FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Please have a look at our Calendar of sale dates for a listing of all our future sale dates, alternatively if you look just to your right on this screen there is a countdown calendar showing the date, and how many days until the next sale.
We're open Monday to Friday only.
Monday to Thursday our hours are 09:00-17:00
Fridays our hours are 09:00-16:30
Our telephones and emails are monitored out of office hours.
No, Friday valuations are done on a first come first served basis, just join the queue when you arrive.*
We have two types of sales, the first being our Fine Art Sales, and the second being our General Sales.
I am afraid we do not purchase in order to sell, we act as an intermediary and sell on your behalf.
Our vendor's commission is 17.5%, plus VAT on the commission.
As an illustrative example, if you have 1 lot in an auction and it sold for £100.00, our commission charged to you would be £21.00 (100 x .175 =£17.50 plus VAT, £17.5 x 1.20 = £21.00)
Each lot entered into auction attracts a £4.00 plus VAT Internet illustration charge. This is charged on a per lot, per sale basis.
- For a General Sale, the catalogue is typically ready for viewing on the Friday before the sale (which is 5 days before the sale)
- For a Fine Art Sale the catalogue is typically ready for viewing on Wednesday, a week before the sale Please note, this is not absolute, sometimes the catalogue is earlier than that, sometimes later. It all depends on a lot of factors, but we get it published as quickly as we can!
Our buyer's premium is 20% plus VAT on the premium, this applies to bidding in-person at the auction house, via the telephone, emailed commission bids, and bids left with us after a viewing day.
This does NOT apply to bidding online where there is an additional £4.95% plus VAT which is levied by the online bidding platform. This additional charge will appear on your invoice if you are a successful online bidder.
No, I am afraid we do not offer a postage and packaging service. We recommend our local several companies, depending on what you purchased. They are:
- Silver Arrow Post - silverarrowpost@gmx.com or 07580090850
- Mail Boxes Cardiff - info@mbecardiff.co.uk or 02921 322157
- If you are purchasing through the Saleroom.com you will automatically receive a quote for packing and shipping from Auction Logistics. Please note, they are a separate company to us, and we are unable to assist you with any enquiries relating to shipping via Auction Logistics.
- Martin Bros (especially for larger items, but they do collect small items as well) - orders@martinbrosltd.com or 01985 844144
All of our auction catalogues are available on our website, and can be found in a couple of places. These are: Our auction catalogues page
Auction Catalogue
And our Calendar of sale dates Calendar of sale dates
We're in Cardiff, our physical address is Norwich Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AB. If you have a look at our "About" tab, there's a map which shows our location, and has directions on how to find us. There's also a link right in the map that you can click, and input your starting point, and it will give you directions from there to here.
Our payment cycle is 3-4 weeks after a sale, typically 4. If you have a look at your Post Sale Advice letter (or email) at the bottom of the letter is a paragraph which has the date the payments are due. Look for the sentence "Payments will be made...", which is the last sentence on the letter & the date will be there.
After each auction you will receive a Post Sale advice. This will come by email or by post if we do not have an email address for you. In this letter each lot will be listed, and there is a section at the end of each line which is called "Hammer Price" this is how much your lot (or lots) sold for.
Alternatively, if you have a look at our past sales, and search for your lots in the correct sale you will be able to see how much they sold for. Please be aware, that this way it is listed as "Closing bid", which is the hammer price.