Terms & Conditions

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS AND RULES OF AUCTION 

THIS AGREEMENT COMPLIES WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 45 OF THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT 68 OF 2008 

2.1 Aspire carries on the business of fine art Auctioneers and consultants on the Lots provided by the Sellers. As fine art Auctioneers, Aspire generally acts in the capacity of agent for the Seller.

2.2.  Set out in this document are the terms and conditions governing the contractual relationship between Aspire and prospective Bidders, Buyers and Sellers. This document must be read together with:

2.2.1.  sale room notices published by Aspire pertaining to the condition, description and/or authenticity of a Lot; and

2.2.2.  any announcement made by Aspire and/or the Auctioneer prior to or on the proposed day of sale of any Lot, provided that no changes to the terms set out in a Property Receipt Form shall be made without the prior agreement of Aspire and the Seller.

4.1 Every bid made shall constitute an offer. Acceptance of the highest bid made, subject to confirmation by the Seller, shall be indicated by the knock down of the hammer or, in the case of sale by Private Treaty, the acceptance of the offer by Aspire or the Seller. In the event that the highest bid does not meet the reserve, it will remain open for acceptance by the Auctioneer or the Seller and for no less than 48 hours after the Auction was concluded.

4.2.  In bidding for any Lots, all Bidders confirm that they have not been induced into making any bid or offer by any representative of the Seller and/or Aspire.

4.3.  It is the sole responsibility of all prospective Buyers to inspect and satisfy themselves prior to the Auction or Private Treaty as to the condition of the Lot and satisfy themselves accordingly that the Lot matches any description given to them (whether in a Catalogue or otherwise).

4.4.  All descriptions and/or illustrations set out in a Catalogue exist as guidance for the prospective Bidder and do not contain conclusive information as to the colour, pattern, precise characteristics or the damage to a particular Lot to be sold by way of Auction or Private Treaty.

4.5.  Neither Aspire nor any of its servants, employees, agents and/or the Auctioneer shall be liable, whether directly or indirectly, for any errors, omissions, incorrect and/or inadequate descriptions or defects or lack of authenticity or lack of ownership or genuineness in any goods Auctioned and sold which are not caused by the wilful or fraudulent conduct of any such person.

4.6.  Aspire shall not be held responsible for any incorrect, inaccurate or defective description of the goods listed for sale in the Catalogue or in any condition report, publication, letter, or electronic transmission or to the attribution, origin, date, age, condition and description of the goods sold, and shall not be responsible for any loss, damage, consequential damages and/or patrimonial loss of any kind or nature whatsoever and howsoever arising.

4.7.  No warranty, representation or promise on any aspect of any Lot (save for those expressly provided for by the Seller in terms of paragraph 16), whether express, implied or tacit is given by Aspire, its servants, its agents, or its employees, or the Auctioneer or the Seller and accordingly nothing shall be binding or legally enforceable in this regard.

4.8.  Any Lot which proves to be a Forgery (which will only be the case if an expert appointed by Aspire for such purposes confirms this in writing) may be returned by the Buyer (as his sole remedy hereunder or at law) to Aspire within 7 (seven) days from the date of Auction or Private Treaty (as the case may be), in the same condition in which it was at the time of the Auction or accompanied by a statement of defects, the number of the Lot, and the date of the Auction or Private Treaty at which it was purchased. If Aspire is satisfied that the item is a Forgery and that the Buyer has and is able to transfer a good and marketable title to the Lot, free from any third-party claims, the sale will be set aside and any amount paid in respect of the Lot and still in the possession of Aspire will be refunded, subject to the express condition that the Buyer will have no rights or claims against Aspire (whether under these Terms of Business, at law or otherwise) if:

4.8.1. the description in the Catalogue at the date of the sale was in accordance with the then generally accepted opinion of scholars and experts or fairly indicated that there was conflict of such opinion; or

5.1  Any Buyer and/or Bidders must register his/her identity with Aspire before the commencement of an Auction in accordance with Chapter 1 (one) of the regulations in terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 2011, which requires the establishment and verification of identity published in Notice No. R. 1595 in Gazette No. 24176 of 20 December 2002. The documents required will include Identity Document or Passport and Proof of Residence.

6.1. No Buyer or Seller shall be entitled to cede, delegate and/or assign all or any of their rights, obligations and/or interests to any third party without the prior written consent of Aspire in terms of these Terms of Business.

6.2.  The Buyer accepts that neither Aspire nor the Seller:

7.1.  The Auctioneer remains in control of the Auction and has the absolute discretion to either withdraw or reoffer any Lots for sale, to accept and refuse bids and/or to reopen the bidding on any Lots should he/she believe there may be a dispute of whatever nature (including without limitation a dispute about the validity of any bid, or whether a bid has been made, and whether between two or more bidders or between the Auctioneer and any one or more bidders) or error of whatever nature, and may further take such other action as he/she deems necessary or appropriate. The Auctioneer shall commence and advance the bidding or offers for any Lot in such increments as he/she considers appropriate.

7.2.  The Auction is to take place at the stipulated time and no delay shall be permitted to benefit a specific person who is not present but should be present at the Auction.

7.3.  The Auctioneer shall be entitled to bid on behalf of the Seller of any lot, up to but not equal to or more than the Reserve, where applicable.

7.4.  A contract shall be concluded between the Buyer and Seller once the Auctioneer knocks down the hammer and this shall be the Hammer price accepted by the Auctioneer (after the determination of any dispute that may exist and subject to the Seller’s consent if the reserve price was not achieved). The benefits flowing from this agreement constitute a stipulatio alteri for the benefit of Aspire, which benefits Aspire hereby accepts. Aspire shall not be liable for any breach of the agreement by either the Seller or the Buyer.

8.1. Aspire and the Seller, save for those expressly set out in paragraph 16 of these Terms of Business, make no representation or warranties whether express, implied or tacit pertaining to the authenticity, quality, genuineness, condition, value, origin, ownership of any goods or whether express, implied or tacit as to whether any Lot is subject to import, export, copyright and licence restrictions. It is the sole responsibility of the Buyer to ensure that they acquire the relevant export, import licenses or copyright licenses prior to exporting or importing any Lots.

8.2.  Aspire does not in any way undertake to ensure that the Buyer procures the necessary permits required under law, nor are they responsible for any costs incurred in obtaining a license (whether an application for such license was approved or not).

8.3.  All Lots which incorporate any material originating from an endangered and/or protected species (including but not limited to ivory and bone) will be marked by a symbol in the description of the Lot in the Catalogue. Aspire does not accept responsibility for a failure to include these marks on the Lots. Any prospective Buyer is to ensure that they received the necessary permission from the relevant regulatory agents, specifically when importing and/or exporting the Lot. A Buyer will be required to acquire a permit from the Department of Nature Conservation prior to exporting the Lot as well as any other export license which may be required by law, including the licences required under the Convention of the International Trade in Endangered Species ("CITES"). Failure to obtain such permits shall not constitute a ground  for the cancellation of the sale or the non-payment of any amounts due in terms hereof.

9.1. Absentee bids are a service provided by Aspire upon the request of the Buyers. Aspire shall in no way be liable for any errors or omissions in such bidding process. The Purchase price of the Lots will be processed in the same manner as it would be in other bids.

9.2.  Where two or more Buyers provide identical bids, the earliest will take precedence. When absentee bids occur by telephone they are accepted at the Buyer’s risk and must be confirmed prior to the sale by letter or e-mail to Aspire.

9.3.  All absentee bids shall be registered with Aspire in accordance with Aspire’s procedures and requirements not less than 24 (twenty-four) hours before the Auction and/or the Private Treaty sale. Aspire reserves its right to receive, accept and/or reject any absentee bids if the aforementioned time period has not been satisfied.

9.4.  An absentee bidder must register his/her identity in the same way that any other would be required to under these Terms of Business.

Notwithstanding the provisions above, if, within 7 (seven) days after the relevant Auction or Private Treaty sale, the Buyer makes a claim to rescind the sale due to Forgery and Aspire is satisfied that the claim is justified, Aspire reserves the right to rescind the sale and refund the Buyer any amounts paid to Aspire and still held by  Aspire in respect of that sale and the Seller hereby specifically authorises Aspire to do so.

11.1. The Buyer acknowledges that Aspire acting in its capacity as agent for the

Seller of a particular Lot:

11.1.1.  That a Buyer's premium shall be payable to Aspire on the sale of each Lot;

11.1.2.  VAT may be payable on the full Hammer price and the Buyer’s premium, if the Seller is a registered VAT vendor;

11.1.3.  Aspire shall also be entitled to a Seller's commission and/or any other agreed fees for that Lot.

11.2.  Upon the knock down of the hammer and acceptance of the price by the Auctioneer (subject to any reserve), the Buyer shall, before delivery of the Lot, pay Aspire the Purchase price immediately after the Lot is sold and should Aspire require, the Buyer shall provide it with their necessary registration details, proof of identity and any further information which Aspire may require.

11.3.  All foreign Buyers are required to make arrangement with their banks prior to the Auction date regarding Forex funds as Aspire will only accept payment in South African Rands. Any expenses incurred thereof shall be at the cost of the Buyer.

11.4.  The Buyer shall make payment in full to Aspire for all amounts due and payable to Aspire (including the Purchase price of each Lot bought by that Buyer) on completion of the sale but within 48 hours of the date of sale (or on such other date as Aspire and the Buyer may agree upon in writing) in cash, electronic funds transfer ("EFT"), or such other payment method as Aspire may be willing to accept. Any cheque and/or credit card payments must be arranged with Aspire prior to commencement of the Auction. All credit card purchases are to be settled in full on the date of sale and shall be subject to an administrative merchant fee of 5% of the hammer price plus Buyers Premium plus any vat on such amounts.

11.5.  Ownership of a Lot shall not pass to the buyer thereof until Aspire has received settlement of the Purchase price of the respective Lot in full and the funds have cleared. Aspire shall not be obliged to release a Lot to the Buyer prior to receipt in full payment thereof. However, should Aspire agree to release a Lot to the Buyer prior to payment of the full Purchase price, ownership of such Lot shall not pass to the Buyer but shall remain strictly and unconditionally reserved for the Seller, nor shall the Buyer’s obligations to pay the Purchase price be impacted, until such receipt by Aspire of the full Purchase price in cleared funds.

11.6.  The refusal of any approval, licence, consent, permit or clearance as required by law shall not affect the Buyer’s obligation to pay for the Lot and any Buyers Premium.

11.7.  Any payments made by a Buyer to Aspire may be applied by Aspire towards any amounts owing by the Buyer to Aspire on any account whatsoever and without regard to any directions of the Buyer or his agent. The Buyer shall be and remain responsible for any removal, storage, or other charges for any Lot and must at his own expense ensure that the Lot purchased is immediately removed after the Auction but not until payment of the total amount due to  Aspire. All risk of loss or damage to the purchased Lot shall be borne by the Buyer from the moment when the Lot is handed over to the Buyer. Neither Aspire nor its servants or agents shall accordingly be responsible for any loss or damage of any kind, whether caused by negligence or otherwise, from date of the sale of the Lot, whilst the Lot is in their possession or control.

11.8.  All packaging and handling of Lots is at the Buyer’s risk and expense, will have to be attended to by the Buyer, and Aspire shall not be liable for any acts or omissions of any packers or shippers.

11.9.  If the sale of any Lot is rescinded, set aside or cancelled by a lawful action of the Buyer, and Aspire has accounted to the Seller for the sale proceeds, the Seller shall immediately refund the full sale proceeds to Aspire, who will in turn refund the Purchase price to the Buyer. If there is no sale, there is no commission payable save and except if the sale is cancelled as a result of a breach of either Seller or Buyer. However, if there are Recoverable expenses which have been incurred by Aspire, then the Seller will remain liable to pay these expenses to Aspire.

11.10.  Any Lot which has been paid for in full but remains uncollected after 30 (thirty) days of the Auction, following written notice to the Buyer, the Lot then becomes the property of Aspire. Aspire may then resell this property at the best price it can obtain from a willing and able Buyer. If Aspire resells this property it may deduct any expenses incurred in keeping this property from the proceeds of sale after having deducted its commission. Any shortfall arising from the resale shall be at the cost of the Buyer.

11.11.  No credit shall be granted to the Buyer without prior written consent from Aspire. Ownership of the Lot shall not pass until such time as the full Purchase price is paid along with any VAT thereon and any other necessary amounts including but not limited to Buyers Premium.

12.1. Until such time that the total Purchase price and any Buyers Premium plus vat has been paid and hand over has taken place, ownership of the purchased goods shall vest with the Seller.

12.2.  The collection of the goods/Lots shall be done by the Buyer at their own cost immediately after the Auction has taken place, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing between the Buyer and Aspire. The Buyer shall ensure that any third parties attending to collection for the Buyer have been properly authorised in writing to attend to such collections.

12.3.  Aspire shall not provide any assistance of any nature whatsoever to the Buyer in removing the goods from the premises of Aspire upon the completion of the Auction. However, should Aspire choose to assist with the removal then any Aspire employee or servant shall be deemed to be agents of the Buyer and Aspire shall not be liable for any damage incurred as a result of removing the goods from the premises.

13.1 In the event that the Buyer breaches any provision of these Terms of Business, fails to make payment of the full Purchase price, Buyers Premium or fails to collect the goods bought as provided for in these Terms of Business, Aspire in exercising its discretion and as agent for the Seller will, without any prejudice to any other rights it may have in law, be entitled to exercise one or more of the following remedies set out below. Aspire may:

13.1.1.  institute proceedings against the Buyer for any non-payment and/or any damages incurred as a result of the breach of contract;

13.1.2.  cancel the sale of that Lot or any other Lots sold to the defaulting Buyer at the same time or at any other Auction;

13.1.3.  resell the Lot or do any such thing that would cause it to be resold by Auction or Private Treaty sale;

13.1.4.  remove, store and insure the goods at the sole expense of the defaulting Buyer and if such goods are stored either at Aspire’s premises or any other place as Aspire may require such goods to be stored at, the Buyer shall be responsible for all charges associated therewith;

13.1.5.  retain any Lot sold to the same Buyer at the same time, or at any other Auction and only allow the Buyer to take delivery of such goods after all amounts due, owing and payable have been paid by the Buyer to Aspire in terms of these Terms of Business, including interest, storage charges and any other charges;

13.1.6.  reject any bid made by or on behalf of the defaulting Buyer at any future Auction;

13.1.7.  exercise a right of retention over the goods sold and not to release such goods to the Buyer until such time as full payment has been made to Aspire in accordance with these Terms of Business. For such purpose and in so far as ownership of the Lots may have passed to Aspire, the Buyer hereby pledges such goods to Aspire as security for Aspire’s claim.

13.1.8.  charge a reasonable rental fee for each day that the item is stored by Aspire from the date of Auction until the time of collection.

13.1.9.  charge interest at a rate of the prime rate plus 3% (three per cent) per month on any outstanding amounts from the date of Auction.

13.1.10.  charge the Buyer the full costs of conducting the auction which is estimated at one million rand with a breakdown available on request.

14.1. As per the Seller's irrevocable instruction, Aspire is instructed to sell at an Auction all objects submitted for sale by the Seller and accepted by Aspire and to sell the same to the relevant Buyer of the Lot of which those objects form part, provided that the bid or offer accepted from that Buyer is equal to or higher than the Reserve (if any) on that Lot (subject always to paragraph 14.4), all on the basis set out in these Terms of Business.

14.2.  The Seller also irrevocably consents to Aspire's ability to bid for any Lot of which any of those objects form part as agent for one or more intending Buyers.

14.3. Aspire is authorised to retain any objects not sold on Auction for a period of 30 (thirty) days after the Auction for the possible sale of such objects by Aspire by way of Private Treaty or otherwise pursuant to paragraph 4.

14.4. Aspire is authorised to offer for sale either by Private Treaty or otherwise, without further instruction or notification to the Seller, within 30 (thirty) days after the Auction, all or any remaining objects submitted for sale by the Seller and received and accepted by Aspire in accordance with paragraph 1, which objects were not sold on Auction. The bid accepted on these items must not be less than the amount that the Seller would have received, had that Lot been sold on Auction at the Reserve (if any) on that Lot taking into account the deduction of the applicable Seller’s commission and Recoverable expenses for which the Seller is liable.

14.5.  Both Aspire and the Auctioneer each have the right, to offer an object referred to above for sale under a Lot, to refuse any bid or offer, to divide any Lot, to combine two or more Lots with the prior approval of the relevant Seller(s), to withdraw any Lot from an Auction, to determine the description of Lots (whether in any Catalogue or otherwise), to store accepted objects at the Auction premises or any other location as he/she may deem fit and whether or not to seek the opinion of experts.

14.6.  Aspire shall not be under any obligation to disclose the name of the Buyer to the Seller, save for the circumstances contemplated elsewhere in these Terms of Business or otherwise required by law.

15.1. Any estimation given by Aspire is an opinion and cannot be relied on as a true reflection of what the final Hammer price will be on the date of the sale and as such is never guaranteed. Aspire has the right to change any estimations at any point in time in agreement with the Seller recorded on the relevant Property Receipt Form.

15.2.  The Seller hereby agrees that Aspire may fully rely on any description of the goods or Lots provided to them by the Seller or his agent.

15.3.  Aspire shall not be held liable for any error, misstatement or omission in the description of the goods/Lots whether in the Catalogue or otherwise unless such error, misstatement, omission is a direct result of the intentional, misleading and deceptive conduct of Aspire's employees and/or agents.

16.1. The Seller hereby warrants to Aspire and the Buyer that:

16.1.1.  he/she is the lawful owner of the objects put up for sale or Auction and is authorised to offer such objects up for sale at an Auction;

16.1.2.  he/she is legally entitled to transfer title to all such objects and that they will be transferred free of any encumbrances of third-party claims; and

16.1.3.  he/she has complied with all requirements necessary, legal or otherwise, for the import (if importing is applicable to the sale) and has notified Aspire in writing of any third parties who have failed to comply with the aforesaid requirements in the past;

16.1.4.  the place of origin of the Lot is accurate.

16.1.5.  the object forming part of the Lot is capable of being used for the purpose to which it was made and has no defects which are not apparent from any external inspections and that he/she is in possession of any valid approval, license, consent, permit or clearance required by law for the sale of any Lot.

16.2.  The Seller hereby indemnifies and shall keep Aspire and the Buyer indemnified against any loss or damage suffered by either party as a result of any breach of any warranty in these Terms of Business.

18.1. All Lots are to be sold with a Reserve, unless otherwise agreed upon between Aspire and Seller in writing prior to the date of Auction. Any changes to a Reserve will require the prior consent of Aspire and the Seller. The Seller acknowledges that unless a reserve is set, Aspire shall not be entitled to bid on behalf of the Seller to protect the integrity of the value of any work being auctioned.

18.2.  Where the Auctioneer is of the opinion that the Seller or any person acting as agent of the Seller, has made a bid on the Lot and above a Reserve that existed on such Lot, they may knock down the Lot to the Seller. The Seller will then be required to pay all expenses which the Buyer is liable for and any expenses which the Seller is liable for along with the Seller's commission to Aspire.

18.3.  In the event that a Reserve exists on a particular Lot, Aspire may sell such Lot at a Hammer price below the Reserve, on the condition that the Seller receives the amount they would have been entitled to, had the sale been concluded at the Reserve. Aspire reserves the right to adjust the Seller's commission accordingly in order to allow the Seller to receive the amount payable had the Lot been sold at the Reserve.

18.4.  Where a Reserve on a Lot does not exist, Aspire shall not be liable for the difference between the Purchase price and the estimated selling range.

19.1. Aspire undertakes to insure all objects to be sold as part of any Lot, at its own expense, unless otherwise agreed to in writing, or otherwise, between the Seller and Aspire. Aspire may, at its discretion, insure any property which is placed under their control for any other purpose for the duration of the time that such property remains on their premises, under their control or in any storage facility elected by them.

19.2.  In the event that Aspire is instructed to not insure any property, the Seller shall bear the cost and risk at all times. The Seller also agrees to:

19.2.1.  indemnify Aspire for any claims brought against Aspire and/or the Seller for any damage or loss to the Lot, however it may arise. Aspire shall be reimbursed by the Seller for any costs incurred as a result thereof; and

19.2.2.  notify the insurer of the existence of the indemnities set out herein.

19.3.  The Seller is obliged to collect their unsold property within 30 calendar days after the Auction. Should any property not be collected within this time Aspire reserves the right to discontinue the insurance cover.

Written notice must be given to Aspire 7 (seven) days prior to the Auction, where a Seller decides to withdraw a Lot from Auction. Aspire reserves the right to convert any Seller's commission and Buyer's premium payable on this Lot, as well as any Recoverable expenses, photography costs, advertising and marketing costs, or any other expenses incurred on a Lot, into withdrawal fees. The amount of this withdrawal fee shall be determined based on the mid-estimate of the selling price of the objects comprising the Lot along with any VAT and expenses incurred thereon given by Aspire.

Aspire reserves the right to photograph or otherwise reproduce the images of any Lot put on offer by the Seller for sale and to use such photographs and illustrations as they deem necessary. Aspire undertakes to ensure compliance with the relevant Copyright laws applicable in their dealings with any and all Lots put up for sale.

23.1. Subject to paragraph 14.4 above, upon the receipt of notice from Aspire of any unsold Lots, the Seller agrees to collect any such Lots no later than the 30th (thirtieth) day after receipt of such notice. The Seller must make further arrangement to either have the Lot resold or collect it and pay all agreed Recoverable expenses for which they are liable.

23.2.  The Seller shall be liable for all costs, whether it be for storage, transport or otherwise as a result of their failure to collect the Lot.

23.3.  If after 3 (three) months of notice being sent to the Seller, Aspire will proceed to sell the Lot by Private Treaty or public Auction on the terms and conditions that they deem fit, without Reserve and Aspire shall be able to deduct from the Hammer price all amounts owing to them including (but not limited to) any storage or transport expenses, any reduced commission from the Auction as well as any other reasonable expenses before the balance is paid over to the Seller. If Aspire is unable to locate the Seller, Aspire shall open a bank account in which Aspire will hold on behalf of the Seller the amount due to the Seller.

23.4.  Aspire reserves the right to charge commission on the Purchase price and any expenses incurred in respect of any unsold Lots.

24.1. Aspire may, at any time and from time to time, in its sole discretion, amend, cancel or rescind any provision of these Terms of Business by publication of any such amended Terms of Business (whether on its website or by any other means whatsoever).

24.2.  No amendment in terms of paragraph 24.1 above shall be binding on any Party to any Sale which has been entered into as at the date of that amendment unless agreed to by the relevant Parties in terms of paragraph 24.3.

24.3.  No:

24.3.1.  amendment or consensual cancellation of these Terms of Business or any provision or term hereof;

24.3.2.  agreement, bill of exchange or other document issued or executed pursuant to or in terms of these Terms of Business (including, without limitation, any valuation, estimate or reserve issued in terms hereof);

24.3.3.  settlement of any dispute arising under these Terms of Business;

24.3.4.  extension of time, waiver or relaxation or suspension of or agreement not to enforce or to suspend or postpone the enforcement of any of the provisions or terms of these Terms of Business or of any agreement, bill of exchange or other document issued pursuant to or in terms of these Terms of Business,