How the auction works
Nine signed works open every Monday at €1 and close the following Sunday evening. Everything below is how it actually runs — there is no small print elsewhere.
The complete rules of the ArtMarket weekly art auction. Nine signed fine-art prints open every Monday at 00:00 Amsterdam time and close the following Sunday at 21:00. Bidding opens at €1 on every lot and rises in fixed increments — €1 below €20, then €2, €5, €10 and €20. Every lot carries a reserve, the lowest price the gallery will accept; a lot closing below it is not sold and the highest bidder is offered the work at the gallery price for 48 hours. A bid in the final ten minutes extends that lot by ten more, capped at two hours past the scheduled close. A first-time bidder confirms their email before the bid counts. The winner pays the hammer price plus shipping, by card, within 48 hours, and the work ships rolled with a signed certificate. Works are limited editions of 25, not unique originals, and the standard 14-day return applies.
A week at the auction
Monday, 00:00 — nine lots open
Nine works chosen around a theme go live at €1 each, whatever they are priced at in the gallery. The selection is planned a year ahead, and no work comes back to the block for at least twelve weeks.
All week — the bidding climbs
Bids rise in fixed increments, and you can always bid more than the minimum. We email you the moment someone outbids you, and again the day before a lot you are bidding on closes. A single bid cannot exceed 10× the gallery price — a guard against a mistyped amount wrecking a lot.
Sunday, 21:00 — the hammer falls
Lots close one after another. A bid in the last 10 minutes pushes that lot 10 minutes further, up to 2 hours past the scheduled close, so nothing is won by whoever happened to be watching at the right second.
Within minutes — winners are emailed
If the top bid cleared the reserve, the work is sold and we send a payment link valid for 48 hours. If it did not, the work stays unsold and the highest bidder is offered it at the gallery price for the same 48 hours — no obligation either way.
1–2 business days after payment — it ships
Rolled in a rigid tube with a signed certificate of authenticity stating the edition number. Tracked, and with the same 14-day return window as any other order from the gallery.
The reserve, and why every lot has one
The reserve is the lowest price the gallery will let a work go for. It is set at 80% of that work's gallery price, so a work priced at €65 carries a reserve of €52. Bidding still opens at €1.
Reserves exist because the artists are paid from the sale. Without one, a quiet week would mean a signed edition leaving for the price of the postage, and no artist would put work into the auction twice. Every lot shows how close the bidding is to clearing its reserve, so you are never bidding blind.
If the reserve is not met, nothing is sold and nothing is charged. The work returns to the rotation for a later week, and we write to the highest bidder offering it at the gallery price for 48 hours.
How much each bid goes up
The next valid bid is filled in for you. Steps are small at the bottom, where a euro still means something, and larger as the price climbs — so a lot does not take fifty clicks to reach a fair price, and does not jump past it either. You can always type a higher amount.
Bid increment by current price
- Below €20
- €1
- €20 – €49
- €2
- €50 – €99
- €5
- €100 – €199
- €10
- €200 and above
- €20
What you are bidding on
Every lot is a signed limited edition of 25 prints, not a unique original, and the lot you win is one numbered print from that edition. We would rather say this plainly than let it come as a surprise: an edition is what makes a signed work by a living artist affordable at these prices.
Each print is produced to order on archival paper, hand-signed by the artist, and ships with a certificate stating its edition number. If an edition sells out mid-week — the works stay on sale in the gallery while the auction runs — the lot is withdrawn and everyone who bid on it is told.
Paying, shipping and returns
You pay the hammer price plus shipping. Payment is by card through Stripe — we never see your card details — using a link valid for 48 hours after the auction closes.
Shipping is free on totals over €175 to the Netherlands and the European Union; everywhere else, including the rest of Europe, it is charged at the usual rate whatever the total. The exact amount is shown before you pay.
Works leave the studio within 1–2 business days of payment, tracked, rolled in a rigid tube. The standard 14-day return applies exactly as it does on any other order — winning at auction takes nothing away from that.
Questions about the auction
How does the weekly art auction work?
Nine signed prints open every Monday at midnight Amsterdam time and close the following Sunday at 21:00. Bidding starts at €1 on every lot, whatever the work is priced at in the gallery, and the highest bid above the reserve wins.
What is a reserve, and why does this auction have one?
The reserve is the lowest price we will let a work go for — 80% of its gallery price. A work priced at €65 carries a reserve of €52. Bidding starts at €1 regardless, and the reserve is shown on every lot, so you always know how far the bidding still has to travel.
What happens if the reserve is not met?
The work stays unsold and goes back into rotation for a later week. We email the highest bidder with the option to buy it at the gallery price within 48 hours — no obligation either way.
Why does the clock sometimes go back up?
A bid in the final ten minutes extends that lot by another ten, up to two hours past the scheduled close. It stops a lot being won in the last second by whoever happened to be watching, and it gives everyone a fair chance to answer.
Why do I have to confirm my email before my first bid counts?
A bid costs nothing to place, so an unverified address would be a free way to push a price up and never pay. Your first bid waits until you tap the link we send; after that you bid in one click.
What do I pay if I win?
Your winning bid plus shipping, which is shown before you confirm. Shipping is free on totals over €175 to the Netherlands and the European Union — everywhere else, including the rest of Europe, it is charged at the usual rate whatever the total. We email a payment link that is valid for 48 hours.
Are these unique works?
No, and we would rather say so. Every work is a signed limited edition of 25 prints, and the lot you win is one of them. If an edition sells out mid-week the lot is withdrawn and everyone who bid is told.
How do I place a bid?
Choose your amount on the lot page and press the bid button. The next valid bid is filled in for you, so the fastest way to bid is two taps. If it is your first bid we ask for a name, email and phone — we need a way to reach you if you win — and then send one link to confirm the address.
Why does the minimum bid go up in steps?
Bids move in fixed increments so the price climbs at a readable pace: €1 at a time below €20, then €2, €5, €10 and €20 as the price rises. You can always bid more than the minimum — type any higher whole number.
Will I be told if someone outbids me?
Yes. We email you the moment your bid is beaten, with the new price and the next valid bid. You also get a reminder the day before a lot you have bid on closes.
Which works go under the hammer each week?
Nine works chosen around a theme — a room, a palette, a subject — from the same catalogue the gallery sells. The selection is planned a year ahead and no work returns for at least twelve weeks, so the same pieces do not circle back week after week.
How do I pay, and how soon does it ship?
We email a payment link valid for 48 hours; payment is by card through Stripe and we never see your card details. Works leave the studio within two working days of payment, rolled in a rigid tube with a signed certificate of authenticity.
Can I return a work I won at auction?
Yes. The same 14-day return window applies as on any order from the gallery: if the work is not what you expected, send it back in its tube and we refund it.
Is bidding binding?
A bid is a commitment to buy at that price if you win, which is why we confirm the email behind a first bid. If something goes wrong on your side, reply to any of our emails — a person reads every message.
Can I see what works sold for previously?
Yes. Every closed week stays published with hammer prices and bid counts, including the lots that did not sell, and each work keeps its own auction history on its page.
See this week's lots →What past weeks sold for →How works are signed and certified →