Frequently Asked Questions

Click Register for Free at the top of our website and follow the steps. A confirmation email will be sent.

Registration is completely free.

Sign in and go to My Account to update your details. This must be kept current per Terms of Sale.

A Buyer’s Premium is a percentage added to the final bid amount. For fee policies, visit the Terms & Conditions page.

First register. When the auction is live, a bid button will appear on each item page. For bidding rules, visit the Terms & Conditions page.

You may retract one bid up to 24 hours before the auction closes by contacting customer service. See policy details on the Terms & Conditions page.

Auctions typically run from a few hours up to a full week. Check item listings for details.

A few minutes after the auction has closed, bidders can log in to their account and click the My Account tab to see the list of won items. U.S. Auction Online will also send out confirmation emails of won items.

Payment may be made directly through our secure checkout page or by calling the office directly at (800)596-9613. To pay online, registered users may visit usauctiononline.com, log in to their account, then select the “My Account” tab to view invoices for winning bids.

Winning bidders are required to pay for merchandise within 2 business days of the auction's close.

U.S. Auction Online accepts the following credit cards: Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Visa. If bidders wish to pay using PayPal or by cashier's check, they should contact Customer Service. Payments made by credit card or PayPal are subject to a 2% processing fee. Cashier’s checks and bank wires are exempt from the 2% processing fee. Winning bidders are responsible for paying the full amount listed on the invoice, including the final bid amount, processing fee, shipping and handling fees, buyer’s premium, and any applicable taxes.

Yes, winning bidders with invoices totaling over $10,000 must call customer support to have their payment processed.

Most items will be shipped within 5–10 business days of receipt of payment in full. Larger items may require additional time. Paying by check may lead to shipping delays as the invoice(s) will not be marked as paid until the check clears.

U.S. Auction Online provides layaway agreements on limited items. Please check the description of an item to see if it is available for layaway payments. The Lay Away program requires a signed Lay Away contract as well as a 20% down payment within 2 business days of the auction closing. The remaining payments may be spread out over two to four months, depending on the length of time the winning bidder desires. Upon receipt of all payments, the item will then be shipped to the customer. This option is offered as a free service on limited items. Please note, the contract may be cancelled within 7 days with no penalty or obligation. Any down payments would be returned in full. After 7 days, in the case of either default or cancellation of the Lay Away contract, a 10% liquidation fee would be applicable, and the remainder of any monies held would be refunded. If interested in this option, the winning bidder must contact the office to request a layaway contract.

Our merchandise comes from many different venues. U.S. Auction Online is where various agencies and businesses liquidate their inventory due to a surplus, bankruptcies, personal estates, close-outs and more.

Items are guaranteed as described (signatures, watch make, gem descriptions, and clear of liens). Condition, grade, and value are not guaranteed. For guarantee scope, visit the Terms & Conditions page.

We have organized our online auction to make it easy to search for a particular item. The list of categories is on the left. There may also be sub-categories. For example, if you are looking for a diamond ring, click on Jewelry and the sub-categories will show and you then can click on "Diamond Rings". You can also use the search bar at the top of the page and put in keywords like Diamond rings, or Rolex.

Items selected for Buy It Now are only available for a limited amount of time and can become unavailable for Buy It Now at any time during the auction.

No. The Buy It Now price is the final sale price. There is no buyer's premium on Buy It Now items, and shipping is free.

Visit the Gemstone Cuts page to learn about diamond and gemstone cuts.

Visit the Art Glossary page for detailed definitions of art terms.

Visit the Rug Glossary page for rug terminology.

Visit the Terms & Conditions page for full details on bidding, payments, shipping, and returns.