Terms and conditions

Our services follow these procedures:

1.1 REQUEST ONLINE TO SELL YOUR ITEM

By completing the request form (the Request), you can request to sell your item or items (jewellery, diamonds and gemstones) that you own.

When completing the Request, you are asked to provide a complete and accurate description of the valuable item you wish to sell and, if possible, to attach one or more clear photographs.
The more detailed and accurate the descriptions, the easier it is for Auctentic to provide an accurate estimate of your item’s value (as described below), and the greater the likelihood of attracting more buyers interested in your valuable item.

Auctentic reserves the right to decline to assist in the sale of any item for any reason, at its discretion.
All Requests are subject to Auctentic’s final approval and prior assessment of the item. Auctentic reserves the right to reject any Request at any time before the transaction is completed.

IT IS HEREBY CLARIFIED THAT BY USING OUR SERVICES, YOU UNDERTAKE TO USE THEM ONLY TO SELL ITEMS OF WHICH YOU ARE THE LAWFUL OWNER. YOU THEREFORE ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ITEMS YOU SELL THROUGH OUR SERVICES AND INDEMNIFY AUCTENTIC AND ITS EXPERTS, EMPLOYEES AND REPRESENTATIVES AGAINST ANY

LOSS RELATING TO ANY UNLAWFUL ITEM SOLD BY YOU THROUGH THE SERVICES. YOU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT SELLING STOLEN ITEMS, ITEMS TAKEN WITHOUT THE LAWFUL OWNER’S AUTHORISATION, OR ITEMS SUBJECT TO A MORTGAGE OR OTHER LEGAL ENCUMBRANCES VIOLATES ITALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL LAW. ANY ATTEMPT TO SELL STOLEN ITEMS USING AUCTENTIC’S SERVICES WILL BE REPORTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. IN ADDITION TO ALL OTHER LEGAL REMEDIES, IT IS CLARIFIED THAT THE COSTS INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ABOVE-MENTIONED ITEMS THAT VIOLATE THE LAW MUST BE REIMBURSED TO AUCTENTIC IN FULL.

1.2 STEP 2: Receive an initial estimate for the item

After you submit your completed Request, we promptly reply with an initial estimate of your item’s value based on the description and photographs provided (the Estimate). If we decide not to accept your Request, we inform you that it has been rejected.

The initial estimate provided by Auctentic is not formally binding, is at our discretion and may differ from your item’s actual market value. After receiving Auctentic’s initial estimate by email, you may ACCEPT it and continue your selling journey with us or REJECT it at your discretion.

1.3 STEP 3: PACK AND SHIP YOUR ITEM TO AUCTENTIC

If you wish to proceed, you will receive a prepaid shipping label from Auctentic to send your item to Auctentic’s headquarters in Breda, the Netherlands, where gemologists physically assess jewellery, diamonds and gemstones before offering them for sale.

The shipment is fully insured and arrives at Auctentic’s offices in two business days.
Your item in transit is insured with Lloyd’s of London for a basic amount of up to €50,000, based on its resale value, but all items estimated above €50,000 always receive additional coverage, which is communicated to you before the shipping procedure begins, at Auctentic’s discretion.

YOU MUST SHIP YOUR ITEM WITHIN 14 DAYS OF PRINTING THE LABEL, USING AN ENVELOPE MEASURING AT LEAST 20X20 CM.
IF YOU SEND YOUR ITEM USING OUR PREPAID LABEL AFTER 14 DAYS OR USE AN ENVELOPE SMALLER THAN REQUIRED ABOVE, YOUR VALUABLE ITEM MAY NOT BE COVERED BY INSURANCE DURING TRANSIT.

If you choose to ship without using our prepaid, insured shipping service, you are responsible for all shipping and insurance costs.

Bear in mind that we are not responsible for damage that may occur to your item during transit, so remember to pack your valuable item carefully, taking all safety precautions, such as double packaging or packaging specifically intended for fragile items, such as standard yellow bubble-lined padded envelopes.
When packing your item, always bear in mind how delicate it is and what could happen during parcel loading and transport. For the safety of your valuable item, we strongly recommend never indicating the contents of the package on the outer box.

Auctentic reserves the right to refuse delivery of packages that appear damaged, open or tampered with. If we refuse delivery, please note that the carrier will return the package to you in exactly the same condition as when we refused it.

If your item is lost in transit or arrives damaged, Auctentic, through the insurance taken out when shipping, reimburses you for the full insured amount.

1.4 STEP 4: THE ITEMS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND ARE ASSESSED. RECEIVE THE HIGHEST DIRECT OFFER.

Once your item has been received, our experts inspect it in person to verify and certify its authenticity and condition. Depending on the type of valuable item, the inspection is carried out by Auctentic’s in-house experts or by one of the leading independent institutes, such as the GIA or I.G.I. in Antwerp. After all checks have been completed, the item is ACCEPTED or REJECTED:

(1) THE ITEM IS ACCEPTED: If your item matches the description you submitted through the Request form, it is deemed suitable for sale based on the experts’ assessment and is therefore accepted by Auctentic. You are informed of the highest immediate offer (the Immediate Offer) received from international professional buyers who have expressed interest in buying it.

(2) THE ITEM IS REJECTED: If your item differs substantially from the description you provided through the Request form, is counterfeit or tampered with, is in poor condition or is unsuitable for sale in our experts’ sole judgement, it is rejected.

In this case, we notify you that the item has been rejected and is ready to be returned to your home, and that the insurance coverage previously agreed on the basis of your description may be substantially reduced or removed in light of its actual value. The item is returned at the recipient’s expense through Ferrari, Malca Amit or other carriers chosen by Auctentic, with a shipment tracking number provided if available. If you prefer an alternative shipping method or higher insurance coverage, you have up to 48 hours from our email notifying you of the rejection to inform us that you decline our shipping service and will arrange your own, by sending us a prepaid shipping label from your chosen carrier, with all shipping and insurance costs borne entirely by you.

By sending us your item for physical assessment, you understand that some items require very thorough examination to be fully assessed. In-depth physical inspections may cause very slight physical alterations, such as tiny marks or structural changes. For example, when assessing a watch, it may be necessary to open the back to examine it properly, just as a diamond may need to be removed from its setting to certify every detail. It is understood
that before carrying out any such operation, your dedicated Auctentic adviser will fully inform you and request your written consent to proceed.

Similarly, when we receive a sealed or packaged item, we must remove the packaging to carry out a complete assessment. In some cases, it is not always possible to return the item to exactly its original position. Furthermore, an item placed at auction almost always requires cleaning and polishing, which may very slightly alter its appearance. Auctentic and its associates and experts cannot be held responsible for these very slight changes to items resulting from inspection and
preparation for auction. In some cases, after notifying you and with your agreement, the Auctentic team may decide to have your item certified or examined outside its offices: your valuable item remains fully insured at all times in this case too.

Once your item is accepted and you have received the Immediate Offer, you may accept it and receive the bank transfer within two business days after the buyer’s funds have cleared and become available, or reject it and ask for your item to be auctioned. In the latter case, your dedicated Auctentic adviser helps you set the reserve price (the Reserve Price), which is the minimum amount you are willing to accept for selling your item.

Setting the Reserve Price is a mandatory step before your item’s auction begins.
BY SETTING THE RESERVE PRICE AND CONTINUING THE PROCEDURE, YOU AGREE TO SELL YOUR ITEM TO THE BUYER WHO WINS THE AUCTION WITH THEIR FINAL BID, WHICH MUST EQUAL OR EXCEED YOUR RESERVE PRICE.

1.5 STEP 5: AUCTENTIC AUCTIONS YOUR ITEM

Auctentic creates the auction for you, providing the best professional and impartial description of your item’s qualities based on its experts’ assessment. The auction is published on Auctentic’s website, where an audience of professional buyers is notified so that they can compete with their bids to win your item.
You may request an extension of the auction to wait for the Reserve Price to be reached; the duration of the extension is agreed individually with Auctentic. Reaching the Reserve Price does not cause the auction to close immediately.

You can view incoming bids in real time and the duration of your auction at any time.
While maintaining the utmost confidentiality of your personal data and privacy, Auctentic reserves the right to publicly share information strictly concerning the item you have chosen to auction through our Services.

At the end of the auction, the Auctentic team checks all bids received for your item and determines the winning bid (the Winning Bid) based on a set of parameters determined at our sole discretion. Bear in mind that the highest bid received at auction may not be the Winning Bid, as there may be reasons to disqualify certain bids.

We promptly inform you of the Winning Bid. Our sales commissions (the Commissions), calculated according to the percentages available in the Website’s FAQ section, are payable by the buyer. The seller may be charged separately for certification or other services, provided these costs have been disclosed and accepted in advance; these costs are not the commission payable by the buyer.

If the Winning Bid is below the Reserve Price, you have up to three (3) days from our written notification to inform us in writing whether you accept or reject it. In this case, the sale becomes binding only when you accept it.
If we do not receive your response within that period, your silence is considered a rejection of the Winning Bid below the Reserve Price. This approval period does not apply to winning bids at or above the Reserve Price, for which the sale is already binding.

BEAR IN MIND THAT IF THE WINNING BID IS AT OR ABOVE THE RESERVE PRICE, YOU ARE ALREADY BOUND TO THE SALE. THE COMMISSION IS PAYABLE BY THE BUYER.
You may withdraw your item from sale free of charge before the sale becomes binding, but not afterwards. The return, shipping and insurance conditions set out in these Terms, and any separately disclosed and accepted certification or other service costs, remain applicable.

If, before the sale becomes binding, you reject the Winning Bid below the Reserve Price because it is lower than the first Immediate Offer you received, Auctentic returns the item at its expense without charging commissions, except for the actual certification cost previously disclosed to you and accepted by you before the auction.

The item is returned to your home through Ferrari or other carriers selected by Auctentic, with a tracking number if available, and is covered against damage or loss according to its reference value, corresponding to the Immediate Offer, but in any event not exceeding €1,000. If you prefer a different shipping method or higher insurance coverage, you have up to 72 hours from our email notifying you of your item’s return to provide us with a prepaid shipping label, with transport and insurance costs borne entirely by you.

To complete the sale formalities and arrange the bank transfer, we send you an email containing a link to the “Sale Acceptance” form on Auctentic’s website. For a Winning Bid below the Reserve Price, the form allows you to communicate your acceptance within the three (3) day period stated above. For a Winning Bid at or above the Reserve Price, the sale is already binding and the form does not grant a new right to reject it. The form states the amount to be transferred to you and any separately disclosed and accepted certification or other service costs. The commission payable by the buyer is not deducted from the amount due to the seller.

1.6 STEP 6: PAYMENT AFTER THE AUCTION

We transfer the amount stated in the Sale Acceptance form to your bank account within two business days after the buyer’s funds have cleared and become available.