Rules / FAQs
Authenticity
Any item with (SWAU) in the title is either from one of our witnessed signings or has been examined in person by SWAU Authentication, and is affixed with our tamper proof hologram. All third party items sold through the SWAU Auction have passed SWAU Authentication and are guaranteed for life. If an authenticity concern ever arises, SWAU will purchase the item back for the original sale price. The SWAU authentication team will authenticate every piece sold at auction, and has sole discretion on whether an item will be offered. Unlike many other auctions, the presence of a third party certificate of authenticity does not guarantee an item will be offered.
A full SWAU Letter of Authenticity & SWAU Authentication Hologram Sticker are also available for every item sold at auction for a discounted rate, since these items have already been pre-screened for authenticity. If you would like to order either one or both, a popup window will come up offering them as an add-on as you check out. If ordered together, LOA & Hologram Sticker numbers will not have the same number as they are cataloged in different databases. Hologram stickers ordered will be attached to the back of photos, no exceptions. If you have any questions about authentication, you can email authentication@swau.com.
Registration and Bidding
All bidders are required to register in order to bid online. New bidders may be required to provide credit card information in advance of bidding, at the discretion of SWAU. Bidders must have a valid email address or their bids / wins will be cancelled. Bidding begins immediately upon the start of the auction, and takes place entirely on the SWAU Auction website. Phone, email, and in-person bidding is not available.
Bidding Increments
Minimum bidding increments scale with the current bid price of the auction, bids entered below the increment will not be accepted.
Proxy Bidding
All bidders have the ability to place a proxy bid, which is a maximum bid above the current bid amount. The system will automatically bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid according to the bidding increment rules. For example: If the item is at $100 and you place a $300 bid, the system will bid up to $300 if anyone else places a bid in that range. If no one else were to bid, you would win the item at $100. If someone bid say $200, you would win the item at $225. If someone placed a bid of $325, you would lose that item.
NOTE: Your proxy bid needs to be 2x the current bidding increment, otherwise the system will take it as a straight bid. For example: Lets say the item is $100 and the bidding increment at that range is $25, if you place a bid of $125 it will be accepted as a straight bid and immediately bid up to $125. If you were to place a bid of $150, which is 2x the $25 bidding increment, your bid will remain at $100 unless someone else bids in which case the system will bid up to $150 on your behalf.
Below are the bidding increments:
- From $0 to $50 the bidding increment is $1
- From $50 to $100 the bidding increment is $10
- From $100 to $500 the bidding increment is $25
- From $500 to $1,000 the bidding increment is $50
- From $1,000 to $2,000 the bidding increment is $100
- From $2,000 to $5,000 the bidding increment is $250
- From $5,000 to $10,000 the bidding increment is $500
- From $10,000 to $20,000 the bidding increment is $1,000
- From $20,000 to $50,000 the bidding increment is $2,500
- From $50,000 to $100,000 the bidding increment is $5,000
If you have any problems please email us and we will fix it, provided you do so with time to spare before the auction ends. We can refund if you make a straight bid in error, but winning the item is final and cannot be undone.
Buyer’s Premium
All winning bids will be subject to a buyer’s premium of 20% regardless of payment method.
Extended Bidding
Bids placed in the last five (5) minutes of the auction will extend the auction for that item by 5 additional minutes. This process will continue until there are no more bids placed in the last 5 minutes.
Auction Reserves
Auctions may include a reserve requested by the consignor, if bidding does not reach the reserve price, the item will not sell. Proxy bids placed on lots with reserves will automatically bid up to the reserve.
Currency
All bids are in USD, but international customers have the option to convert their payment to their currency at checkout if they win the item.
Shipping
Grading
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will it take for my auction win to ship?
- Processing times for shipping out auction wins are usually 5-7 business days, unless add-ons are involved. Please see below for additional handling times regarding add-ons.
Can I use my SWAU points or discount code for an auction purchase?
- Points & discount codes are only valid on the signings / inventory side of SWAU.
Can I combine my auction win with an item you are sending me from a signing?
- Unfortunately no, the signings & auction parts of SWAU run out of two completely different locations so they cannot be combined. We can send your auction win to a SWAU signing but you must supply the order number, placement notes, the send-in address, and a screenshot of your order. It is also your responsibility to be mindful of the deadline to get the item in to the signing.
I only got the item and not the Letter of Authenticity I purchased, where is it?
- The authentication side of SWAU is also run out of a different location, so LOAs are sent out separately as they take a little extra time to make.
Why is it taking longer than usual to ship my item that I ordered with an Authentication add-on?
- If you are international and order an LOA, we have to wait for the LOAs to arrive to us in bulk before we send out individual overseas orders.
- If you ordered an item with the SWAU hologram, it takes some extra processing time to add that on. The standard placement of added stickers is on the backs of items. If unable to place the sticker on the back, SWAU employees will place the sticker using our professional digression.
- If you ordered a Funko and asked that it Encapsulated & Graded, that needs to be sent to a different location to be done. It will be sent directly to you from SWAU Authentication separate from any non-encapsulated items you may have ordered.
Why isn't the SWAU hologram number showing in your database yet?
- Please allow some processing time for those to be added into the system. Everything should be uploaded within a few weeks to a month of the auction's end. If it hasn't after that time, please send us an email at auction@swau.com
Why isn't the Beckett / JSA / PSA number showing in their database?
- We don't know! We can't speak for those third party authentication companies so you should direct any questions like that to them.
I'd like to consign in your auction, how do I do that?
- Great, we'd love to help you sell your collection. Send over pictures and a list of signers of what you have to auction@swau.com and we'll get you started! If you have too many photos to send in an email, let us know and we can make a Google Drive folder just for you where you can drop in as many photos as you'd like.
Help! My item was damaged in transit.
- Not to worry, all items are fully insured and we will handle the situation. Please send us clear photos of the damage to the item, the inner packaging, label, and outer packaging.
NOTE: Any items damaged in the mail need to reported to us within 15 days of the item being delivered for us to be able to file a claim. If you wait longer than that, unfortunately that is outside the insurance window and we cannot help. DO NOT discard of the packaging as it is required for insurance cases.
What are your business hours?
- Generally weekdays from around noon to 7pm. We can rebound consignment inquiries pretty much anytime, but customer service requests will be answered in that time frame.
I'm a little uneasy sending my valuables through the mail. Is there a drop off option available?
- Yes, we can arrange a pickup spot for you to drop off your items in the NJ / NYC area but there is no overseas drop off available.
Can I add an authentication sticker to a framed or already encapsulated item?
- We can open up a frame, but you must explicitly ask us to do so. It is at your risk and we cannot guarantee we can re-frame the item as they can require specialized tools to do so depending on the framer. We cannot open an encapsulated item, like a CGC comic or an index card / Funko in a PSA slab, so we will refund any authentication stickers added to those. We recommend adding a signed LOA for these items instead.
Why didn't you mention my Funko was a window swap?
- We judge items based on the authenticity of the signature and the condition of the exterior of the box. We try to examine each Funko for window swaps and note them with the condition but we are not always able to catch them. We simply cannot open every Funko to do a thorough examination as it would risk the condition of the items and be extremely time consuming. If this is a general concern of yours, please ask us about the specific Funko before bidding and we will be happy to double check for you personally. We will not accept returns for window swaps after the fact.
Do you combine shipping?
- Yes, we are happy to combine. Please go ahead and pay for your orders and, if it doesn't automatically do so, send us an email and we will refund the excess shipping. For the safety of the shipments, not all items can be combined. 3D items cannot typically be combined with flat items except for certain circumstances. Please bear this in mind when considering shipping costs and combining orders. We may have to refuse a combination to help ensure that items arrive in the condition that they were sold in.
I don't live in Texas! Why does my encapsulation order say it is delivered in Texas?
-That is where the encapsulation team is! In order to provide some insight into where your order is in the process, orders are first marked with the tracking to the encapsulation team. When the item is on its way to its final destination, it is marked as fully fulfilled and given its final tracking number.
New Sticker/LOA Tiers
Why are there new sticker/LOA tiers?
- As we have expanded our auctions, so have the needs of the stickering and authentication team expanded. We have grown to need a new system! All stickers and LOAs are now sold based on the number of signers on each individual piece. If there is a mistake in the ordering, we will adjust the invoice as needed. Changes will be applied to a cart automatically as of 1/4/26.
What do the numbers on the sticker add-ons mean?
- The numbers under the hologram stickers indicate the number of signers on a piece. You must purchase the appropriate sticker with the appropriate number of signers for each appropriate piece. For example, if you have 3 items in an order with 3 signers each, you will need to purchase 3 of the tier 3 holograms!
Does the new tiers system apply to Letters of Authenticity as well?
- Yes, the number of signers on an item will affect LOA tiers.
I have VIP, do I still have to add the correct amount of stickers that I want in my cart?
-Yes, please add the correct number of stickers that you want applied to your order. If you add 1 sticker to your cart, please do not expect multiple items to be stickered. We will not assume that 1 sticker on an order means that multiple items are needed to be stickered. Please, be sure to add the true and correct amount of stickers that apply to your order.
When I checkout, it offers a sticker for each individual item, do I have to apply the stickers individually or can I just change the quantity to be correct?
No, please apply the sticker add-ons to each item you want them applied to. This removes confusion in regards to which items are needing to be stickered and which are NOT to be stickered. If 5 holos are tied to a single item, it will make it difficult in our system to understand which items need to be taken care of.
Personalization Removal Add-Ons
Can all items have personalization removed?
- No, some items are excluded upfront from the personalization removal add-on. Items such as encapsulated things, index cards, certain finishes of photos, etc. cannot have personalization removed period. These items will not have the add-on offered.
Am I guaranteed personalization removal if I purchase the add-on?
- No, it may well be that when we go to perform a removal, that we simply can’t. If this happens, we will process a refund for the add-on only. We will not refund an entire order or accept a return for an item that was unable to have the personalization removed. When you are bidding, you are bidding on the item in its as-is condition, personalization included.
Who is responsible if there is damage sustained during the removal process?
- SWAU is not liable for any damages during the removal process. We are careful and professional but mistakes do and will happen. Only purchase a personalization removal if you accept responsibility for any issues/damages the item may incur during the process. Purchasing a personalization removal waives all liability for SWAU during said process.
Payment
Payment for all winning bids is due within seven (7) days from the close of the auction or your winning bid will be forfeited and you will be suspended from all future auctions & private signings with us. Available payment methods will vary depending on the final sale price of an item, but typically include PayPal, Credit Card and wire transfer. We're sorry, but gift cards and promo codes are only valid on the Signings / Inventory side of SWAU and cannot be used on the Auction side.
Non-Payment Liability
In cases of non-payment, SWAU's election to void an auction sale does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay SWAU all fees due (seller's and buyer's premium) on the lot(s) won by the bidder. The unpaid balance will bear interest at the highest rate permitted by law from the date of the invoice until paid. If SWAU refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the buyer agrees to pay attorney's fees, and all collection costs incurred by SWAU. If SWAU assigns collection to its in-house legal staff, such attorney's time expended on the matter shall be compensated at a rate comparable to the hourly rate of independent attorneys.
Final Terms and Questions
All SWAU Auction sales are final and returns are not accepted, with the exception of authenticity concerns outlined in the first section. If you have any questions please contact auction@swau.com prior to placing any bids. Your participation in SWAU Auction constitutes your acceptance of the above rules as well as SWAU’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.