Postage, Packing and Delivery
In-House Packing and Postage Service
Hansons Auctioneers offers an in-house postal service for clients who are unable to collect. We will happily despatch your lots to you if we are able to do so. Please contact us after the auction for a postage and packing quotation.
We are not professional packers or shippers but do our utmost to pack items in a correct way to ensure your items arrive safely. However, Hansons Auctioneers will not be held responsible for any claim in the event of loss or damage. We may be able to make claims with Royal Mail or Parcelforce, the carriers we use, but cannot guarantee this.
Please note, we aim to despatch as soon as possible after the auction.
There are some items that, due to their nature, size or weight, we cannot post. However, we can recommend couriers, and you can arrange for them to pick up your item from our saleroom via our click-and-collect service. Couriers will also be able to insure some items which we are unable to insure.
Items we cannot pack and post
There are some items we are prohibited from posting because of conditions laid down by the delivery service:
- Lighters and refills containing flammable liquid or gas
- Perfumes and aftershaves – not sealed
- Alcoholic beverages containing more than 70% alcohol by volume
- Certain batteries
- Grenades, shells, mortars and ammunition
- Firearms
- Air Pistols, Air Rifles
- Deactivated weapons
- Antique firearms
Hansons Auctioneers reserves the right to refuse to post any item if it falls in between any of the guidelines and they deem it unfit to be posted.
Postage of blades and current restrictions
All purchasers of bladed items must be 18 years old or over.
We are currently able to send smaller sized antique bladed items to U.K. addresses using Royal Mail’s age verification service (this Royal Mail service carries a small surcharge).
Bladed items that are antique and can packed within a tube for safe and secure packing, must be no longer that 90cm in length, with the overall size, including the length plus twice the diameter not exceeding 104cm.
It is strongly advised that prospective buyers contact our postage department on [email protected] prior to bidding on any bladed item to ascertain if the item can be posted in-house.
If your shipping address is outside the U.K. please contact us prior to bidding in order to discuss shipping options.
In addition to postal options, blades can be collected by appointment from our sale rooms, or transferred to one of our sale rooms closer to your home address.
Pre-sale Quotations
We are happy to give an indication of the cost of postage and packing prior to auction. If successful at auction please let us know we have quoted for your item when requesting postage and packing.
Items Despatched Within The UK
Depending on value, size and weight, items will either be sent by Royal Mail 1st class signed for, Royal Mail Special Delivery by 1pm next day, or Parcelforce.
With effect from Tuesday 7th April Royal Mail increased postage rates come into force.
At present we are unable to send items via their “Tracked” service. We are therefore quoting Special Delivery or Parcelforce until this has been resolved. You will therefore note that Special Delivery is more expensive but please be assured that when we have the “Tracked” service we will revert to this service.
Our postage charges are split into postage and packing charges. The postage will be calculated around the costs charged by the service provider (Royal Mail, Parcelforce etc). A packing charge is payable and is dependent on the items to be packed plus administration costs.
Items Despatched Overseas
Requests for items to be shipped overseas are assessed on an individual basis. We take into account the object, its value and parcel size. Hansons will recommend using a courier if we are unable to despatch your item in-house. We reserve the right not to post items overseas if we deem it unfit and think it will break.
Please note, if we decide to post items abroad, ALL buyers WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN A DISCLAIMER ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR BREAKAGE OR LOSS.
HANSONS WILL NOT PAY OUT FOR ANY CLAIM AGAINST PARCELS SENT ABROAD. They are posted at your own risk. Certain items are considered restricted (but not prohibited) by couriers and may be liable for surcharges, delays or confiscation by authorities where appropriate.
Couriers
Mail Boxes Nottingham
Telephone: +44 (0)1159 472 779
Website: www.mbe.co.uk/nottingham
Kents Carriers
Telephone: 07917 500 522
Email: [email protected]
Collection
If you wish to collect purchased items from one of our Auction Centres, please note this service is available by appointment only. To book a collection please contact the relevant saleroom. Anyone turning up without an appointment will regrettably be turned away.
*Please note we are not offering Saturday morning collections at the moment*
If you are not collecting in person, please notify the appropriate office so we have your authority to release your goods to your chosen courier. We will not release your goods without this notification. IF USING A COURIER THEY MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, NO GOODS WILL BE RELEASED UNLESS AN APPOINTMENT HAS BEEN MADE PRIOR TO COLLECTION AND THE PAYMENT PROCESSED.
Derbyshire Contact Details
Telephone: 07392 872904
Email: [email protected]
Bishton Hall Contact Details
Telephone: 01889 882397
Email: [email protected]
London Contact Details
Telephone: 02070 189300
Email: [email protected]
Banbury Contact Details
Telephone: 01295 817777
Email: [email protected]
The postcode for collection is OX16 5UL
Kent Contact Details
Telephone: 01892 642146
Email: [email protected]
Hertfordshire Contact Details
Telephone: 01763 793688
Email: [email protected]
Norfolk Contact Details
Telephone: 01603 536267
Email: [email protected]
Lichfield Contact Details
Telephone: 01543 765230
Email: [email protected]
Cornwall Contact Details
Telephone: 01736 339350
Email: [email protected]
Newark Contact Details
Telephone: 01636 605905
Email: [email protected]
Transfer of Lots Between Sites For Postage or Collection
Please note that ALL postage and transfers are handled at our Derbyshire saleroom (Head Office), so if you buy items at our Staffordshire, Oxfordshire, Newark, Hertfordshire, Kent, Cornwall or London salerooms and require postage, there will be a transfer fee per invoice to pay. These fees are in addition to the postage and packing fees.
Transfer fees for all auctions houses apart from Bishton & Lichfield from £10 plus VAT per invoice
Transfer fee for Bishton and Lichfield from £5 plus VAT per invoice
Transfer fee from Cornwall from £15 plus VAT per invoice
Please note that not all items can be transferred between salerooms, as this service is only available for items that can be managed by 1 person – this service does not include furniture.
For more information please contact: [email protected].
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.