paid for to the shipper on Monday, September 22.

Q: How can I find out the auction results?

A: We hope to post a prices realized list on the JWPPA.com home page within a few hours after the conclusion of the auction, and eventually add the prices realized to the individual listings on JWPPA.com. We will try to contact our winning bidders on Monday and Tuesday. In addition, Ebay Live usually notifies the winning bidders who used their services within 24 hours of the conclusion of the sale. After all the winning bidders have been notified, we will try to contact the unsuccessful bidders who have left order bids with us. Unsuccessful Ebay Live bidders are notified by Ebay Live. They can also be viewed by looking at each lot on Ebay Live.

More Quesions?

We tried to cover everything, but if you still have questions, or suggestions for other topics to cover, please email us.

This page was last updated 5:00 pm Chicago time, 09.15.08