Selling

Selling at Mitchells Antiques & Fine Art Auctions is simple. Firstly you will need a free, no obligation valuation of items for sale.

Valuations For Sale

• Every day is valuation day at Mitchells.  Simply make an appointment and bring your items in for appraisal.
• For larger items, or if you are some distance away, send us an image with your contact details and we will quickly respond.
• For complete house contents and large consignments we are happy to visit you at your home or at the premises concerned.  Just call 01900 827800 for an appointment.

Selling Charges - Fine Art Sales and other Specialist Sales

• Our standard rate of commission is 17.5% plus VAT on the hammer price of all lots.
• Variable commission rates can be agreed in respect of high value articles and large consignments.
• There is a lot fee of £5 + VAT  per item in respect of each lot entered for sale. This is charged in addition to commission.
• We make no charge for insurance and there are no further charges in relation to the auction sale.
• Photographic Fee. At the discretion of the Auctioneer, items may be photographed for inclusion in the Fine Art catalogue. The basic cost of this is charged to the vendor.

Selling Charges - General Sales

• Our standard rate of commission is 17.5% plus VAT on the hammer price of all lots. A minimum of £1 per lot is charged on all items sold.
• There is a lot fee of £2 + VAT per item in respect of each lot entered for sale. This is charged in addition to commission.
• Electrical Goods. By Law all electrical items entered for sale have to be tested to comply with current Trading Standards legislation. The fee for this is £2.60 per item. If we need to fit a modern plug to an article the fee for this is £1.20. These charges are inclusive of VAT.
• Upholstered Goods. In accordance with current legislation all upholstered items entered for sale must comply with the 1988 Fire Regulations and be tagged accordingly, the only exception to this being items upholstered prior to 1950.
• Disposal. Unreserved items that we are unable to attract a bid for will be disposed of immediately after sale and a small charge may be levied in certain circumstances. This charge is subject to VAT.

Acceptance of Goods for Sale - General Sales

We accept goods for sale on Mondays or Fridays (9am-5pm) and Saturday mornings (9am-12am). Goods should be taken to the loading bay on Lorton Road where there is a marked area for loading/unloading.

Transportation

We have our own removal vehicle and are able to offer a full house clearance service if needed, including general household items which we can arrange to sell through our weekly General Sales.  The charge for removal and transportation is £55 plus VAT per hour for two men and the vehicle.

Storage

We can also arrange for medium term storage if required.  Please contact the saleroom for details.

Collection & Delivery

Upon payment you may pick up your purchases at the auction location or arrange to have them delivered. We have our own removal vehicle and can arrange delivery locally.  We can recommend independent hauliers for national deliveries but would always suggest you get a quote from them before bidding on a lot.

Postage & Packing

We understand it is not always possible to attend a sale or collect your winning lots in person so Mitchells offers a postage and packing service using Parcel Force, Royal Mail Special Delivery or Cumbria Xpress for larger items.

We will do our best to ensure your parcel is packed in such a way that it is as safe as possible for its journey however we are not professional packers or shippers and Mitchells will not be responsible for making any claim in the event of damage.  We also reserve the right to respectfully decline to send items which we deem too fragile/too heavy/too big for postage.  We remind customers that items cannot be insured due to the nature of our lots and courier terms and conditions.

Please note that items are sent a minimum of a week following the sale and cannot be guaranteed for a specific delivery date.

There is a minimum packing charge of £10
We can pack items for your courier to collect subject to a packing charge
We will always use a tracked/signed for despatch route  Eg.  Royal Mail Special Delivery / Parcel Force

For larger items in the UK, we use Cumbria Xpress on a 2/3 day delivery service