Buying at auction, but pleasant moment arms, has a lot of "gotchas": the illusion of security purchases, additional shipping costs, taxes and surcharges. On the last "temptations" talk more

buy at auctions, but pleasant moment arms, has a lot of "gotchas": the illusion of security purchases, additional shipping costs, taxes and surcharges. On the last "temptations" makes sense to talk more.

addition to all the clear information regarding the name of the artist, title, size, technology, estimate, etc., next to the photo products are often icons to which the buyer usually pays no attention, although they are very important and can seriously affect the future owner of the purse. Seeing an unknown icon next to the name of the artist or title of work, the buyer should look at the catalog decipher this symbol. Consider the basic values ​​that are "krokozyabry" in the catalogs of two major auction houses.

For starters, collectors and investors will explain some terms:

Price auction (auction price, hammer price) - the end result, stated in the auction room, with no commission.

Commission buyer (auction house premium, the premium buyers commission the auction house, buyer's premium, BP) - the amount the buyer if he wins the auction pays the auction house for his services. Determined as a percentage of the price of a hammer.

VAT (Value Added Tax) - VAT (analogue of the Russian VAT) may be charged at the standard and reduced (reduced) rate. Approximate value of VAT rates in different European countries can learn, for example, here .

reserve price (reserve) - the minimum price agreed upon by the seller and the auction house below which a proposal for a specific lot can not go down. Reserve is usually some part of the lower estimate.

Right of Succession (Fr. droit de suite) - the right of the author works of art in public resale of its products at a price higher than the previous (in the statutory amount) to pay the seller as a percentage of royalties from the resale price (see: here , here , here and here ).

Temporary importation - is an indication in the table means that work is under the temporary import regime, whose conditions in different countries may differ, so be aware of them before the auction.

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right route. The fee depends on the price of a hammer on it 0,25-5%.

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Symbol	Sotheby ' s	Christie's
O	symbol indicates the presence of guaranteed minimum prices for a particular lot. For example, it was the work of Malevich in November 2008. Then it was known beforehand that the work of a buyer, so she stood in front of an icon.
Δ	Lot, in which the auction home has a property interest, ie, this item belongs directly to the auction house.
□	At work there is no reserve price. If the work is marked by this symbol, it means that it can be sold at 50, and 70 percent cheaper than the lower estimate.
Α	is only used in England. VAT is charged only to customers not from the EU. Similar to the sign †	Buyers from the EU only pay VAT, accrued to the commission the buyer (15%). Buyers are not from the EU pay 15%of the price of a hammer and a buyer from the commission
♦	used only in the Netherlands. VAT is charged on the price of a hammer, and a commission on the buyer.
Λ ,	right route. The fee depends on the price of a hammer on it 0,25-5%.
†	VAT is charged at the standard rate and the price of the auction and the buyer for a commission.	VAT is charged at the standard (15%) or reduced (5.001%) rate on the price of a hammer and a standard (15%) rate on the buyer's commission. < /td>
♦ ♦	Lot imported to Holland for sale. VAT is charged on the buyer a commission at a rate of 19%on the price of a hammer on the rate of 6%.
‡	temporary import. Reduced rate of VAT. Calculated only on the price of a hammer.
< strong> Ω or *	Temporary import. The standard rate of VAT. Calculated only on the price of a hammer.	temporary import. VAT is charged at a rate of 15%on the price of a hammer and a commission on the buyer
W	used only in England. So the icon labeled lots, which immediately after the auction go to the warehouse - a repository of Sotheby's Kings House Warehouse.
	< p> Valid for New York. Marked by this symbol on lot sales tax repealed the city of New York.
	Premium lots. To place a bid on this lot, you need to fill out the appropriate registration form and provide a Sotheby's required financial guarantees. Only after the approval of a registration form, the auction house buyer should be allowed to fight for a lot.
	auction house does not accept any responsibility for the authenticity of a particular lot.

Often the buyer does not know what VAT is included in the commission of the buyer and he can get it back on the export of the country if the following conditions:

1. Work of art must be taken out of the country within three months from the UK and one month from other EU countries from the date of purchase (at the end of this period must submit a special request to the customs authorities).

2. must be complied with rules for the calculation of VAT :

- if the appropriate lots in the catalog is not any icon, then VAT is charged only on the commission the buyer, and only this amount may be refunded;

- if there are icons, then VAT should be assessed in accordance with the rules, which designate the icons (for example, charging VAT at the standard rate and the auction price and fee or charge VAT at the reduced rate only to the auction price).

3. should be prepared the documents for the export , you can get at the auction house, warning him in advance of the desire to take out work outside the EU.

If the work takes out of the country own auction house (for each VAT return, he takes from 50 to 100 dollars), then VAT will automatically be excluded from the bill. In other cases, VAT is charged and retained by the auction house as long as from the purchaser or his carrier will not be received documents confirming the export of outside the EU.

VAT Refund is not made for purchases worth less than £ 100 in England and 100 euros in the EU .

It should be emphasized that this review in any case does not claim to be the dictionary Read auction catalogs. We are only schematically outlined the terms of the additional information that the auction house said customers with certain icons. Each auction is using its own set of icons, in fact, at different sites of one auction house, the same icons can transmit a variety of information, and eventually change their meaning, and even on one site. So before you join in the struggle for a lot, read the transcripts of all the icons, which he labeled, and learn the rules of tax refund. In any case, so if you do not save, then at least do not be upset by "sudden" extra fees.

Yegor Molchanov, AI

on materials : sothebys.com , christies.com < /p>