How to Buy
How to buy with Hansons Auctioneers
Auction viewing
Viewing is available by appointment ONLY. If there is an item you would like to view, please contact [email protected].
Online bidding
Hansons Auctioneers is pleased to offer a live online bidding service on our bidding platform Hansons Live. To access this service, please visit www.hansonslive.co.uk and ‘Create Account’ to register to bid. You can browse our catalogues and bid in advance or during a live auction by using the Hansonslive bidding platform. There is no internet surcharge to bid on www.hansonslive.co.uk.
Our sales are also available on www.the-saleroom.com, noting that there is an additional 7% + VAT charge for purchasing through this platform.
Can you bid in person in the saleroom?
Customers are welcome to bid in the room, however we do not offer room bidding at our London auctions. Room bidding is available at our Derbyshire and Staffordshire salerooms by appointment only. To bid at our Oxfordshire, Kent and Hertfordshire salerooms, no appointment is necessary.
Absentee bid
As well as online bidding, you are welcome to leave a commission bid with us and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf against other bidders.
Buyers can also bid by telephone. On the day of the auction, a member of our team will contact you shortly before the lot appears for sale, they will then act on your behalf in the saleroom, bidding on your instruction. We advise that telephone bids should be placed as far in advance as possible, as this is a first-come, first-served service.
Commission and telephone bids can be arranged by contacting the auction centre where the sale is being held.
How do I bid in a timed auction
Our timed auctions are currently only available on www.the-saleroom.com and are online auctions ONLY – there is no auctioneer. It is not possible to bid by telephone or leave a commission bid directly with Hansons Auctioneers. Commission bids can be left via the-saleroom.com.
Condition Reports/Image Requests
We highly recommend that potential bidders gather as much information as possible regarding a lot before placing a bid. We offer an image and condition report service by telephone and email. Please note condition reports are provided as a complimentary service and only reflect the opinion of Hansons Auctioneers and are NOT a statement of fact. Additionally, a condition report only details flaws or restorations and does not take into account any issue(s) consistent and commensurate with age. Furthermore, images provided as part of the condition report and item description form part of this opinion and they should be studied with care. When you have decided which lot(s) you would like to receive condition reports on, please contact us.
What is the buyer’s premium and how much will I pay?
Purchases are subject to a buyer’s premium of 26% plus VAT (subject to a minimum lot charge of £6 + VAT) When you successfully bid on any lot, the price you pay will be the hammer price (your final bid) plus the buyer’s premium/VAT. The buyer’s premium for the purchase of motor vehicles is 15% + VAT, excluding motorbikes. Full details of our charges can be found in our Buyer page.
Please see our buying fee examples below:
Lot purchased for: (Hammer Price) | Buyers Premium @26% (£6 minimum charge) | VAT @20% | Total Cost of Lot |
---|---|---|---|
£100.00 | £26.00 | £5.20 | £131.20 |
£20.00 | £6.00 (min charge) | £1.20 | £27.20 |
If purchasing a painting or work of art including engravings, sculptures and ceramics over £1,000 an additional fee of between 4% and 0.5% of the hammer, plus VAT will be charged.
How do I pay for an item?
If you are bidding online, you can pay on the credit or debit card. Please note, the payment is not automatic – you must wait for a payment link sent via email from our accounts department: [email protected]. Alternatively, you can pay by bank transfer, full details are contained on the invoice and covering email which is sent at the end of the auction.
Please note: we do not take card payments over the phone or accept cash.
How long have I got to pay?
If invoices are not paid within two weeks of the sale, Hansons reserve the right to re-sell to the under bidder or alternatively re-offer in our next appropriate sale. The defaulting buyer will also be blocked from bidding in future Hansons auctions and banned from the-saleroom.com.
After-sale offers
Where an item remains unsold on auction day, should a reasonable offer be made during the week following the sale, Hansons reserves the right, in their position as agents, to accept on the vendor’s behalf. All such sales incur the same charges as if the Lot had been sold at Auction.
Post-sale terms
On the fall of the hammer, the object becomes the purchaser’s responsibility. Items are insured for up to one week only after the sale, whilst on our premises. After one week Hansons accept no responsibility for any damage or loss following this period. The buyer needs to ensure that their own insurance covers this.
Collection of purchased items – Appointment ONLY
Please contact the relevant saleroom to book a collection slot for your purchased items.
Please note: If a courier, family member or friend is collecting on behalf of the buyer, Hansons needs authority from the buyer before the goods are released.
All Buyers and Couriers must check their purchases prior to departure from the auction house. Hansons will accept no claims for loss or damage thereafter.
Timely collection of items is imperative as storage space is limited. Hansons reserve the right to re-sell (on behalf of the buyer) any items that have been paid for but not collected within one month – standard terms will apply.
Furniture Lots must be paid for and collected within one week after the furniture sale otherwise Hansons reserve the right to re-sell in the next appropriate sale.
Postage and Collection
Please click here to be taken to our Postage and Collection page.
Customs Tax and VAT
Please be aware that VAT under the margin scheme is payable, we are unable to refund the same for overseas buyers additional customs taxes may be payable both by a buyer or potential seller. Hansons are not responsible for any additional customs taxes. Anyone sending items from overseas to Hansons to be commissioned for sale or valuation may incur customs taxes. This tax also applies to buyers if we despatch lots won overseas.