As many of you know, one unfortunate effect of the ten minute rule is that our auctions can sometimes go extremely
late into the night. Naturally many are not willing to stay up half the night to win something in the auction and of
course we do not blame them. We have thought about ways to minimize this for years and there seems to be three schools of
thought on this: (1) 10-minute rule as used by most auctions, (2) 30-minute rule at 12 PM on a per lot basis and (3)
dead-cutoff time. The third option is not practical for an auction as nobody would bid until 20 minutes before the deadline,
guaranteeing a failed auction. Option two is interesting but we don't like it for a few reasons; first, if someone loses
out on one lot at 12:30 AM and then on another at 12:55 AM, they cannot go back and bid even though the auction is still
running; second, this makes it very difficult for someone who is bidding on more than two or three lots,
which constitutes a large percentage of our bidders.
We have come up with what we hope is a partial solution to the un-ending auction problem. In order to discourage
late bidding/sniping at extreme hours and to encourage bidding when everyone is (hopefully) awake, bids placed after
1:30 AM EST are subject to an additional buyers premium of 5%; bids placed after 2:30 AM EST are subject to an
additional buyers premium of 10%. PLEASE NOTE THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO MAXIMUM BIDS LEFT UP UNTIL 1:29 AM. In order words,
if you are bidding on a lot that is at $100 and you leave a max bid of $500 and your initial bid of $100 is not touched
until after 1:30 AM, you will only pay the standard buyers premium on every bid up to $500. We are not trying to gauge
extra money out of our customers but rather to provide a dis-incentive to those who bid early in the auction and then
wait till 2 - 4 AM to bid again. The result being a non-competitive and in some ways unfair environment. We hope this
makes sense and we welcome feedback from this from all of you.
Rules of the Auction
1. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. PLEASE CHECK OUR WEB SITE OR CALL FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS BEFORE THE FINAL AUCTION DAY.
2. Postage and Handling is Extra. It starts at $5.00 for all orders and can increase substantially based on the value and size of the items won.
3. There is a 15% buyers premium added to the final selling price.
4. Successful bidders will be invoiced. Payment is due no later than 7 days after the auction.
5. Limit bids are acceptable; top all bids are not acceptable.
6. Bidding increments will be by 10%. To top a $200 bid, one must bid $220. Odd increments are rounded up ($129.00 -> $142.00).
7. New York Residents must pay 8.625% sales tax.
8. We reserve the right to reject bids by any bidder.
9. By placing a bid, you are agreeing to a contract. This is a legally binding contract to purchase the item if you’re the winning bidder. You are responsible for reading the description & to view any images. ALL LEGAL FEES AND EXPENSES ARE TO BE PAID IN CONNECTION WITH COLLECTION.
10. Payment can be in the form of a check or money order. Personal checks must allow ample time to clear. No credit or debit cards can be accepted for this auction. Starter checks AND CREDIT CARD CONVENIENCE CHECKS are not an acceptable form of payment.
11. Names of any and all re-neggers will be published in all future auctions and correspondence. Please do not embarrass yourself.
12. Some lots may have updated descriptions, please consult our web site www.csauctions.com for any changes.
13. PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST TWO WEEKS FROM OUR RECEIPT OF PAYMENT FOR DELIVERY OF PACKAGES.
14. Clean Sweep cannot be held responsible for changes in the opinions of authenticators beyond 60 days from the close of the auction.
15. Framed items are shipped as-is and Clean Sweep is not responsible for damage to the frame.
16. NEW RULE: BIDS PLACED AFTER 1:30 AM ON THE LAST DAY OF THE AUCTION ARE SUBJECT TO A 5% ADDITIONAL BUYERS PREMIUM, 10% AFTER 2:30 AM; MAXIMUM BIDS PLACED BEFORE THIS TIME ARE EXEMPT FROM THIS.
17. VIP BIDDING: IF YOU BID ON 10 OR MORE DIFFERENT LOTS AND ARE THE HIGH BIDDER AT ANY TIME ON ANY OF THESE LOTS, YOU ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE TEN MINUTE RULE ONLY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
17. VIP BIDDING: A BID MUST BE PLACED ON ANY SPECIFIC LOT PRIOR TO 6 PM EST ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE AUCTION IN ORDER TO BID ON THAT LOT AFTER THAT TIME. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MUST PLACE BIDS ON EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR LOTS BY 6 PM EST OF THE FINAL DAY OF BIDDING. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO LOTS WITHOUT A BID.
Frequently Asked Questions
Auctions
What is our return policy?
All auction sales are final. It is necessary to protect the integrity of all bids (and consignors) in the auction as an auction could otherwise become an approval sale. We have also had problems with people switching items and dealers trying to sell an item and then returning it if they were not able to do so. Except for sets and group lots, all single items purchased from our online store come with a 7-day return privilege.
What is the 10 Minute Rule?
The 10 minute rule means that if ANY lot in the auction receives a bid, then the entire auction will continue for another 10 minutes. This means that if you are bidding on a lot and if it receives no bids for ten minutes after 11 PM, the lot is still active as long as ANY LOT in the auction has received a bid within the last ten minutes. In other words, when there is no activity on any item for 10 minutes, the auction will end. Our auctions have ended as early as 12 Midnight EST and as last as 3:30 EST. Unsually they end closer to 12 AM.
How does maximum bidding work?
A maximum bid is a way of protecting yourself against another bid without being present.
All bids must be at least 10% increments.
There are no tie bids.
These are examples of proper maximum bids:
Initial Bid $100
Maximum Bid $178 (protects against $110, $134 and $163 bids from others)
For example, if you bid $1,000 with a maximum of $1,100, it is pointless as the next bid above $1,000 is $1,100, which would be the bid of the person bidding against you. One would then need to bid at least $1,210 to be the high bidder.
What are our standards for authenticity?
Unless noted, Clean Sweep Auctions only sells original items. We completely stand behind the authenticity of every item we sell.
We will provide Letters of Authenticity from Clean Sweep Auctions upon request for all autographed items priced at $30 or more.
Clean Sweep Auctions uses the strictest standards in the industry and does not sell any questionable items.
What is our policy with respect to grading services?
We guarantee all items to be authentic and will accept a return of any card or other item deemed not to be authentic
by any reputable grading service. We cannot guarantee the grade any item we sell will receive by a grading service
due to the inherent subjectivity of grading.
Who has to pay sales tax?
Residents of New York State must pay 8.75% sales tax on all purchases. Sales tax can be waived with a signed resale certificate. All items picked up at our offices are subject to Sales Tax.
What forms of payment do we accept?
We accept personal checks, company checks and money orders. We do not accept credit cards or paypal for our auctions. We do accept all major credit cards for purchases from our online store, however.
Do we ship internationally?
Yes, but shipping does need to be recalculated as our auction system only calculates shipping charges within the continental United States.
Do we accept consignments? What is the minimum value?
We are always accepting consignments for our future auctions. The minimum is $1,000 in retail value per consignor. We charge a 10% commission for all items that sell for $500 or more and 15% for items that sell for less than $500. Click here to print our consignment form.
Do we buy items outright?
Yes. Please email us with details, or call 516 338 8557 from 9 – 5 EST Monday through Friday or fax us at 516 338 8559 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
