AUCTION RULES & TERMS OF SALE
GENERAL
VSA Auctions is not responsible for any errors within the catalog or website (typographical/photographic) or technical errors.
BIDDER REGISTRATION
Bidders can register to bid in VSA Auctions in two ways.
1) Go to https://www.vsaauctions.com/adduser.aspx to register online.
2) E-Mail us at help@VSAauctions.com and a VSA Auctions representative will have you registered and ready to bid in minutes. Be sure to register early.
BIDDING RULES
Items are sold to the highest bidder. The minimum a bid can be raised is 10%. Once a bid is placed, it can not be retracted. Placing a bid constitutes acceptance of the terms of sale outlined herein. VSA Auctions reserves the right to refuse or accept any or all bids by any bidder, bidding by any methods.
** NEW Auction Ending Time of 9:00 PM CST. The 30 Minute Per Lot Countdown Begins at 9:00 PM CST **
INITIAL BIDDING PHASE
An initial bid must be placed on each individual item by 9:00 PM CST on the last day of the auction to be eligible to bid on that item during the extended and closing phases. Each auction closes for initial bidding at 9:00 PM CST at the time posted on the listing. If you have placed the only bid on that lot as of that time, you win the lot. YOU MUST PLACE AN INITIAL BID ON EACH INDIVIDUAL LOT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE BIDDING ON AFTER 9:00 PM CST.
AUCTION CLOSE & 30 MINUTE RULE
This phase begins at 9:00 PM CST on the last day of the auction. Each individual lot will close once 30 minutes have passed without a bid. Within each lot there will be a 30 minute "countdown" to allow you to see when the last bid has been placed. The clock will reset for each lot every time a bid is placed on that lot. When the clock reaches zero, the high bidder for that lot will have won that lot. Please note that each lot ends individually when 30 minutes lapses without a bid. VSA reserves the right to end the auction at any time if over 99% of the lots are closed.
MAX or TOP ALL BIDS
We offer all bidders the opportunity to place an "maximum bid" bid that allows VSA Auctions to bid on your behalf to ensure that you will be the high bidder on a desired item. It gives the luxury of not having to constantly check on an item if you have time constraints. When you place a bid more than 10% above the current bid it will act as a maximum bid. This will automatically raise the bidding on your behalf when other bids are made against yours until it reaches your maximum bid.
WINNING BIDS
Winning bidders will be notified of lots won following the auction close by email. Minnesota residents must pay sales tax. For invoices paid with a check, money order or wire transfer a buyer's premium of twenty percent (20%) will be added to all winning bids. Invoices paid via PayPal or with credit card (VISA, Mastercard or American Express) will incur an additional 3% convenience fee which will make the total buyer's premium twenty-three percent (23%).
CALL BACKS
VSA Auctions offers a customized call back service that will allow you to have every possible opportunity to obtain a desired item. Upon your request, we will call you back at the number provided to inform you of an outbid situation and allow you a chance to raise your bid. Please be sure to give us your correct phone number with area code if this is a service you are interested in receiving.
SHIPPING & INSURANCE
All items will be shipped once funds are posted. Please be aware of shipping costs, especially for heavy, oversized, large quantity lots or shipping outside of the United States. Any items with a dimension of 18" or greater will be subject to oversize charges. Please allow additional processing time for heavy, oversized, or large quantity orders. International shipments are sent either UPS (signature required) or USPS Express Mail (signature required). Standard shipping and handling rates will apply. Combined shipping will be automatically calculated based on how many items are won by each winning bidder and the overall weight/size of the package(S). Please note that we insure all shipments based on our consignor agreement so the shipping/handling/insurance rate is all inclusive. We aren't trying to turn a profit on shipping but we aren't shipping the item for free either so we thank you in advance for your understanding. Ie. If a package costs $9 for the actual transport but your shipping cost is $16 that is all inclusive to cover handling, insurance, packing material etc. VSA has retained an insurance policy that covers all items offered in the auction right up until they arrive to the destination of the winning bidder. We do not take responsibility for out of country shipments once they are delivered to their destination. Once we have proof from UPS or USPS that the item has been delivered, it becomes the responsibility of the customer. We won't submit a claim on behalf of the customer claiming they never received the item even though there is proof of delivery.
AUTHENTICITY
VSA Auctions guarantees, for thirty (30) days, the authenticity of each item in the auction only to the extent of the written online description. The description guarantees, however, do not extend to the condition or grading of any item due to the subjective nature of such evaluations. Items already authenticated by a third-party are sold as is. We don’t offer “crossover authentication”. There are many authenticators available for each category, and each may offer a different opinion. You should bid on the auction listing accordingly based on the authentication provided. We will not accept a return of any item that isn’t already accompanied by third party authentication based upon a verbal opinion or rejection of authenticity, but rather we will require a written letter of rejection, which must include a factual based opinion. We then reserve the right to consult with another respected third-party authenticator to settle the dispute if necessary. Authenticity disputes must include the return of the disputed merchandise and must be executed within thirty (30) days from the end date of the auction with no exceptions. This guarantee is reserved for the original winning bidder of record and may not be transferred to any third party. If an item is returned within 30 days, the customer will receive an auction credit for the final bid as well as the buyer's premium to be used in a future auction at the discretion of the winning bidder (only if returned within 30 days from the end of the auction). VSA may, on rare occasion at its discretion, issue a refund beyond 30 days, however, it would be in the form of an auction credit to be used in a future auction and VSA would retain the buyer's premium. The winning bidder shall be responsible for any authentication fees that they incur based on who they choose to have authenticate the item. VSA does not offer any additional authentication other then what is noted in the auction description, if any. If you are not comfortable with the authentication/provenance provided, if any, then do not bid on the lot. We do not retract bids, remove items from invoices or accept returns based on bidders preferring a different form of authentication nor do we offer authentication or provenance after the auction when the auction description did not explicitly state that either would be provided.
VSA Auctions takes great pride in the fact that we will only offer products that will hold up under the highest scrutiny. As such, the majority of the autographed items in the auction have either been inspected by a respected third-party authenticator or is accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from a company that has obtained the signature directly from the athlete. Please note the authentication line on each lot and bid accordingly as some items have multiple LOA's and some have a single LOA or Hologram only. We will post photos of physical articles of authentication so if you don't see a photo, you may assume that the authentication hologram is the authentication provided for that item. Full LOA's will be scanned or photographed and added to the lot. If for some reason you are not comfortable with the corresponding authenticator for a specific lot, please refrain from bidding on that item. If there is no LOA listed in the online lot description, your auction receipt will serve as your LOA. Third party authentication is an opinion and is subjective. We only guarantee the items based on the experts we hire to authenticate so PLEASE BID ACCORDINGLY based on the authentication and/or Letter of Authenticity provided for the item(s). If you win the item with the authentication provided, we do not make any guarantees or assurances that it will pass some other random third party of your choosing after the auction. There are many different authenticators in this hobby and, as such, we do not make any assurances that it will pass every single one of them. Each may have a difference of opinion. Special arrangements can also be made while the auction is in progress. If you are not comfortable with the LOA provided, we can arrange for you to show it to whichever authenticator you would like while the auction is in progress, not after it closes.
Game Used/Game Issued items such as jerseys, bats, helmets, shoes and gloves will be described as is along with the amount of wear as evident upon inspection. When possible, we will obtain third party authentication to confirm the item being game used by the player. We will refer to the item as being "Game Issued" when appropriate which means that the item was prepared for that player by the manufacturer and/or team for use by that player but does not exhibit any signs of wear or usage traits consistent with that player. If the item is not already accompanied by third party authentication, and the buyer chooses, they may have 30 days from the end date of the auction to submit the item to a third party to confirm the item as being game used by that player. We will simply describe the item and provide any provenance or supporting documentation that will assist in verifying use of the item by the corresponding player. Third party authentication used for equipment includes MLB, NFL, NBA, MeiGray, Steiner, MEARS, Dave Miedema, PSA/DNA Taube/Malta, team provenance, player provenance or photo/style matching. If you are not comfortable with the LOA provided or lack thereof, we can arrange for you to show the item to whichever authenticator you would like while the auction is in progress, not after it closes. If an authenticator can't be agreed upon, please refrain from bidding on the item. We cannot guarantee that a game used item will cross over to another third-party authenticator and be given the same opinion as far as “game use” nor can we guarantee it will be given the same grade (when applicable) as grading is entirely subjective. You should only bid if you are comfortable with the authentication that is provided.
Rings, trophies and awards are sold as is. The auction description will notate the metal content as well as the diamond content (if applicable). If we have provenance for the item, it will be pictured with the lot and noted in the description. We will have been assured by the consignor that the item is free of any claim and rightfully owned by the consignor.
Vintage cards are offered either graded or ungraded so please take note in the lot description. We guarantee ungraded cards to be authentic but DO NOT make any guarantees in regard to what they will grade, only that they are authentic. We also don't guarantee they will cross over and receive any particular grade by another third-party grader.
*** ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Returns will not be accepted after 30 days from the final day/time of the auction. ***
FRAMED ITEMS
The framed items in the auction are sold as is. Rarely is a framed item 100% perfect because they are consigned to us so there is usually some sort of flaw. If the item is freshly framed, and thus perfect condition, we will make note of it in the description. Otherwise please ask specific questions about the framing if you have them before you bid on the item. We take many pictures and will show major flaws so that you can see them ahead of time. We will also be happy to take extra pictures for you if you need them but we will not accept a return or give credit for any framed item that has flaws.
CONDITION
We go out of our way to take many extra high resoltion images so you are able to magnify the items you are bidding on and view the items and condition for yourself. Evaluation as far as condition of cards, autographs etc. are very subjective. We will strive to take quality high resolutuion images so you can magnify the images and judge for yourself. We will not accept returns after the fact because time wasn't taken to look closer at the items or reach out to us while the auction is running to ask questions if you aren't able to view what you need in the images.
BILLING & PAYMENT
Winning bidders will be notified of lots won by e-mail within 24 hours of the auction close. Payment is due within 2 weeks of the auction close date. Invoices exceeding $25,000 must be paid via wire transfer, cashier's check or personal check. If payment arrangements have not been made in advance of the payment due date we will charge auction winnings to the credit card on file and ship your auction winnings promptly. We will charge the credit card on file after the 2 week payment deadline passes. Any bidder who has not paid in full by that date or made prior arrangements for late payment are subject to having their future bidding privileges revoked. Unless you are an established bidder, VSA Auctions will hold all personal checks for 10 days before merchandise is shipped. VSA Auctions reserves the right to collect unpaid past due invoices in any manner including but not limited to charging the bidder's credit card on file. In the case of invoices overdue by (45) days or more, VSA Auctions will charge a reasonable interest rate based on the prime rate until payment is received. If the winning bidder doesn't pay within 14 days VSA reserves the right to sell the lot to one of the under bidders and the non-paying winning bidder is responsible for the difference in final price if any applies. Should legal action be required to collect unpaid balances, the bidder will be responsible for reasonable attorney's fees and related court costs. Any surplus derived from late payers will be applied as a future auction credit. Bidders are responsible for making sure their delivery address is correct. If the bidder fails to update their shipping address and product is delivered to an old address the bidder is responsible for any loss incurred and will make arrangements to pick the item up or have it shipped to them.
Placing a bid constitutes acceptance of all Auction Rules & Terms of Sale. The validity, construction, enforcement and interpretation of all terms and conditions contained in these Auction Rules & Terms of Sale shall be governed by the internal law (and not the law of conflicts) of the Commonwealth of Minnesota. By submitting a bid, bidder consents that any legal proceeding involving any matter relating, directly or indirectly, to these Auction Rules & Terms of Sale shall be commenced and maintained in the Federal District Court of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. Each term and provision of these Auction Rules & Terms of Sale shall be constructed as separate and distinct. If any term or provision contained in these Auctions Rules & Terms of Sale is held to be invalid under present or future laws, the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not, in any way, be affected or impaired.
WE ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING FORMS OF PAYMENT:
1) Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) Note: If you choose to use a credit card the cardholder name must be your own and will be checked upon payment. Credit card postings take 2-4 days.
2) PayPal
3) Cashier's Check
4) Personal Check or Money Order. Personal checks will be held 10 businesss Days.
5) Wire Transfer
6) Cash