FAQ's
Bidding:
How to bid?
All our auctions are by live online bidding only. Simply register and sign in to start bidding online on the lots of your choice. Once logged in, you can participate in any ongoing auction, just find the lot you’re interested in and click ‘Place bid’.
You can place a quick or a max bid. A quick bid allows you to place the next sequential bid on a lot in real time. A max bid sets the highest bid you are willing to place on a lot and continues to bid on your behalf until that bid is exceeded.
The countdown timer on each lot indicates how much time is left before the lot closes for bidding.
If you are subscribed, you may also place an automatic last minute bid.
What is an Auto Bid?
Auto bid is a service designed to enable buyers automatically place bids on an auction item in the final moments. The goal of this service is to place a bid in the last few seconds before the auction ends, such that competing bidders do not have much opportunity to respond with higher bids, thereby increasing the chances of winning the lot at a lower price.
What are the bidding increments in an auction?
Bidding opens at $1 and advances in increments as mentioned in the below table:
How do I keep track of items I'm interested in?
The easiest way to keep track of any items you're interested is to add them to your watchlist.
Can I cancel a bid?
You cannot cancel a bid once it has been submitted. Each bid you place enters you into a binding contract with Sephil’s.
However if you have subscribed to one of our plans and placed bid using an “Auto bid”. You can increase, decrease or cancel your bid, as long as the bid has not been executed.
What are single and collection lots?
Lots with 15 or more items are regarded as collection/ bulk lots. All other lots are a part of single lots. All stamp lots, irrespective of the number of stamps, fall under single lot.
Auto Bid Subscription
Why should I subscribe?
There are multiple benefits if you subscribe to our plans in addition to the Auto Bid Service, such as no buyers premium and no extra charges for combined shipping. The benefits of the plan only apply if you have subscribed before placing a bid. Please check out our subscription page for more info.
How can I change the subscription plan?
If a user wants to change the tier and choose a higher plan, it can be done at any time. Any days left from the previous plan will not be taken into account.
How can I cancel my subscription?
If a user wants to cancel their ongoing plan, it needs to be done within 24 hours of the expiration of the plan. No partial reimbursement is possible if the plan is cancelled with days in hand. If no actions are taken, the current plan would auto renew at expiry. However if the payment fails, the subscription would terminate at expiry.
Selling
What's the process for selling an item with Sephil’s?
We will ship out your lots within 2 working days of receiving the full payment of your final invoice. Ordinary mail typically takes about 6 weeks in transit, registered mail may take up to 4 weeks, and courier services such as DHL/FedEx usually deliver within a week.
Do you offer combined shipping?
Yes, we do offer combined shipment for purchases made in the same as well as different auctions.
For our Platinum members, additional items incur no extra charges. You will only be billed the base shipping rate, which is determined by the order value: $4 for ordinary shipping, $8 for Registered shipping, and $55 for courier services (DHL/FedEx). Orders below $20 can be sent via ordinary mail. Orders below $149 by Registered mails and orders of $150 and higher can only be sent via FedEx/ DHL.
For all other buyers, there will be a charge of 25 cents per additional lot on top of the base rate.
Each collection lot will be $10 for Registered shipping, and $5 per additional collection lot. Please note that collection lots cannot be combined with single lots.
What should I do if my shipment does not arrive?
Shipments sent via ordinary mail cannot be tracked or insured. Any loss incurred with ordinary mail will be the responsibility of the buyer.
Registered mail includes a tracking number and is insured for up to $50. Please reach out to us if you require higher insurance coverage.
Shipments sent via FedEx/ DHL are fully insured.
Any customs taxes, duties, or GST imposed will be solely the responsibility of the buyer. If the shipment is held by customs due to taxes, it will be the buyer's responsibility to comply with customs regulations and arrange for its release. If the shipment is returned back to us by the Customs for non-payment of duties/taxes, refund to the buyer will be initiated after adjusting for all the costs incurred by us.
Can I collect my purchases in person?
Yes, you may contact us for further information.
Returns and Refunds
I am not satisfied with my purchase, can I return it for a full refund?
Yes, if you are unhappy with your purchase, you may contact us to initiate a return within 7 days of receiving the item. If the item was inaccurately described or damaged during transit, we will cover the return shipping costs.
When and how will I get my refund?
Once we have received the returned goods, the refund process will be initiated within 2-3 working days via the same mode of payment.
Payments
What payment methods do you accept?
We welcome all forms of payment. You have the option to pay via PayPal, bank transfer, and through all major credit and debit cards using Stripe. We are also able to accept cash payments in all major currencies (USD, SGD, CHF, EURO, GBP, HKD and INR).
When is payment due?
An invoice will be generated at the end of each auction. Buyers can continue to participate in ongoing auctions for up to 7 days, and any more wins within this timeframe, would result in an updated combined invoice.
In order to enjoy bidding beyond the first 7 days, at least a partial payment (25%) of the invoice is necessary.
Kindly note, buyers are given 30 days from the first invoice to settle the payment in full.
What is the partial payment system?
You may pay 25% of the invoice to extend bidding privileges beyond the first 7 days. You would still need to complete the balance payment within 30 days of the first invoice.
Any new purchases during these 30 days would initiate an updated combined invoice to which the same rules of payment would apply, i.e, pay at least 25% of the updated combined invoice to continue bidding beyond 7 days of that new purchase.
If the invoice remains unpaid for 30 days, the purchases will automatically get cancelled, and the user will be blocked from further participation.
What is the buyer's premium?
The buyer’s premium is a percentage of the final hammer price that the buyer pays in addition to the hammer price of an object. In addition to the buyer’s premium and hammer price, the buyer is responsible for paying all relevant taxes and shipping costs.
The buyers premium is set at 10%. However, if a buyer has subscribed to any of our auto bid plans, the buyers premium is completely waived off.
Technical Issues
What should I do if I encounter technical issues?
If you experience technical difficulties, please try clearing your browser's cache, updating it, and attempting again. Should the problem persist, kindly take a screenshot and send it via email to info@sephils.com. Our technical team will promptly investigate and work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.