Buying with Peter Francis Auctioneers

Our auctions are held fortnightly throughout the year. Our regular sales are known as Antiques, Furnishing and Collectors sales and have a wide variety of lots including furniture, art, ceramics, glass, sporting items, militaria, silver, jewellery, clocks, books, textiles etc. Cars and other vehicles, will often also be a feature. Whatever you are looking for, whether you are a collector or just changing the look of your home, our sales will always inspire you!

You can sign up for Auction Alerts if you have a particular interest and you will be notified when these items come up in our auctions.

We also hold our flagship Fine sales three times a year, a spring, summer and autumn sale. These sales are smaller but include a more select variety of rare and distinctive items.

Buyers Premium

A Buyers Premium applies on all sales at 21% + VAT (25.2% in total).

Viewing, Condition Reports & Photo requests

At auction lots are sold as seen so it is best to view the lots you are interested in before the auction. We hold viewings Saturday morning from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon then 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm the day before the auction.

If you can't view we would recommend that you request a condition report on the lot and/or extra photos to ensure the item is in the condition you require. You can do this through the catalogue on our website or by emailing [email protected]

Pre-Sale Bidding

If you are unable to attend the auction we will bid on your behalf at no extra cost. This is known as a commission bid. Commission bids may be left personally, over the phone, through this website or by e-mail, to be received no later than 9.30 am on the day of the sale. Charges for bids left on either the-saleroom.com or easyliveauction.com are as stated in the live online bidding section. As auctioneers, we execute such bids professionally and will purchase the lot as reasonably as we can, against other competition and any reserve set. Please allow one bid over the stated price to accommodate the scale of bidding. In case of equal bids, the earliest received will be preferred.

Paddle Bidding

Usually, a number system is used to identify bidders in the saleroom by the auctioneers. You register in reception on the day of the sale and hand your bidding number back in after the auction. Persons bidding for more than one individual must ensure they show the appropriate paddle number. Under no circumstances will lots be transferred between buyers' accounts.

Live Online Bidding

PF Live

Live online bidding is now available via our website, just click the Register button at the top of this screen to sign up. This is at a reduced internet surcharge of 2%, as well as our usual BP (21% + VAT). You can also watch the auction live on our website and via the other live bidding platforms without registering. 

You can also bid at easyliveauction.com and the-saleroom.com.  Extra commission charges payable to the live platforms apply, as per their conditions of sale, viewable as you register with them.  the-saleroom.com charges 4.95% + VAT. easyliveauction.com charges either a flat fee of £3 which you pay regardless of if you win anything or 3% + VAT which you only pay if you do win items.

Telephone Bidding

Telephone bidding is currently available on our Antiques, Furnishings & Collectors auctions on lots with a low estimate above £100 and in the Fine auction on lots with a low estimate above £300. However, the number of lines is very limited so must be booked the day before the auction at the latest. Please ring to enquire on 01267233456 or email [email protected]. Enquiries must be made no later than the day before the sale at 4:30 pm and are subject to availability on each lot.

Payment

There are different ways of paying for your lots but be aware certain conditions apply. You can pay in our salerooms by debit card, credit card up to £100, cash or cheque. All purchasers who have not bought at our sales before wishing to pay by cheque are requested to produce a banker’s reference at the time of payment, otherwise, the goods will remain in our possession until the cheque has been cleared (usually five days after the sale day).

You can pay by debit card over the phone for up to £500 or credit card for up to £100.

NOTE: Due to attempted fraudulent use payments by DEBIT CARDS they will not be accepted by telephone on any amount over £500 if you are a UK buyer or £100 for international buyers.

You can pay by bank transfer, our bank details will be on the email that is sent with your invoice attached.

NOTE: We do not automatically take payment from the-saleroom.com. We may take payment from easyliveauction.com customers with registered cards but won't do so without notifying you first.

All payments must be made within 5 working days after the auction.

Clearance of Lots

Lots should be cleared within two working days of the sale. After 7 days/5 working days, the auctioneers will be charging storage fees of a minimum of £10 per day if collection is not already arranged (on a sliding scale dependent on size/number of lots). The removal of purchased lots by a third party will not be permitted without the receipted account and/or written instructions from the purchaser. If you require postage please see our shipping page but note we only send small and non-fragile items in-house. If items are still here 6 weeks post sale they will be re-entered into auction to recoup storage costs.

Artist Resale Rights

Please note that lots by living artists and those who have died within the last 70 years are sold subject to Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) in accordance with UK Regulations. This is an additional charge to the Purchaser of any qualifying lot(s) that reaches or exceeds £1000 GBP hammer price and is charged on a sliding scale, as shown below. 

Lots liable to be subject to the charge are marked with a †. See Conditions of Sale and Information for Buyers Pamphlet number 24.