Terms & conditions

These terms and conditions govern your use of the Arete Equestrian Auctions online auction platform (“we”, “us”), run by Arete Equestrian, and your participation in any auction on it, whether you are buying or selling. They are also the rules of auction for every auction we hold.

By registering an account, listing an item or placing a bid, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

You must be at least 18 years old and give accurate, complete registration details, including your name, email address and mobile number.

You must confirm your email address before you can bid or list. We may ask for further verification (for example a phone code, or ID and bank details before a seller is paid) and may limit an account until it is complete.

You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and for all activity on your account. One person may not run more than one bidding account.

Every bid is a binding offer to buy the lot at that amount, plus Arete's 10% commission and any courier fee you choose. A bid cannot be withdrawn once placed.

Maximum bids. Each bid you enter is treated as your maximum. The platform bids on your behalf, one step at a time and only when another bidder outbids you, up to your maximum. Your maximum is kept private. If two bidders enter the same maximum, the earlier bid wins.

Sellers may not bid on their own lots, and nobody may bid on a seller's behalf to push the price up.

We are not liable for bids that fail to register because of internet, device or connectivity problems on your side. Please don't leave bidding to the last seconds.

Auctions run weekly in South African time. Bidding opens on Friday at 16:00. Lots close one at a time, a minute apart, in lot-number order, starting on Sunday at 18:00. Each lot shows its own closing time.

A lot is only won once it has closed with you as the highest bidder. Bids received after a lot's closing time are not accepted.

Items must be submitted before the listing deadline (Friday at 06:00) to be included in that weekend's auction. We review submissions by Friday at 14:00; items submitted later, or that need changes we can't approve by 14:00, go into the following auction.

Each seller sets a minimum price, and bidding on that lot starts at that amount. There is no hidden reserve: if a lot receives a bid, it sells to the highest bidder when it closes. A lot with no bids does not sell, and the seller may relist it.

Once bidding has opened, a lot cannot be withdrawn by the seller. We may withdraw a lot if it is misdescribed, unavailable or breaks these terms.

Arete Equestrian charges a commission of 10% of the winning bid on every lot sold. It is added to the amount the buyer pays and is Arete Equestrian's fee for running the auction and holding payments safely; it is not paid to the seller. If you choose courier delivery, the courier fee set by the seller is added too. All amounts are shown at checkout before you pay.

If we become registered for VAT, VAT on the commission will be added and shown at checkout. By bidding, you agree to pay the winning bid plus Arete's commission, any courier fee you choose and any VAT that applies.

Selling is free: there is no listing fee and no seller commission.

Payment is due in full within 72 hours of the auction's closing time, through the checkout on the platform (by card via our payment provider, Yoco).

Your payment is held by Arete Equestrian and is only paid to the seller once you confirm you have received the item, or once a dispute is resolved in the seller's favour (see Problems & disputes).

Ownership of a lot passes to you once your payment has cleared in full.

The seller is responsible for getting the item to you within 3 working days of your payment, either by courier to your delivery address or by arranging collection with you, depending on the option you chose at checkout.

For courier delivery the seller must pack the item properly and add the waybill number on the platform. For collection, buyer and seller arrange a time and place directly; please meet safely.

Risk in the item passes to you when you collect it, or when the courier delivers it to your delivery address.

Please confirm receipt on the platform as soon as you have the item and have checked it. If you don't, we will remind you; the seller cannot be paid until you confirm or report a problem.

Most items are pre-loved and are sold as they are. Sellers must describe each item honestly, including any wear, damage or repairs, and the photos must show the actual item. Descriptions, photos and condition grades are the seller's, given in good faith.

You should study the photos and description, and ask questions before bidding if anything is unclear. Wear consistent with the description and condition grade is not a ground for a dispute.

An item that is materially different from its description (for example, the wrong size, undisclosed damage, or missing parts) may be disputed under Problems & disputes. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act where it applies.

Helmets and body protectors: these may only be listed if the seller confirms they have never been in a fall or impact. Even so, damage is not always visible; buy safety equipment second-hand at your own judgment and check it meets current standards.

If something is wrong, use Report a problem in My account before confirming receipt. The seller's payment is then held while we look into it.

We will hear both sides and may ask for photos or for the item to be returned. We will then decide, fairly and in good faith, whether to release the payment to the seller or refund you (fully or partly). Who pays any return courier depends on the outcome.

Once you have confirmed receipt, the payment is released to the seller and the sale is final, except where the law says otherwise.

If a winning bidder does not pay within 72 hours, the sale is cancelled and the lot is relisted in the next auction.

Each unpaid win gives the account a strike. Two strikes suspend bidding on the account. We may also suspend or close accounts that break these terms, and withhold users from future auctions.

If a seller fails to hand over a paid item, we may refund the buyer, cancel the sale and suspend the seller's account.

By listing an item, you confirm that you own it and have the right to sell it, that it is described honestly and accurately, and that it is not a prohibited item.

Every listing is checked by us before it goes into an auction. We may ask for changes, or decline a listing, at our discretion.

When your item sells, you must get it to the buyer within 3 working days of their payment, by courier or collection as they chose, and mark it as handed over on the platform (with the waybill number for courier).

You will be paid 100% of the winning bid, plus the courier fee if the buyer chose courier, by EFT to the bank account in your Payout details, once the buyer confirms receipt or a dispute is resolved in your favour. Selling is free; no seller commission is deducted.

The following may not be listed: live animals; stolen, counterfeit or replica-branded goods; anything you don't own; recalled products; helmets or body protectors that have been in a fall or impact; prescription medicines; weapons; and anything illegal to sell in South Africa.

We provide the platform and hold payments as described above. Each sale is between the buyer and the seller. We do not own, inspect or take possession of the items, and do not guarantee their condition, fitness for a particular purpose or quality.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect or consequential loss arising from your use of the platform or participation in an auction. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

We process your personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We use it to operate the platform, run auctions, process payments and payouts, and communicate with you about your account, bids and orders.

We share only what is needed: a seller sees the buyer's name, phone number and (for courier) delivery address only after payment; a buyer sees the seller's name, phone number and town only after payment, to arrange collection. Bidders' identities and maximum bids are never shown to other users. Card details are handled by Yoco and never stored by us.

You may ask to see, correct or delete your personal information, subject to records we must keep by law.

Our Information Officer is Uvonique van Heerden, reachable on 079 504 0110. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you may also complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa).

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and you submit to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

We may update these terms from time to time. The version published on this page when you place a bid or list an item applies to that bid or listing.

Arete Equestrian Auctions is run by Arete Equestrian.

Information Officer

Uvonique van Heerden

Phone

079 504 0110

Address

762 Hoefyster CrescentKameeldrift EastPretoria0035