Online auctions: A guide to bidding and buying
Christie’s online-only auctions offer selected works at attractive price points, spanning fine and decorative art, jewellery, wine, watches and other luxury items
What do I need to bid online?
Before you can bid, you will need to create an online account with Christie’s. Once you have an account, you can register for any sale in advance via our auction calendar. You also need a credit card to register and make payment. It’s simple and quick!
How to bid?
Browse an auction and create your account
New users will need a Christie’s online account to register and bid in online-only auctions and participate in live auctions via Christie’s LIVE™.
• Record your interests for personalised recommendations• Follow lots, set reminders and access lot condition information
• View your invoices and pay online
• And more!
Watch our step-by-step guide to learn more about opening a Christie’s online account.
Sign in to your online account and register for the auction
Now that you have an online account, login and select ‘Register to bid’ for the online-only auction of choice.
Watch our step-by-step guide on registering for a sale.
Confirm your bid
After completing the auction registration, you will be taken back to the lot detail page to confirm your bid. You can use the Cost calculator to find out the total cost you will need to pay. The total will include your maximum bid price, Buyer’s Premium, shipping and local taxes.
Watch our step-by-step guide on bidding.
You can leave a new maximum bid at any point during the bidding period, and then the sale will start to close one lot at a time, in sequential order.
A countdown clock is placed under every lot on both the sale landing page and the lot detail page for you to keep track on the time remaining to bid before the lot is closed.
If a new highest bid is placed during the last 3 minutes before a lot closes, the end time for that lot will be extended by another 3 minutes until there are no more bids remaining. A lot of bidding activity happens in those final minutes, so keep monitoring the lots you are interested in!
If you are unable to follow the sale to its end, simply enter your maximum amount and select ‘Set Max Bid’. Christie’s will bid on your behalf up to and including this amount.
If you set a maximum bid, Christie’s will bid on your behalf up to and including your bid amount.
Paying for your purchase
Once all lots in the online-only sale are closed, you will receive an email or a text message confirming whether your bids are successful or not. For successful bids, the message will also include payment and delivery methods.
When the auction is closed, you will receive an email or SMS confirming whether your bid is successful or not.
After logging into your online account, select the ‘Ready for checkout’ tab under ‘My Buying and bidding activity’. A breakdown of costs including applicable shipping, taxes and insurance will be provided to you.
You will also be asked to confirm the credit card information you’ve entered when you signed up for the online account. You will have the options to ship through Christie’s, send your own shipper or collect your purchase from the Christie’s location that is in possession of the property.
Contact us
For further assistance, you may also contact us by email at onlineuk@christies.com & onlineus@christies.com or by telephone (Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, local time) at:
New York
Tel: +1 212 636 2000
London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2760 1766
Frequently asked questions
I already have an online account, do I still need to register to participate in an online auction?
Yes, you still need to register for an auction.
I have participated in Christie’s live auction before, do I still need an online account?
Yes, you will need an online account in order to bid in online-only auctions. Sign up for an online account here.
How long do online auctions go on for?
Auctions are open for bidding over an extended time period — usually 14-21 days — on our digital platform, easily accessible from a computer or mobile phone, which means you can bid 24 hours a day regardless of location.
I’d like to see the item that I’m interested in purchasing in person before placing a bid. Can you accommodate my request?
Christie’s is adhering to the applicable closure orders currently in place where Christie’s offices are located. We will provide public hours for property viewing as soon as we are able. In the interim, property in online sales may be viewable via high-resolution images, and condition reports, if available, can be provided upon request. Our specialists are also accessible for questions about the property. Please note that images and information such as conditions reports are for guidance only. If after consultation with our specialists, you do not feel comfortable bidding, then we recommend you decline to bid at this time.
What is the Buyer’s Premium of Christie’s online auctions?
Successful bidders will pay the hammer price plus Buyer's Premium on each lot. Please refer to christies.com/premium for more details.
Will payment be delayed until property is available?
No. If you are the successful bidder in an online auction, payment is due within 48 hours of the close of that auction.
Visit christies.com/calendar to explore our online-only auctions.