terms & conditions - public auctions

(Please note that the following are different to the Mail Bid Sale Terms & Conditions.)

1. All bids must be made in British Pounds (£ Sterling). Any alternative currencies shown on this site are intended for guidance purposes only.
   
   
2. A buyers premium of 20% which is inclusive of an amount in lieu of VAT will be added to the hammer price of each lot. Please note that this is a higher buyers premium than is charged in our Mail Bid Sales.
   
   
3. LIVE ONLINE BIDS
   You may bid live on OUR WEBSITE for just an additional 3.6% (which is inclusive of an amount in lieu of vat) of the hammer price. 
    
   NOTE
   In order to qualify for this lower bidding fee, you must register to BID LIVE on www.sandafayre.com
    
   Pre-registering with the-saleroom.com will still mean their (higher) fees apply; irrespective of where you eventually bid). 
    
   DO NOT REGISTER ON BOTH SITES AS YOU WILL BE CHARGED THE HIGHER the-saleroom.com fee.
    
   The 3.6% fee we charge is exactly that charged to us by the live auction hosting company for this facility.
   We make no profit from the additional 3.6% fee charged to you.
4. The submission of a bid is a contract between the bidder and Sandafayre (Holdings) Ltd. to purchase all lots where the bid is successful.
   
   
5. Payment should be made immediately upon notification of success. Payments made later than 14 days of the date of the auction will result in additional charge equalling 5% of the outstanding amount being charged and 2% each month thereafter. Payments by credit card will ensure a speedy despatch. There is no extra charge for paying by credit card
   
   
6. Sandafayre shall not be liable for omissions or errors made by clients when submitting bids.
   
   
7. Return of Lots: It is the buyers responsibility to inspect the lots and make enquiries prior to the auction and we do not give refunds or make any guarantees in regard to collections, accumulations, stocks or any other type of multi- item lot which includes items not specifically described even if the buyers complaint relates to a specifically described item or group. Individually described items or sets which are not part of a larger collection or group which are forged or reprinted but not described as such or otherwise not as 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 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.
   
   
8. Extensions. An extension request must be agreed to by Sandafayre prior to the beginning of the auction sale. An extention request cannot be considered by Sandafayre after the auction sale has begun. An ‘extension’ allows the buyer to seek a written opinion from a recognised expert or committee of experts which will take more than 14 days to obtain (see 6, above) yet protect the buyers rights to return a misdescribed individual item for a refund.
   
   Extension requests must be made in writing stating the lot number and the reason for the extension request. We can then grant or reject an extension on that lot.
   We grant extension requests to confirm identification, genuineness and the extent of faults or alterations not discernible from the image(s) provided.
   We generally do NOT grant an extension on any element of the stamp visible from the image(s) on our website, this will include but not exclusively such elements as creases, stains, marks, dirt, fading, paper colour, freshness even if such elements are not mentioned in the description. In short, the image forms part of the description.
   The practical outcome of the above policy is that only lots 1) misidentified and 2) with faults or repairs not apparent to the eye when the lot is inspected under the magnification available on our website will qualify for refund.
   The lot(s) must be paid for within 14 days of the auction and we will mail it/them to either the RPSL or BPA on your behalf. You are responsible for any certification charge / fees.
   
   
9. Overseas cheques not drawn on British Banks must have the equivalent of £10 added to cover bank charges. This method is very costly and can delay the despatch of purchases up to six weeks. CREDIT CARDS ENSURE A SPEEDY DESPATCH OF YOUR LOTS, YOUR ACCOUNT IS SETTLED IN STERLING TO THE FULL INVOICE VALUE AND YOU ARE DEBITED IN YOUR OWN CURRENCY.
   
   
10. 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 in unusual ‘off step’ amounts with be rounded down to the step below and will not take precedence over a similar bid unless received first, however in the busy auction room environment the auctioneers decision on bid increments is final.
11. Any dispute as to the meaning or operating of these terms and conditions shall be determined conclusively by Sandafayre (Holdings) Ltd., Egerton Court, Haig Road, Parkgate, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 8DX, United Kingdom.
12. The Auctioneer's Discretion.  The auctioneer has the right at his absolute discretion to refuse any bid, to advance the bidding in such manner as he may decide, to withdraw or divide any Lot, to combine any two or more Lots and, in the case of error or dispute, to put an item up for bidding again.