During the Covid-19 lockdown, at Potteries Auctions we’ve been fortunate to be able to adapt to online auctioning, enabling our customers to stay safe by taking part online.
Throughout the Covid-19 lockdown we’ve had to adapt how we run our auctions, where most of our customers would normally attend the saleroom in person. Obviously this has not been possible since the end of March 2020 but we’ve been pleasantly surprised to see that our online auctions have been really popular enabling people to take part in auctions safely, remotely.
In this article you can learn how to bid online at auction. Give it a try, and you might even find that you enjoy it!
How to view items in advance of an auction
Although we have opened up our Silverdale site for drop off of items for auction, and pick up of items purchased in a sale, we can’t hold our in-person viewing days just yet. However, we recognise that taking a good look at items before committing to bidding on them at auction is a really important part of the process for our customers.
So we have put in place the ability to deliver virtual viewing days on the Friday before an auction takes place.
We will continue to put together our normal condition reports, providing written condition reports and additional photographs on request as well as publishing our auction catalogues online in the Auctions section of our website. You can email us for copies of these reports on enquiries@potteriesauctions.com. You can inspect these reports to help you decide which lots you would like to see at the virtual viewing.
To book your place at a virtual viewing, call us on +44 (0)1782 638100 Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm and we will provide links to the lots you are interested in.
Our next few scheduled auctions are due to be held as follows:
- Sunday 28 June 2020, with the virtual viewing day on Friday 26 June.
- Saturday 11 July 2020, with the virtual viewing day on Friday 10 July.
- Saturday 8 August 2020, with the virtual viewing day on Friday 7 August.
- Saturday 12 September 2020, with the virtual viewing day on Friday 11 September.
For more details of these and other future auctions, please visit the Auctions page.
How to buy in an online auction
Switching to online bidding was really easy for us as we’ve always had the ability to accept your commission bids through our website and via The-saleroom.com and EasyLiveauction.com. So if you are looking to buy at auction, there are basically three ways to do this:
1. Use our website and submit your bids using our online form
2. Email us your bids direct to enquiries@potteriesauctions.com
3. Bid online from the comfort of your own home using one of two online platforms (The Saleroom or EasyLive Auctions)
How to bid in an online auction via the Potteries Auctions website
To online bid via the Potteries Auctions website, first click on the ‘Submit Commissioned Bid’ button which appears next to each lot.
Enter an amount in the bid box and click ‘set price’:
If you would like to bid on more than one item, then click ‘continue browsing catalogue and repeat the process.
When you have added bids for all lots, fill out the Name, Email, Contact Number and Address fields and click ‘Submit Bids’.
Only submit your form once you have chosen all of your commission bids. You only need to enter your name and contact details once, when you submit the form at the end of your selection.
Submitting Online Bids Via Email
Of course, if you don’t feel confident submitting commissioned bids as outlined above, you can leave commission bids with us by emailing enquiries@potteriesauctions.com.
How to bid in an online auction via The-Saleroom.com and EasyLiveAuction.com
Many of you already connect with us through live online bidding, however if you are new to this method you can also find us on The-saleroom.com and EasyLiveauction.com and we accept bids entered via those websites.
The process for online bidding via The-saleroom.com and EasyLiveauction.com is slightly different for the two platforms.
On either of these websites, the first step is to search for ‘Potteries Auctions’ and then connect with our sale that way. You must pre-register for either of these websites before you can use them for bidding and a charge is made for using these services.
The-Saleroom.com is more expensive to use than EasyLiveAuction.com but is often used by people because they have a greater breadth of auctions on offer for keen auction buyers. Purchases made via The-Saleroom.com website charge a %age fee +VAT on all purchases.
EasyLiveAuction.com is simple to use and cheaper, offering an alternative one-off fee for purchases, which you might find cheaper if you are making auction purchases over the value of £200. Alternatively they also charge a percentage +VAT on purchases under their ‘Premium’ charging.
- Potteries Auctions on The-Salerom.com can be found here.
- Potteries Auctions on EasyLiveAuction.com can be found via this page on the left hand side when we have a sale listed.
Getting Your Purchased Auction Items To You Safely
We have a Post & Packaging service that many customers have been using during lockdown. We have two basic charges for P&P for items delivered within the UK, and can offer insurance at 5% of the value of the goods:
- Up to 2kg inclusive of VAT and Packing £18.00
- Over 2kg inclusive of VAT and Packing £35.00
For larger items such as furniture, we offer a courier service for which we can quote according to the items that need to be despatched.
If you are interested in this service, then please let one of the team know and we can make the necessary arrangements. Call the office on +44 (0)1782 638100 for a quote.
We also have a collection service, where you can make an appointment to pick up your items in person at Potteries Auctions. Additionally customers can arrange their own courier service too. Please note that we ask that you bring your own packing materials with you if you are collecting goods.