How to Buy

Viewing Days

All Lots are available to view in person at our saleroom, or other published venue, usually for the two days prior to each sale. Please ring the saleroom or view the sale details on our online catalogue for up-to-date information.

Catalogues

Printed catalogues are available approximately two weeks before the auction, and all Lots are illustrated in the online catalogue on our website.

Condition Reports

Chorley’s strongly advises that prospective bidders view Lots in person and stresses that any descriptions, estimates and condition reports supplied are an opinion provided by this firm and do not guarantee the condition, age, value or any other characteristic of the Lot in question. The absence of a condition report on our online catalogue does not imply that the Lot is without imperfection or damage, just that a condition report has not been undertaken.  Books are sold as seen, and we do not guarantee their completeness.  Wine is sold as seen and not subject to return.

Bidding

To be able to bid at a Chorley’s auction, you must register and obtain a paddle number from our saleroom office.  If you have not bid with us before, you will be asked to provide proof of identity and residence, such as driver's licence photocard, passport or current utility bill.  

If you are unable to attend the auction to bid in person, you can leave a commission bid, request a telephone bid or register for online bidding.

Fees

All lots are subject to payment of buyer's premium, a charge based on a percentage of the hammer price, which will be added to your invoice as a VAT inclusive fee.

Buyer's Premium: 

23.5% (28.2% incl. VAT) on the first £100,000
15% (18% incl. VAT) on any balance between £100,000.01 and £500,000
12.5% (15% incl. VAT) on any balance between £500,000.01 and £1,000,000
10% (12% incl. VAT) on any balance exceeding £1,000,000

Artist's Resale Right (ARR): 

Lots by living artists and the descendants of artists deceased within the last 70 years are entitled to receive a resale royalty each time their work is bought. The right is calculated in Euros and only applies when the sale price reaches or exceeds the sterling equivalent of  €1,000.  It is calculated on a sliding scale starting at 4% of the hammer price for lots selling between €1,000 and €50,000.  The fee will be charged to the buyer and included on Chorley's invoice, in addition to the buyer's premium and any other fees. The fee is paid to the artist's collecting society and no ARR is retained by Chorley's.  Full details can be found on the Design & Artists' Copyright Society website.

Further fees may also apply, such as  or live bidding fees if you choose to bid via a third-party online platform (see below). Further details are available in our Conditions of Business, in the printed auction catalogues or by asking a member of Chorley's staff.

Commission Bidding

If you cannot attend the auction in person to bid, you can submit a commission bid with the saleroom office no less than one hour before the start of an auction. Commission bids are the maximum amount up to which the auctioneer may bid on your behalf (exclusive of buyer’s premium and VAT, which will be added to your invoice if successful). They will be executed at the lowest possible price having regard to any reserve and competing bids. If two buyers submit identical commission bids, the auctioneers will give preference to the first bid received. The auctioneer will execute commission bids directly from the rostrum, clearly identifying the successful bid as commission bid.  

Commission bids may be left in person, by telephone or by email. All bids submitted are regarded as acknowledgement that the bidder has read and accepts Chorley's Conditions of Business and will submit any specific personal details requested to verify their intention and ability to comply with those conditions (see also Registration).

Execution of commission bids is a free service undertaken subject to other commitments at the time of the sale and we do not accept liability in an individual instance for failing to execute a written bid or for errors and omissions in connection with it, arising from circumstances beyond our reasonable control. 

Successful bidders will be emailed an invoice after the sale and asked to confirm their proposed payment and collection arrangements. The invoice total will include buyer's premium and any other relevant charges, plus VAT.

Telephone Bidding

At Chorley's discretion, usually for lots estimated to realise £1000 or more, we offer prospective buyers the facility to bid over the telephone, subject to availability of lines/staff.  Telephone bids must be booked no later than 4pm on the day prior to the auction. Bidders will be required to provide two telephone numbers, in case one line is busy or unobtainable at the time of the auction. They will also be asked to supply an emergency bid for each lot for which they propose to bid; this will only be executed in the event that saleroom staff are unable to reach the bidder on the telephone number provided at the time the lot is offered for sale.

This is a free service undertaken subject to other commitments at the time of the sale and we cannot accept liability in an individual instance for failing to execute a telephone bid or for errors and omissions in connection with it, arising from circumstances beyond our reasonable control. Telephone bids may be recorded for security purposes and, by bidding on the telephone, prospective buyers consent to the recording of their conversation.

​​​​Online Bidding

Chorley's sales offer prospective buyers the facility to bid live online through Chorley's Live and The-Saleroom.com.

• The-saleroom.com - Additional live bidding platform fee 5% (6% incl. VAT).
• Chorley's Live - We are currently offering this facility at no additional charge. For detailed instructions, please read the our guide on how to bid (PDF).

Bidders will be approved and activated for live online bidding at our discretion. By registering to bid in our auction through these online platforms, you confirm that you are resident at the address supplied and that you are the authorised user of the card used for registration.  

Please remember that a click on the bid button is a commitment to buy. Failure to pay for lots purchased online within the requested collection period will result in their reoffer in a subsequent auction and any resulting shortfall being invoiced to the defaulting bidder.  The defaulting bidder will receive negative feedback from Chorley's on the relevant bidding platform, which will be visible to other auctioneers, and will be blocked from bidding with us again.

If you are unable to pay for and collect your lots in person, we require payment to be made either by bank transfer or by card on the secure payment page of our website (please contact the office first to ensure you know the total amount payable. Please note, we do not accept absentee payments by card over the telephone.

This service is offered subject to Chorley's Terms and Conditions and those of The Saleroom, as stated on their website. Chorley's cannot be held responsible for any failure or delay in online bidding technology which results in bids failing to reach the auctioneer or reaching the auctioneer after the hammer has fallen, neither are we responsible for incorrect information provided by the bidding platforms regarding the success of internet bids. Please do not assume you have been successful until you receive an emailed invoice from Chorley's, as all results have to be verified at the end of the auction.

All bidders who register to bid at one of our sales online will have their details stored securely in our client system.  We will only use them to contact you in relation to our auctions. 

Collection

It is the responsibility of the buyer to arrange collection of their goods. We request that all purchased Lots are collected by 5pm on the Friday one week after the auction. Unless otherwise agreed with the Auctioneers, any client with Lots remaining at the saleroom after this time will incur an administration charge of £10, plus storage fees of £2 per Lot per day (all subject to VAT). Please note that payment must be cleared in our account before the goods will be released. Purchasers who pay by card through the online payment system will be required to show us that payment card when they collect.

For details of couriers and shipping firms, please refer to our shipping section.

All bidders are required to read and abide by our Conditions of Business.