Auction Rules and Information

Welcome to Joel Shafer Auctions. This page will explain how our auctions work and help you if you have any questions. Please review all auction rules before making a bid.

Happy Bidding!

First, get set-up…

  1. If you are a new bidder, first please register a new account with us at joelshaferauctions.com/register/. An account is required to bid.
  2. Complete your account and personal information.
  3. Then submit a request for your bidding limit. All bidding limit requests will be reviewed.

Once an auction is posted…

  1. Login and review the auction catalog. Lots of interest can be favorited with the heart icon and will be shown in your watch list.
  2. All lot sales will add a 20% buyer’s premium on top of the auction lot sale price.
  3. Book bids can be submitted anytime prior to the live auction.
  4. Enter your book bid amount. Bid increments will occur up to the last competitive bid. A highlighted message will inform you if you are the current highest bidder.
  5. Book bids are binding. If you make a mistake, please contact the office immediately for any corrections.

During the Live auction…

  1. The Live auction room on auction day runs like a live floor auction. Both mobile and desktop browsers can be used during the live auction.
  2. There is a bidding button that will submit your next incremental bid for the active lot.
  3. There is also a cut-bid button that will submit a half-incremental bid. Cut bids can only be used once on a specific lot, then you are locked from further bidding on that item. The next competitive bid will bring the amount up to the full, normal increment (another half bid) and the auction will continue normally.
  4. Entering a custom price in the Live auction is an immediate binding bid. If a lot is at $200 and you enter $800, the lot price will immediately jump to $800, just as it would in a live floor auction. This is different than making book bids before the live auction.
  5. For much of the auction, we will run on an automatic timer. The countdown begins when the next lot is presented. After we reach 6 seconds on the timer, further bids will trigger a soft close and reset the timer to 6 seconds for further bidding opportunities. Bidding at the last second will reset the timer to 6 seconds.
  6. The auctioneer may pause the timer clock if needed during the auction and can switch to a manual, “going-going…” and “sold” hammer. This should only occur rarely.
  7. In the lower area of the Live auction you will see your bids and which lots you are winning or have won.
  8. All active bids count toward your bidding limit amount. If you bid on an item and you do not win it, that bid will no longer count toward your bidding limit.
  9. Bidding limit changes should be requested in advance; we cannot process these requests during the live auction.
  10. We plan to use a live video broadcast with audio to enhance the live auction experience. Live video streaming is not recommended if you have low internet bandwidth.

After the Live Auction…

  1. After the live auction completes, you will be able to see your auction results.
  2. JSA will process invoices and send them by email for your review and payment.
  3. Shipping fees may vary based on your location and package weight. Please contact the office if we need to make special shipping arrangements.
  4. Shipments will be prepared and held until your payment has been made in full and cleared.
  5. Credit card payments will incur an additional 3% processing fee.
  6. Checks from known individuals are accepted, please inquire in advance. Payments received by check or ACH transfer will not incur the 3% credit card processing fee.
    Mail checks to: JSA
    237 E. 5th St. #400
    Eureka, MO 63025
  7. All electronic payments are managed through a 3rd party provider – Stripe. JSA will never see or store your credit card number.
  8. Once payment is confirmed, your notes will ship, and you will receive an email with tracking information.
  9. As always, please contact the office if you have any questions on processing, payments, shipping, or logistics at [email protected].

A note on bidding increments…

Bid increments follow a tiered structure. The higher the active amount, the more the incremental bid increases.

  • $20 increments under $200
  • $25 increments between $200-$500
  • $50 increments between $500-$1000
  • $100 increments over $1000, and so on…

Tiered increments keep the auction pace moving. The next increment for bidding will always be displayed next to the bid now button

Thank you, we appreciate your business!