We make buying at auction an easy and enjoyable experience. Our friendly and approachable staff are available to help you throughout the process and you’ll find our auction good humoured and good fun.

Viewing

We hold open viewing days prior to each live sale where you can browse the lots and decide which items you are going to bid on.

For online times sales we offer viewing by appointment prior to the start of the sale

Buying

There are various ways you can buy at Clare Auction, before you can bid, you must be registered with us.

In person

When we hold a physical sale, you can bid in person in the saleroom. You’ll find our auctions are great fun and we have plenty of friendly staff on hand to help you.

Telephone

If you cannot make it to the saleroom, we may be able to arrange a telephone line directly into the saleroom. This allows you to hear what is happening in the saleroom and instruct one of our members of staff to bid on your behalf in real time.

Online – timed auction

When we hold a timed auction, you are able to bid at any time from the start date to the end date. At the end of the sale the highest bidder wins the lot.

You can leave your maximum bid, safe in the knowledge that you will only pay one bid more than the next highest bidder, up to your maximum. We will email you every time you bid changes, or if you are outbid.

Don’t worry about being outbid at the last second, as any bids left in the closing minutes of the sale automatically trigger an extension to the sale finishing time, giving you plenty of time to receive your notification, and update your bid if you need to.

Online – Live

When we hold a live sale, we may offer live bidding via this website and or other third-party platforms. Bidding live online allows you to place bids in real time against other bidders.

Absentee bids

If you are unable to attend the sale of bid online/ over the telephone, you may leave commission bids for lots by completing a form in our saleroom or online here.

When you place an absentee bid, the auctioneer will bid on your behalf. Rest assured, you will pay only one bid more than the next highest bidder, up to your maximum limit.

Payment and collection

We accept cash, most major cards and bank transfers. If you are not in attendance, you will receive an invoice via email after the sale with instructions on how to pay and where and when to you may collect.

Collection, packing and postage

Lots may be collected from the auction once payment has been made.

We are happy to provide a packing and postage service for small non-fragile items. Full pricing including insurance can be provided upon request.

For larger items or those requiring more specialist packing and transport, we are happy to provide details of suitable third-parties who may be able to assist you.

Important Notice

It is the buyer’s responsibility to satisfy themselves of the age, quality, provenance and condition of an item before bidding as there is limited recourse when buying at auction. Please see our terms and conditions for further details.