Buying at Butterscotch 

Butterscotch holds three large-scale estate auctions every year at Historical Hall in Bedford Village, NY, where they have been hosting auctions since 1987. The gallery offers a myriad of items across the spectrum of fine and decorative arts, each auction offering a unique array of merchandise culled from local estates.

Please note that by bidding at auction, you are entering a binding, legal contract with the auction house to purchase the item you have bid on. Please review our Terms & Conditions of sale before placing any bids.

Ways to Bid:

Bid limit for new online bidders

Bidders who are new to Butterscotch and register to bid through bid.butterscotchauction.com are automatically given a $1,500 bid limit. If you would like to increase this limit, you can email us with business references, copies of paid invoices from known and reputable American auction houses, or provide us with credit card information to use as security.

Bidding Approval

In an effort to protect the interests of our consignors and bidders, Butterscotch screens all online bidders who do not meet certain requirements. Your registration may be declined if you:

  • Have an open dispute with another auction house.

  • Have a history of refusing payment or late payment.

  • Have a profile that was created recently.

If your registration was declined, you may still be able to participate by providing Butterscotch with additional information or by leaving a deposit. Please contact us to request a review of your registration.

Buyers Premiums:

Like all reputable auction houses these days, Butterscotch charges a buyer’s premium on top of the bid price. There are different premiums charged depending on the method used to bid:

A premium of 22% of the final bid price will be applied to each lot sold for property purchased through the “bid.ButterscotchAuction.com website” or who are physically present in the sale room to bid on their lots, to be paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price.

The buyer’s premium of 25% of the final bid price will be applied to each lot sold for property purchased via telephone or absentee bid, to be paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. 

The buyer’s premium of 27% of the final bid price will be applied to each lot sold for property purchased through Liveauctioneers.com or Invaluable.com, to be paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price.

Any bidder that plans on spending in excess of $100,000 is advised to make arrangements with the accounting department at least five (5) days in advance of the sale as a deposit may be required to participate.

Payment, Pickup, and Shipping

For information, see Payment and Shipping.