21% (PLUS VAT) is payable in addition to the hammer price. 

You can register to bid live online with our own in-house bidding platform

0% additional charge for bidding directly with us via SAR LIVE 

Standard commission of 21% +VAT still applicable to the hammer price

Please note that online bidding does have its risks:

The bid button is easy to mistakenly bid and you will be liable to pay for the lot even if done accidentally.

You can easily miss a bid if you get distracted, your internet connection may be slow or even cut out at the vital time, and if there are multiple bids at the same value you may not necessarily win the bid – however there are some alternative options for you…… 

Absentee / commission bids 

You are welcome to leave a bid with us and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf against other bidders in the room up to the amount you have left. Occasionally, the hammer price may fall on the amount you have left, but this will only be because there was an under bidder, and many times you will pay less than you have left on your commission bid.  

The benefit of leaving bids directly with us means that you will only pay our commission costs. 

The latest time we can accept email bids is at 9.00am on the morning of the sale, any bids left after this time may not be counted. 

You can attend the viewing days the day prior to the auction 10am til 4pm. For these dates please see our upcoming auctions page.

We do not have 'open' auctions, all bidding is done online, or alternatively by absentee / telephone bids.

We accept bank transfers, debit card payments and cash. 

We do not accept credit cards.

We highly recommend that potential bidders gather as much information as possible regarding a lot before placing a bid. If you are unable to view a lot in person you may request a condition report and/or additional images of a lot.  

Buyers are responsible for satisfying themselves concerning the condition and description of the lots they are bidding on prior to the auction. Whilst every care is taken to provide an accurate description in the catalogue, it is based on a statement of opinion, not fact and this is why condition reports are very important. 

Please be aware that we receive a large volume of requests for additional information prior to an auction and whilst we endeavour to reply to all enquiries in a timely fashion, we may not be able to provide a full report until the last few days before the auction. 

We accept debit cards,  cash or payments directly into our bank account via a BACS transfer. We do not accept cheques. Please note that any overseas payments must be made by direct transfer, and we do not accept credit cards.

All items must be paid for and collected within five working days following the end of the sale. Storage charges will apply if the items remain uncollected, and may be re-sold to pay for these charges.

Items will be insured for five working days after the sale, after this period we will not take responsibility for loss or breakage of items. 

Stamford Auction Rooms Ltd is able to offer a postage and packing service. Prices start at £15+VAT for small parcels. Larger parcels start at £35+VAT

As this is a bespoke service, we do not pack all items, particularly if they are large or require specialist packing. Contact us before you purchase to make sure we can provide a packing service for you.

Please note that while we offer to post and pack for buyers, we require buyers to obtain their own insurance for the items, as Royal Mail only provides a limited insurance and we take no responsibility for the items once they have left our premises. 

If you have purchased delicate items, such as glass or ceramics, we recommend Mailboxes Etc of Nottingham to pack and post your lots. You will also be referred to them or one of our couriers for large or difficult items that we cannot assist with in-house. 

All our sales are run live on the internet via the-saleroom.com and easylive auctions as well as the provision of our own platform ​

SAR LIVE

NO EXTRA FEES

The-saleroom.com platform  
If you bid via the-saleroom.com you will be charged an extra 4.95% on top of our 21% (+VAT)  buyers commission. 

​Easy Live Auction
If you choose to bid via easyliveauction.com there are the following options: 
 
An additional 3% +VAT on the hammer price of all lots on top of our 21% (+VAT) buyers commission.
 
Flat Fee of £3.00 - This is taken straight away by Easy Live Auction. The bidder is not charged any further premium on lots won over and above the auctioneers normal Buyers Premium. NOTE: This fee will be taken regardless of whether the bidders bids on / win lots.

Autobids 

Autobids can be left directly with Easy Live Auction or The-saleroom.com. The auctioneer does not have knowledge of these bids, and they are offered live as the auction takes place.  

Please note that if you are bidding via these platforms with autobids, it does not guarantee successful bids against commission bids left directly with us - the room always takes precidence. Furthermore, with multiple platforms bidding against each other, bids of the same amount will be taken in the order in which the auctioneer sees them.
 
Our catalogues are also included on UK Auctioneers website.