The text of the terms and conditions in French is currently being restructured. The terms are fully available on this website in the Dutch language.
Team Sylvie's March 2025
When you participate in the auction, you are requested to accept the terms and conditions of sale that follow. Your acceptance creates an agreement between you and Sylvie's.
You determine the price of your purchase based on your own research. Purchases you make at Sylvie's are irrevocable and legally binding. Therefore, please read these terms and conditions carefully.
Conditions may change over time. Sylvie's is free to modify the terms and conditions as soon as it deems necessary. Changes to the terms and conditions will take effect at the next auction.
The date of the most recent change to the general conditions of sale is March 8, 2025.
1.1 Sylvie’s Wine Auctions
Sylvie's was founded on August 24, 1987 as HIKA and commonly known as 'Veiling Sylvie's'. As of January 10, 2022, the official company name is Sylvie's Wine Auctions.
For better readability, we use the term ‘Sylvie's’ instead of ‘Sylvie's Wine Auctions’ in these terms and conditions. When we use the terms ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’, they refer to Sylvie's. In contrast, the terms 'you' and 'your' refer to you as the buyer in these terms of sale.
1.2 Transparent service
We aim to provide a personal and transparent service:
For all your questions, please contact us by email or telephone. We will be happy to help you.
No filming or photography is allowed in the publicly accessible areas or showroom without our prior permission in writing.
1.3 Multimedia use
Bidding is possible once the catalogue is published and your registration is processed.
We auction via several platforms at the same time. You can bid live, in person our auction room or over the phone, as well as live online. It is also possible to place a maximum bid. You can do the latter in the following ways:
The auction starts as a timed auction on the app and ends in a live and live online auction. During the timed auction, bidders on the app automatically receive a message when other app bidders outbid them. During the live auction days, messages from so-called 'Floor bids' are added. These are the bids coming from other bidding platforms, like the auction room. When there are more bidders with the same highest bid, the auctioneers pronounce their participation during the live auction. This gives you a chance to raise your bid.
On the introduction page of the Sylvie's app, you will find the following text to alert you to the use of various platforms for bidding:
"We would like to point out that bids at Sylvie's are received through multiple channels and there may be bidders who have submitted the same bid before you. The app cannot detect bidders from other platforms in advance, like the bids from bidders in the auction room.
So pay close attention to the auctioneer and your paddle number.
If there are 2 or more equal bids, priority will be given to the bid received first."
2.1 Meaning of a public auction
Sylvie's is a public auction :
2.2 Buying wine in ’as is’ condition
We describe the wines as carefully as possible and provide photos, but it remains up to you to do your research before bidding. Sylvie's gives you the opportunity for a physical inspection and publishes comprehensive catalogues. If you discover after the auction, that you made your decision based on only part of the available information, this does not constitute grounds for abandoning the purchase or for compensation.
The following catalogues are available by default:
The photos show the front of a bottle, where bottle numbers may have been made invisible.
You can request additional photos.
Sylvie's is not responsible for defects it was unable to observe. This also applies if a hidden defect makes the wines unsuitable for the use for which you intended. It applies even if this defect reduces the use of your purchase for you to such an extent that you:
This exclusion ground for complaints does not apply when it comes to fact-based doubts about the authenticity of a bottle.
2.2.1 ‘As is’ and right of return
Public auctions have a protected legal status which means there is no right of return: you form the price of a good yourself, based on your own research. Sylvie's works as a commissioner and pays your offer to the seller.
2.2.2 ‘As is’ and authenticity
Before Sylvie's admits wine to the auction, it will check the bottles against a number of criteria. In doing so, Sylvie's uses its accumulated wine expertise and provenance. Despite all efforts, the authenticity of a bottle may be questioned by you or a third party.
For a successful claim for compensation, you must immediately inspect your purchase upon receipt. The time limit for buyers to claim refund of payment is for a period of 4 weeks after receipt of the purchase. An exception applies to buyers from outside the EU. For them, a period of 3 months applies, counting from the date of departure from the EU.
Additional demands for a refund, are the following:
Sylvie's will then launch an investigation. If your doubts are found to be justified, Sylvie's will reimburse you the amount of the purchase.
Sylvie's will recover damages from the consignor, or withhold a proposed payout, and may take legal action.
Explicitly excluded from a successful appeal on doubts about the authenticity of a bottle, is a taste that is different from what you expected.
Sylvie's has an extensive wine database and working experience. There are winemakers who use - or used - different ways of presenting bottles for the same vintage. No wines will be eligible for refunds where the winemaker has variation in labels, capsules and tags, packaging, ways of gluing, inscriptions - and whatever form of presentation - where it has already been established from Sylvie's tasting and working notes that these differences do not constitute grounds for doubting the correctness of the wine.
2.2.3 ‘As is’ and shipping wine in original packaging
After an auction, Sylvie's will send you the options for shipping your wine.
The state 'as is', may give restrictions on shipping options. For example, wine in a closed original wooden case (closed Owc), in a closed original carton (closed Oc) or in a closed gift box is rarely suitable for shipping as a parcel unless the case or box is opened and the bottles are sent separated from the packaging. The same applies to bottles in sizes larger than 5 litres and to bottle shapes that do not fit into standard packaging. In all these cases, Sylvie's offers you 6 months of free storage and the option of shipping your wine on a pallet. A pallet shipment is possible from a weight of 35 kilograms. Our customer service department will discuss the possibilities with you.
If you do not use a shipment on a pallet, and your wine cannot be shipped 'as is' as a result, we reject any claims for damages. This also applies if you believe that the presence of the original packaging would make a difference in price when reselling to your own buyers.
2.2.4 ‘As is’ and active organisms in original wooden cases (woodworm, etc.)
Wooden wine cases are not a quantifiable component of the wine's commercial value. You should consider the possible implications before you place bids on wine in an original wooden case.
Buying goods in their 'as is' condition does not mean that the wooden cases are free of (traces of) active organisms, such as woodworm. ISPM15-labelled cases and cases made of pressed wood are never a problem. Sylvie's offers as few original wooden cases as possible without ISPM15 certification and is entitled to immediately destroy these untreated cases.
In the unlikely event that Sylvie's discovers traces of organisms in your cases without an ISPM15 hallmark after the auction, we will offer you the choice of whether you want to receive the cases or not. If you accept the cases 'as is', the consequences are yours. If you do not accept the cases, there is no right to compensation.
You should check your cases for traces of active organisms upon receipt. If (traces of) active organisms are found after your purchase has been dispatched, and your cases are refused storage or require treatment against organisms, Sylvie's will not accept any claims for compensation.
3.1 Registration for participation
You can register prior to and during the auction. Registration is free of charge.
If you want to be assured of participation, you must register at least 24 hours before the start of a live auction.
3.2 Conditions for participation
To participate in the auction, you (and the legal entity for which you are bidding) must meet the following basic conditions:
Sylvie's does not supply wine to countries subject to sanctions by the European Union and its trading partners.
Sylvie's can contact you at any time with the request to provide additional information at the request of governments and financial institutions.
When a credit needs to be made, Sylvie's will return the money to the bank account number on which the payment was received, minus all bank charges or credit card fees. A cash refund is possible, provided that it is limited to a maximum of €3,000.00 per auction (legal maximum) and only to you personally at the counter in Antwerp. In the latter case, we will ask for your identification on site.
Sylvie's has full freedom to refuse bidders and bids, at any time in the auction process, if the conditions for participation are being violated.
All damages to Sylvie's resulting from violation of the terms of this agreement will be at your expense.
3.3 Address and shipping registration
We require from you:
Business buyers from the European Union, we will additionally ask for:
Business buyers from the European Union who do not have an excise number cannot use the VAT rules for an intra-community scheme.
3.4 Address changes
Address changes should be sent to info@sylvies.be, preferably before the auction, stating the effective date.
3.5. Age and identification at registration and the role of a credit card
Sylvie's requires new participants to first register on the live online platform - the Sylvie's app - using a valid credit card. We accept credit cards from AMEX, VISA, MasterCard, Dinners Club and Discover. Additional questions may be asked as a result of your registration to verify your identity.
You can download the Sylvie's app for free from the App Store or Google Play on your smartphone or tablet. If you encounter problems with your registration or if you do not have a credit card, please contact us by phone during office hours at +32 37769077 or email info@sylvies.be. We will be happy to assist you.
Once your registration has been processed, it is possible to bid via all platforms Sylvie's has, in the venue and by phone. However, when you register at the counter to participate in the auction in the hall, a copy of an ID card or passport will be requested on the spot. A driving licence is not a legally valid means of your identification in Belgium.
3.6 Identification upon delivery
You must ensure that you can receive the wine. Some countries require the presentation of a valid identification document when receiving the wine to verify the recipient's age. If the wine is returned and/or has to be presented again, Sylvie's will charge you for the additional costs.
3.7 Your telephone accessibility in the destined country
Sylvie's requires you to provide a telephone number of a contact person for delivery locally. Without this number, simple problems may not be solved by delivery staff. If this results in additional costs, such as returns, these will be at your expense.
3.8 You are bidding in your personal capacity
This means that you:
All consequences of deviating from these rules are at your expense and risk.
3.9 First participation with a maximum of €5,000.00
Sylvie's also applies spending limits for participation in subsequent auctions.
For a first participation, a spending limit of €5,000.00 applies. Please contact us if you wish to participate for a higher amount at info@sylvies.be. A deposit may be required to place higher bids. Sylvie's will refund any overpayments received as soon as possible after the auction or, if you wish, keep an amount aside to spend at a subsequent auction.
3.10 Refusal to participate
Sylvie's is entitled to refuse your participation in the current and future auctions if you do not comply with the conditions for sale or consigment.
Once the catalogue has been published, you can bid on:
4.1 Process in brief
During the live auction, all bids through the various bidding channels will come together.
The auctioneer calls off the lots in the order listed in the catalogue. There are possible exceptions to this rule, but they are rare in practice. The auctioneer calls out the amount to be bid to become the highest bidder.
The starting bid is at the low estimate level if at least one bid at the low estimate level has been received. If this is not the case, the auctioneer may decide to make a lower starting bid. A reserve price must then have been agreed with the seller that is lower than the low estimate.
The low estimate can be found in the catalogue. The auctioneer determines the amounts to be bid on the basis of bidding steps set out in these terms and conditions.
The person who places the highest bid first wins the lot.
4.2 Bidding steps
The auctioneer uses the bidding steps below, unless explicitly stated otherwise during the auction. Bidders bidding live online will automatically see the bidding steps and the auctioneer's changes on their screen.
|
From |
Up to |
Step |
|
€0 |
€80 |
€5 |
|
€80 |
€300 |
€10 |
|
€300 |
€800 |
€20 |
|
€800 |
€2.000 |
€50 |
|
€2.000 |
€4.000 |
€100 |
|
€4.000 |
€8.000 |
€200 |
|
€8.000 |
higher |
At the auctioneer's discretion |
4.3 Language used during the auction
English will be spoken during the auction. For answering bidders' questions in the room or on the telephone, other languages may also be used. The judicial officer on site shall ensure that the interest of none of the other auction participants is prejudiced by the use of the other language.
4.4. Follow progress
On the app, the progress of the auction can be followed live online via a video link. Anyone can follow the auction live online via PC, even if you have not registered for participation on the app.
There is a varying number of lots per auction. The length of the auction days depends, among other things, on the number of lots per auction day and the length of bidding per lot. The starting time is always at 10.00 A.M. CET unless clearly indicated otherwise on the website and/or via the newsletter.
4.5 Different bidding options
The different options for bidding are explained below:
4.5.1 Participating in the auction room
To participate in the auction room, you must register at the counter on presentation of a valid passport or ID card. You will receive a buyer number (or paddle number) from us, which you will hold up visible for the auctioneer as soon as you bid. The auctioneer uses this number to register your successful bids.
If you participate in the room, but do not have the time to bid on all your desired lots personally, you can request a form at the counter on which you authorise the auctioneer to place maximum bids on your behalf. You write down on the form the maximum hammer price you wish to pay for the lots that you are interested in.
4.5.2 Telephone bidding
For telephone participation, please sign up by email. We advise you to do this at least 24 hours in advance to ensure that we can address you in your preferred language: Dutch, French, English or German. For telephone participation, you should be prepared to offer at least the low estimate.
We ask you to be reachable on the given telephone number. Sylvie's will contact you, a few minutes before your lot is due. Our phone team is located in the auction room and only has outgoing phone lines. Should we not be able to reach you immediately, we will try again. If we call you at the phone number provided but you do not answer, we will not be liable for any missed purchases.
We recommend that, in case we do not manage to reach you in time, you also communicate your maximum bids by email.
4.5.3 Email
You can send us maximum bids by email at info@sylvies.be. We ask you to provide them no later than 24 hours before the start of the auction to ensure timely processing of your bids.
4.5.4 Online bidding via the website www.sylvies.be
You can also place maximum bids via the website. Only when you participate for the first time, Sylvie's will ask you to register twice: you will need to register on both the Sylvie's app and the website. Your registration through the app requires the use of a credit card. By using your credit card, we know that you are not a robot.
You can register by pressing the ‘login/register’ button at the top right of the homepage. A digital form will appear where you can enter your email address and a password. You will enter the ‘My Sylvie's’ environment. In that environment, you will have the following options:
The photos on the website can be enlarged.
You can build a list of favourite lots via ‘My Favourite Lots’ and place your bids via ‘My Bids’. You can freely change these bids via ‘My Bids’ up to an hour before the start of each auction. After that, Sylvie's will load your bids into the auction master system and your bids will become irrevocable. Although you can bid for any amount you wish on the website, the auctioneers follow the bidding steps as stated in these terms and conditions for the allocation of lots. A bid of €101.00 therefore becomes a bid of €100.00.
The reason you are free to change your bids on the website until the auction starts live is because your bids do not affect the pricing. After all, other bidders do not see your bids and Sylvie's does not reveal these bids until the live auction. Of all bids still placed on the website during the last half-hour, Sylvie's cannot guarantee that they will be included in the auction.
The website records on which day you placed your bid and at what time. The auctioneer sees on his screen which bid number first placed the highest bid.
As with bids by email, you will see which lots you have won based on the invoice we send you after the auction. There is no feedback on the auction results during the auction and you will not receive a summary of your lost or won bids in real time.
4.5.5 Online bidding via the Sylvies App (Auction Mobility)
Via the Auction Mobility platform, which provides the livestreamed online auction, it is possible to:
'Live online' means that you can follow the auction with images and sound when the live auction takes place. You cannot withdraw a bid you place on the app. Of course, you remain free to increase your bid.
The platform has the ability to track all bids on a specific lot.
The processing time of your bid on the app is minimal and the auctioneers take their time to take your bid into consideration. When they are about to award the bid, they do so by stating a ‘last call’ or ‘fair warning’ or similar wording. In the time frame of uttering these words, final bids may still arrive. If your bid reaches the auctioneer while the auction hammer is already going down, your bid is valid as long as it is ‘in the hammer’. To avoid your bid not arriving in time, we advise you to prepare well for the auction and place your bid quickly.
If you bid via your smartphone, it may vibrate when the auctioneer is about to allocate the lot. That way, you can follow the auction while the sound is off. However, not all mobile phones have this option and the option only works if you have activated it.
You register by downloading the Sylvie's App from App Store or Google Play via your smartphone or tablet. Using the app is free of charge. You choose the ‘register’ option. We will receive your registration and process your details. Once Sylvie's has accepted you as a bidder, you will receive a confirmation and it will be possible to place bids.
You can indicate whether your credit card details may be used to pay for your purchases. However, Sylvie's will not make use of this. We ask you to pay for your purchases in cash, by bank or via (Transfer) Wise.
The bidding steps are pre-programmed, making bidding quick and easy. The app shows who currently placed the winning bid. On the app, you can easily see that the auction is already in progress prior to the live auction days. As soon as your bid turns out to be the highest, it becomes visible to others. You will automatically receive a message (an alert) about this on your smartphone or tablet. From the auction room, bids from the web or email (‘Written offer’), the room (‘Floor Bid’) and the phone (‘Phone bid’) are all transmitted to the app as ‘Floor bid’. When you receive an alert, it is a message that you are the possible winner, but you should pay close attention to whether your paddle number was also the first to place the highest bid. As long as the auctioneer has not hammered the lot, it is possible for others to still bid and become the highest bidder.
Should the auctioneer change a bidding step during the live auction, you will see it on your screen.
You will immediately see which of your bids were successful and which were not, and you will see the hammer prices realised. You can see your bids back on your account.
With each new auction you will be notified as soon as the new catalogue has been published. If you want to participate in a new auction, you do not have to register again as a user, but only as a participant.
4.5.6 Rescue service
If you wish to participate in the auction but none of the other options are available to you, you can contact us by telephone and we will make every effort to place your bids. The success of this service depends on available capacity and therefore cannot be guaranteed in advance.
When we place bids on your behalf, we will record them in an email and ask you for written confirmation.
4.6 Parallel use of bidding options
You are free to use all bidding methods in one auction. However, Sylvie's advises you to choose one bidding platform per lot to avoid bidding against yourself.
4.7 More than one bidder with the highest bid
The highest bid can be placed from different platforms and not all of them are live online. Bidders participating in the live online auction on the app should be aware of the existence of ‘Floor Bids’ as the app cannot indicate these bids in advance. A ‘Floor Bid’ may have been placed before your bid and win. The auctioneer reports situations with equal bids during the auction.
"We would like to point out that bids at Sylvie's are received through multiple channels and there may be bidders who have submitted the same bid before you. The app cannot detect bidders from other platforms in advance, like the bids from bidders in the auction room.
So pay close attention to the auctioneer and your paddle number.
If there are 2 or more equal bids, priority will be given to the bid received first."
In an exceptional case, the app records your bid as neither won nor lost. In that case, you have lost.
4.8 Difference between the two online platforms (web and app)
Below you will find the differences between the two online platforms. The most essential differences are that on the Sylvie's App, with your absentee bid, you are already participating in auctions that can be followed immediately after the catalogue is published as a timed auction. On the web, your bid has no impact on others yet so you can still change it.
Furthermore, the app allows you to participate live online while the website does not. Both platforms are not interconnected and therefore require their own registration. For new auctions, you do not need to re-register, but you do need to register as a participant for an auction on your preferred platform. This is necessary to obtain a paddle number and to accept the current terms and conditions for participation.
|
Possibility |
On the web |
On the Sylvie's App |
|
Place bids live online |
√ |
|
|
Leave absentee bids |
√ |
√ |
|
See other people's bids in real time |
|
√ |
|
Track bids on a specific lot |
√ |
|
|
Receive a message as soon as you are outbid |
√ |
|
|
Withdraw or reduce a bid before the live auction |
√ |
|
|
Place a bid below the low estimate |
√ |
|
|
See an overview of the won and lost bids |
√ |
|
|
Link |
4.9 Bidding by employees
Employees may bid via the Sylvie's App. This ensures that they bid under the same conditions as all other bidders.
4.10 Contributors bidding on their own contribution
If you bid on lots that you offer yourself for sale at the auction, the auctioneer may withdraw the lot from the auction, reject your bid or stop the bidding process. Bids may also be declared invalid.
4.11 Special powers of the auctioneer
The auctioneer has the following powers:
These powers are necessary for the correct and smooth running of the auction and are never grounds for compensation or revocation of a sale or purchase. They are deployed under the supervision of the judicial officer on site.
4.12 Unsuccessful bidders
If you have not won any lots, we will inform you within 2 days of the end of auction.
4.13 Invoicing and publication of auction results
Sylvie's aims to publish auction results no later than the 3rd working day after an auction.
After the auction, you will receive your invoice with the overview of your lots won, unless there are logistical questions. In that case, we will contact you.
After receiving your payment, your purchases can be collected, shipped or stored.
5.1 Opening hours and address
The address for pick-ups and shipments is Italiëlei 21, 2000 in Antwerp.
Sylvie's is open Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 17:00 and on the first Saturday after an auction between 9:00 and 16:00.
We are closed:
5.2 Personal collection of wine at the counter
If you live less than 30 minutes away (by car) from Antwerp, we assume you will collect your wine yourself and you will receive an invoice without shipping charges.
Wine collection is possible by appointment and from the first Thursday after an auction under the condition that you already have received your invoice.
When you collect your wine in person, you always pay Belgian VAT, unless you have an alcohol licence. In the latter case, an e-AD or e-VAD must be arranged prior to your arrival. Please contact our customer service department for this.
If your billing and shipping address is in Belgium, it does not matter which type of lots you bought.
However, if your shipping address is not in Belgium, you can only collect margin lots when picking wine up in person. For lots subject to VAT, a proof of export is always required and we will invoice you the VAT corresponding to your destination country.
Before the wine leaves Antwerp, we check the purchases together. If you don't take the time to do so, any risk of a bottle difference is yours.
As soon as you take over the wine from us, further transport is at your risk.
You are not obliged to collect your wine at the counter. If you wish, we will ship your wine on payment of shipping charges.
5.3 Shipping of wine
If you do not collect or store your wine, you will incur transport costs. We ask you to give us an address suitable for the delivery of your purchases.
Sylvie's works with carriers DHL, Fedex and Bpost. Other carriers may also be used for B2B deliveries. If this happens, we will do so in consultation with you. If a carrier cannot or may not deliver to the address you have provided, the costs of a new delivery or a return will be at your expense.
5.4 Assumption of shipping charges
If we organise the shipment for you, we will charge you the cost as carriers charge us. All rates on our website are exclusive of VAT unless clearly indicated otherwise.
The transport is all-risk insured, unless:
You should find out yourself whether a direct delivery is not possible in your country prior to an auction.
5.5 Packing costs and handling fees
All packaging costs and handling fees are included in the buyer's premium.
5.6 Validity issued prices for 1 month
The buyer's guide on www.sylvies.be lists the shipping charges for parcels to a large number of countries.
The shipping charges you find on our invoice are valid for one month.
Prices issued by carriers directly to you are subject to the carrier's terms and conditions.
5.7 Transit times
Sylvie's works with transit times as indicated by the carriers. The transit times are indicative. We guarantee departure times if explicitely agreed in writing, not arrival times. If you wish to receive your wine on a precise day or time within the European Union, we offer a special and more expensive service, but guarantees of a timely arrival can never be given.
Carriers do not call prior to delivery, unless the carrier determines that this is warranted. You should ensure that someone is present to receive your shipment, even in the event of a delayed delivery. You should provide all necessary shipping information prior to shipment. If you fail to do so, and costs are incurred as a result, these will be payable by you.
5.8 Door-to-door and all-risk insured
We deliver door-to-door and all-risk insured by default. However, if a direct delivery by Sylvie's is not possible, we will contact you.
We deliver to buyers in the United States in 2 stages. The 2nd stage is handled by a logistics partner to whom shipping charges and an insurance premium must be paid directly. Buyers must apply for the all-risk insurance for the 2nd stage themselves to our logistics partner.
5.9 Door-to-door delivery
A door-to-door delivery by a carrier means a delivery to your front door. This involves the following points of attention:
In the above cases, you are responsible for moving the wine to the designated building.
5.10 No delivery to unsupervised areas
Sylvie's does not deliver to unsupervised places, such as terraces, garden sheds, carports, garages and post offices. If you give a different instruction to the carrier, you will lose your insurance against loss and theft.
If a new transport turns out to be necessary, the cost of a re-delivery will be yours, even if you were initially entitled to a free delivery.
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