How to bid at auction?
Joanna Wolan
How long does it take to get ready for your first auction? What are the different bidding options and how do they differ from each other? With the intention of helping collectors who are just getting started in the art market, we have created a brief auction guide.
The first and most important step is filling out the registration documents, which are necessary to gain admission to the auction. At DESA Unicum auction house, this is a one-time procedure that takes just a few minutes. The document consists of two parts: a registration form and a "Know Your Customer" form. After providing the basic information, it is necessary to verify it with an identity document. Of course, any formal issues can be resolved at our headquarters with a dedicated Customer Advisor, who will answer any questions.
Once the formal issues are taken care of, the question remains of how to participate in the bidding. There are four possible options:
Telephone bidding is one of the most common methods chosen by collectors. All you need to do is inform your Customer Advisor which artworks from the upcoming auction you are interested in, and the collector's name will be registered on the paddle, which is a pannel with a number (each person participating in the auction is assigned an identification number). Prior to the auction, Customer Advisors contact the registered bidders to confirm the objects they are interested in and to test your connection. The next call is made just before the bidding begins for the selected work. During the bidding process, the collector is continuously informed of other offers being made, the amount being offered, and the next steps in the bidding process. As telephone bids are registered before the auction starts, the auctioneer can wait until all the phone connections with interested collectors are established. This is a great way to bid for first-time auction participants.
It's worth remembering that you can also participate in the auction in person. All auctions take place at the DESA Unicum headquarters at 1A Piękna in Warsaw, in a specially designed auction room. Before the auction starts, you just need to go to the registration point located at the gallery to pick up your paddle. Then, you can take a seat in the auction room and bid on your chosen works of art. Participating in an auction is a unique and very exciting event, so it's definitely worth experiencing it at least once.
Another way to participate is through the DESA Unicum Auction House app or the bid.desa.pl website. Each Young Art Auction is broadcast live, so online bidders can see what's happening in the auction room in real-time. Since it's possible to place bids through the app (you can offer a higher amount than the next bidding increment, and the system will bid on our behalf until the declared amount), your offer wins when the message "You win" appears in the app. If we keep placing bids but don't see this message, it means that our opponent has placed a higher limit in the app. A definite advantage of this type of participation is the ability to place bids from anywhere.
The last option to participate in the auction is to submit a permanent limit.This is an ideal solution for people who want to participate in the auction but for various reasons cannot bid themselves during the event. To do this, you should contact your Customer Advisor, who will register your paddle for the selected work along with information about the maximum amount offered. During the auction, the advisor will bid on the work on our behalf until the submitted offer is reached.
DESA Unicum is the only auction house that has a dedicated team of specialists specialized in this area of art, so any questions related to participation in the auction can always be consulted with your Customer Advisor.
