Auction Collection

snoopynut2002

Stupid me bidded on an auction item which I thought I could arrange a courier to collect as it 290 miles from me - paid for the invoice etc asked the auction house for the dims of the item(s) so could organise a courier quote and they are saying that they don't accept courier collection.  - they said they can't cancel the purchase but they have waived storage fees for 2 weeks.  They use DPD for other auction sites don't understand why they can't accept my own courier collection as I'm paying for it.  Or cancel it I don't even want a refund - anyone advise what I can do now apart from sending an email to their customer services.  TIA

soolin

snoopynut2002 said:

Stupid me bidded on an auction item which I thought I could arrange a courier to collect as it 290 miles from me - paid for the invoice etc asked the auction house for the dims of the item(s) so could organise a courier quote and they are saying that they don't accept courier collection.  - they said they can't cancel the purchase but they have waived storage fees for 2 weeks.  They use DPD for other auction sites don't understand why they can't accept my own courier collection as I'm paying for it.  Or cancel it I don't even want a refund - anyone advise what I can do now apart from sending an email to their customer services.  TIA

I am not sure what you can do, perhaps others will advise. I buy a lot from online or distant auction houses, each has their own rules and it really does pay to read them very carefully before bidding. Probably at least half of mine don’t allow courier collection and insist you use their own service - I tend to avoid them as although they tend to only get low prices the cost of shipping is usually huge. A colleague of mine paid nearly £28 post, packing and boxing for a £25 costume jewellery lot. 

Does the auction house have their own in house courier or can you hire a van and collect yourself? 

mrcol1000

If it is the auction house I am thinking of it is confusing as some auctions you have to use their courier DPD and no collection, some auctions you can use their courier or collect and some are collection only. To be fair it does say which applies. I think its further complicated by them having multiple sites.

I work explain the situation again and ask to cancel. You may have to pay a fee. I have always found their customer service to be good, especially if you contact head office rather than the actual auction location. 

forgotmyname

Resell the goods yourself through the same auction if you cannot arrange collection. You need to sit down with
their terms and conditions and see which is the most cost effective method.

RFW

forgotmyname said:

Resell the goods yourself through the same auction if you cannot arrange collection. You need to sit down with
their terms and conditions and see which is the most cost effective method.

That sounds right. I'd just ask the auctioneer for the best way forward. Beware that if you go down the selling route they could end up asking for more money.

There are lots of different auction houses from the very friendly to the downright hostile. So it will depend who you're dealing with. I know a few that would do their best to help and others that would do their best to get more money out of you.

Thrugelmir

snoopynut2002 said:

anyone advise what I can do now apart from sending an email to their customer services.  TIA

Pay the handling charge and chalk it up to experience. Next time read the auction houses terms of trade prior to bidding. 

Auction houses aren't geared to tailor services for individual lots. They'll want to box up and dispatch upon receipt of payment. Start complaining and you'll be blacklisted for future auctions. 

Thrugelmir

soolin said:

snoopynut2002 said:

Stupid me bidded on an auction item which I thought I could arrange a courier to collect as it 290 miles from me - paid for the invoice etc asked the auction house for the dims of the item(s) so could organise a courier quote and they are saying that they don't accept courier collection.  - they said they can't cancel the purchase but they have waived storage fees for 2 weeks.  They use DPD for other auction sites don't understand why they can't accept my own courier collection as I'm paying for it.  Or cancel it I don't even want a refund - anyone advise what I can do now apart from sending an email to their customer services.  TIA

 A colleague of mine paid nearly £28 post, packing and boxing for a £25 costume jewellery lot. 

Presumably there's the auction house commision (buyers premium) included in that as well. Normally on top of the hammer price. Can often be around 20%-30%. 

forgotmyname

Thrugelmir said:

Presumably there's the auction house commision (buyers premium) included in that as well. Normally on top of the hammer price. Can often be around 20%-30%. 

A fairly local auction charges 20% + VAT.  They did have a variable rate 15 - 20% depending on the item but it seems they rounded it all up.

I round it up also so that I dont get a nasty surprise when paying,  mentally add 50% when bidding so that I stay within my limit.

soolin

Thrugelmir said:

soolin said:

snoopynut2002 said:

Stupid me bidded on an auction item which I thought I could arrange a courier to collect as it 290 miles from me - paid for the invoice etc asked the auction house for the dims of the item(s) so could organise a courier quote and they are saying that they don't accept courier collection.  - they said they can't cancel the purchase but they have waived storage fees for 2 weeks.  They use DPD for other auction sites don't understand why they can't accept my own courier collection as I'm paying for it.  Or cancel it I don't even want a refund - anyone advise what I can do now apart from sending an email to their customer services.  TIA

 A colleague of mine paid nearly £28 post, packing and boxing for a £25 costume jewellery lot. 

Presumably there's the auction house commision (buyers premium) included in that as well. Normally on top of the hammer price. Can often be around 20%-30%. 

Nope that was post and packing. Colleague had overlooked their minimum packing and boxing cost which started at £25 before VAT. To be fair it was fully explained in the T and Cs and would have covered a second very small lot as well , but they only won the one lot so the minimum costs applied . They also paid around 30% hammer price and internet supplement and VAT on the original £25.

I’ve got stuff to be collected this week from an auction, I have a pre arranged agreement to collect by appointment (they prefer all non furniture items to be sent rather than collected usually) but my lots would have cost me almost the same in postage as I paid on the hammer and I have been dealing with this auction house for some time. 

I did win something a couple of months ago though which cost me £6 on the hammer but was subject to a minimum £8 plus VAT packing, boxing postage and obligatory insurance, but I was aware of that before I bid and although the auction house did allow couriers their price for packing, boxing weighing and measuring would have made it a dearer option. 

forgotmyname

When the lockdown started an auction house i had never used before had an online live auction.  It was 90
miles away but interested in 5 lots,  I did get that sinking feeling after losing the 3 expensive items.

Will I be driving 90 miles to collect a £15 item.  I was outbid on the last item, prices were way above the estimates
which exceeded the prices of some shops at the time.

Postage costs were a mixed bag of what they will and will not post and the postage rates. It would have taken
a long chat on the phone to determine what could be posted and at what costs.