Selling at Auction
Initial Valuation
Auction Estimate
Prior to accepting a lot for sale, we would examine your property to provide you with an idea of the fair market value. This service is complimentary and can be performed in person at our saleroom in Jedburgh, at your home, or virtually via a video call or photographs.
REQUEST AN AUCTION ESTIMATEConsigning your items
Customer Receipts
Upon deciding to consign a lot to our sale you will receive a full customer receipt from us – this receipt will outline your details, the details of the items you wish to consign (including sale dates, brief description, estimates and any reserves discussed) and the commission/ charges involved. You then review this receipt and sign, retaining a copy for your records along with our General Conditions of Sale.
It is important that you retain a copy of this customer receipt, and the associated General Conditions of Sale for your reference – it is a record of your instruction to us to sell and acts as a contract with Browns.
Reserves
When appropriate, a reserve (a price below which an item will not be sold) may be placed upon individual items. Reserves cannot exceed low estimate. Our team can advise you on deciding a reserve – in our experience a high reserve can put some bidders off, whereas a low reserve encourages more bidders to participate, generating higher prices.
CONSIGN NOWCharges
Seller’s Commission
Please contact the department for details.
Loss & Warranty
All sold lots will be subject to a charge of 1.5% of the hammer price plus VAT (subject to a minimum charge of £2,00) or, if unsold, the lower estimate value.
Item Photography & Online Listing
Each sold lot will be subject to a £3 photography and listing charge. This allows for your lot to be promoted not only on our own website and through other international auction platforms such as The-Saleroom.com.
Additional Print Catalogue Photography
For lots illustrated in our printed catalogues there may be an additional catalogue photography fee charged. Our team will be happy to discuss this further at initial consignment.
VAT
VAT, at the current rate, is payable on all commissions and charges.
Transportation
We need to have your property on our premises far enough in advance of the sale to catalogue, photograph and promote it properly. We provide an inhouse, fully insured collection and delivery service, please discuss your requirements with our team. These charges are payable at the time of collection.
Unsold fees
We do not charge you anything on lots that we do not manage to sell.
Before the Auction
Prior to any sale you will receive a pre-sale notification indicating which lots will be offered in the upcoming auction. This notification will outline the description, estimates, reserve (if applicable) and if you wish to give the auctioneer any discrepancy on the reserve.
After the Auction
Results of Sale
Shortly after an auction you will receive a Results of Sale notification by post/ email outlining each of your lots and the hammer price of each item. If you would like to know the outcome on the day, you are welcome to telephone the saleroom about an hour after the end of the auction.
Unsold Lots
If one or two of your lots remain unsold after an auction we may include this in a timed auction online to give bidders a second chance. This will be done at no extra cost to yourself. The team may also suggest re-offering your lot in a future auction or collecting the item. If we do not hear from you we may proceed with our recommendation. Browns do not charge for unsold lots.
Settlement
Payment will be sent 28 working days after the auction for all lots sold and collected along with a detailed settlement statement. It is at this stage that we deduct our fees and charges. Payments are normally made by bank transfer, therefore we will require your bank details.