FAQs

Our auction calendar can be found here (INSERT LINK). All our sales start at 10am, unless otherwise stated. We also host a suite of online-only auctions and regularly have one-off auctions that are in addition to our calendar – please keep an eye on our bidding platform for these sales bid.eastbristol.co.uk

Viewing days are always held the day prior to auction, and typically run from 9am to 5pm. Please view the information specific to each sale as sometimes, this can change.

You can email or call our saleroom and speak to a member of staff who will happily talk to you about your lot or send additional images.

There are many ways to bid at our saleroom
In Person – simply turn up at our saleroom in person on the auction day, register your details, and then you’re free to bid as you desire
Online – register via one of the bidding websites our sale is broadcast on, enter your details and you’re off. You can either leave advance bids (called Autobids) or bid live on the day whilst watching the live webcam stream
Commission Bids – you can get in touch via telephone or email and leave your maximum bids directly with us in advance of the sale
Telephone Bids – you may request a telephone line which means as your lot comes up a member of staff will give you a call and you can bid live over the telephone. Unfortunately we don’t accept telephone bids on lots with a low estimate of £100 or under.

Just like all auctions, a commission is charged on top of the price you bid. Our standard commission is 19%+VAT (22.8% in total). This is added to the hammer price (ie: the price the lot sold for).
Our auctions are broadcast across several different websites, all of which charge an additional fee in order to use their services. This can range from 3% to 7% plus VAT so its best to familiarise yourself with these charges in advance.
Please check the Important Information page on the auction you’re interested in as sometimes, this information can change

We accept the following forms of payment:

Debit Cards (in person (no limit), over the telephone (£500 limit) or email (£500 limit)
Credit Cards (in person (£200 limit), or via our secure online portal (£200 limit)
Cash
Bank Transfer (mandatory for purchases over £500)

After you’ve made your purchase you will be emailed an invoice – this invoice will contain all the information you need regards collecting your purchase.

Yes! We’re happy to pack and post any item… anywhere (taking into consideration any legal parameters, of course). We have a large in-house post and packing service and prices typically start from £13.99+VAT. The ‘Shipping’ tab next to any lot description has a breakdown of our prices.
We use FEDEX for most of our items. 
In some instances, we are able to offer additional insurance on your items to make sure they arrive safe and sound (this sadly doesn’t apply to any ceramics, glass or other fragile items). Please enquire with our staff.

There are many ways you can get your item to auction
1) Bring your items along to our saleroom any weekday between 9am to 5:30pm
2) Email us photographs and a brief description – or fill out our ‘Valuation Form’ on our website
3) Give us a call – 0117 9671000 to speak to a valuer in either Bristol or Bath regards your item / collection
4) Book a free no-obligation home visit – one of our valuers will come to your property to view your items

Like all auction houses, a commission is levied on the sale price of your items. Our seller’s commission is 19.5%+VAT (23.8% in total). We charge a minimum commission rate of £5+VAT (£6), and there is a £2+VAT (£2.40) fee per lot entered.
Unlike other auction houses we do not charge additional fees for Insurance, Photography, Cataloguing or Illustrations

 A reserve price is a price that you don’t wish your item to be sold under. Yes – you can place a reserve on your item, which must be agreed in writing with the valuer at time of consignment. We do not reserve items under £50 low estimate, and an unsold fee of £5+VAT (£6) is levied on any lot with a reserve which doesn’t sell.

This is usually discussed at the time of consignment, however sometimes we may move items to sales we think are more suitable. A Pre-Sales Advice document is typically emailed 7 days prior to auction (14 days for specialist sales). This document contains everything you’ll need to know – the full description, lot numbers and auction details.

No! Although we always welcome vendors into our saleroom with open arms. Grabbing a seat and watching your lot sell is one of the joys of the auction world. You do not need to attend the auction day itself, but you can tune in online (on your PC, Laptop, Tablet or Mobile) and watch the lot selling from wherever you may be. Alternatively, you can just sit back, relax and wait for our Post-Sales Report to see how your items fared.

Across the board our sales tend to have a sell-out rate of between 85-99% so it’s unlikely that your item won’t sell. However – in the rare instance that we were unable to find a buyer, we typically relist the item back into an Online Only Auction immediately after the sale ends, or just allocate it into the next suitable auction (typically with any reserves / estimates adjusted). If you don’t wish this to happen then you are welcome to collect the lot.