A clearer process for serious buyers and sellers.

The Glass Exchange is a curated auction platform for high-end, artist-made functional glass presented with a stronger editorial standard than casual peer-to-peer marketplaces.

The focus is on serious collector pieces, cleaner presentation, more confidence in bidding, and a more structured path from submission through payout.

Yes. We consider both, provided the piece is clean, accurately represented, and appropriate for a collector-focused auction format.

Condition, authorship, provenance, and overall quality of presentation all matter.

No. Submission does not guarantee acceptance. Quality, condition, provenance, photography, and reserve expectations all matter.

We curate every listing. If a reserve price is set unrealistically high, we may ask that it be lowered before acceptance. Listings must be positioned to sell.

All auctions are subject to final seller approval before going live.

Approved pieces are presented in a timed auction format with curated photography, structured written presentation, and a public comment thread.

The goal is to present every listing with the clarity and confidence bidders need before placing binding bids.

It gives buyers and sellers a public place to ask and answer questions so all bidders see the same information.

That shared visibility helps reduce confusion and keeps important disclosure out in the open.

When bids arrive near the scheduled close, the auction extends briefly so active bidders have a fair chance to respond.

This helps prevent last-second bid drops from ending the auction abruptly.

Watching a listing lets members follow bidding activity, keep the lot in their dashboard, and return to it quickly as the close approaches.

It is designed to make active participation easier without requiring a bid immediately.

To reduce sniping, bids placed during the final two minutes extend the auction by another two minutes.

This gives active bidders a fair chance to respond instead of allowing the auction to end abruptly on a last-second bid.

No. Once an auction is live, it is intended to run through its scheduled close.

In some cases, yes. Buyers may request to inspect a piece in person prior to auction close, but only if the seller agrees.

This is most common for high-value pieces, collections, or transactions where additional comfort is important to both sides.

Yes. Public comments and live bidding are reserved for approved member accounts using reviewed display names.

Member accounts are used for public comments, bidding access, watched listings, and activity tracking.

Display names are reviewed before activation to reduce spam, impersonation, and offensive handles.

The buyer dashboard helps members track watched listings, active bids, outbid activity, won pieces, and verification windows after delivery.

It is meant to keep bidding and post-sale activity organized in one place.

No. Bids cannot be retracted or cancelled once placed. Buyers should review the listing carefully, inspect the photos, read the condition notes, and ask questions before bidding.

All bids are intended to be binding.

If you are the winning bidder, your transaction moves from temporary authorization into final payment processing and fulfillment.

The seller then ships the piece or coordinates an agreed in-person handoff, and seller payout is released only after delivery is confirmed and the 72-hour verification window has passed or the transaction is otherwise verified as complete.

The seller dashboard shows where each submission stands, including review, scheduling, live auction status, and payout timing.

It gives consignors a cleaner view of the pipeline after submission.

Presentation matters.

Accepted submissions are prepared into full auction listings by our team. We organize images, refine descriptions, write supporting context, and structure the listing to clearly communicate the piece to buyers.

This process helps ensure consistency, transparency, and stronger auction performance. Final listing approval remains with the seller before publication.

Reserve prices remain private. If a requested reserve appears unrealistic relative to the piece and current market conditions, we may ask that it be lowered before acceptance. Once approved, a reserve may also be lowered, but not raised, while the listing is active.

Not every accepted listing will necessarily include a reserve.

Possibly, though not every unsold piece will be relisted. Fresh-to-market listings typically perform best.

If a relist is considered, we may recommend updated photography, different positioning, or a revised reserve strategy.

Sellers pay no standard listing fee. Buyers pay a 5% premium capped at $5,000.

At this stage, credit card checkout also includes a 3% card processing fee shown as a separate line item at payment. Shipping is confirmed separately before final charge.

When bidding, we place a hold on your registered card for 5% of your initial bid amount, with a minimum hold of $25. This helps support serious bidding and reduce non-performing bidders.

If you are outbid and do not win, the hold is released. If you win the auction, that initial hold is converted toward your total buyer’s fee.

If you bid more than once, we do not place multiple holds each time you raise your bid. Instead, if you win, we place a second charge for the fee difference between your initial bid amount and your winning bid amount.

For example, an initial bid of $1,000 creates a $50 hold. If you later win at $2,500, the additional $1,500 results in a second $75 charge, for a total buyer’s fee of $125, which equals 5% of the winning bid amount.

Seller payout is released after delivery is confirmed and the buyer’s 72-hour verification window has passed, or sooner when the transaction is affirmatively completed.

This structure keeps the process disciplined, protects both sides, and gives serious collectors a clearer post-sale standard.

The standard verification window is 72 hours after confirmed delivery or completed handoff.

That window gives the buyer time to verify that the piece arrived as described while keeping payout timing clear and predictable for the seller.

Yes, if both parties agree. This can make sense for high-value pieces, collections, or local transactions.

Yes. Buyer and seller may agree to meet for exchange of the piece and/or funds after auction close.

This can be beneficial for high-value transactions, collections, or local deals where both sides prefer a direct handoff.

Yes. Photos or video of packaging can help make the transaction smoother and support post-delivery verification.

For more valuable pieces, careful boxing documentation is strongly encouraged.

If a buyer believes the piece did not arrive as described, they must submit a dispute through the transaction page within the 72-hour verification window after confirmed delivery. The Glass Exchange reviews both parties' statements, the original listing description, condition notes, and any available documentation including packaging photos or video.

During active dispute review, the verification clock is paused and seller payout is held pending resolution. We aim to respond to all disputes within 24–48 hours of submission.

All dispute decisions made by The Glass Exchange are final.

Valid disputes include: the piece arriving materially different from the listing description, undisclosed damage not present at the time of listing, missing accessories or items confirmed as included in the listing, or a piece that is not the one described in the listing.

The following do not qualify as valid disputes: buyer's remorse or change of mind, minor variations in person vs. photography that do not contradict the written listing, or issues that were disclosed in the condition notes prior to bidding.

Bidders are expected to read the full listing, review all photos, and ask questions through the public comment thread before placing bids. Placing a bid is an acknowledgment that you have reviewed the available information.

If a dispute is resolved in the buyer's favor, options may include a negotiated partial refund, a full transaction reversal and return, or another mutually agreed resolution. The specific outcome depends on the nature and severity of the issue.

In the event of a return, the buyer is responsible for return shipping to the seller unless the listing contained material misrepresentation. The Glass Exchange facilitates the resolution but is not responsible for return shipping costs.

If a dispute is resolved in the seller's favor — typically because the claimed issue was disclosed in the listing or is not supported by evidence — seller payout is released and the transaction closes normally.

The Glass Exchange is a marketplace platform. We curate listings, facilitate transactions, and mediate disputes, but we are not a party to the sale itself. We do not take possession of pieces, guarantee their condition beyond what is stated in the listing, or assume responsibility for carrier damage, theft, or loss in transit.

Sellers are responsible for accurate disclosure, appropriate packaging, full insurance, and fulfillment of the transaction as listed. Buyers are responsible for reviewing all available listing information before bidding, understanding that all bids are binding, and completing payment if they are the winning bidder.

The Glass Exchange is not liable for losses arising from shipping damage, delivery failures, carrier errors, buyer non-payment, or fraud not detectable through our standard review process.

By submitting a piece or placing a bid, all parties agree to these terms and to the binding nature of The Glass Exchange's dispute resolution decisions.

Shipping damage is the seller's responsibility to prevent through appropriate packaging and the buyer's responsibility to document upon arrival. If a piece arrives damaged, the buyer should photograph the damage, the packaging, and the condition of the box before moving or unpacking further, then submit a dispute immediately.

If the piece was shipped fully insured, the seller should file a claim with the carrier using their packaging documentation. A successful insurance claim does not automatically constitute a dispute resolution — the transaction resolution is handled separately through The Glass Exchange process.

Sellers who under-package, under-insure, or fail to document their packaging process accept the risk of an unfavorable dispute outcome in the event of damage.

Bids are binding. A bidder who wins and fails to complete payment may have their member account suspended and may be blocked from future participation on the platform. The seller will be contacted about next steps, which may include re-listing or alternative resolution depending on circumstances.

The temporary card authorization placed at bid time supports commitment but does not guarantee full payment in all circumstances. Sellers accept that rare non-payment events may occur and that The Glass Exchange will take reasonable steps to address them but cannot guarantee collection.

We are looking for artist-made functional glass that is appropriate for a serious collector marketplace. This means verifiable authorship, honest and accurate condition representation, photography that supports confident bidding, and a reserve expectation aligned with current market conditions.

We consider both new and pre-owned pieces. Age and use are not disqualifying. A well-documented, honestly-disclosed pre-owned piece can perform as well or better than a new piece if the authorship and condition story are clear.

Common reasons for declining a submission include: photography that does not meet our standard, condition issues that were undisclosed in the submission or that cannot be adequately documented, a reserve set materially above current market value, unverifiable authorship claims, or pieces that do not fit the collector audience of the platform.

We also decline pieces that are mass-produced, unbranded, or lack meaningful provenance or artistic authorship. Our focus is on artist-made work with real collector-market identity.

Declining a submission is not a statement about the quality of the piece — it is sometimes a statement about fit, timing, or documentation. If your submission is declined, we will give you the primary reason and, where appropriate, suggestions for resubmission.

We evaluate reserve requests against current secondary market activity for the artist, the specific form and condition of the piece, and comparable recent sales where available. We use our knowledge of the collector market to form an honest view of where a piece is likely to close.

If we believe a reserve is too high, we will tell you and explain our reasoning. We will not list a piece at a reserve we believe makes it unlikely to sell — this is not good for the platform, the buyer community, or ultimately the seller.

Sellers retain the right to decline our feedback and withdraw their submission. We retain the right to decline to list a piece if we cannot agree on a realistic reserve.

We do not require formal artist verification for every piece, but we do require that authorship claims be supportable. A signed piece, a verifiable social media reference, a receipt or invoice, or confirmed prior provenance are all forms of supporting evidence.

If authorship cannot be supported to our satisfaction, we will either list the piece without a specific artist attribution or decline the submission. We will not list a piece as being by a specific artist based solely on a seller's recollection without supporting evidence.

The Deal Desk is a post-auction service that steps in when a listing closes below its reserve. Rather than letting a near-miss auction go cold, The Glass Exchange contacts both the seller and the highest bidder privately to explore whether a deal can be reached at a number both parties are comfortable with.

There is no obligation on either side. The seller can decline. The bidder can decline. But in many cases, a brief conversation gets the deal done when the auction could not.

If a listing closes without meeting its reserve and the seller opted in at submission, The Glass Exchange will contact the high bidder to confirm continued interest and ask whether they are willing to increase their offer. Separately, we contact the seller with the high bidder's position and facilitate a private negotiation.

If both parties reach an agreement, the transaction proceeds through the standard payment and verification flow. The Glass Exchange charges no additional fee for a deal closed through the Deal Desk.

Deal Desk is available on listings where the seller opted in during submission. Sellers can opt in or out at the time of submission. Opting in does not obligate the seller to accept any post-auction offer — it simply allows The Glass Exchange to initiate the conversation.

No-reserve listings do not require Deal Desk because there is no reserve to fail. Deal Desk is specifically designed for reserve listings that close below their floor.

Nothing additional. If a deal is reached through the Deal Desk, the standard buyer premium applies to the final agreed price, exactly as it would for a standard auction close. There is no Deal Desk surcharge for either the buyer or the seller.

The Verified Seller badge appears on listings and seller profiles where The Glass Exchange has completed an elevated review of the seller's identity, history, and prior transactions. It signals to buyers that the seller has been reviewed beyond standard submission standards.

Verified Seller status is initially granted by The Glass Exchange through manual review. Over time, sellers who accumulate a strong transaction record on the platform may qualify automatically. The badge is visible on listing cards, the listing detail page, and the seller's profile.

For new sellers, Verified status is granted by The Glass Exchange following manual review. If you are a known collector, established artist, or gallery with verifiable history, contact us directly and we will review your account for early verification.

For existing sellers, Verified status becomes available automatically after a qualifying number of completed transactions with no unresolved disputes on the platform.

The best way to reach us is by email at hello@theglassexchange.com, or through the contact form at theglassexchange.com/contact.

We respond to every message. For active transaction issues, we aim to reply within a few hours. For general inquiries, expect a response within one business day.

If your question relates to a specific listing or transaction, include the listing title or transaction ID. If you have a member account, include your display name. If the issue involves condition, damage, or a dispute, photos are helpful.

The more context you include upfront, the faster we can help.

Not at this time. Email is our primary support channel and allows us to keep a clear record of every conversation for both parties. Reach us at hello@theglassexchange.com.

Yes. If you have questions about whether a piece is a good fit, want to discuss a reserve before submitting, or have a unique situation, feel free to reach out before going through the full submission form. We're happy to have a preliminary conversation.