Collection & Delivery
If you are successful at auction you will receive an invoice. The invoice will have information about the lot(s) you have purchased and add any charges such as buyer’s premium etc. Once you have paid your invoice in full you will be able to collect your lot or have your lot delivered.
If you live near the auction house or attended the sale on the day this is a straight forward process. If you physically attend the auction then you can pay your invoice and collect on the day. You will need to go to the payment desk at the auction house first. Once you have paid, the member of staff will give you another form/copy of the cleared invoice that you will need to take to the porters for collection. The PDF will list all of the lots that you won on the day and will inform the porter of what they need to collect for you. This process may take some time depending on the accessibility of the lots, size, quantity and weight. When all the items have been gathered you will need to sign a release form. This will indicate that you are happy with the condition of the lots and that all lots are present. You can then put the lots in your vehicle and drive away. If you have bid online/left a commission or telephone bid but live close to the auction house you can drive to the venue and collect in person. The invoice will need to be paid first but it will follow the same steps as above. If you have paid via bank transfer or cheque you may want to wait a day or so to make sure the funds have reached the auctioneer’s bank account before travelling for collection.
If you cannot collect the items in person or they are too large to transport yourself, you will need to organise the delivery of your goods. The auctioneers will usually have a list of recommended couriers on their website that you can use who are familiar with the auction house and the collection process. These can range from local haulage companies to established names such as Mailboxes and DHL. If you don’t want to use the recommended couriers you can contact a company of your choice who will collect on your behalf, you are not limited to the list provided. I would recommend getting estimates from a couple of couriers to see how they compare and go for the best deal. Another option is to rent a van for the day, this will usually end up cheaper if you are collecting a large number of items.
It is rare for auctioneers to pack the items for insurance reasons so this will usually need to be done by the courier. It is worth checking this with the auctioneer in question but many don’t offer this service so they are not liable for any breakages in transit
Postage and packing for smaller items may be available depending on the auction house. If this is something they offer and you want to use this service, you will need to contact them so the charge can be added to your invoice. If this is available more information will be available on their ‘how to buy’ page.
