Most frequently asked questions about the artnet Price Database Decorative Art

1. What is the artnet Price Database Decorative Art?

The artnet Price Database Decorative Art is a powerful service that allows you to research sale prices of antiques from furniture and silver to rugs and clocks in auctions worldwide.

The database stores the following information on each auction lot:

 Title
 Description
 Maker
 Size
 Year
 Edition
 Miscellaneous information (signature, for example)
 Auction House
 Date of Sale
 Lot Number
 Estimate of the Work
 Selling Price
 And, unless it is unavailable, an image

Images do not come with the Researcher Yearly.

2. How do I subscribe to the artnet Price Database Decorative Art?

Click on the heading “Price Database” in the grey bar across the top of any artnet page. Here you will find information on the artnet Price Database Decorative Art, in addition to information on other artnet products and services. The second tab, labeled “Price Database Decorative Art”, is where you will find information for the artnet Price Database Decorative Art. If you wish to subscribe or view additional information including pricing and subscription options, you can click the large Subscribe Now button at the bottom of the page. Please click this button to begin the subscription process.

Step 1:	Select a Type of Subscription This link will take you to the first step of the subscribing process: “Select a Type of Subscription.” On this page, you must choose one subscription level and then click the orange Add to Cart button located under the subscription you wish to purchase.
Step 2:	Review Your Order This step will help you review the services you have requested to purchase. If you wish to remove a service, simply click the appropriate box in the “Remove” column and click the orange Update Cart button. If you wish to make further purchases, select the desired service from the beige “Add Another Service” box. When you have reviewed your final selection, please click the orange Next button.
Step 3:	Enter your Billing Information The third step of the registration process will ask for your billing information. Any field marked with a star is required to continue the process. Please enter a valid email address so that we can contact you in the event that your credit card expires. The Username and Password must be a minimum of four characters. The Password hint will be given to you in the future if you forget your password. Please be sure that your username, password and password hint are all different, or you will not be able to continue. You must also confirm that you have reviewed and that you accept artnet’s Terms and Conditions. Click Next at the bottom of the page to go on to the next step. If you wish to cancel the transaction, please click the “Cancel This Sign Up” link. If you have missed a required field, or have entered a username that is already in use, you will be asked to fix the fields highlighted in yellow before you continue on to the next step.
Step 4:	Review and Complete your Order On this page you will see a summary of the services you selected and the billing information you entered. Please review carefully. If any information is inaccurate or missing, click the Edit Info button to go back to the billing page and then edit changes. If everything is correct, please hit the Purchase button at the bottom to charge your credit card and finalize your order.
Step 5:	Print Receipt Once you have purchased your order you will be taken to a confirmation page that you can print for your records and an email will be sent to verify your first monthly charge. Click Continue to go to your Member Services Home and begin using your service. *Note: If you already have a username and password and wish to purchase another subscription, simply login with your existing username and password and click on the type of subscription that you want under “Buy other Services” – this will take you through a similar sign-up process without requiring you to create a new username and password.

3. How do I perform a search?

The best way to conduct a artnet Price Database Decorative Art search is to enter the least amount of information possible, and then narrow the search down as needed. In order to keep the results at a manageable level, you are required to enter at least one of the following fields:

 Collecting Category (more than one may be selected)
 Title / Lot Description
 Maker
 Object Type (more than one may be selected)
 Specific Object Type
 Auction House
 Sale Title
 Lot Number
 Sale Number


Following is a detailed description of each field: Collecting Categories: Collecting Categories group decorative art lots into specific categories and types. To select a Collecting Category, click on the box that matches the group you wish to search. This will expand the Collecting Category to reveal the specific categories available to search. To search any of the categories, simply check the appropriate box, or select the “All…” box to search all categories within the collection. Selecting more than one Collecting Category will expand your search to include lots tagged to the categories selected. Title/Lot Description: One or more words separated by spaces that you know appear in the title of the work. For example, if the title were "Louis XV console", you may enter in either Louis XV or console or both. This is not a keyword search – such as “figurative” – it will only look for exact word matches in the title. If you think that auction house might have listed the title in a different language then your own, you may want to leave this blank. *Note: Do not include punctuation or any words that consist of fewer than three letters. Title searches may not be complete as there are many instances where multiple languages have been used to identify the same work. You may enter in an unlimited number of characters. Year of Work: The year or range of years in which the artist created the work. If you enter in one field only, such as "from," it will start the search from that year forward. For example if you put 1999 in the “from” field it will search from 1999 to the present day. Size Range: The dimensions of the work (in inches or centimeters). This may not seem consistent because it is the size listed by the auction house and may be different than you expect. Using a range of sizes is often the best way to find what you are looking for. Object Type: Object Types group decorative art lots into their commonly referred to category of item. To select an Object Type, click on the box that matches the group you wish to search. This will expand the Object Type category to reveal the specific categories available to search. To search any of the Object Types, simply check the appropriate box, or select the “All…” box to search all categories within the collection. Selecting more than one Object Type will expand your search to include lots tagged to the categories selected. Specific Object Type: If you do not find your item’s category represented in the Object Types, you may type in a specific Object Type, for example, gueridon, into this field and the database will then search the lot description for your selection. Auction House: The Auction House field is an auto-complete field which searches all auction houses represented in the Decorative Art database. The auto-complete functionality will begin displaying a list of auction houses after you enter the third character in your search. Each additional character you enter will refine the results even further. You may select one of the options from the drop down using either your mouse or arrow keys on your keyboard. Sale Date: The date the work was sold from the auction house. If you know the exact date, you can enter the same date in the To and From Sale Date fields. Price Range: A range of estimates and prices that the work sold for in U.S. dollars. If you are looking for a work sold in Euros, the database will convert the price based on the conversion rates of the date it sold. Prices listed as Premium indicate that they include the Auction House premium in the sold price. Prices listed as Hammer indicate that the auction house premium has not been included in the sale price. *Note: The price of some works is listed as "Bought In," which means they did not meet their reserve price and therefore will not appear in your results as a price parameter. Sale Title: One or more words separated by spaces that you know appear in the sale title. (e.g., British Furniture, etc.) This search field will only look for exact word matches in the sale title. If you are uncertain of the sale title, leave this blank. Lot Range: You may use these two search fields to search within a range of lot numbers. To view a single lot, enter the lot number in both of the fields. Sale Number: The number used by the auction house to designate the sale.

4. I already have a subscription but I am having trouble logging in. What can I do?

Here is a brief list of common login issues and solutions:



1.	Is the caps lock key currently turned on? Your login information is case specific. Please make sure that you are using the correct letter cases for your password.
2.	What time and date does your computer’s clock currently show? If the time or date is incorrect artnet will not be able to log you in for security reasons.
3.	Have you recently cleared your cookies and cache of temporary data? artnet uses what are called session cookies to recognize that you have logged into the site. Depending on your personal browsing patterns you may need to clear your cookies in order to login to artnet.
4.	You may need to configure your browser to have the correct security settings. Please follow this guide to show you how to turn these settings on.

5. How does the search form interpret empty fields?

The search form assumes you want to search all possible values for fields you leave blank. For example, if the only field you fill in is Auction House, then the search form will retrieve all auction lots for that auction house regardless of other criteria, such as Sale Date for when a sale occurred.

If you fill in only one of a pair of fields, such as in Price Range, the search will assume a minimum or maximum value for the empty field. For example, if you were to enter 2500 in Price “from” and nothing in Price “to”, the search form would return matching works with a list price greater than or equal to $2500.

6. What if I can't find a particular work?

After submitting the search form, you will be presented with up to 10 pages (100 lots) of matching auction lots. If you are searching for a specific lot that does not appear among those listed, try refining your search by adding more criteria and then submitting the search form again.

The artnet Price Database Decorative Art includes a record for works that have come to auction in auction houses dating back to 2000.

7. Once I have my results, what does "Bought In" mean when it appears in the "Sold For" field?

The price of some works is listed as "Bought In," which means they did not meet their reserve price (the minimum price to sell agreed upon by the seller and the auction house) and the work either did not sell or was sold to the auction house. If this occurs the price will not appear as a price parameter.

8. I only signed up for a one-month artnet Price Database Decorative Art account, but my credit card has
    been billed this month. Why was I charged again?

As stated in the “Service Description,” the Monthly artnet Price Database Decorative Art subscription will automatically renew every month. There is no one-month subscription. If you would like to only use the artnet Price Database Decorative Art for one month, you must cancel the service before the renew date listed on your Member Services page. If you cancel before the renew date, you will be able to access the Price Database until the renew date, but your subscription will not be renewed.

9. I logged into my artnet account, but my artnet Price Database Decorative Art account is no longer
    listed under “My Current Subscriptions.” How can I reactivate it?

If there was a problem with your credit card (e.g. it expired, etc.) and we were unable to renew your service, your subscription will automatically be removed from your list of current services after the normal renew date. To restore service, you must reactivate your subscription to the artnet Price Database Decorative Art. To do so, please log in to your account and click on the orange Renew button on your Member Services page and it will prompt you to update your billing information and renew your service. Your credit card will be charged at this time. If your card is about to expire, a warning email will be automatically sent to notify you.

10. How does artnet determine my billing currency?

Your credit card is charged in the currency of the country listed in your billing address:



- Euro (EUR - €) if your billing address is in the eurozone

- British pound (GBP - £) if your billing address is in the United Kingdom

- United States dollar (USD - $) if your billing address is in the USA and other countries not otherwise defined


To modify the currency, you must have a valid credit card and corresponding billing address.

To change your billing information, please see "How do I update my credit card information?"

11. I would like to know more about Value Added Tax. Where can I find more information?

If you would like to know more about Value Added Tax on artnet, please visit our Value Added Tax FAQ page.

12. How do I update my credit card information?

You can update your credit card information online.



Step 1:	Click the “login” link at the top of the artnet homepage and log into your account. This will bring you to the Member Services Home page.
Step 2:	On this page, you will see a box titled “My Account”, under which you will see “Update Account Info”. Under this heading you can select “Update Billing/Contact Info” to change your billing information.
Step 3:	Enter your updated information and click the orange button labeled “Update” to save all changes. Your information will be updated and you will be taken back to the Member Services Home page. *If your subscription has recently closed due to billing issues, please click on the orange Renew button listed under the name of your previous subscription and enter updated billing information.

13. How to I change my password?

You can change your password online.



Step 1:	Click the “login” link at the top of the artnet homepage and log into your account. This will bring you to the Member Services Home page.
Step 2:	On the Member Services page, you will see a box titled “My Account”, under which you will see “Update Account Info”. Under this heading select “Change Password”
Step 3:	Enter your new password and new password hint and click the orange button labeled “Change Password” to save all changes. Your information will be updated and you will be taken back to the Member Services Home page.

14. How do I cancel my service?

You can cancel any self-renewing artnet Price Database Decorative Art subscriptions purchased online by logging into your Member Services page.


Step 1:

Click the “login” button on the upper right corner of the artnet homepage and log into your account with your username and password. This will bring you to the Member Services page.

Step 2:

On the Member Services page, you will see under the headline “My Current Subscriptions” all currently active services (i.e. Decorative Art Monthly). Beneath each service you will see a “cancel” button. Click on the “cancel” button and then confirm by clicking OK in the pop-up window. Your subscription status will then say "Set to be Cancelled" with the phrase “Subscription Cancels: mm/dd/yyyy.” *Note: Please be aware that between the date the subscription is cancelled and the end of the billing period in which it was cancelled, you will be able to use the service.

15. What is artnet’s refund policy?

Refunds are only issued within three months of the charge date. Charges older than three months are considered indisputable. The maximum refund, regardless of reason, is three months worth of a subscription.

Refunds are granted in the instance that:

1. artnet has erroneously charged a client.
2. A client has requested cancellation by phone or email and it has been recorded in artnet’s
Phone Records but the account was not cancelled.

Refunds are not issued when:

1. A client is unaware of the automatic renewal policy on any applicable subscriptions.
2. A client is unhappy with the quality of the service, information in the database, or timing of
the market alerts.
3. A client has used the subscription (such as having done artnet Price Database Decorative Art searches).
4. A Market Alert subscriber fails to enter the artists into her/his profile and no alerts are sent.
5. A Market Alert subscriber does not give a valid email address.
6. A customer has more than one artnet Price Database Decorative Art account but each is under a different
       username
7. A client wants to upgrade artnet Price Database Decorative Art accounts, but has used the original account
       prior to the upgrade request.
8. A client is unaware of Product Terms or changes to those Terms as defined in the artnet
Subscription Agreement.

16. Do I need JavaScript turned on in my browser? If so, how do I do this?

JavaScript
artnet uses JavaScript to enhance the user's browsing experience. Most common browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox) already have JavaScript turned on by default so there's no configuration necessary. If you suspect that JavaScript was turned off in your browser, please follow these instructions to turn it on:

With Internet Explorer 6 and 7 (Windows):

1. Click on the Tools menu.
2. Select Internet Options.
3. Click on the Security tab.
4. Click on the button Custom Level... located at the bottom of the window.
5. Scroll down until you see Scripting. It should be near the bottom of the list.
6. Under Active scripting, make sure the option Enable is chosen.
7. Click OK. Click OK again to close the Internet Options.


With Internet Explorer 5 (Macintosh):

1. Click on Preferences in the Edit menu.
2. Click on Web Content under the Web Browser option.
3. Under Active Content, click the checkbox Enable scripting.
4. Make sure Java is enabled.
5. Click OK.


Firefox 2.x.x and 3.x.x (Windows):

1. Open Firefox
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. Click on the Content icon.
4. Check the box next to Enable JavaScript.
5. Click the Advanced button to open the Advanced JavaScript Options box.
6. Check the boxes under Allow scripts to section that you want to allow.
7. Click OK. Click OK again to close the Options box.


With Firefox 2.x.x and Higher (Macintosh):

1. Click on Firefox and select Preferences.
2. Click on the Content tab.
3. Ensure that Enable JavaScript is checked.
4. Close the window.
5. Quit/exit Mozilla Firefox after you change settings and then re-start the application.


With Safari (Macintosh):

1. Click on Safari, then select Preferences.
2. Click on the Security tab.
3. Under Web Content, ensure that Enable plug-ins and Enable JavaScript are checked.
4. Close the window.
5. Quit/exit Safari after you change settings and then re-start the application.

17. How can I find out what auctions are coming up?

In addition to the artnet Price Database Decorative Art, artnet.com provides a number of related auction services, including:

Upcoming Auctions: This service provides the most important recent auction catalogues for the current and upcoming month in their entirety. This is a free service.

To view limited upcoming auctions, click on the “auctions” tab from the grey navigation bar at the top of any page on artnet. Next click on the “Upcoming auctions” link from the auctions menu at the top left portion of the screen. A list of auctions organized by date will be displayed.

If you are still having trouble, please email support@artnet.com or call +1-800-4-ARTNET option 4.

Our customer service is available as follows: