SkinnerLive!

Bid live in any Skinner auction from the comfort of your own home. See each lot in real time, listen to the auctioneer, and press the “bid now” button to send a bid when you’re ready to participate. Just interested in following the action? You don’t need to register or log in to view a live sale. A buyer’s premium of 23% applies to live online auction purchases. Please read the Conditions of Sale for more information.

Click the “Bid Live” button on the auction schedule to register for online bidding in an auction or watch a live sale.

Before the auction

Before the auction starts, use the “bid live” button on the auction schedule to log in and register for participation in that auction.

If this is your first time bidding through the Skinner website, you will need to create an account first.

Skinner will email you with a confirmation for live bidding once your request has been approved.

During the auction

Use the “bid live” button on the auction schedule to see and hear the auction taking place live.

Click the “log in” button to enable bidding.  If you have not yet registered to live bid in the auction, you’ll be prompted to do so. Please note: your account must be approved by Skinner before you can start bidding. We suggest completing this step in advance of the auction.

If you’d simply like to watch the auction, no registration is required.

Register separately for each auction

Each auction is a unique event. Even if you have participated with SkinnerLive! in the past, you will need to register to receive a paddle number for each upcoming auction you’d like to bid in. Thank you for using SkinnerLive!

Questions?

Contact Live Auction Support for assistance during auction hours, or Monday through Friday, 9AM – 5PM.

508-970-3279
liveauctionsupport@skinnerinc.com

In Person, from the Auction Floor

There’s nothing quite like the thrill and drama of participating in a live auction. To bid in person, you’ll need to arrive in enough time to register and receive a paddle number before your lots of interest are offered. If it is your first time bidding with us, please bring a form of picture identification, such as a passport or driver’s license.

Skinner holds auctions at its galleries in Boston and Marlborough, Massachusetts. View hotel and dining suggestions for each location.

Driving directions    Plan your visit

Registration

Registration typically opens 30 minutes prior to the auction start time. Visit the registration desk to register and receive a paddle number. You are then welcome to take a seat in the auction gallery.

Bidding

The auction will begin when the auctioneer asks for an opening bid on the first lot. Bidding proceeds according to Skinner’s standard increments, or at the auctioneer’s discretion. The auctioneer will accept bids from the floor, the telephones, internet and absentee bids, also referred to as left bids or order bids.

Each lot in the auction catalog will be presented in order, and the pace of bidding can be as much as 100 lots per hour. Estimate your time accordingly and plan to be here at least ten lots before your item of interest comes up for bid.

When your lot does come up, be prepared to raise your paddle. The auctioneer will accept your competitive bids along with all others until the final hammer price is reached and the auctioneer announces, “sold.”

Winning!

If you are the winning bidder, congratulations! Please refer to our post-auction services to learn how to pay and take possession of your new purchase.

Skinner Telephone Bidding

Join the action of a live auction on the telephone. Phone bidding is offered as a convenience at most Skinner auctions.

Download Absentee Bid Form

Fill out the Skinner Absentee Bid Form to request phone bidding. You may submit the form while at a Skinner auction preview, or print it and fax it back to the Skinner location where the auction will take place at least twenty-four hours before the start of the sale. Please write “phone bid” in the “bid price” column to indicate that you wish to bid by phone.

Skinner Boston Auctions
fax: 617-350-5429

Skinner Marlborough Auctions
fax: 508-970-3110

Please consult the auction schedule to verify the start time and location of each auction. We are unable to accept phone bids over email.

Bidding

A Skinner auction services representative will call you several minutes before your lots will be offered, and will act as your proxy on the auction floor. The representative will remain on the phone with you until the lot has sold either to you or another bidder.

Winning!

If you are the winning bidder, congratulations! Please refer to our post-auction services to learn how to pay and take possession of your new purchase.

Questions?

Contact the bids department in the location where the auction is being held with questions about phone bidding.

Skinner Boston Auctions
617-874-4318

Skinner Marlborough Discovery Auctions
508-970-3211

Skinner Marlborough Specialty Auctions
508-970-3208

Skinner Absentee Bidding

Skinner provides two convenient ways to leave absentee bids, also known as left bids or order bids. These bids will be executed for you by the auctioneer during the sale.

• Leave bids online until one hour before the auction starts.
• Download an absentee bid form to submit by fax or in person.

Register to Leave Bids Online    Download Absentee Bid Form

Your absentee bid should be the maximum amount that you are willing to bid. The auctioneer will bid competitively for you up to that amount, meaning that you could potentially end up winning your lot for less than your absentee bid price.

All absentee bids should be submitted no later than one hour prior to the auction start time.

How to Leave Absentee Bids Online

To leave an absentee bid online, register first and then log in to the Skinner website.

Visit the online catalog for the auction that interests you, then browse and search for lots on your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Once you’ve identified a lot on which to leave a bid, click the “Leave Bid” button to place your bid on the website. You can also leave multiple bids using the bulk bid sheet available for every auction.

Online absentee bidding offers convenience and privacy. You may leave bids from your home or office, and at any time that fits your schedule. You will receive an email confirming your bids, and you may view your current bids at MySkinner. Keep in mind that online absentee bidding closes one hour before the start of the sale.

How to Use the Absentee Bid Form

You may download the Absentee Bid Form and print it out, or pick up a copy at the auction desk at any Skinner auction preview. Either fill out and submit the form while at the preview, or fax it back to the Skinner location where the auction will take place at least twenty-four hours before the start of the sale. You will be required to fill in your name, contact information, the sale title and sale date, the lot numbers, descriptions and bid prices you wish to execute. If you are a returning customer, we ask that you provide your customer number.

Skinner Boston Auctions
fax: 617-350-5429

Skinner Marlborough Auctions
fax: 508-970-3110

Please consult the auction schedule to verify the start time and location of the auction. We are unable to accept absentee bids over email.

Winning!

If you are the winning bidder, congratulations! Please refer to our post-auction services to learn how to pay and take possession of your new purchase.

In the event of a tie between absentee bids, the absentee bid that Skinner received first will take priority. That’s a good reason to get your bids in early.

Questions?

Contact the bids department in the location where the auction is being held with questions about absentee bidding.

Skinner Boston Auctions
617-874-4318

Skinner Marlborough Discovery Auctions
508-970-3211

Skinner Marlborough Specialty Auctions
508-970-3208

How to Bid in Timed Online Auctions

In response to demand from our customers, Skinner is pleased to offer a new way to bid on and purchase fine objects of value through fixed-time, online auctions. These online-only auctions afford Skinner the opportunity to bring more high-quality items to auction in a format that many of our customers prefer.

Skinner timed online auctions are available only over the internet. A red stopwatch distinguishes a timed sale in the auction schedule. To bid on the lots presented in a timed online auction, you will need to take the following steps.

#1 Register

If you have previously registered on the Skinner website, you may proceed to step 2.

Register here on www.skinnerinc.com in order to participate in the auction.

When you have registered successfully, you will receive an email confirmation.

#2 Log in

Log in here on www.skinnerinc.com.

Fill in your login credentials. If you recently registered, enter your email address and password. Longtime customers of Skinner may instead use a customer number and PIN number to log in.

If you have forgotten your login credentials, use the Login Reminder on the login page to retrieve your credentials.

#3 Visit the Online Auction

Visit the auction schedule and click “View Lots” to browse all lots in the auction. A red stopwatch indicates that an auction is a timed, online-only auction. Use the search box in the upper right hand corner of this page to search for items by name, category, or keyword.

Print catalogs for Skinner timed online auctions are available for purchase from our subscriptions department.

#4 Bid and Track Lots Online

While browsing a timed online auction, you can view lot listings, bid on & track lots, or send direct inquiries to the specialty department managing the auction.

Important Information

Fixed-Time Online Auction Bidding

The only method for participating in a timed online auction is through online bidding. Skinner cannot accept absentee bids, phone bids, or live internet bids for fixed-time online-only auctions.

Bid Increments

Bids can be placed in standard increments. Bid the next increment to advance, or optionally specify the maximum you are willing to bid from the second box and your bid will be raised competitively. All bids are in United States Dollars. If two bidders bid the same maximum amount, the first bid placed will be the accepted bid.

Notification

You will receive an automatic notification when a bid is received, or when you have been outbid. Please add onlineauctions@skinnerinc.com to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive our emails.

Auto-extend

In the event that competitive bidding takes place within the last five minutes of the auction, time will be added in five minute increments. This feature is intended to prohibit sniping software and activity. You will need to refresh your browser during the final minutes of an auction to be aware of any time extensions and further bidding.

Buyer’s Premiums

All lots are subject to the Skinner buyer’s premium as noted in the Conditions of Sale.

Winning bidder

The winning bidder is the current high bidder when bidding closes. If you are the winning bidder, you will be notified by email after the close of the auction. Information on payment and post-sale services is available here.

Terms and Conditions

Sales are subject to the Skinner Conditions of Sale.

Questions?

For questions or more information about fixed-time auctions, please contact us at liveauctionsupport@skinnerinc.com or 508-970-3279.