Bidding at Dorotheum is easy - Discover your favourite object with us!

Why buy at Dorotheum:

Over 700 auctions

per year

wide and diverse selection

of auction objects

high quality standards

and evaluation by specialists

300 years of experience

 

all catalogues

available online

easy online bidding

How to buy at auction at Dorotheum

How do I bid at Dorotheum?

going once

Before the auction
read more

 

 

going twice

At the auction 
read more

 

 

going three times

After the auction 
read more

 

BEFORE THE AUCTION


Catalogue and the Internet
Learn about our offers on the Internet or order a printed catalogue.
You can also take advantage of our online search service myDOROTHEUM that offers you the possibility to manage your pieces of interest and purchase orders, as well.


Exhibition
Before every auction date you can view all objects in our showrooms. Our specialists give detailed descriptions of every object. 


Price

For every object, you will find an estimated value or a starting price.

THE AUCTION


Bidding in the sales room
Register just before the auction and receive a bidder's paddle. If you do not already have a customer number with us, you will be asked to show a valid photo ID. For auctions without a printed catalogue, we request that you notify the auction team in advance about the multi-digit ID of the object you wish to bid for. Only then your requested object will be called at auction. You can find the object ID in the online catalogue and on the object's description during pre-auction viewing. Every bid increases the previous one by about 10% (bid increments). The auctioneer awards the object to the highest bidder with the announcement "Sold" and a bell signal. 


Written purchase
 order
You can submit a written purchase order up to 24 hours before the auction. You can find the forms for this online, inside the catalogue, or at the pre-auction viewing . Enter the purchase limit up to which we are authorised to bid on your behalf. We guarantee that you will win the bid under your purchase limit if there are no higher bids. 


Telephone Bids

For objects with a starting price of EUR 300 and above, you can also bid over the telephone. Let us know which objects you are interested in and ensure that you are reachable over the phone during the auction. We will call you directly from the auction room when your lot comes up so you can participate in bidding live over the telephone.


Bidding Online
To bid for a lot you are interested in, choose the object in our on-line catalogue and click on "Purchase order".
Learn more about our Online Auctions. You can enter your bids online until just before the auction.


Live Bidding
In the auction room, the items under auction are called out one after the other. In the virtual live bidding room, you can see which item is currently under the hammer, and what price is currently bid for it. The bid button indicates the next step to be bid. You also have the option of following the auction process by watching the live video stream.
If you want to bid, click on the bid button. Your binding bid will be transferred to the auction room and displayed to the auctioneer. He can accept the bid or, if there was a faster bid from the floor, reject it. You will be informed of both these situations online in your live bidding room. If your live bidding room shows that you are the highest bidder, you cannot place another bid. The bid button will only be reactivated after you have been outbid.

AFTER THE AUCTION


Payment and Collection
Please note that the hammer price does not include the buyer's premium and the statutory sales tax. These will be added to the hammer price.
After you are awarded a lot, you can settle the open amount at the auction cash desk. Upon payment of the full amount, you will receive a receipt and the issue slip of your purchased object for collection. Of course, you may also transfer the amount.
We will gladly inform you by e-mail if your bid for your desired lot was successful.
 

Extract from the Dorotheum Fees Tariff of Charges for Auction Sales

Buyer premiums as a percentage of the hammer price for each lot
(for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales: incl. VAT; for items subject to full taxation: plus VAT on the purchase price)

for the first € 500,000.-

 

for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales

30% of the hammer price, incl. VAT

for items subject to full taxation

25% of the hammer price, excl. VAT

for the amount exceeding € 500,000.-

 

for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales

25% of the hammer price, incl. VAT

for items subject to full taxation

20,84% of the hammer price, excl. VAT

for the amount exceeding € 1,000,000.-

 

for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales

15% of the hammer price, incl. VAT

for items subject to full taxation

12,5% of the hammer price, excl. VAT

 

for the first € 100,000.-

 

for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales

22% incl. VAT

for items subject to full taxation

18,34% excl. VAT

for the amount exceeding € 100,000.-

 

for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales

15% incl. VAT

for items subject to full taxation

12,5% excl. VAT

 

   

for items subject to margin tax and consignment sales

15% incl. VAT

for items subject to full taxation

12,5% excl. VAT