How the Willow Art Auction Works – Terms and Conditions
Online Bidding: December 1st to December 15th
All the auction items that were not purchased at the in-person Artful Afternoon event have been posted on Willow’s Instagram account @thewillowcommunity
Interested bidders can place their bids in the comments on each artwork’s post. We recommend bookmarking your favourites so you can check on your bid.
PLEASE NOTE: Instagram does not always show comments in order of time posted. Look for the largest number in the comments and make your bid higher than that.
If you do not have an Instagram account, you can still participate in the auction.
- You can view the bidding activity by clicking on the links below each item image.
- Click the X in the top right corner of the pop up asking you to sign up / log in.
- You will see the comments on the right side of the post, and can scroll down through them to see the highest bid.
- If you want to bid, email Willow staff at thewillowcommunity@gmail.com to have them post a comment on your behalf. In your email, identify the artwork (by artist name, lot number, and/or title) and the amount of your bid.
- Your bid will be put on the item as a comment from the Willow account.
- Please note that staff are not in the office after 5pm or on weekends so there may be a delay between you sending your email and the bid being posted.
AUCTION CLOSES DECEMBER 15, 2025 AT 1:00PM
At 1pm on December 15th, bidding will close. Willow staff will put a comment on the item posts that bidding is closed. The highest bid in the comments at the time of that comment is the winner of the item. Bids made after the “Bidding is now closed” comment will not be considered valid bids.
Willow staff will screen capture the comments once the auction period ends to ensure that all comments are seen when identifying the highest bid.
Winning Bids – Notification, Confirmation, and Payment
Winners will be contacted by Instagram DM.
Willow can accept payments by cash, cheque, or e-transfer.
Winners have 48 hours to confirm their bid amount and arrange payment. If confirmation and payment are not completed within 48 hours, the bid will be considered void and the second highest bid will become the winning bid.
In the event of the second highest bid becoming the winning bid, the bidder will be contacted by Instagram DM on Wednesday, December 17th and will have 48 hours to confirm their bid amount and arrange payment. If confirmation and payment are not completed within 48 hours, the auction will be voided and the artwork will be returned to the donor artist.
Artwork Pick Up or Drop Off
Willow staff will work with winning bidders to arrange pick up or drop off of artworks.
Artworks cannot be dropped off to addresses outside of the Niagara Region.
If the winning bidder’s address is outside of the Niagara Region, the bidder is responsible for picking up the artwork from the Willow Arts Community’s studio in St Catharines or for arranging shipment of the artwork at their own expense. Willow staff will package the artwork for shipping but assumes no responsibility for any damage incurred during the shipping process.
