Entry and delivery of items:  Entry forms are available via our office or website and give full details of the selling conditions of sale.  Our commission charge for selling is 15% plus V.A.T. and all catalogued items are photographed for the internet and for the rostrum display screen for which there is a nominal charge of £2.50 per lot plus V.A.T.  Unlike many other auctioneers there are no charges for advertising, cataloguing, lotting or insurance. For cataloguing and advertising purposes, completed entry forms and items for sale should be delivered to our Salerooms on the allocated dates, delivery dates are detailed on our entry forms. It is advisable to telephone us before making a special journey in case the Salerooms are full.  If you are unable to deliver your items yourself, we can make arrangements for the items to be collected on your behalf by one of our local hauliers. We regularly have total house clearances sold through our Salerooms and Nigel is happy to visit a property and advise regarding the disposal of the contents, at no additional cost.  Distance is of no object, clearances have been carried out from as far afield as London, Manchester, Derbyshire, the Cotswolds, the South Coast and West Wales.  We are also able to provide Probate and Insurance Valuations of items, if required, the cost of these particular services is, however, chargeable.

 

Sale Publicity:   All of our auctions are comprehensively publicised, locally in various Newspapers, nationally in “The Antiques Trade Gazette” and Internationally on our Website.  The Catalogue is also uploaded to “the-saleroom.com”, who operate an Auction Alert Service which ensures our catalogue is viewed by many hundreds of their subscribers.  The effectiveness of the publicity is evidenced by the fact that we have recently forwarded lots to purchasers as far afield as Hong Kong, Australia and regularly the U.S.A. & Canada.

 

Viewing and Pre-Sale information:   Catalogues are available a few days prior to the auction on our website, posted with a catalogue subscription or by contacting our office. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in our catalogue is accurate, certain descriptions have been provided by Vendors and accordingly purchasers are advised to satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the description and condition of any items prior to bidding for them. The items included in the sale can be viewed on the Friday afternoon immediately prior to the auction between 2.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. and on the day of Sale from 8.00 a.m.  As well as the catalogued items, we normally have around 1000 lots of outside effects and general household furniture and effects at each sale.

 

Sale Day:   All buyers are required to register prior to bidding at our sales and will be allocated a buyer’s number.  We can issue you with a regular buyer’s number if you attend each sale, but if you attend our auctions only occasionally you will be allocated a buyer’s number for the particular sale day.  Once we have registered your details on our computer system, it is not necessary to complete a registration form each sale, just call at the pay office when you arrive at the auction and we will activate your account for that day.

Buyer’s Premium at the rate of 20% Plus V.A.T. (24% Including VAT) will be added to the hammer price of all lots purchased.  Upon the fall of the hammer the safety of the lot becomes the buyer's responsibility and you are advised to pay for and collect your lots as soon as possible.  We have two auctioneers selling for most of the day and selling frequently continues into the early evening.   We would be grateful if all lots could be removed from the saleroom by the Tuesday after the sale, as entries for our next sale start arriving soon after.  If you are unable to remove your purchases from the Salerooms yourself, then we can put you in touch with a haulier who would be happy to assist.

 

Commission Bids:  If you have viewed a lot and are unable to stay for the auction and would like to leave an absentee bid, then we would be pleased to undertake a commission bid on your behalf.  All instructions will be treated in the strictest confidence and Lots will be procured at the lowest price permitted by other bids or reserves.

 

Live Online Bidding:  We now operate Live Internet Bidding and this has proven popular for local, national and international buyers. To register just go to the link on the auction section of our website or www.nigel-ward.co.uk/live Please note that if you buy anything via this method, further charges will be made, these are detailed on the website.  We would also advise you that although the internet is fairly reliable, this is not a substitute for actually being at the auction.

 

Telephone Bidding:  If you would prefer to make a telephone bid, then this can be arranged by contacting the Pay Office on the view day but lines are limited and telephone bids are available on a first come, first served basis.  Failures to make telephone connections have been known.

 

Forwarding of Lots:  If you are not local, we can arrange for suitable items to be despatched.  There will be a charge for packing the articles dependent upon the materials and packing time involved and we can arrange for the items to be despatched by either post or courier.

 

Refreshments:   We have a convenient on-site canteen situated in the centre of the building with a feature curved bay window.  Refreshments are served all day.  The canteen is staffed by a variety of local charitable organisations with all profits going to the appropriate charity.

 

Payment:  All lots must be paid for before being removed from the salerooms.  Purchasers unknown to the Auctioneers need to either pay by Cash, Electronic Bank Transfer or in person by Debit/Credit Card. Cheques will only be accepted from persons previously known to the Auctioneers or subsequent to a reference being taken up by the Auctioneers’ Bank.

 

Disabled access and Toilet Facilities are provided.