To bid you need to create a Hotlotz account. This only needs to be done once and just takes a minute or two. Simply click ‘sign in’ then 'create new account'.

Please use your full legal name, as it’s written in your passport. We may contact you and ask you to provide additional identity information. This is to comply with Singapore’s AML (anti-money laundering) and KYC (know your client) regulations.

Once you have set up your Hotlotz account you will also need to register for every auction, to accept the terms and conditions for that sale. You don’t have to enter your personal details again, simply click the ‘register to bid’ link in the auction catalogue.

We pride ourselves on our honest and objective cataloguing. Our lot descriptions contain all the information you need to bid confidently.

We publish auction catalogues online around ten days before an auction’s closing date. We also exhibit the items in our Singapore saleroom for the same period. Please view in person if you can. Appointments are not necessary, and we love visitors. Please do check the auction catalogue for any other information about location and viewing times.

Hotlotz offers all items for sale 'as is', meaning the item is offered for sale with all existing faults and imperfections. We encourage potential buyers to visit the saleroom and inspect each item carefully before bidding or buying. 

If you are busy, or you are not in Singapore, our friendly valuers can answer questions, provide condition reports, and send additional video or photography by email. Please send requests in good time.

We publish the ‘opening bid’ for each lot in the auction catalogue and bidding starts at that amount. The opening bid amount is also the lot’s ‘reserve’, which is the lowest amount that you can buy the item for.

Once an opening bid has been placed, it will show as the ‘current bid’ amount. 

This is our realistic guide of what an item might sell for at auction.

Auction estimates are based on prices achieved at auction, not what the item might fetch in a retail environment (which might be considerably higher). Auctions are highly competitive, and items can always sell for more than the estimate, or less, depending on interest on the day.

Bids must be placed in the following incremental amounts (which the system will prompt you to do): 

• Between $0 to $400, bids rise in $20 increments 

• Between $400 to $1,000, bids rise in $50 increments 

• Between $1,000 and $2,000, bids rise in $100 increments 

• Between $2,000 and $5,000, bids rise in $200 increments

• Between $5,000 and $10,000, bids rise in $500 increments

• Between $10,000 and $100,000, bids rise in $1,000 increments

• Over $100,000, bids rise in $5,000 increments

Bids can be placed as soon as an auction catalogue is published. All bids are executed immediately against the item’s current bid or the opening bid (reserve). Please bid carefully as bidding is binding and bids cannot be cancelled or removed.

There are two bidding ‘strategies’ to consider:

1 - Real-time bidding

You simply enter the next bid amount which is necessary and click ‘bid’, at any time after the catalogue is published. The individual lot page clearly states the ‘opening bid’ or will direct you to the ‘next minimum bid’ that the system will accept.

You will be notified on the respective lot listing page if you are the highest bidder or if you get outbid. You will also be notified by email.

If you are advised immediately that you have been outbid and asked to place another bid, this is because someone has previously placed a maximum bid above your bid.

2 - Maximum bidding

A maximum bid allows you to participate in the auction even if you cannot place your bids in real-time.

You simply place your maximum bid, entering the highest amount you are willing to pay. Your maximum bid amount cannot be seen by Hotlotz or by other bidders.

Your bids will be automatically placed by the system using our published incremental amounts, bidding only enough to ‘knock out’ any competition. The system will only execute a bid to keep you in the lead. It is therefore entirely possible to win an item at a price below your maximum bid.

You will always receive an email notification if your maximum bid is exceeded. However, auctions are fast paced environments and technological delays may occasionally occur. We always recommend following the auction in real-time at the close, if you want to ensure that you win.

The auction catalogue includes a date for the auction and a time when bidding will start to close. Bidding for the first lot in the catalogue is scheduled to finish at that time. Bidding for each lot then finishes in lot number order in intervals of one minute apart. 

For example: If the published end or close time of the auction is from 6pm, bidding for Lot 1 is scheduled to finish at 6pm, but bidding for Lot 15 would not be scheduled to finish until 6.14pm, and so on.

When the auction enters its final 24 hours, a countdown timer appears on every lot in the auction catalogue. This shows the available time remaining to place bids for each lot. 

In addition, if any bid is placed within five minutes of the designated time for bidding to finish on each individual lot, the bidding period for that lot will be extended by a further five minutes. This extension will continue until a full five minutes has elapsed without another bid being placed.

As a result, it usually takes a number of hours after the scheduled time when bidding starts to close for all of the lots in an auction to actually close. Lots may close out of sequence with the number order in the auction catalogue. Bidding remains open for all lots up until their individual finishing time shown on the countdown timer for the lot.

Please continue to check the auction until any lot of interest shows it has closed.  

Hotlotz, like all professional auctioneers, charges a buyer’s premium for items sold at auction. This fee is charged to the buyer to cover the cost of running the auction. The buyer’s premium goes directly to the auctioneer and not to the seller. The buyer’s premium is inclusive of GST.

The buyer’s premium at Hotlotz is 30% and it is added onto the closing bid price to form the total invoice amount that is paid by the buyer. The buyer’s premium is not negotiable.

For example: If you bid $1000 and the item is sold to you (the 'closing bid' price), you will then pay a further 30% on top of this. So, your final invoice amount will be $1000 + $300 = $1,300.

We prefer payments to be made by bank transfer or PayNow. These payment methods do not incur any additional fees.

We also accept domestic and international Mastercard, Visa and American Express payment cards, but these incur a payment card service fee of 2.73%.

We operate a cashless business and do not accept any form of currency or bank cheques.

Payments can only be accepted from the individual or organisation that is named as the winning bidder on the invoice. You must ensure that you have recorded your full legal name (exactly as it's written in your passport) in your Hotlotz account. Please update your profile if that’s not the case.

We appreciate larger payments and payments from overseas can be more complicated to transact, so please email finance@hotlotz.com if you need support.

Items may be collected from our Singapore saleroom the day after the auction ends, provided we have received cleared payment. However, please note we are not open for clients on a Monday.

If you are arranging someone else to collect your item or your own shipping, please send us a confirmation email authorising us to accept or release the item and include the name of the third-party and the proposed date and time.

Our in-house logistics department can organise domestic and international shipping.

Click the links for more information about saleroom opening hours and our collection and shipping options.

Some items that are unsold in auction are given a ‘second chance’ and offered for immediate sale with a fixed price in our online marketplace. These items are generally listed in the marketplace within an hour of a sale closing and may be purchased on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

No buyer’s premium is charged on items sold in the marketplace.

If an unsold item is not offered for sale in the marketplace, it may still be possible to purchase it and we will assist you if we can. Please send an email to hello@hotlotz.com. 

For Hotlotz in Singapore, the 'closing bid' price for items sold in auction and the 'buy now' price for items sold in the marketplace is usually subject to Goods and Services Tax (GST). The GST is included in the price payable by the buyer and is remitted by us to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).

Our buyer’s premium is also subject to, and inclusive of, GST.

For overseas buyers, Hotlotz can zero-rate (remove) that GST for items bought in auction, on request, provided certain conditions are met. This would represent a saving of the 9% GST on the closing bid price (this applies to all items except those that are sold by a named seller) and the buyer’s premium. GST is not charged by Hotlotz on items that are sold by a named seller. Therefore, GST can only be zero rated on the buyer's premium not the closing bid price.

Overseas buyers must confirm they are not Singapore residents and provide their overseas shipping address. They must also instruct Hotlotz to manage the export process on their behalf, using a reputable logistics company that provides IRAS compliant documentation. The export must take place within 60 days of the auction closing date.

If you think that you meet these conditions, please send an email to finance@hotlotz.com after the auction has closed.

You might also find it helpful to read our glossary of auction terms and our FAQs.

Our Terms and Condition also apply.