Art. 2(b): CISG and auctions

Art. 2(b) CISG excludes "traditional" (i.e. non-online) auctions from the CISG's scope

Kunsthaus Math. Lempertz OHG v. Wilhelmina van der Geld
Rechtbank Arnhem (District Court Arnhem)
Netherlands, 17 July 1997, CISG-online 548

Vegetables auction case
Bundesgerichtshof (German Supreme Court)
Germany, 02 October 2002 – VIII ZR 163/01, CISG-online 700

Vegetables auction with international bidders excluded from the CISG's scope by Art. 2(b)

Auctioned oil painting case
Landgericht Karlsruhe (District Court Karlsruhe)
Germany, 04 January 2005 – 5 S 161/04, CISG-online 5102

Sale of an oil painting via an art auction is excluded from the Sales Convention's scope by Art. 2(b) CISG (in addition, the parties had explicitly chosen domestic German law as the law applicable to their sales transaction during the court proceedings, thereby in any case excluding the Sales Convention's application under Art. 6 CISG)

Does Art. 2(b) CISG also exclude internet (online) auctions from the CISG's scope?

yes:

Online auction of photography case
Bundesgericht/Tribunal fédéral (Swiss Federal Supreme Court)
Switzerland, 08 November 2016 – 4A_451/2016, CISG-online 2803

According to the court, an online auction via an internet website is an 'auction' in the sense of Art. 2(b). Consequently, the CISG is not applicable

Online auction of car case
Oberlandesgericht Brandenburg (Court of Appeal Brandenburg)
Germany, 08 April 2016 – 11 U 44/14, CISG-online 2727

The CISG was held not to be applicable, because the international character of the contract was not apparent for the seller (Art. 1(2) CISG) and auction were excluded from the scope under Art. 2(b) CISG (albeit without discussion of the fact that it was an online-auction)

Sale of horse via internet auction case
Rechtbank Oost-Brabant (District Court Oost-Brabant)
Netherlands, 31 August 2020 – C/01/360225 / KG ZA 20-386, CISG-online 5398

Held that an online auction conducted on an internet website specializing on horse auctions is covered by Art. 2(b) CISG, so that the Sales Convention does not apply to the transaction.

no:

Ulrich G. Schroeter, 'Die Anwendbarkeit des UN-Kaufrechts auf grenzüberschreitende Versteigerungen und Internet-Auktionen', Zeitschrift für Europäisches Privatrecht (ZEuP) (2004), 20–35 [– in German]

Kristijan Poljanec, 'Auctions and Auctionlike Selling Mechanisms in International Sale of Goods: A Call for Revisiting Article 2(b) CISG?', in: Zvonimir Slakoper & Ivan Tot (eds.), EU Private Law and the CISG: The Effects for National Law, London: Routledge (2021) [– in English]