If you are new to buying at Auction or haven’t used us before, we’ve listed some useful tips so you can catch up easily.
Auction Houses
- Before buying, it is your legal obligation to satisfy yourself with the condition of the object. If
you can’t make it to the viewing in person, it is strongly advised that you ask the auction
house for a condition report. Every item at auction is ‘Sold as seen’.
- If bidding by an absentee bid, make sure to leave plenty of time before the sale begins.
- If bidding online, don’t stall too long to bid, auctioneers have many lots to get through and
won’t wait all day.
- Many auction houses charge storage fees to stop their storage from becoming unmanageable; keep auction houses in the loop regarding when an item is being collected otherwise you may be charged extra.
- If we’re collecting for you, the auction house will need your consent to release the goods to
us.
Shipping
- If bidding from overseas, it is worth considering the legal status of importing your items.
Ivory and rosewood for instance are protected under the endangered species act and
antique examples will require a shipping licence to leave the EU.
- For safety reasons it is illegal to ship certain items through regular post and freight services,
this applies to mercury which is found in many antique thermometers and barometers.
- Be aware that goods may be liable to import tax in your country.
- Freight fees are based on volume and weight rather than item value. A cheap but large item
may cost more to ship abroad than it did to buy.
- Please note that we do not offer insurance for packages being shipped to Russia.
Please let us know if you have any other enquiries, we are always happy to assist.
