The following Terms and Conditions, as amended by any published notice or verbal announcement during the sale, constitute the entire terms and conditions under which the property listed in this catalogue is offered for sale by Classic Arms and any consignor for whom we act.
- Definitions
• “Bid Price”: The amount at which a lot is knocked down by the auctioneer.
• “Purchase Price”: The aggregate of:
a) The Bid Price;
b) A Buyer’s Premium of 15% of the Bid Price, plus VAT at 15% thereon (i.e. an effective premium of 17.25%) will be added to the consolidated invoice to be sent after completion of the auction.
The consignor authorises Classic Arms to retain the premium payable on each lot as part of our remuneration, with VAT thereon payable in addition.
- Bidding & Auction Process
a) On the fall of the hammer, the highest bidder shall be deemed to have purchased the lot, assuming full responsibility for ownership and liability for payment of the Purchase Price.
b) Placing a bid within the final 5 minutes of an auction will automatically extend the closing time for that lot by 15 minutes for all users. This extension will happen just one time to ensures fair competition and gives all interested bidders a final chance to participate. Bidders are solely responsible for monitoring auctions.
c) All confirmed bids are binding, including where a bidder increases their own standing bid. No bid cancellations or removals will be permitted unless a clear technical fault in the system is demonstrated.
d) In cases where a lot is offered with a “Buy Now” option, the first successfully paid and processed order shall be deemed valid. In the rare event of a duplicate order due to system error, Classic Arms reserves the right to cancel and refund the later transaction without liability.
e) Classic Arms reserves the right to withdraw any property at any time prior to sale, to reject any bid, or to deviate from standard increments at its sole discretion in order to advance bidding fairly.
- Payment Terms
a) Payment of the Purchase Price plus auction fee and VAT must be made in full within 7 calendar days of the auction by EFT or bank-cleared funds.
b) No lots shall be deemed paid for until all monies due have been received in cleared funds into the Classic Arms Trust Account.
c) Credit and charge card payments will incur a surcharge of 3.75% on the total Purchase Price including VAT.
d) If payment is not received within 7 days, Classic Arms may:
• cancel the sale, retaining as liquidation costs any amounts already paid by the purchaser;
• resell the property, holding the purchaser liable for any shortfall, costs, and interest at prime +3% until settlement.
- Firearm Licensing
a) The purchaser assumes full liability for ownership of firearms and payment of the Purchase Price irrespective of the granting or refusal of a SAPS licence or permit.
b) If a licence is refused, Classic Arms may, at its discretion, resell the item on the purchaser’s behalf at a subsequent auction. The purchaser remains liable for any shortfall, commissions, and costs, but shall receive credit for any net resale proceeds realised.
c) No lot requiring SAPS licensing shall be released to any person or body not duly authorised to be in legal possession of said lot, unless all monies due have been settled in full.
- Storage & Collection
a) Purchasers must collect items within 6 months of the auction.
b) Thereafter, storage fees of R200 per month or part thereof will be charged, payable monthly in advance. Unless written arrangements are made.
c) If a lot remains uncollected after 12 months, Classic Arms reserves the right to resell the lot to recover storage and sales commissions. Any balance remaining shall be payable to the purchaser.
- Notifications & Appeals
a) Outbid or winning-bid notifications by email or Telegram are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed. Failure to receive a notification shall not invalidate any auction result.
b) Classic Arms provides a private Appeals Process:
• Appeals must be lodged within 24 hours of auction close via the official Appeal Form.
• Appeals must include proof of error (e.g. screenshot or system error message).
• Where a valid appeal is upheld, Classic Arms may re-auction the lot in the next Unsold Auction.
• The decision of Classic Arms in respect of appeals shall be final and binding.
- Consignor Protections
a) Classic Arms shall deduct its commission and agreed expenses from the sale proceeds before paying consignors.
b) Consignors will only be paid once cleared funds have been received from the purchaser.
c) If a buyer defaults, Classic Arms may resell the lot, but consignors shall not receive proceeds until the lot is fully settled.
- Reserve Prices
If a lot is offered subject to a reserve (a confidential minimum price required by the consignor), Classic Arms reserves the right to open bidding or to bid on the consignor’s behalf in order to protect such reserve. Classic Arms shall not bid on the consignor’s behalf above such reserve. A consignor may not bid on any property consigned by themselves.
- Voetstoots & Warranties
All lots are sold “Voetstoots”.
All statements in the catalogue or other documentation as to authenticity, validity, authorship, period, culture, source, provenance, rarity, condition, importance or historical value are statements of opinion and are not representations or warranties.
No warranty is given as to the accuracy of rifles or clarity of optics.
- Packaging, Handling & Transport
If Classic Arms undertakes packaging or handling of any lots on the purchaser’s behalf, it is done entirely at the purchaser’s risk.
Classic Arms shall not be liable for any acts or omissions of carriers or packers, including those recommended by us. Such carriers may carry their own insurance, and claims for loss or damage must be addressed directly to them.
- Liability & Force Majeure
If, for any reason beyond our control (including but not limited to fire, theft, acts of God, insurrection, internet outages, cyberattacks, or technical failures), Classic Arms is prevented from delivering the property to the purchaser, liability shall be limited only to the sum actually paid by the purchaser.
Classic Arms accepts no liability for any losses of whatsoever nature caused by legislative changes relating to possession of firearms or ammunition.
- Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Conditions of Sale and the respective rights of the purchaser and Classic Arms are governed by the laws of South Africa.
Any dispute shall first be referred to private arbitration under the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), with costs shared equally.
Failing resolution, the Magistrate court of South Africa shall have jurisdiction. Subject to financial limitations of the Magistrate court.
These Conditions of Sale bind the successors and assigns of all bidders and purchasers.
No waiver, amendment, or modification (other than published notices or oral announcements during the sale) shall bind Classic Arms unless specifically stated in writing.
- Absentee Bids
As a service to bidders unable to attend an auction, Classic Arms may, at its sole discretion, accept bids in advance of sale by telephone or in writing using the official bidding forms.
• “Buy” bids will not be accepted.
• All absentee bids must state the maximum (excluding buyer’s premium and taxes) that the bidder is willing to pay.
• In the event that identical absentee bids are received, the first bid received shall take precedence.
• Classic Arms accepts no responsibility for not executing any absentee bid for any reason whatsoever.
- Estimates
As a service to clients, Classic Arms furnishes presale estimates for all lots.
These are intended as guides to current market value and represent no warranty to bidder or seller.
- Sale Increments
The following increments apply to all lots bid for (subject to auctioneer’s discretion to deviate for fairness):
• R0 – R500 : R50 increments
• R501 – R1,999 : R100 increments
• R2,000 – R4,999 : R250 increments
• R5,000 – R9,999 : R500 increments
• R10,000 – R19,999 : R1,000 increments
• R20,000+ : R2,500 increments
Last Update : 27 August 2025