Selling at auction
If you have property you wish to sell, John Nicholson’s team of auctioneers can help you through the entire process.
Initial Valuation
The first step is to arrange a meeting with one of our auctioneers. If you aren’t sure who you need to speak to, contact our offices on +44 (0)1428 653727 to discuss your requirements.
Depending on your location and the quantity/quality of items, one of our valuers may come and visit you at your property to value the items. Alternatively, you may bring them to our offices for a free verbal valuation for sale.
If either of the above options are not practical, it is possible to have a basic valuation conducted by post or email. Owing to the large numbers of valuation requests we receive, we ask you to please be patient. We will respond to your request as soon as possible.
Entering Items for Sale
Once you are happy with your valuation, we will suggest a suitable auction for the items, issue a receipt and accept the items to be catalogued for sale.
Reserve Price
The reserve is the minimum price we will sell your item for. If your item fails to reach its reserve, it will remain unsold and you will be advised on the next course of action. Auctioneers will be able to give you guidance on setting a reserve.
Carriage
If you have large items and/or have difficulty delivering them to our offices, we can arrange to have them collected for you. Contact our offices to arrange a time and get a quote.
Seller's Commission and Other Charges
The seller must pay a seller’s commission. This, together with any other agreed fees, e.g. photography, will be deducted from the hammer price.
Commission Rate
General Sale Commission fee: 20% of the hammer price per lot.
Fine Art Commission fee: 15% per lot.
Insurance fee: 1.5%*
Entry fee: £5 per lot*
Electrical fee: £3 per item (testing where necessary)*
Photography by arrangement*
Fine Art: £10-25 per illustration in colour*
Pictures: £15-25 per illustration in colour*
VAT ADDED TO ALL CHARGES
Payment
The week following the sale, you will receive a listing of the final hammer price for each item entered into the sale. Settlement via cheque will follow 28 working days after the sale, provided payment has been received by the purchaser of the lot.
Please note: Cartage plus any tipping charges can be deducted from the auction proceeds; average charge £45 per hour.
* Please note: charges marked *are payable even if the item remains unsold.
Artist's Resale Right
Our full Terms and Conditions are available here and our full Conditions of Sale and Definition of Catalogue Terms are available here.
Please note we use The Auctioneer’s Margin Scheme.