How to buy art at auction
To buy art at auction safely, check the work's authenticity, condition and comparable prices before you bid, read the saleroom's conditions of sale, and set a limit that includes the buyer's premium and VAT. Take more care than you would in a shop, because UK law gives auction buyers fewer rights.
What to check before you bid on a print
A print is worth bidding on only when five things check out: its edition, its authentication, its condition, its provenance and its price. The catalogue is a starting point for all five, and the conditions of sale leave the checking to you.
- The edition. Confirm whether the print is signed or unsigned, numbered or an artist's proof, and how large the edition is, using a source other than the seller.
- The authentication. Find out who can authenticate that artist's work and ask to see the document. A Banksy print needs a certificate from Pest Control, and the certificate must describe that exact sheet. A certificate from a gallery or dealer does not count.
- The condition, out of the frame. Ask for a condition report and for photographs of the whole sheet without its frame. Look for trimmed margins, light fading, toning, foxing and creases. A sheet that measures smaller than the published size has probably been trimmed, which permanently lowers its value.
- The provenance. Ask where the print has been since it was published, and whether the original invoice survives. Gaps are common, and they should be stated openly.
- The price. Compare results for the same image, the same edition and a similar condition over the past 12 months. Check whether each result is a hammer price or includes the premium, because online records mix the two.
Read the catalogue heading closely. In one major house's published terms, "attributed to" means probably by the artist, and "after" means a copy of the artist's work. Terms like these limit what the saleroom is promising.
Treat a condition report as an opinion. One major house's conditions describe its reports as guidance that may not mention every fault, and as no substitute for your own professional advice. If the sum matters to you, pay someone independent to look at the work, or view it yourself.
For a Banksy in particular, see the eight-point check for buying a Banksy print.
What buying at auction costs
Buying at auction costs the hammer price plus the buyer's premium, VAT on that premium and often other charges, so the total can be 30% to 40% more than the winning bid. In February 2026, one major international house's conditions set its premium at 27% of the hammer price up to £1,000,000, and The Art Newspaper reported another at 28% up to £1,500,000. VAT is added to both. Regional salerooms set their own rates.
The rates below are illustrative assumptions for a £10,000 hammer price, not any saleroom's published terms.
| Buyer's account | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hammer price | £10,000 |
| Buyer's premium at 25% | +£2,500 |
| VAT on the premium at 20% | +£500 |
| Online bidding surcharge at 5% plus VAT, if it applies | +£600 |
| Artist's resale right at 4%, if it applies and is charged to the buyer | +£400 |
| You pay | £14,000 |
Work out your top bid from your total budget. At these rates, a total budget of £10,000 means a top bid of about £7,100.
Three of those charges depend on the sale:
- Online bidding surcharge. In November 2026, several UK regional salerooms published a charge of about 5% plus VAT for bidding through a third-party platform. Some run their own bidding page at a lower rate or at no charge.
- Artist's resale right. This royalty can apply when the sale price is £1,000 or more and the artist is alive or died less than 70 years ago. Auction fees explained sets out the rates and who pays them.
- Extra VAT. Some lots carry VAT on the hammer price as well, often marked by a symbol in the catalogue. Check what the symbol means before you bid.
Shipping, insurance and any customs charges come on top.
Your rights when you buy at auction
UK law gives auction buyers fewer rights than shop customers. The usual right to cancel a purchase made online or away from a shop does not apply to a contract concluded at a public auction (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28). Someone buying second-hand goods at a public auction they could attend in person is also not treated as a consumer under the goods chapter of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, with limited exceptions (section 2(5)).
That leaves the saleroom's conditions of sale, which bind you once your bid is accepted. In November 2026 we read the London conditions of two major international houses, one dated February 2026 and the other July 2024:
- Both give the buyer five years to claim that a lot is not authentic, with a refund of the price paid.
- Both limit the claim to the original buyer, and both can ask for the opinions of two recognised experts.
- Both sell lots as they stand, so damage and restoration do not give you a claim for a refund.
- One applies its warranty only to the heading of the lot description, and not to a heading qualified by a term such as "attributed to".
- The other expects notice within three months of your learning of any doubt, and within the five years.
Other salerooms' terms differ, so read the terms for the sale you are bidding in. This is general information and it is not legal advice.
How to bid at auction
You can bid in the room, by telephone, with an absentee bid left in advance, or live online, and you should register before the day of the sale. The saleroom may ask for identification, financial references or a deposit. Your bid is a commitment: if the hammer falls on it, you have agreed to buy.
- Write your limit down and stop there. Two people who both want a print can take it well past what either meant to spend.
- Ask how telephone and absentee bids are handled. One major house offers them as a courtesy and at the bidder's risk, so a dropped call may simply cost you the lot.
- Protect yourself online. Type the saleroom's address yourself rather than following a link in an email, and pay only into the account shown on the saleroom's own invoice. If the bank details change, telephone the saleroom on a number you already know.
What to do after the hammer falls
Pay and arrange collection straight away, because the deadlines are short. One major house's conditions require cleared funds within five days of the auction, and charge for storage if a lot has not been collected within 30 days. Arrange insured shipping before that date.
Check the print against the condition report when it arrives. Keep the invoice, the certificate and the condition report together, because you will need all three when you come to sell.
Other ways to buy, and when they suit you
Auction is one of three ways to buy, and it offers the least protection of them. Each one suits a different buyer.
| Route | What it suits | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Auction | A buyer who has done the checks and wants to pay what the room decides | Charges on top of the hammer price, and limited rights |
| Gallery or dealer | A buyer who wants a fixed price and a chance to negotiate | The dealer's margin is inside the price |
| Advisor or private purchase | A buyer looking for a particular work, or who wants the checks done for them | The advisor's fee, and whose side they are on |
When a gallery or dealer sells to you as a trader, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies, including your right to goods that match their description. You can also search for a work privately, including among owners who have not put it on the market. Private sales explains how that works.
Quick answers
How do I buy a print at auction safely? Confirm the edition and the authentication, see the condition report and the sheet out of its frame, compare recent results for the same edition, read the conditions of sale, and set a limit that includes every charge. Then register before the sale and stop at your limit.
How much is added to the hammer price at auction? The buyer's premium and VAT on it are the main additions, and an online bidding surcharge and the artist's resale right can also apply. At the assumed rates in the example above, a £10,000 hammer price comes to £13,000 with premium and VAT, and £14,000 with both of the other charges.
Can I return a work I bought at auction? Usually not. The right to cancel does not apply to a public auction, and lots are sold as they stand. Your main protection is any authenticity guarantee in the conditions of sale, and two major houses give five years, subject to their terms.
Can I trust an auction house condition report? Use it as a guide. One major house's conditions say its reports are opinions and may not mention every fault, so for a valuable work get an independent view or see it yourself, out of the frame.
Can I bid at auction without being there? Yes. Most salerooms take telephone bids, absentee bids and live online bids. Register before the sale, and check whether online bidding carries a surcharge.
Do I need an art advisor to buy at auction? No. Anyone can register and bid. An advisor helps when you want someone else to check the work and its paperwork and to bid for you, and you should agree the fee in writing first.
How Whitebank Fine Art can help
When we act for a buyer, we check the condition, provenance and paperwork, compare recent results for the price, and bid or negotiate on your behalf. Terms are agreed before any work starts. We also sell works from our own catalogue, and we tell you which of those two things we are proposing before you spend anything.
There is no obligation, and when we act for you we act for you rather than for the saleroom.
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Whitebank Fine Art is an art advisory and gallery, not an auction house, and is not affiliated with any auction house. Nothing here is legal, tax or investment advice.
