FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Yes. To be able to leave absentee bids and use our online bidding platform you need to have an account.
When you register with us, we ask that you provide your name, address, email, phone number, username and password. We also require a credit card number on your account, that will be used to pay for invoices that are unpaid after 7 days (more on payment process below).

Only you can access your account online, so it is important that you keep your username and password secure. Do not share your account information with anyone, as you will be responsible for all online activity on your account. Our staff can also view your account. We cannot see your password or your credit card number, those are encrypted. Our staff is able to edit your address, if you want. We cannot recover your password. If you forget your password, email us and we will create a temporary password for you (and email it to you). Any credit card changes must be initiated by you, we cannot access that feature.

You may view, change, or access your account information at any time by logging in and editing your details by clicking on your name in the upper right corner of your screen.. If you would like to delete your account, please contact us at info@marbleauctions.com or call or text us at 203-209-7076 and we can further assist you.

Bid registration will open up as soon as the auction is listed on the website. Customers can register and bid at any time, even while the auction is in progress. It is recommended that new customers register at least 24 hours before the auction to familiarize themselves with the bidding platform.

Yes, but you do not need to create a new account each time. Paddle numbers are assigned in the order of registration, you do not keep the same paddle number from auction to auction.

When registering for a sale, you will be asked for a credit / debit card. The credit approval process is instant. You will receive an email notifying you of your approval status. Once approved, you are ready to bid! Please note that we cannot access your credit card information. If you are successful with your bidding, please follow the payment guidelines outlined in your winning email and also detailed below.

Our auctions are Live Online-Only with Absentee Bidding. Lots are available for absentee bids as soon as the catalogue is opened (about 3-4 weeks prior to auction close date) until the point each lot is opened for live bidding (at which point absentee bidding is frozen). The Catalogue page will state the time that the auction opens for Live Bidding. At that time, Lot 1 will be locked for absentee bidding and live bidding will commence with the computer managing the absentee bid. After bidding has stopped, we wait 10 seconds and then issue “Last Call”. After a further 20 seconds the lot is sold. We then move to the next lot in sequential order and continue that process until we reach the last lot of the auction. We generally do about 90 lots per hour.

Once you have logged in use the PLACE BID button on each lot to submit a bid. Select a bid amount and then click the red BID button to submit the bid. If you choose to place a bid above the next increment the website will bid on your behalf up to that amount, but it will not continue to bid once the bidding has passed your maximum bid. If a Live Bidder bids the same as your maximum, then your bid is used instead, since you bid earlier than the Live Bidder.

Yes, all bids submitted are confidential. The identities of our bidders are not shared with other customers. In addition, we do not see the names of the bidders during the auction, only the paddle numbers. So, if you have a question on an item you are bidding on, you will need to include the Lot # when asking us the question, since we can’t see what you are bidding on. Your current bid will be displayed while you are winning the lot, but not the maximum amount you are prepared to bid. If you’ve won a lot, your winning bid amount will be displayed, but not any identifying information.

DURING ABSENTEE SESSION: Once logged in and registered for the sale, click the Place Bid button. Select a bid amount then click the red BID button to submit your bid. If you are the top bidder, the screen will display green text saying WINNING, followed by the current bid amount, and your top bid in parenthesis. Other bidders cannot see your top bid. If you have been outbid, the green text will turn to red text saying OUTBID. You will be notified by email as soon as you are outbid.
DURING LIVE SESSION:

Blocks Marble Auctions operates in fixed increments which are as outlined below, unless otherwise noted in the auction details.
$1 to $30 by $2
$100 to $250 by $5
$250 to $500 by $10
$500 to $1,000 by $25
$1,000 to $2,500 by $50
$2,500 to $5,000 by $100
$5,000 to $10,000 by $250
$10,000 to $25,000 by $500
$25,000 and over by $1,000

You cannot cancel your bid online. Please contact our offices if you’ve made a mistake and need to cancel your bid. Excessive cancellation of bids is disruptive to the auction process and unfair to other bidders. Excessive cancellation of bids is cause to have your account disabled.

You can increase your bid at any time while the auction is in progress and the lot is still open for bidding.

You cannot reduce your bid online. Please contact our offices if you’ve made a mistake. All we can do is cancel your bid, we cannot reduce bids.

Winning bidders will be sent an invoice for all their purchased lots, the afternoon after the auction ending. You can also view your WON/ LOST lots in your dashboard (click your name in the upper right corner of the website page while logged in).

In the event of a tie in bids submitted, the bids will be accepted in the order they were placed. If a customer has placed a maximum higher than your bid, they will be the winning bidder. In this instance you will be told you are losing the lot while the auction is in progress and have the opportunity to place a higher bid. Other customers’ maximum bids will never be disclosed to you.

Yes, anyone may follow the auction. Current and next bids are displayed to all site visitors. Remember, in order to bid you must register and have your account authorized. We recommend doing this at least 24 hours before the sale begins.

No, our auctions are Online-Only. We do not engage in in-person bidding. Also, we do not have the facilities or staff to accept phone bids during the auction.

No, the system will only increase your current bid if there is another person bidding against you. However it is your sole responsibility to ensure that you do not bid against yourself if you have more than one account. An account is defined as unique email address. Ensure that if you have created multiple accounts with unique email addresses that you are bidding from your intended account. We are not responsible for bidders bidding from multiple accounts (we have no way to track that).

You will be sent an invoice by email the afternoon after the auction. If you have not received an invoice by the evening following the auction, check your SPAM folder and if you do not find it then contact us.

The winning bid price is made up of the Hammer Price, Buyer’s Premium, Credit Card Fee, Shipping and applicable Sales Tax. Our Buyer’s Premium is 15% plus a credit card fee (charged to us by the credit card company). If you pay by check or ACH, then the fee is waived. See the Shipping section below for an explanation of shipping charges and procedures.

The invoice will include a Payment Button. Simply click that button and you can pay via credit card, debit card or ACH. All invoices are due and payable upon receipt. We pay our consignors 10 days after the auction date, so we need to collect invoices quickly.

Upon receipt of your invoice you can email us and request we charge the invoice to the credit card you have on file.

We accept payment via Paypal. Upon receipt of your invoice you can email us to send you a Paypal money request. We do not accept payment via Venmo, Cashapp, Zelle, or any other payment app.

You can pay via check. Your invoice email will include the discount you can take by paying via check as well as the address to mail your check. You must notify us via email when you receive your invoice that you will be paying via check. If your check is not received within 14 days of the auction end, we will automatically charge your credit card on file.

All invoices that are unpaid on the 7th day after the auction (where we have not been notified that payment will be made by check) will be automatically charged to the credit card on file. If you have notified us that you are paying by check, your credit card will be charged if we do not receive payment by the 14th day after the auction.

No. We automatically ship all winning items.

All of our shipping is conducted in-house. Your invoice will include a shipping charge. We charge the actual cost of shipping plus a buck for the box and packing materials. If when we ship your package your actual cost of shipping is less than we charged you then we will refund the difference. We ship within a day or two of payment, and we’ll send the tracking number to you via email.

The invoice will include a Payment Button. All packages are insured. Packages over $200 require a signature upon delivery per our insurance company. Packages valued over $2500 must be shipped via USPS Express Mail or FedEx Overnight Shipping, in order to be insured.

We ship to the address on your invoice. If you want us to ship to a different address, just let us know. The only exception to this are items paid through Paypal. Those items must be shipped to your Paypal address in accordance with Paypal rules.

If you are a foreign bidder, be aware that the cost of postage tends to be very high for any packages over 15 ounces. Contact us before bidding for an estimate of shipping costs. In addition, you are solely responsible for any customs charges or taxes levied by your country.

You can make arrangements to pick up your winning items from us at our Cherry Hill location or in Center City Philadelphia. Also, if we are attending a marble show within a week after an auction, we can bring your winning items to you at the show.

All lots are guaranteed to be correctly identified, sized, graded and pictured. If you believe there is an error, then send us an email upon receiving the item specifying the issues. See the Auction Terms and Conditions for more information.

If an item is incorrectly identified, sized, graded or pictured, then contact us. We will have you send the item back and will refund your winning bid, buyer premium, portion of shipping cost and cost of return shipping to us. Over the past several years we have had one return every 6 auctions, on average.

Do not send marbles without sending us images first. If you send marbles without talking to us first about what you have, and they do not meet our lot minimums, then you are responsible for return shipping.
Lot minimum is generally $50. Generally, antique and vintage marbles must be made prior to 1932 to have much value.

• You send the marbles to us. When they arrive, I send an email acknowledging receipt. The marbles are covered by my insurance when they arrive.
• I email you catalogue descriptions and images just prior to the auction opening date so you can ask for any changes to the descriptions.
• The catalogue opens for absentee bidding 21-25 days before the auction date. You can follow progress of the bidding in the online catalogue.
• Two days after the auction I send you a consignor statement.
• I send you payment 10 days after the auction. Via check or Paypal, your choice.

The commission rate is 20.85% of the final bid-in price. 3.35% of this goes to the auction platform company. Bulk groups of marbles, or large items, require significantly more cataloguing and packing time and accordingly incur a commission rate of 38.35%. Significant consignments receive a discounted commission rate. Consignments from prior bidders in our auction may receive a discounted commission rate.

Due to the lead time in cataloguing an auction, the minimum time from receipt of package to auction is 10 weeks. Consignments are catalogued in the order received (except for large consignments that are split across multiple auctions). We usually have a backlog of consignments due to the popularity of our auctions and the time from receipt to auction has been running about 5 months recently.