FAQs

We were established in 1976 and are one of the world’s largest companies buying and selling stamps, postal history and other collectables.

Our offices are in Knutsford, Cheshire in the North West of England around 2 hours north of London and close to Manchester and Liverpool. We are owned and managed by Vincent Green, an internationally renowned philatelic professional.

Each week we hold a Mail Bid Sale which you can enjoy online but you can also request an illustrated catalogue.

Every 2 or 3 months we also hold "Cheshire Stamp Auctions" which is a Public Auction with an auctioneer wielding his gavel and a room of bidders competing with online bidders from around the world. We also print catalogues for those sales.

We also hold the "Stampbid" Internet auctions which is similar to our public auctions but after pre-auction bidding is closed the action moves to an online auction hosted on www.easyliveauction.com 

We buy stamps directly and we also auction them on commission. We are a friendly firm who enjoy what we do!

The Kwik-Bid, Sandafayre, Express and Hunters mail bid auctions are held each week and we do not have a room of bidders like the public auction but instead only accept bids by mail, email, fax, telephone or via this website. At the sale closing time the highest bid is reduced to one bid step above the next highest bid, or to the reserve price and all lots are covered by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Lots sold in our Mail Bid Sales are subject to a buyers premium of 20%. Check out our Mail Bid Sale frequently asked questions

At the sale close time the highest bid is reduced to one bidding step above the next highest bid, or if there are no other bids the lot is sold at the reserve price.

Here are a few examples of how the bidding & winning works:

1) Your bid is £100 on a lot which we've estimated at £100 - £120

The lot has a reserve price of £80

2) Another bidder bids £90

3) You win the lot for £91.

Another example:

1) Your bid is £100 on a lot which we've estimated at £100 -£120

The lot has a reserve price of £80

2) Another bidder bids £200

3) That other bidder wins the lot at £105. So you don't win the lot, you were the underbidder, better luck next time.

Another example:

1) Your bid is £100 on a lot which we've estimated at £100 -£120

The lot has a reserve price of £80.

2) There are no other bids.

3) You win the lot for £80.

The selling is achieved using a program and the only manual interventions made by us is if we are undertaking any special instructions on behalf of a bidder (see some typical examples below but we'll try to accomodate anything if it's possible and does not unfairly disadvantage another bidder).

Unlike other sales which are totally online (we also publish a matching printed sale catalogue) we do not show ‘live’ bidding online nor do we disclose current bids to third parties for the following reasons:

-It allows you to give us complex instructions regarding your total spending limit in one Mail Bid Sale

-If your spending limit is reached you can even tell us the order in which you would like your bids applied so you have a better chance at winning your favourites

-It allows you to bid on two or more similar lots but to give us an ‘either / or’ instruction, so you only win one lot.

-It allows you to cancel your bids at any time prior to the auction close without affecting other bidders.

-It maintains the confidentiality of your bids and purchases

-Also our many non-web clients (clients who still bid by post, telephone or fax) would be disadvantaged compared to web clients if we posted their current bids online.

All the lots sold in our Mail Bid Sales have a buyers premium of 20% which includes an amount in lieu of VAT added to the sales price.

If you have any questions please get in touch.

We hold regular public auction's at our offices in Knutsford, Cheshire. "Cheshire Stamp Auctions" is a traditional public auction with a public viewing period and a public auction held in a room of keen bidders with an auctioneer wielding his gavel.

The lots are shown on this site several weeks before the auction and bids can be left with our auctioneer by placing bids against the lots on this site up to the morning of auction day. The auctioneer will execute them on your behalf (these are traditionally referred to as "Commission Bids").

Bidders from around the world can also join the auction room and bid live online through our internet platform which is available on this site from around 30 minutes before the auction begins (the ability to make commission bids will be suspended and you will instead be given the option to view the live sale and make bids if you wish)

Trevor Chinery is an Auction Agent and can also represent you at the auction. He charges for this service and you can contact him on 07527 444 825.

The buyers premium charge of 22% is inclusive of an amount in lieu of VAT and is applied to the hammer price of each lot. 

The collection / accumulation lots are sold without the blanket satisfaction guarantee we give with our Mail Bid Auction lots, so it is the responsibility of the buyer is to view, make enquiries or otherwise satisfy themselves that the lot is suitable before bidding in the auction.

Please remember in a fast- moving public auction it will not be possible for us to manage your total spending limit or other complex instructions so we would recommend bidding live yourself or discussing this with your auction agent. 

Our terms and conditions are set out here.
We hold two types of sale, Mail Bid Auctions and Public Auctions (Cheshire Stamp Auction). The terms and conditions are slightly different for each.

The buyer's premium forms part of the auctions commission and is a percentage of the final 'hammer' price.

The buyer's premium for our Mail Bid auctions is 20% and Public auctions (Cheshire Stamp Auctions) are 22%. This is inclusive of an amount in lieu of VAT, so there is no additional tax on top of the buyer's premium.

Please consider the buyer's premium when making your bids.

PLEASE NOTE. If you bid in our Cheshire Stamp Auction you can use www.easyliveauction.com but you can also bid live from either our online bidding platform or through www.the-saleroom.com. We recommend registering to bid as early as you can before the auction, the online platform goes 'live' on our site 30 minutes before the auction begins. We charge a 3.6% fee for this. THIS IS THE ONLINE PLATFORM CHARGE - WE MAKE NO PROFIT FROM THIS. If you bid via www.thesaleroom.com you will be charged by them (currently 5.94%). If you register on both sites for our sale you will be charged the higher of the two fees even if you bid on our site!

We accept the following payment methods:

Credit / Debit Cards

Unlike many auction companies, we do not charge you for paying by credit card. Payment by credit/debit card ensures your items are sent out in the shortest possible time.

Most of our clients authorise us to charge their cards at the time of bidding, although this is not mandatory.

We do not keep your credit / debit card details as this information is encoded away from our computer servers. If you enter your card number onto our site we never have sight of that number (even though it is our site) and your card is charged using the exchanging of an electronic 'token' unique to us with the card- issuer, rather than your full number.

Credit/Debit cards - Visa, MasterCard, JCB and AmEx (sorry, but we cannot accept Diners Club, Maestro or Discover). Please note, the first time you pay us using a credit/debit card we will require your 3 digit security code (or 'CV2' number). This is located on the reverse of your card. The security code is required for your FIRST PURCHASE ONLY.

Other methods:

Sterling cheques drawn on a personal account (kindly allow 2-3 days for clearance)

Sterling bank drafts

Sterling / US$ cash

UK Postal orders (as long as the orders and the stamps stuck to the front add up to the invoice total)

US$ cheques drawn on a personal checking account (these cheques must be sent for clearance and this process can take over 5 weeks. Goods will not be released until the cheque has cleared).

US$ cashiers cheques (ensure that a UK clearing banks name appears on it and that the amount is printed by the computer and not just handwritten)

Foreign cheques must include an extra £10 for bank charges. Please note, cheque clearance can delay shipment by up to 6 weeks.

Foreign cash (must include an extra £10 for bank charges)

Direct transfers (pay through your bank to our account at National Westminster Bank Plc., Northwich High Street, CW9 5GB, UK.)

Our bank account details are:

National Westminster Bank Plc, Northwich High Street, CW9 5GB, UK 

STERLING PAYMENTS ONLY
Account Number    31518222
Sort Code               60-12-30
IBAN                       GB73NWBK60123031518222
SWIFT                     NWBKGB2L

EURO PAYMENTS ONLY

Account Number    34624538
 Sort Code              60-12-30
 IBAN                       GB65NWBK60721034624538
 SWIFT                    NWBKGB2L

US DOLLAR PAYMENTS ONLY

Account Number    34624546
 Sort Code               60-12-30
 IBAN                       GB70NWBK60730134624546
 SWIFT                     NWBKGB2L

PLEASE NOTE:
Any charges incurred through the payment process of your bank which are passed to us will be debited to your client account with us, and added to your next invoice. Charges to us made from our own bank due to receiving your money will not be charged to you.

MAIL BID AUCTIONS:
Yes! One of the benefits of our weekly Mail Bid Sales is that you can give us complex instructions including such things as a total spending limit, or even a total spending limit with lots being sold to you in your personal preference order until your limit is met (so even if your favourite lot is a higher lot number than your least favourite you can bid on that first). You can give us instructions at any time by email, telephone or by using the "Ask a Question" function on one of the lots you are bidding on. Typical instructions might be:

“total spend £300 in the sale please” or

“total spend £300 in this order of preference, lot 5113, 5002, 6678, 5980, 7033, 5061”

PUBLIC AUCTIONS:
Our Public ‘Room’ Auctions are different to our regular Mail Bid Auctions and we cannot always manage complex instructions in a fast- moving auction room, we recommend either clear basic instructions several days before a sale or that you bid live online or in the room yourself.

The Auction Agent, Trevor Chinery can also represent you. Call him on 07527 444825 or email trevortrilogy@aol.com

Bidding on lots in our weekly Mail Bid Auctions couldn't be easier...once you've logged in or registered there are 2 ways you can place your bids:

Bidding from either the lot listing or lot 'More Details' screens is a fast and convenient way to bid. Each lot has a "£" field in which you can enter your bid. To use this feature, simply enter your bid amount (and select a ‘bid boost’ if you wish) and click the 'Place Bid' button. If you have any additional instructions you can always add them to the "Ask a Question" feature on that lot, you will receive a confirmation email and your current bids can be seen from your account area. Or simply email us such questions or requests such as your delivery instructions, spending limits or anything else we can help with at stamp@sandafayre.com

The other way to bid is to add lots to your "Wishlist" and then bid from your Wishlist in your account area, this is the slightly more popular way of bidding as it gives you a great overview of the lots you are interested in. From the Wishlist you can either bid on, retain or remove whatever lots you want.

In the Mail Bid Auctions an incorrect bid step (bid increment) will be reduced to the next correct bid step unless that results in a tied bid with an identical bid, then if the incorrect bid step was received first it might be accepted at the full bid.

You can send us bids straight from the lot description on our website and the auctioneer will execute your bids for you in the room, we do not charge for this service. These are called "Commission" or "Book" bids. Simply enter your bid amount in the "£" field and click the "Pace bid" button.

In the Cheshire Stamp Auction public auction bids received on an incorrect bid step (bid increment) will be reduced to the next correct bid step. In the event of a tied bid the first received takes precedence.

You are very welcome to bid in person at the auction, simply register when you arrive to obtain a paddle number.

You can use an auction agent to bid by following your instructions. Mr Trevor Chinery often attends the auction, he can be contacted on 07527 444825 or by email: trevortrilogy@aol.com

You can bid live during the auction from our www.sandafayre.com bidding platform, through thesaleroom.com or easyliveauction.com where you will be able to follow the auction and bid. Please see the Live online bidding platform charges FAQ for more information.

MAIL BID AUCTIONS:
This site accepts bids down to a fixed 75% of our estimated value range; this is not the same as a reserve so it’s possible to win lots at less than this amount if the reserve is lower, or fail to win if the reserve is higher.

Please note that our website does not accept bids below 75% of the lower estimated value, even if you have chosen an additional 'bid boost' which if used would take the bid above that 75%.

In the Mail Bid Auctions an incorrect bid step (bid increment) will be reduced to the next correct bid step unless that results in a tied bid with an identical bid, then if the incorrect bid step was received first it might be accepted at the full bid.

PUBLIC AUCTIONS:
Cheshire Stamp Auctions
The Reserve price is shown on each lot, we will not accept bids below that amount. The reserve price does not indicate a starting price as the starting (opening) price at the auction may be higher if commission bids have been received prior to the start of the auction. If no commission bids have been received then typically the lot will be opened to bids at the reserve price.

Bid Boosts are a percentage of your bid amount which you have the option to attach to your bid but it will only be invoked should another bid be received which is higher than yours, this is to ensure that you either win the lot or that your competitor does not win the lot at less than you were willing to pay. Bid Boosts are completely optional.

See the examples below to see how Bid Boosts work:

Example 1.

Step 1. Your basic bid for a lot is £100, and you select a 30% boost

Step 2. We receive another bid of £110 on the same lot

Step 3. Your bid boost is invoked so you win the lot for £115 - one bidding step above the next highest bid

 

Example 2.

Step 1. Your basic bid for a lot is £100, and you select a 30% boost

Step 2. We have no other bids on the lot, the reserve price for the lot is £75

Step 3. Your bid boost is NOT invoked, so you win the lot for £75

 

Example 3.

Step 1) Your basic bid for a lot is £100, and you select a 30% boost

Step 2. We have no other bids on the lot, the reserve price for the lot is £110.

Step 3. Your bid boost is invoked to get your bid to the reserve level so you win the lot for £110

(please note that our website will not accept bids below 75% of the lower estimate, even if a 'Bid Boost' then takes the bid above that level)

   

Example 4.

Step 1. Your basic bid for a lot is £100, and you select a 30% boost

Step 2. We have another bid of £200 on the same lot

Step 3. Your bid boost is invoked so your competitor wins the lot for £135 - one bidding step above the maximum you were prepared to pay.

 

Please note that your Bid Boost may result in you winning on a non- standard bidding step in our Mail Bid Sales. For example your £180 bid with a Bid Boost of 30% will result in you winning the lot at £234 if another bid of £230 has been received. In our Public Auction the auctioneers decision is final.

The highest price you are prepared to pay NOT including the Buyers Premium (please allow for the additional 20% buyers premium charge in Mail Bid auctions and 22% in Public auctions, which will be added to your invoice, alongside shipping).

Your maximum bid can be raised further by using the ‘Bid Boost’ feature in order to beat higher bids or to match the reserve price or to ensure a competing bidder does not win the lot for less than what you were prepared to bid.

No problem! Your bids are only binding if they are actioned at the sale itself. There is no bid cancellation facility on this site but simply email the office on stamp@sandafayre.com (preferably from the email address we hold on your account) and we'll cancel your bid(s).

The Estimate (on our site shown as "Est" or "Estimate"), is the price guide we place on each lot that reflects, in light of current market conditions, what we believe the lot is worth.

It is NOT a catalogue value (such as Stanley Gibbons, Scott or Michel) which in the vast majority of lots will be substantially higher than our Estimate!

Bidding increments (often referred to as bidding steps) are the increments we ask you to use when making bids. We have very small bidding increments to ensure that you don’t have to pay more than you need to.

Bid steps (increments):

£1 - £100, £1 steps

£100 - £500, £5 steps

£500 - £1000, £10 steps

£1000 upwards £25 steps

Our site accepts bids in £1 increments on the Mail Bid Auction lots however bids received on an incorrect increment will be reduced to the next correct increment (bid step), for example, a bid of £103 will be reduced to £100 unless that results in a bid tied with an identical bid, then if the incorrect bid step was received first it might be accepted at the full bid.

Sometimes a 'Bid Boost' which has to be taken to its maximum may cause a lot to be sold at non-standard bid step but this is rare (for instance a £90 bid + 30% may beat a £105 bid by being sold at £107). There are other rare instances where lots may be sold at a non-standard bid step and we use our best judgement on all occasions.

Bidding increments (often referred to as bidding steps) in our Cheshire Stamp Auctions and Stampbid Internet auctions are the increment guidelines our auctioneer will typically use. These steps are a little wider than our Mail Bids Sales.

Bidding increments:

£1 - £25 £1 steps

£25 - £100, £5 steps

£100 - £300, £10 steps

£300 - £1000, £25 steps

£1000 - £2000 £50 steps

£2000 - £3000 £100 steps

£3000 - £10,000 £250 steps

£10,000 auctioneers discretion.

Bids received to be executed by the auctioneer of unusual ‘off step’ amounts will usually be rounded down to the step below and will not take precedence over an identical bid unless received first, however in the busy auction room environment the auctioneers decision on bid increments is final.

Our Privacy Policy can be viewed here. 

The Lot Alerts service allows you to create a profile of what you are interested in and each time a new lot matching those interests appears in our sales the Lot Alert service will send you an email with all the details.

From time to time we may review your existing Lot Alert profiles or create new Lot Alert profiles for you. Please let us know if we can improve this service for you in any way.

It's easy to use and you can alter or add new criteria yourself at any time.

Alternatively you can contact us and tell us what you are interested in and we'll do our best to create a profile within the Lot Alert service which is most likely to work for you. 

For Example:

If you are interested in World War Two period covers / mail you could type "1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, covers" in the 'Keywords' section. If you were interested in that period for the entire world then simply leave the "Your Primary Interest" field empty and it will find anything new each week from every section of our sale. If you are interested in WWII covers but only from Europe you can select "Europe" from the "Your Primary Interest" menu and if you are only interested in the WWII covers of France and Germany you can select those two countries from the "Refine" menu which will appear once you've selected "Europe" and you will create TWO profiles.

If you want mint or never hinged mint stamps from the same periods and areas then you would do the same things as above but simply type 'mint' instead of 'covers' so your keywords would show "1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, mint"

Enjoy playing around with this but remember, we are happy to set it up for you, just contact the office.

We believe that we have the best and fastest packing and shipping department in the stamp auction world!

For both Mail Bid Auctions and our Public Auctions we will ship your items as soon as full payment has been received. Often this is the very same day, even if you have purchased boxes and heavy albums..

The service we use to ship your items determines how quickly you’ll receive them – this can be anything from a next day service to up to 7 days for overseas shipments.

Shipping costs are shown against each lot.

If you purchase multiple lots in the same sale we combine them and heavily discount the shipping costs.

The postal service we use (i.e. a First Class post / Airmail service versus or a Signed for/Courier service) will depend on the value of your lot(s).

We use new modern packing materials and endevour to offer an efficient service at a competative price. 

We want you to be delighted with every purchase from us!

That’s why we offer a full, 100% money back guarantee on all the lots we sell in our weekly Mail Bid Sales. If you're not happy- send it back!

It's as simple as that. You'll receive a full refund of the lot price and - on all our Mail Bid Sale lots - the buyers premium. See our Terms and Conditions (Ts&Cs) for more details and for information about how to send an item back to us. To qualify the lots must be returned in ‘as sold’ condition and presentation (clearly we don’t mind stamps being inspected but a collection should not look different or be otherwise altered) and Sandafayre must have either been alerted or received the lot back within 28 days of the sale close date.

We try at all times to give accurate descriptions and back them up with scanned images. Scans and other images of collections and other mixed accumulations or selections are to aid you and do not form part of the descriptions but you can return such lots anyway.

The lots in our Public Auctions do NOT carry the same blanket guarantee as the lots sold in our Mail Bid Sales.

In our Public Auctions it is THE BUYERS responsibility to inspect the lots and make enquiries prior to the auction and we do not give refunds on collections, accumulations, stocks or any other type of multi- item lot. However individually described items or sets which are not part of a larger collection which are not described accurately can be returned for a refund. Similarly items or sets with alteration or damage not mentioned in our description where such alteration or damage could not reasonably be identified from photographs, scans or other images we have made available before the auction can also be returned. The images of such items or sets do form part of the description however for collections and other accumulations or selections images do not form part of the description.

We may require an opinion to be rendered by an expert or expert body before making any refund.

Don’t worry!

All our Mail Bid Auction lots come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You'll receive a full refund of the lot price and the buyers premium. See our Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) for more details and for information about how to send a lot back to us. To qualify the lots must be returned in ‘as sold’ condition and presentation (clearly we don’t mind stamps being inspected but a collection should not look different or be otherwise altered) and Sandafayre must have been alerted or received the lot back within 28 days of the sale close date.

The lots in our Public Auctions do NOT carry the same blanket guarantee as the lots sold in our Mail Bid Auctions. In the Public Auctions it is THE BUYERS responsibility to inspect the lots and make enquiries prior to the auction and we do not give refunds on collections, accumulations, stocks or any other type of multi- item lot.

Individually described items or sets which are not part of a larger collection which are not accurately described can be returned for a refund WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction or Sandafayre must be informed WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction that the lot is being returned. Similarly items or sets with alteration or damage not mentioned in our description where such alteration or damage could not reasonably be identified from photographs, scans or other images we have made available before the auction can also be returned for a refund WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction or Sandafayre must be informed WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction that the lot is being returned UNLESS AN EXTENTION has been requested. The inspection of any lot before the auction by the buyer or a person acting on behalf of the buyer constitutes acceptance of that lot as described.

An extension request is a request made by the prospective bidder before a Mail Bid Sale or Public Auction that a lot can be returned to us for a refund later than the time limits specified as the lot will be sent to an acknowledged expert or expert committee for examination. This expertisation process can take
some time so it is understood that once we have agreed to "an extension" that should that expert conclude that the item was not sufficiently accurately described then we agree to refund the purchase price and buyers premium of that lot.

Lots 'on extension' must be paid for prior to the stamp being sent to any expert or committee of experts.

Please remember that all our Mail Bid Auction lots are satisfaction guaranteed, even collections and accumulations (see “Are the lots I win in the Mail Bid Auction guaranteed?” and also our Mail Bid Auction terms and conditions) however this guarantee does NOT apply to lots bought in our Public ‘Room’ Auctions.

Your Wishlist is probably the best area from which to manage your selections as you can get everything together before making your bidding decisions.

Simply add a few lots to your Wishlist then take a look, you don't have to bid on anything, it's a safe area.

You do need to log in or register for this service.

We often use abbreviations in our lot descriptions, here's a few of the most popular ones:

M or MINT = unused with original gum, previously or currently hinged

MINT NH = mint never hinged, the same as Unmounted Mint. see NHM.

NHM = never hinged mint = unused with original gum never previously hinged or otherwise mounted by affixing anything to the gummed side.

UNUSED = as mint but without gum

U or USED = used, postmarked or otherwise cancelled.

Alphabetical list: 

AU$ = Australian Dollars

BET = between

BLK = block (4)

C$ = Canadian Dollars

CANC = cancelled

CAT = catalogue value or catalogue name.

CDS = circular date stamp

COLLN = collection

CTO = cancelled to order, or cancelled by favour.

F = fine

FDC = first day cover

FDI = first day of issue

FU = fine used

GBP = Great Britian Pounds – the currency for all transactions on this site

INCL = including

M = mint

MARG = margin

MINT = unused with original gum, previously or currently hinged

MINT NH = never hinged

M/S = miniature sheet

NHM = never hinged mint

OG = original gum

OPT = overprint

OVPT = overprint

P = perforation

Perf = perforation

PPC = picture postcard

P.STAT or P/STAT = postal stationary

SELN or VALS TO = selection to (not a full unbroken run)

SET = complete set as listed to top value

STC = stated to catalogue (a catalogue value not calculated by us so whilst appearing to be somewhat accurate we can't guarantee accuracy)

SURCH = surcharge

U = used, a stamp with some form of cancellation denoting postal or revenue usage.

UNUSED = as mint but without gum

USD = United States Dollar

VALS = values

VARS = varieties

VF = very fine

VFM = very fine mint

VFU = very fine used

WMK = watermark

W/N = within

W/O = without

Q. I collect never hinged mint GB. How do I find them specifically?

A. Type "NHM" (or u/m, or never hinged mint etc) into the search area (see that magnifying glass at top right?) then you will get a list of ALL the never hinged mint lots on the website, then on the left side of the screen tick against “Great Britain” and you will get a list of all the GB never hinged mint lots!

Q. How do I find your Canadian lots?

A. There are two simple ways, either type "Canada" into the search area (see that magnifying glass at top right?) and you will find all the Canadian lots including the provinces. The other way is to go to the "Stamps By Country" page (find the link to the right of the Logo near the top of the page) then click on either "All Countries A-Z" or "British Commonwealth" and then click on the "Canada" link on the list and you will find all the Canadian lots.

Our Cheshire Stamp Auctions public auctions offer 3 options for following the auctioneer and bidding online (all charges quoted must be confirmed at the time you bid)

www.easyliveauction.com our auction is available on their website. You can opt to pay a flat fee per auction of £3, or 3.6% commission on the hammer price.

www.sandafayre.com where a live platform becomes available around 30 minutes before the auction begins. You'll need to be logged in for it to work. There is a charge of 3.6% on the hammer prices for this service, we do not receive this fee as it is charged by the technology provider.

www.the-saleroom.com our auction is available on their website, they charge 5.94% on the hammer price. DO NOT REGISTER to bid in our auction from their website if you intend to bid on the sandafayre.com platform as they share the same technology and you will be charged the higher of the two fees. 

Such platforms are available for the Cheshire Stamp Auction public auctions public auctions but not our weekly mail bid auctions. More than half of all bidders who participate in our public auctions are using these services.

They are a popular substitute for attending an auction in person. Currently we use three different platforms during the Cheshire Stamp Auctions - www.easyliveauction.com www.sandafayre.com (our own website) and www.the-saleroom.com and all attract charges. The www.sandafayre & www.the-saleroom live platform is 'shared technology' so despite the three online platforms the auctioneer sees bids arriving on two screens, one screen for easylive and another for sandafayre / the-saleroom. It's a fast moving environment and identical bids can arrive and for a few seconds both bidders can believe they have the highest bid.

If this occurs the auctioneers task is to decide which bid arrived first and instruct the auction clerks to change the details on the losing platform where the bidder can then bid again, he must also follow bids from the room, from telephone bidders and represent bidders who have given us their bids before the auction, such bids are referred to as 'book bids' or 'commission bids', bids from one live online platform are shown as 'Room' bids on the screens of the other online platform. It is a fast moving and often complex environment and due to the occasional audio / visual lag we recommend that online bidders react to the changing bid button information quickly and remember that although extremely robust sometimes (certainly not every auction) the Internet can occasionally be temperamental!

Our Terms & Conditions can be viewed here. 

Despite many changes, a public auction is still just that, a publicly held offering of items sold as lots. An auctioneer must be seen to sell lots to the highest bidder, whilst protecting his vendors against commercial risk. To that extent, the auction is held for persons attending and bidding in the auction room but certain very useful and popular services are made available to the many people who are not attending in person, but wish to bid. In short all methods of applying bids at a public auction other than attending and bidding yourself are services offered either at no cost (by the auction house) of for a fee charged by online platforms, by agents or other third parties, and although these services are extremely reliable (90%+ of our bidders do not attend the auction in person) it must be emphasised that third party services cannot be as 100% reliable as in person attendance on the day.

Services available for persons not attending the auction:

1. Commission bids (or 'book bids') are those bids given to the auctioneer prior to the auction, which he must apply during the auction on behalf of the bidder. Despite the fast-moving environment, the auctioneer will make his best efforts to secure the lot with particular attention to 'getting on the right step' to avoid his commission bidder not losing the lot at their maximum bid. These bids are given to the auction house prior to the start of the auction, either through this website or by contacting the office.

2. So-called "Bidding Robots" - Online platforms such as Easyliveauctions and The-saleroom allow you to set bids before the auction begins and the system then bids on your behalf, even if you are not monitoring the auction yourself. The auctioneer cannot see what your maximum bid is and the system continues adding bids in the same way an active online bidder might.

3. Online bidding. The above platforms allow you to see and listen to the auctioneer whilst being able to bid (you don't have to type in bids, our bidding clerks keep the bidding button set to the next required bid amount so you just have to click to bid). Due to tiny time delays, it pays not to hesitate when bidding, the video and audio feeds are often a little slower than the changes in the bid button amounts.

4. Auction agents will bid on your behalf and can take instructions such as maximum spending or to apply savings made on one bid to another later bid!