Help Pages

This page opens in a new window or tab so you can browse the help pages without having to switch away from the auction page(s) for which you want assistance.

An alphabetic list of topics are shown below. Just click on the appropriate link. A table of Frequently Asked Questions can be found at the end of this page or click FAQ .

Artist’s Resale Right Scheme

Bidding - The Basics

Bidder Number

Bidding - Ten minute rule

Bid Increments

Bid - Confirm

Bid - Auto Bidding

Bidding - Auto-bid Limit Reached or Exceeded Email

Bidding - Out-Bid Notification Email

Bidding Strategies

Browser recommendations

Browser - The Back button

Browser - The Refresh button

Browser - Windows and Tabs

MyLots - Auto-refresh

MyInterests

MyInterests Match

Packaging, Delivery and Insurance

Registration - Legal Obligations

Registration - The Basics

Registration Edit

Reserve Price

Registration Reminder

Sale Catalogue Page(s)

VAT Notes - Auctions and Value Added Tax (VAT) - Notes for Buyers - A Summary

Viewing Dates

Watched Lots

Artist’s Resale Right Scheme

Following the UK’s implementation of the EU Artist’s Resale Right directive in February 2006 - 2011, living artists and deceased artists' (up to 70 years) estates are entitled to receive a resale royalty each time their art work is sold in the UK by an art market professional, subject to certain conditions. This payment is calculated on qualifying works of art which are sold for a hammer price or best bid price of more than EUR 1000. The UK sterling equivalent of EUR 1000 will fluctuate in line with prevailing exchange rates. The actual qualifying threshold will be calculated by the Artist’s Resale Right Service Hub based on the European Central Bank reference rate published at 2.15pm on the day of the sale, and can be found on www.dacs.org.uk. The royalty charge will apply if the hammer price is more than the UK sterling equivalent of EUR 1000. The royalty charge will normally be added to buyer invoices and must be paid before items can be cleared. Some auctioneers may choose to split the charge between the buyer and the vendor. Some auctioneers may pass the entire charge to the vendor. Before bidding, we advise that you check which scheme your auctioneer's are operating.

All royalty charges are paid to the Design and Artists Copyright Society (“DACS”) and no handling costs or additional fees with respect to these charges are retained by auctioneers. Artist's Resale Right is a percentage of the hammer price calculated as follows: Portion of the hammer price (Euros EUR) Royalty rate 1000 to 50,000 4% 50,000.01 to 200,000 3% 200,000.01 to 350,000 1% 350,000.01 to 500,000 0.5% Exceeding 500,000 0.25% VAT is not payable on this royalty charge. The maximum royalty charge is 12,500 EUR.

Bidding - The Basics

Each item for auction has a lot number. Any number of lots can be grouped into an auction sale. There may be a number of sales in progress at the same time. All lots in each sale have the same nominal end date and time. When all bidding has ceased the winner will be the bidder who made the highest bid (best bid).

Before you can bid for lots you must register (See Registration). Once registered you should login to the website (See Login). Recommended practice is to login as soon as you visit the website, then all the features of the site including MyLots and MyInterests will be immediately available to you.

Bidder Number

The registration process will allocate you a bidder number. The catalogue pages and your MyLots page have a column for each lot which shows the bidder number of the current best bidder for that lot. Your bidder number is also your account number when dealing with the auctioneers.

Your bidder number is revealed in the top right hand corner of your MyLots page or on your bidding page having clicked a 'Bid' button. It is also included with any email the system sends to you.

Bidding - Ten minute rule

Each on line auction sale has a specific end date. Each sale will normally end at a set time on that date. The start date, end date and end time are given in sale index pages.

However, each auction will be subjected to any number of 10 minute extensions subject to the following rule:

Bidding on each lot in a chosen sale will be extended by any number of 10 minute time slots until no bids have occurred within the latest time slot for that lot and at that point bidding for that lot will be set to ENDED. When bidding on all lots in the sale has ENDED the entire sale will be set to COMPLETED. This procedure mimics what happens at a live auction in a saleroom. So, on this website, it will always be the best bid which wins a lot and not the fastest bid.

Bid Increments

On line sales are conducted in an extensive range of categories. Household goods sales may realise tens of thousands of pounds but industrial plant and machinery sales can realise million pounds. If a successful bid had always to be just one currency unit higher than its predecessor, high value sales could be prevented from terminating by the volume of incremental bids received. So each sale has a set of minimum bid increments associated with it. The bid increments table for each sale is shown when you click the Bid button.

Bid - Confirm

When placing a bid it is necessary to click in the 'Confirm Bid' box before your bid will be accepted. This is to ensure you check your bid and prevent incorrect bids from being placed.

Bid - Auto Bidding

This website provides an optional auto-bidding facility. The latter is where you enter a maximum bid for any lot and let the website bid for you up to your maximum. If you do not want to use auto-bidding, this website provides an array of features which allow you to keep track of your bids – including an out-bid email service. Using auto-bids is similar to leaving a commission bid at a live auction.

If auto-bidding has been enabled by the auctioneers then an additional section will appear on the bidding form as you click the Bid button. The auto-bidding process runs automatically in the background and after each manual bid and attempts to get each lot for each bidder at the lowest possible price subject to each sale's bid increment table. Auto-bids can start below the reserve price if there is one, otherwise at one currency unit. The auctioneers are not aware of bidders' auto-bids - one of the benefits of on line auctions is that commission bidders cannot be exploited.

Bidding - Auto-bid Limit Reached or Exceeded Email

You will be sent an email when your maximum bid price is reached or exceeded. You will be provided with details of the sale, lot number, your bidder number and the current best bid. A link enables you to quickly return to the sale and revise your auto-bid limit or bid manually.

Bidding - Out-Bid Notification Email

You will be sent an email each time another bidder out-bids you, but not if the system is responding for you via an auto-bid. You will be provided with details of the sale, lot number, your bidder number and the current best bid. A link enables you to quickly return to the sale and revise your bid.

Bidding Strategies

If your bid is accepted, then at that instant, you are certainly the highest bidder. However, there could be hundreds and potentially thousands of users all on line and all bidding at the same time. Internet technology does not allow the website to automatically update your individual screen when bids are received elsewhere - so you need to click the catalogue page refresh button to ensure you have an up to date picture. This is identical to the process used by eBay.

If you are using the MyLots facility you can use its auto-refresh button. This will automatically refresh MyLots every 10, 30 or 60 seconds.

There are two ways to ensure you end up the highest bidder:

a. Submit a bid high enough to scare off all other bidders.

b. Keep on bidding until you have scared off all other bidders. A lot is only set to ENDED when there have been no bids for that lot during the previous 10 minutes, so you can keep bidding until you are successful. Because of the ten-minute rule, the sale will be kept open for you until you have finished bidding on every one of your lots. Your bidding rate has only to be one lot every ten minutes – plenty of time for contemplation. In summary, the best bid will always get the lot and not the fastest bid.

Browser recommendations

This website has been designed to operate on all popular website browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. It runs very well on mobile 'phone platforms such as the iphone.

This website uses the very latest development technology. It looks identical on all browsers. It is W3C compliant.

We recommend you use Mozilla Firefox.

Browser - The Back button

This website generates its pages on demand from its underlying database. There are very few fixed pages. MyLots page, for example, cannot be of fixed content and is generated on demand.

Browsers cannot re-display dynamic content using the Back button - you will see a 'Page Expired' message. So this website has buttons and links on most pages to ensure you never need to use Back.

The few exceptions are in Full Lot Details where the Browser Back button is currently used to switch from thumbnail to full size and back and in the 'Help' pages.

Browser - The Refresh button

It should not be necessary to use Browser Refresh. Catalogue pages have their own Refresh button. MyLots has both Refresh and Auto-Refresh buttons.

Please try to minimise use of Refresh and Auto-Refresh. Both put a heavy load on the web-server computer and slow down access for everyone.

Auto-Refresh can be cancelled manually. It will be cancelled automatically if you go back to the Sale Index or choose a different sale or choose Home from the main menu.

Browser - Windows and Tabs

Modern browsers are 'Tabbed' in that new pages open in a new Window or Tab. Microsoft colour codes all tabs associated with each original Window - a nice feature. Tabs allow users to access their pages 'in parallel' - just clicking to switch between them - avoiding the need to use the browser back button and the page reload time that entails.

However, those responsible for setting web browser standards are vehemently against tabs opening automatically - they say the user should decide.

On this website a page only opens in a new window or tab if there is a benefit in working in parallel. So text-only catalogue, help, quick search and full lot details open in new tabs or windows. The browser Back button should be used in Full Lot Details to switch from thumbnail image to full size image and back.

Cookies (Session)

Session Cookies allow the web server computer to identify information coming from a particular browser. They provide the mechanism which allows a particular user to login and then have delivered to them only the pages relevent to them - MyLots is a good example.

When a sale is in progress there will be hundreds or thousands of browsers logged in to the web server, each having their own special data delivered to them by that web server.

Session Cookies exist only on the web server computer and die when each browser session is closed. They present absolutely no security risk.

Cookies (Persistent or Tracking)

Persistent Cookies are small files stored on your computer. They are used to record for periods of up to a year pieces of information about pages you have visited and items that interest you. Cookies are usually encrypted so only the website that created them can read them. But you can never be sure that your browsing history will not be passed on to and shared with other sites.

Persistent Cookies can remain on your computer even if browsing history is deleted.

Many internet shopping sites use persistent cookies to record details of pages you have visited and the shopping items you selected. They allow you to return to those pages or shop with a minimum of additional effort. Amazon are an example.

Permission to accept persistent cookies is controlled by your browser. Start up your browser, then for Microsoft Browsers Click Tools --> Click Internet Options --> Click the Privacy tab. Follow on screen instructions to save and restart (if prompted).

Persistent cookies are a risk to security and privacy and this website does not use them.

Currency Conversion

Sales can be conducted in any of nineteen major currencies. Currency conversion is provided from the 'Full Lot Details' page accessed by clicking on a lot thumbnail image (See Full Lot Details). The website has an automated daily currency feed from www.xe.com.

Email settings

This website will send you emails as you initially register, go on to bid and hopefully buy some lots. To ensure these emails are not treated as 'Junk' or 'Spam' save the From: email address in your own address book. Emails are sent in HTML format. This is to allow the website to send you an email containing a security link. You must complete the buyer registration process by clicking on the link.

Your email software must be set to receive HTML mail or at least allow you to choose if you want to see it or not. HTML email allows the content to be aligned in rows and columns making mail easy to read. HTML mail also allows us to provide you with an active link to the website - making it easy to get back and browse and bid. Just occasionally Microsoft's Hotmail service will report emails as ‘Dangerous’ or treat them as ‘Junk’. Emails sent to you by this website are not dangerous – they contain no hidden programs; nor do they attempt to get your IP address. To avoid this problem, put the incoming email address into your Hotmail address book. We've checked that emails sent from this website are processed correctly by BT, Hotmail, Google, Yahoo and Mozilla Thunderbird email programs. Please inform the auctioneers if you are having difficulty.

Full Lot Details

Clicking on a thumbnail image within a catalogue page will reveal full details of the lot - which opens in a new window or tab. Full Lot Details shows up to ten thumbnail/full-sized images, at a resolution of 1024 x 768, and a video clip or 360' Flash image. In the Notes section there can be a hyperlink which can redirect you to further details of the lot. The VAT status and liability for Artist's Resale Right surcharge are indicated. A link is provided to the 'Pack, Delivery and Insurance' table which reveals the cost of these services as determined by the auctioneers when the lot was catalogued (See Pack, Delivery and Insurance). Currency conversion is also available from 'Full Lot Details'. Just choose the target currency and click on the 'Convert to Currency' button.

Images

Catalogue pages show a thumbnail image of each lot. Thumbnails are sized at 100 x 75 pixels. Clicking on a thumbnail will open the relevant Full Lot Details page which will display up to ten thumbnails and a video clip link. Clicking on any thumbnail will display its full-sized counterpart at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. Click Back to return to the Full Lot Details pages.

Invoicing

After a sale has completed, you will be sent an email detailing your purchases and amounts owing. The sale will remain on line for typically 72 hours giving you an opportunity to check the results. The auctioneers will then email you a formal invoice including buyer's premium, taxes, charges and so on. You need then to contact the auctioneers to arrange payment, collection or delivery etc. If the goods are being shipped outside the European Union or if they are subject to temporary importation rules the auctioneers can adjust the invoice VAT to suit, subject to provision of appropriate confirmation and documentation. Certain classes of goods can be paid for directly via the website. If the auctioneers have enabled this facility go to MyAccount, click Checkout and follow the on screen instructions. Even if you have paid directly using the website's Checkout facility before, you will be asked to provide card details each time. This is to guarantee the highest level of security - the website does not retain card details and so they cannot be obtained by a third party and used fraudulently.

We recommend you login as soon as you visit the site. Click Login from the menu bar and complete the login page - you will need to provide the email address and password you registered with. If you have not registered you cannot login (See Registration).

Logout

If you are going to leave your computer unattended for any time we recommend you Logout.

Lot Information

See Catalogue Page.

MyLots

MyLots is a feature similar to but improved upon that provided by eBay.

MyLots will bring together on one page a list of all the lots you have been watching or bid on or have set up auto-bids on for a chosen sale. You will be able to see which lots are still 'yours' from the best bidder number and the best bid figure displaying in green. If lots are no longer 'yours' the best bid price is displayed in red and you will be able to update your existing bid from here if you wish.

You can bid from the MyLots page - after you have bid the page is automatically refreshed.

Lots are listed in the following order: Current auto-bids, lapsed auto-bids, removed auto-bids, manual bids and watched lots. If watched lots become lots you have bid on, there will be duplication - just remove the watched lots duplicates.

The MyLots page has a maximum of 200 items per sale (as eBay).

MyLots - Auto-refresh

You can set up auto-refresh to operate on MyLots every 10, 30 or 60 seconds. We recommend every 60 seconds to avoid loading the web-servers too highly with the prospect of degrading the service to you and everyone.

MyInterests

MyInterests allows you to specify up to ten sets of phrases/words lists which describe lots you would like to monitor.

Enter your interests as phrases or lists of words that you would want to appear in the lot description. Do not use class names or generic categories because these will not be found in descriptions. For example if you are interested in Rolex Watches enter 'Rolex' or 'Rolex Watch' not 'Watches'. Or if your interests are all 'Ceramics' it's no use entering that category because there will be no matches.

MyInterests Match

This allows you to choose a sale and then have the system match the lot descriptions in that sale to your MyInterests phrases and lists of words. Having done that it will automatically add the matched lots to your MyLots page for that sale. You can bid directly from that page.

This feature is a better way of searching for lots that interest you - you can set up as much or as little detail in your MyInterests list as you want and change those lists at the touch of a button.

Packaging, Delivery and Insurance

The auctioneers allocate each lot a 'Delivery' code. Not all items can be packed and delivered to the buyer by courier service (They may be too big or too heavy). The delivery code can be seen on the Full Lot Details page as a code in the range X0 - X9. The relevant charge listed in the table will be added to the buyer's invoice.

Registration - Legal Obligations

The auctioneers reserve the right to decline your registration. The auctioneers may wish to telephone you to verify your account details. The auctioneers reserve the right to check your account details with one or more credit reference agencies. By registering, you are agreeing to be bound by the auctioneer's terms and conditions of sale. You are legally obliged to proceed with all purchases you make via this website. Any default may result in your registration details being passed on to a credit reference agency or similar publicly accessible forum for defaulters.

Registration - The Basics

To register, click Registration from the menu and fill in the form. You cannot bid until you have registered and been accepted as a bidder. The website does not ask for credit/debit card details but the auctioneers will credit check you based on information supplied. You will need to provide an active email address (Hotmail, Yahoo, BT and Google are all acceptable) which has not been registered already. Having registered, the website will send a link to the nominated email address. A click on the link will then complete the registration process. You will initially be registered as ‘Pending’ which will change to ‘Active’ once you have been approved by the auctioneers.

Registration Edit

Click Registration Edit from the menu and follow on screen instructions.

Reserve Price

Lots can have reserve prices to ensure they are not sold below minimum valuation. You are not prevented from entering bids below reserve. The catalogue pages have a column 'Reserve Met' to show that the reserve has or has not been met.

MyAccount does not show lots that have not met their reserves.

Registration Reminder

This lets you retrieve your registration details if you know any two pieces of information from email address, password or answer to secret question. Click Registration Reminder from the menu and follow on screen instructions.

Results Notification

Completed sales with results will remain on line for approximately 72 hours after the sale ends. Successful bidders will be notified immediately by email followed by an invoice approximately 48 hours after sale completion. See Invoicing.

Sales

Each sale contains a number of lots on which you can leave bids. Each sale has a fixed start and end date. Bidding on all lots in a sale ends at the same time (sale end date and time). The sale parameters page lets you know sale start and end dates. All sales end at 2100 hours GMT on the specified end date unless otherwise specified. Sales are automatically extended until no bids have been received within a 10 minute time slot (See Bidding - Ten Minute Rule). Individual sales are assigned a category - there are up to twelve categories as indicated by the twelve buttons on the home page menu. Categories with active sales are highlighted in green. Each sale has a sale parameters page. The latter provides all you need to know about the sale including start and end dates, location, viewing arrangements, contacts for queries, date by which bought items must be cleared from the sale premises, packaging & shipping arrangements for bought items not being collected by you, sale currency and date by which payment must be made.

Sale Category Menu

Auction sales are grouped into a menu of twelve sale categories. The Menu appears on the Home Page. If any category has current on line sales, that category will be shown in green.

Sale Category Pages

Clicking on the sale category menu will display all on line sales for the chosen category. Each sale has a list of parameters - start date, end date, viewing, location, clearance, packaging etc.. Choose a sale and click on the link to bring up that sale's Index Page.

Sale Index

Each sale has an index or 'order of sale'. This indicates the lots numbers in each catalogue section. To view the sale from the start click the 'Browse Lots & Bid' button. To view the sale from the start of a section click the appropriate button. The number of lots per page can be changed by choosing a value from the Lots per Page drop-down menu.

Sale Catalogue Page(s)

Catalogue pages provide you with details of all lots in a sale. Catalogue pages are accessed from the Sale Index. Clicking on a thumbnail (small) image displays the Full Lot Details page for that lot.

Screen and Font size

The website is designed for and has been tested at all screen (monitor) resolutions in both normal and large fonts. We think it looks best at 1440 x 900 in normal fonts. It can also be viewed at higher or lower resolutions and in wide-screen mode. If you have a large screen it might help to switch your Windows Desktop to viewing with large fonts where the text will appear larger and clearer. Large fonts can be set up via the following procedure (for use with Windows ): 1. Close down all applications. 2. From the Windows Desktop Click Start --> Click Control Panel --> Double Click Display. Click the Settings tab. Click the Advanced tab. Select large or normal or custom font size as you wish. Click OK and follow on screen instructions to save and restart (if prompted). Screen size (screen resolution) can be changed at Display Properties - see the middle screen-shot above.

Search (Quick Search)

Search is accessed from a sale index page. Condition Report/Notes text is ignored. Quick Search results will only display the first image of a set of images for each matched lot. Multiple images in a set for any lot are available by clicking on an image thumbnail from the catalogue pages.

Quick Search results will indicate the VAT status of each matched lot. A 'Nil' entry means there is no VAT to pay on the ultimate best bid. It can also mean that the lot is subject to VAT but is being sold VAT-inclusive. If VAT is payable on the ultimate best bid, the rate will be shown.

Search (Full Search)

This has been superceded by MyInterests and MyInterests Match. See index above.

Security

The designers of this website have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the site cannot be 'hacked' and to protect your personal data. Since its initial release in 2009 the site has been attacked many times and a number of fraudulent transactions stopped. This version (2012) has even greater security.

The website uses the latest encryption standards and software to keep your registration, bidding and payment details safe. When entering sensitive information you will see a padlock in the bottom of your screen which indicates the website has switched into the highest SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption (256 bits). You will notice the beginning of the web address (URL) changes from http:// to https://. This shows the site is secure. Form details are encrypted before being sent to the website's servers and are not susceptible to hackers.

Payment by credit or debit card may be available for some sale types directly from this website. Even if you have bought this way before you will be asked to provide card details afresh each time. This is to guarantee the highest level of security - the website does not retain card details and so they cannot be obtained by a third party and used fraudulently.

Text Catalogue

A plain-text catalogue of each lot in a sale can be displayed and printed via the 'Text' link on the sale index page (See Sale Index). The catalogue can be searched by using the 'CTRL F' key.

Unsold Items

Unsold items cannot be purchased. They are returned to the original vendors but may appear in future on line catalogues.

VAT Notes - Auctions and Value Added Tax (VAT) - Notes for Buyers - A Summary

Items to be sold at auction within the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) can be offered under the Auctioneers' Margin Scheme or under normal Value Added Tax (VAT) rules. VAT is potentially payable on the bid (hammer) price of the goods, on the auctioneer's commission in the form of a buyer's premium and on any charges relating to the goods (import, collection, storage, packaging, delivery etc.). For full details of the Auctioneers' Margin Scheme please refer to VAT notice 718. Normal VAT rules are detailed in VAT notice 700. Both documents can be obtained from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at www.hmrc.gov.uk/VAT/index.htm

Full details of the scheme under which each lot is being sold are given on a lot's Full Lot Details page - accessed via the thumbnail image on its catalogue page listing.

To comply with HMRC regulations VAT must always be calculated on a lot-by-lot basis. VAT totals on a buyer’s invoice may show small rounding discrepancies. For example, if buyer's premium was quoted at 20% inclusive of VAT, the actual buyer's premium rate would be 16.6666% plus VAT at the standard rate (calculation based on VAT at 20.0%). Since currencies cannot have fractions of a penny or cents, rounding discrepancies will accumulate and cannot be avoided.

Viewing Dates

Most auctioneers will provide an opportunity for bidders to go along and see lots for sale. Viewing dates, times and the location where lots can be viewed are listed under the 'Viewing' section of the Sale Parameters Page.

Watched Lots

You can 'tag' any lot of interest to you. Tagged or 'Watched' lots will be added to your MyLots page. Catalogue pages have a Watch button for each lot. Click the button to add or remove the lot from your MyLots page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q I've just logged in and tried to bid. I'm getting a 'Not logged in' message.

A These messages will not occur if you login before browsing a page of lots. Clicking Refresh will also allow you to start bidding if you have just logged in. If your computer is shared with others we recommend you use Logout at the end of your session.

Q Why must I enter 'date' as part of the login process.

A This is to ensure that the login is being done by a person and not malicious software.

Q I want to have many different logins using the same email address - but the system won't let me. Or, I keep forgetting my password and re-register using my email address.

A For security reasons you can only register with one email address and a password. If you forget your password use Registration Reminder to retrieve it.

Emails

Q Emails sent to me appear as a garbled list of 'Computer Speak' and I can't make sense of them.

A Almost certainly your email program is attempting to view the emails as 'Plain Text'. This is often done for security reasons. Emails sent from this website are not a security risk, do not contain hidden messages or attempt to identify you. We advise that you set your email program to receive HTML mail - if security is an issue you may be able to configure your email program to permit HTML mail from just this website.

Q I am not receiving emails from the website or they are going directly into Spam.

A If you are not receiving emails from the website it is most likely that they are getting blocked by a Firewall or anti-spam program on your own computer. Everything possible has been done to try and prevent this but unfortunately some programs are extremely stringent. To prevent emails from this website getting treated as spam there are numerous things you can do depending on which email program you use, these include: adding the address into your contacts page in the format ' administrator@****.co.uk', right clicking on the email whilst in spam and selecting not spam or in the case of anti-spam programs adding the email address to the safe list. If none of the above works for you then it would be best to see the help pages of the program concerned.

Bidder Number

Q I keep forgetting my bidder number.

A Your bidder number is revealed in the top right hand corner of your MyLots page or in the top right hand corner of a bidding form - after you have clicked any 'Bid' button. It is also included in emails sent to you. Once allocated, a bidder number is permanently assigned to you.

Registration

Q I have already registered using my email address and password. I have forgotten the password and have tried to register again using the same email address with a different password. But the system won't let me re-use the email address.

A This is to stop a bidder having an endless number of email/password combinations which clutters the database, makes sale administration difficult and could compromise security.

If you have forgotten your password please use Registration Reminder to rediscover it. Or re-register using a new email address.

Bookmarks

Q I cannot bookmark the catalogue pages - if I do I get a 'Sale not in Sales Table' message.

A For bookmarking to work, the designers would have to store Tracking Cookies on your computer and these can be a security risk to users. See Cookies above.