Frequently Asked Questions 

Tips on how to buy and sell at antiques auctions from the team at Potteries Auctions.

When do entries close for a sale if I want to sell at auction? Entries close when the sale is full. We are always taking entries for the General and Fine Art Auctions and we must allow time for the collection, organisation, ordering and photographing of items and the compilation, completion, printing and distribution of the catalogue.

What charges/costs are involved in selling at auction? There are charges for selling, charges for buying ... and other possible charges for buying via 3rd party websites, some forms of payment and packing and posting (shipping). Please contact us for more details.

I am interested in bidding for an item at auction. How do I go about it ?  Please see our guide to 'Bidding on an item' that outlines how to buy at auction and place bids in person, by phone or online.

How fast do you get through the lots in a sale? It varies, somewhere between 100/150 lots per hour (depending on a variety of factors, such as who is conducting the auction, the number of bids, etc). So the pace is fast!

How/where do I find the results of the last sale? They are available on this page.

What happens to unsold lots at auction...?  I am interested in one of them. In every auction, the majority of lots sell, although there are usually some unsold lots. The majority of the unsold lots are available to purchase (ie open to reasonable offers) for a limited period - usually for ONE WEEK - after an auction online via thesaleroom.com. After each auction, the results and unsold items are listed on the website as soon as possible. If there are lot(s) you are interested in purchasing please contact us. Please note that we refer each and every offer back to the appropriate vendor and obtain a response from them.

Is it necessary to register in order to receive email announcements or submit bids ? Simply subscribe to our newsletter on this page to recieve email updates. When submitting a bid via the website, registration is not necessary but you will have to leave some contact details.

I would like to get a valuation for items to sell at auction.  How do I do that?  If you are looking for a valuation, then you can visit us at Silverdale every Tuesday form 9am to 5pm, when we hold free valuation days for customers. If you can't come in to see us in person then you can email us with details and good quality photographs.  Find out more about getting a valuation for auction here.

Do you do house clearances for auction?  Yes we do. Potteries Auctions offer a complete house clearance and estate probate service. Please contact us for details. Find out more about getting probate and insurance valuations here.