Collector assurance
Buyer protection
How payment is handled, what we check and what happens if a work is not as described. These terms apply to every acquisition made through Rare Form.
Payment handling
Card payments are processed by Stripe. Rare Form never stores card details, and all payment pages are served over HTTPS.
Works sold by third-party sellers are paid for through Stripe Connect. Rare Form retains its platform commission and the seller receives the balance through their connected account. Every order, shipment and discrepancy is recorded so a dispute can be reviewed against the full transaction history.
Bank transfer is available for private sales and private treaty works. Payment instructions are issued by your advisor on Rare Form letterhead; we will never send revised bank details by email without also confirming them by telephone.
Condition on arrival
Every work is described using the condition information supplied by the seller. Where a formal condition report exists, it is published on the work's page; where none exists, that is stated.
You have five business days from delivery to raise a condition discrepancy. Retain all packaging and send photographs of the work and the packaging as received.
If a work is materially different from its published description or condition record, the sale is unwound and the purchase price and shipping are refunded in full.
Delivery and title
Protected transactions ship with insurance appropriate to declared value and shipment terms, crated where appropriate, with a named carrier. Title passes on receipt of cleared funds and confirmed delivery.
Import duties and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer unless quoted otherwise in writing. The delivered-cost estimator on each work indicates likely totals; it is an estimate, not a quotation.
Cancellation
A publicly priced work may be cancelled before despatch for a full refund. After despatch, cancellation is at the seller's discretion except where a condition or authenticity discrepancy applies.
Private sales and private treaty transactions are governed by the written terms issued with each offer.
Authenticity
Rare Form reviews documentation; document review is not authentication. Where a work carries third-party authentication, the authenticating body is named on the work's page.
If a work is subsequently shown by the recognised authenticating body for that artist to be other than as represented, the sale is unwound and the purchase price refunded in full.
Raising an issue
Write to wesley@rare-form.online with your order reference and photographs. Every claim is acknowledged within one business day and handled by a named advisor.
If a claim cannot be resolved directly, the transaction records — listing copy, condition record, provenance file and correspondence — are made available to you in full.