No matter where you are, if you have a reliable internet connection, you can follow along and place bids during our auctions by visiting STAIR or any of our online third-party bidding platforms. To ensure timely approval, please register to bid on the platform of your choice by 12pm ET on the day prior to the auction. If you are requesting an increase in your bid limit, contact us at least 24 hours in advance of the auction.
To participate in our auction online, select one of the following options:
- Register and bid at STAIR. The buyer’s premium is 28% of the hammer price when bidding directly with STAIR.
- Register and bid with one of our third-party online bidding platforms at LiveAuctioneers or BidSquare. The buyer’s premium is 28% of the hammer price when bidding with a bidding platform plus any additional premium charged by the bidding platform through which you successfully bid on the lot.
For assistance during business hours (9AM – 5PM ET, Monday through Friday), please call 518.751.1000.
We are always happy to greet clients who wish to bid in person at our gallery located at 549 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534. Please come to our previews and our auctions, you are always welcome at STAIR!
Buyers unable to bid live (in person, online or over the telephone) may still participate by leaving an Absentee Bid. We will confidentially execute bids on your behalf, up to the maximum amount you request. If it is not an incremental amount, it will be rounded down to the nearest increment (please see table below). We will continue bidding for you until your maximum bid is reached, or the bidding ends. If other bidders drop out before your maximum bid is reached, the lot will be yours at the next increment.
To register, you must first log in or create an account. Once you have logged in successfully, please go to the catalog to register for the auction. You may place your absentee bid(s) by going directly to the lot(s) you are interested in.
Bid Increments
Price Bid Increment
$0 $25
$200 $50
$500 $100
$3,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$30,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
If you are unable to attend the auction in person, you can still bid live on the telephone with a STAIR representative. A member of our client services team will call you from the auction room a few lots before the lot you are interested in. Once the bidding on your lot begins, they will talk you through what is happening in the saleroom. When they ask if you would like to bid a specific amount, please answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as quickly as possible – bidding moves at quite a pace!
Overseas bidders and clients bidding from a cell phone are asked to leave a backup bid, which will function as an absentee bid (see above) if we are unable to reach you or the connection is lost.
Requests to bid over the telephone must be made before the sale day. Our phones lines are limited and, as such, we can only accommodate telephone bidders willing to bid within the lot estimates. If your maximum bid is below that amount, please consider leaving an absentee bid or register to bid online.