In order to bid, you must first log in to your photo-eye account. If you do not already have an account you can create one here.

When you created your account, you provided us with all shipping and billing details we need to process the sale If anything has changed, please let us know as soon as possible after the auction ends. You can update your information (change shipping address and preference or credit card details) by logging into your account. This is the default information we use for shipping and billing.

If the reserve is not met at the close of the auction, the item will continue to be displayed on our site and remain available at the reserve price for a period of up to 30 days. If you are interested, just click on Still Available; an email message with you inquiry in the subject line will come up. Following the end of the auction, inquiries are answered on a first come, first served basis. We will respond with the reserve price, after which you have 24 hours to confirm whether or not you’d like to purchase the item at the reserve price.

Unlike ebay, photo-eye Auctions does NOT allow sellers to list their own material. This insures consistency in bibliographic information, quality of reproductions, and descriptions of condition. This in turn is the primary reason we have become a trusted source for the best in rare photobooks. Consigned material must be shipped to photo-eye’s Auction division (located in New York).

The first step in the consignment process is to send a list of titles you are interested in selling. Please indicate edition and condition as best you can. We are looking for books with an average value of $250 or more (we can occasionally combine lesser value books into lots of two or more books). Consignments must have a total value of not less than $500. We cannot accept titles that are still in print (unless they are signed) or, with some exceptions, books without dust jackets (unless of course they were issued without one). We reserve the right to return any books not in acceptable condition. Send your list to auctions@photoeye.com.

If you are considering a large consignment, feel free to send photographs. You can send images of individual books or of your bookshelves with the spines of the books facing out.

Our commission is based on the final winning bid (or post-auction price) for each individual item:

25% of the first $1000
15% of any remaining sum

In your account preferences, you will need to indicate a shipping preference. We will ship using the default shipping method you indicate. For domestic shipments we will ship only via UPS or FedEx, fully insured. Unless you specify otherwise, a signature will be required for delivery. Under no circumstances can we ship auction items using media mail (or ‘book rate’).

For international shipment we can ship via International Priority Mail only up to $500 in value. The buyer is responsible for all duties and import fees.

Yes, you can indicate a third party shipping account in you account preferences.

All auction sales are final. We make every effort to meticulously describe the condition of auction items. If an item is not as described in the auction description (i.e. the edition is wrong or an obvious flaw has not been mentioned), the buyer has 7 days to notify us by email; after which the item can be returned for a full refund.

Yes and no. Ours is a system in which the bids you place are maximum bids. However, to avoid ‘sniping,’ and to better simulate a live auction, the auction closing time will be extended by 5 minutes each time a bid is placed during the last 5 minutes of an auction.

Your maximum bid is the highest price you will pay for an auction item. It is kept secret from other bidders. Bids are placed for you automatically up to your maximum bid limit. If the auction reserve has not been met, and if your maximum bid is greater than the auction reserve, a bid will be placed for you at the reserve amount. Otherwise, automatic bids use the lowest amount allowable: the auction's minimum bid increment.

Setting a maximum bid allows you to stay active in the auction without having to stay glued to the computer. The final winning bid may be far less than the hidden maximum bid. This system ensures that you only pay what is necessary to win, without ever risking that an auction item might sell to another for a price you would have been happy to pay.

All lots are subject to a reserve, which is the confidential minimum selling price agreed to with the seller below which the lot will not be sold. The reserve price will never be higher than the low estimate.

Since photo-eye Auctions is located in New York, we regret that New York state residents will be required to pay sales tax.

The estimates provided are intended to be a guide to bidding. These figures are educated guesses based on recent values, usually found on the well-known used book web sites. A bid between the listed estimates would, most likely, have a good chance of success.

Unlike auction houses, we do not charge a buyer’s premium. Such surcharges can be as high as 25%.