How it works
Verified bidding, in plain terms
VULCAN is a closed room: only buyers we've verified can see lots and bid. Here's the whole path, start to finish.
Register
Choose Private or Company and give your contact details. Private buyers register in their own name; companies give their trading name, VAT/registration number and a contact person.
Upload documents
Private buyers upload one photo ID — a national ID card or a passport. Companies upload their business registration. PDF or image, up to 8 MB.
We review
A person on our team checks your document by hand. This usually takes under a business day. You'll see your status update from "in review" to "approved".
Bid & win
Approved buyers see the full catalogue and can place binding bids. When a lot's countdown ends, the highest bidder wins.
What you need to register
For a private account: your name, address and phone number, plus a clear photo or scan of either your national ID card or your passport.
For a company account: the company name, VAT or registration number, a named contact, address and phone number, plus your business registration document.
How the bidding works
Each lot has a starting price, a fixed bid increment, and an end time shown as a live countdown. You bid at least the current price plus one increment. Every bid is binding, and the highest bid standing when the clock reaches zero wins the lot.
Some lots carry a hidden reserve — a minimum the seller will accept. You won't see the reserve figure, only whether it has been met. A lot below its reserve at close may not sell.
The anti-snipe window
To keep things fair, a bid placed in the final moments of a lot automatically extends the end time by a short window (typically two minutes). That means a lot can't be snatched with a single last-millisecond bid — genuine bidders always get a chance to respond.
Who can see what
To other bidders you appear only under a pseudonym, never your real name. Your identity and documents are visible only to our verification team, never to the public and never to other members.
Winning a lot is a commitment to buy. Settlement, collection and any fees are arranged directly with us after the sale — see our Terms & Conditions.