Buying at Auction

 

How to bid

 

At Sheffield Auction Gallery, we want to make buying at auction, either in the saleroom or online, as easy and enjoyable as possible. Please ensure you have read our Terms & Conditions of Sale of Chattels below, bids are only accepted in agreement with these terms.

Bid Live Online

Live Online

Bid from anywhere in the world with us. Register for an account online, then enjoy bidding and watching the sale wherever you are.

 

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In person

In Person

Enjoy all the excitement of a Sheffield Auction Gallery auction. On the sale day, grab your paddles and get ready to bid on all the lots you love. 

 

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By Phone

By Phone

Let us know which lots you are interested in and we will call you in advance to access the live auction by telephone (subject to availability).

 

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By commission

By Commission

If you cannot make our sale day, our trusted team can bid on your behalf subject to your requirements by completing a simple form.

 

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Bid Live Online in real-time from anywhere

We currently have two online bidding platforms where you can register for an account and bid in real-time from anywhere.

 

Why Register With Sheffield Auction Gallery Live?

 

  • Register your interest and set sale reminders for upcoming auctions
  • Bid easily and quickly in our streamlined platform: SAG Live
  • Create a bespoke wishlist of lots you are interested in
  • Review your current and past bids in one place
  • Personalise your communications preferences
  • Enjoy a live stream of the auction on sale day
  • Easily manage your payments & invoices
  • Set up lot alerts for your favourite pieces
  • Update your contact information

 

In Person

 

Our Auctions are held in our purpose built, multi-saleroom gallery in Sheffield just minutes from the city centre, and accessible by rail, bus or taxi with on-site parking. 

Buying at auction is simple. Register at our recpetion on your arrival, and you will be handed a bidding card with your 'paddle number' on it. During the auction, raise your paddle when there is a particular lot(s) you are interested in and wait for the auctioneer to acknowledge you/your bid.

The auctioneer will take competing bids from people in the room, from our team of phone clerks or online, until a final price is "won" indicated by the gavel being hit and the auctioneer announcing the hammer price. If you are the final bidder, you must give your paddle number to the auctioneer. When you have finished bidding, please go back to reception and hand over your paddle to our office staff. The final price of the lot(s), will include your buyer's premium fees. 


 

Telephone Bid

 

If you would like to bid by telephone, please contact our office staff prior to the auction to provide details of the lots you are interested in and your contact information. 

On auction day, your designated clerk will call you just before your Lot(s) come up. They will be able to share an update of the auction so far, any interesting notes about the lots you are interested in and will relay the events in the room to you, bidding on your behalf when instructed to do so. This means that no matter where you are in the world, you still have chance to feel part of auction day.

Should you wish to bid in any forthcoming auctions by telephone, email enquire@sheffieldauctiongallery.com or call us on 0114 281 6161. Once our team have processed your bid request you will receive an email confirmation. Please note that all absentee and telephone bid requests must be received at least an hour before the auction.

On Your Behalf - Commission Bid

 

No matter where you are in the world, once you have a Sheffield Auction Gallery account you can allow us to bid on your behalf. 

Should you wish us to bid on your behalf, simply place a bid online via our commission bid form and submit it. The amount you enter on the form should be your maximum limit and we will bid up to that limit for you. Remember you may end up paying less than your limit depending on bidding that day.

Please note: our bid department will aways confirm receipt of an absentee bid form and may ask for further details. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Commission Bid Form


 

Terms & Conditions of Buying at Auction

Sheffield Auction Gallery are referred to as the Auctioneers throughout these Conditions of Sale.

The highest bidder shall be the Buyer and if any dispute arises between the bidders regarding any Lot offered at Auction or any other matter in relation to the same the Lot in dispute shall, at the Auctioneers discretion, either be immediately put up again and re-sold or the Auctioneers most senior member of staff in attendance at the time reserves the right to decide the dispute and their decision shall be final and binding on all parties concerned.

The Vendor reserves the right to bid by himself, or by his agent, to alter, vary or withdraw any Lot or Lots before or during the Sale.

ALL Lots are sold subject to a Buyers Premium of 24% inclusive of non-recoverable VAT on the Hammer price. (20% excluding.)

In order to be registered and approved by the Auctioneers to take part in and bid in any auction the bidders must have registered their name and address with the Auctioneers prior to the start of the auction and have had their identity checked; approval is wholly at the discretion of the Auctioneers. Absentee bidding will require credit or debit card details for security, these details will be destroyed after the auction.

The Auctioneers may, without giving any reason, refuse to accept the bidding of any person or persons. The minimum bid accepted by the Auctioneers on any Lot is £5, where the reserve price and any commission bids allows.

It is the complete responsibility of registered bidders wishing to leave commission bids with the Auctioneers to ensure that completed commission bid forms are handed to and received by the Auctioneer or Saleroom staff only and that the forms are correctly described; bids or bidding forms handed to any persons not employed by the Auctioneers will not be accepted. Full and correct descriptions are available from the Auctioneer at the bidders request. The Auctioneers accept no responsibility or liability for incorrect purchases resulting from incorrect Lot descriptions, wrongly noted Lot numbers or unclear/illegible bid amounts. Commission bids will only be accepted by the Auctioneers if accompanied by the required name and address identification.

Payments. Accounts must be settled in full within 2 working days of the auction. We no longer accept cash for any amount. Our accepted methods of payment are debit cards, credit cards or bank transfer. Debit & credit cards are only accepted by person in the saleroom using chip & pin. If settling an account by bank transfer all applicable bank charges or fees (at either the point of sending or receiving) must be met by the buyer. Cheques are no longer accepted. All Lots bought over the internet during Live Internet Bidding or via commission bids submitted to the Auctioneers through the internet facility (on applicable Auctions) are sold subject to platform fees on top of the Buyer’s Premium, the-saleroom.com purchasers must settle their account through the-saleroom.com or direct bank transfer. Overseas payments cannot be made by card over the telephone and UK customers can only pay a maximum of £250 over the phone. All purchases must be paid for in full before any Lot is removed from our premises. Lots which have been paid for may only be removed during the sale at the discretion of the Auctioneers. Any accounts/buyers remaining outstanding after 2 weeks of the auction will be automatically considered to have defaulted, the sale(s) cancelled, the Lot(s) reoffered in auction or returned to the Vendor(s) and the buyer banned from making future bids with the Auctioneers, the-saleroom.com and any other applicable bidding platforms, the Auctioneers reserve the right to inform other Auctioneers of the details surrounding the non-payment/default as appropriate.

Purchasers must settle the whole amount of their accounts for all Lots before they can be removed from the saleroom and the whole amount due must be paid in full within three working days after the day of the auction. If not paid within such time any money deposited in part payment shall be absolutely forfeited and the Auctioneers shall be at liberty to resell the Lot(s) or part thereof that remain un-removed, by public auction or private sale, without giving notice thereof to the Purchaser and any deficiency which arises on such re-sale, together with all expenses arising from such action shall be made good by the Purchaser. Neither the Vendor nor the Auctioneers shall be responsible for any Lot after the fall of the hammer, as from which time all Lots purchases are wholly at the risk of the Purchaser.

All Lots must be removed from the Saleroom at the Purchasers own expense not later than three working days after the date of the Auction. Storage is charged at £1 per lot, per day from the date of the auction. All Lots will cease to be covered on Sheffield Auction Gallery’s insurance after one calendar week from the auction date. In the event of any Lot or Lots remaining un-removed at the expiration of 3 months from the date of the auction or once the storage charges become greater than the hammer price of the lot(s) whichever comes first, shall be re-offered by public or private sale. The Auctioneers shall retain out of the hammer price realized the cost of storage deducted from sale proceeds and any other expenses of such re-sale and the balance (if any) shall be paid to the Purchaser. Should the hammer price realized on such re-sale be insufficient to defray the expenses the Purchasers shall immediately pay such deficiency. In the alternative the Auctioneers may remove and store on or off-site any Lots remaining un-removed as above and the Purchaser shall repay all expenses of such removal and warehousing.

Damages, Attribution & Condition of Lots; All Lots are sold, as seen, with all faults and errors of description, if any. Buyers must have fully satisfied themselves regarding authentication and condition of ALL items prior to removing items from the Saleroom. Items cannot be returned after removal from the Saleroom premises. Items purchased un-viewed with third party delivery requested will be deemed to have been viewed; and no returns will be accepted. if he buys without previous physical inspection he is deemed to have done so entirely at his own risk. No allowance can, in any case, be made, nor shall the Vendor or Auctioneers be answerable for any deficiency in quantities, weight or measurement claimed for after the Purchaser, his agent, carrier or any person employed by him, has removed his Lot or Lots from the premises.

Sheffield Auction Gallery make every effort to ensure accuracy of any statement concerning attribution and age. However it is essential that prospective bidders carefully examine the Lots they are interested in, in person, to satisfy themselves fully as to the attribution and condition of any lot, Auction House staff are happy to discuss and assist with this. Sheffield Auction Gallery do not make any guarantees regarding the condition of any Lot(s). All Lots are sold AF (as found) unless specifically stated otherwise in the description. For your guidance we make effort to record all significant damage, repair and restoration however, descriptions of damage are naturally subjective and in providing condition reports we do not guarantee or imply that there are no other defects present, which have not been mentioned. Vintage Wines & Spirits Section; there is always a risk of cork failure with old wines (especially during or after transit) and due allowance must be made for this. Electrical Items – electrical items are PAT (portable appliance test) tested for safety by a qualified electrician prior to auction. We cannot give any warranty or guarantee that an item is in working condition. Any untested items are marked "Sold for parts only".

Sheffield Auction Gallery do not make any guarantees regarding the condition of any Lot(s). All Lots are sold AF (as found) unless specifically stated otherwise in the description. For your guidance in this catalogue we have recorded all significant damage, repair and restoration. Descriptions of damage are naturally subjective and in providing condition reports we do not guarantee or imply that there are no other defects present, which have not been mentioned. Vintage Wines & Spirits Section; there is always a risk of cork failure with old wines (especially during or after transit) and due allowance must be made for this. Electrical Items – electrical items are PAT (portable appliance test) tested for safety by a qualified electrician prior to auction. We cannot give any warranty or guarantee that an item is in working condition. Any untested items are marked "Sold for parts only".

The 'Title of Goods' passes only to the purchaser after payment in full has been made to the Auctioneers and funds have cleared; The 'Title of Goods' covers only those items actually specified in the catalogue description of the Lot in question and does not cover any other items, whatsoever, passed to the Purchaser, by any means, which remain the property of the Vendor and held by the Auctioneers. If any such items are brought to the attention of the purchaser, or are discovered by him, the items must be returned immediately to the Auctioneers.

Neither the Auctioneers nor the Vendors shall be responsible for any accident or damage to life or limb which may occur to any person(s) during the viewing, auction or removal of the Lot or Lots.

All statements contained in the catalogues and Saleroom notices as to any Lot are made without responsibility on the part of the Vendors or Auctioneers. Intending Purchasers must satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise to all such matters and as to the physical description of any Lot.

Neither the Vendors nor the Auctioneers make or give nor has any person in the employment of the Auctioneers any authority to make or give any representation or Warranty in relation to any Lot.

Bidders registering with the Auctioneers, via any format, to take part in any Auctions agree to these Conditions of Sale.

Sheffield Auction Gallery reserves the right to amend these Conditions Of Sale at any time and without prior written notice.

Packing & Postage / Courier Services

 


 

Terms & Conditions of Buying Motor Vehicles at Auction (in addition to the Terms & Conditions above)

Persons wanting to bid on any vehicle must fully satisfy themselves about the vehicle(s) offered prior to registering and bidding. We recommend that an HPI Check is carried out in advance of bidding.

Warranties

All lots are sold on an 'as seen' basis. You may wish to bring a competent mechanic with you to inspect any Motor Vehicles on your behalf. The catalogue will contain a basic description. Intending purchasers MUST satisfy themselves regarding condition, age, and integrity of any lot prior to bidding as no warranties whatsoever are given in relation to any lot.

On the fall of the hammer a Contract is made and you are legally obliged to complete the purchase. Again; it is therefore vital that you are satisfied with the condition of the lot you intend to bid upon before doing so.

Bidders registering with the Auctioneers, via any format, to take part in any Auctions are agreeing to these Conditions of Sale.

Payment for Vehicles

The successful bidder must leave a £200 deposit (per vehicle) on the day of the auction unless payment is settled in full, (any purchaser not fully completing their transaction will forfeit the £200 deposit and it will be retained by Sheffield Auction Gallery). Any lot purchased will only be released when full settlement (inclusive of all charges) is made. Before bidding, you should ensure that you have the necessary funds available and are able to pay according to one of the methods set out in the Terms and Conditions. Payment can only be accepted in GBP. For security reasons, payments by debit or credit card (Visa/Mastercard) will only be accepted where the cardholder is present. Cash is accepted up to the current money laundering limit of €15,000 (or equivalent GBP exchange rate).

Vehicle Storage Fees

We can store the vehicle in our secure car park for a maximum of 5 days only after the auction, after this time a storage fee of £15 per day plus VAT will be charged.

Removal of Vehicles

It is the successful purchasers sole responsibility to tax and insure the vehicle(s). If a vehicle is sold without a current MoT, the buyer is also responsible for removing the vehicle by a legal method. Sheffield Auction Gallery will not accept any responsibility for any vehicles once removed from our premises.

The DVLA will be notified by Sheffield Auction Gallery of the change of keeper within 5 working days following reciept of payment, using the details from the invoice unless otherwise stated.

 


Sheffield Auction Gallery reserves the right to amend these Conditions Of Sale at any time and without prior written notice.