Registering to bid
Registering to bid is done online through our website and the secure sign-up process takes a matter of minutes. Once registered for our wine auctions you can browse the catalogue and use keyword searches or the handy regional sections list to navigate around. All of our lots are expertly photographed so you can see the state of the label, levels, colour and capsule. We hold all of our images in high resolution so if you’d like a higher-res image please just ask. We know the provenance of everything we are offering for sale and this will be noted in the description of each lot where appropriate.
The hammer price and commission
Auction houses operate by charging commission on top of the price at which the hammer goes down. One very important factor to remember here is that VAT is chargeable on the commission, but crucially it is NOT chargeable on the hammer price (unless the wine is ‘in bond’ and you wish to have it delivered duty paid). Our commission rate is 15% plus VAT. So, if you have a winning bid of £100, your bill will be for £118 – please remember to factor this into any bid you make.
In Bond versus Duty Paid lots
Some lots in the sale are listed as ‘In Bond’. This means that UK duty and VAT have not yet been paid. In almost all cases it also means that the wine has only ever been at the winery, then in professional storage. If you wish to have In Bond wines delivered to your home, then you will need to pay duty at the prevailing rate and then VAT on both the hammer price and the duty amount. Occasionally some lots are In Bond as they are part of a collection that the owner has imported from a cellar outside the UK, if so, it will be specifically noted.
Commission Bidding and Live Bidding
We run two different types of sales at Bacchus Wine Auctions – live sales and timed sales.
During live sales, bidding increases in increments (see below) and the system will automatically show you the next available bid and if you are winning. Once the hammer goes down, the lot is sold to whoever is the highest bidder at the time. We move quickly and usually sell around 100 lots per hour. It is best to bid quickly – if you hesitate the auctioneer will not wait for too long before moving on.
If you are unable to take part live, then you can leave a commission bid for the lot(s) that you are interested in. You can register online for the highest price you are prepared to pay for a lot. The system will then bid on your behalf up to that level, always trying to secure the lowest price for you. Most lots will have reserves placed on them (a price that the seller will not go below), so bids under the estimate are unlikely to be successful. Where we have multiple lots of the same wine, and if you cannot bid live, do contact us directly for how our team can bid on your behalf to secure the lots you want.
Finally, we also accept telephone bids – where one of the team will call you prior to the lots you are interested in, so you can bid live over the phone.
Bidding increments
Below are the bidding increments for our sale auctions. The auctioneer may, at their discretion, take bids that split increments.
- £10 bids: up to £200
- £20 bids: £200 – £500
- £200 bids: £2,000 – £5,000
- £500 bids: £5,000 – £10,000
- £1,000 bids: £10,000 – £20,000
- £2,000 bids: £20,000 and over
Please note that if bidding online, clicking the bid button is a commitment to buy, and by doing do you enter into a legally binding contract to purchase the lot you have bid on.
