Williams Auctions
Buying at Auction
Buying from Williams Auctions is easy
Signing up to bid at Williams Auctions is performed online or by contacting the office prior to auction days. In some circumstances we may ask for a bidder deposit to be paid ahead of the auction which acts as security. This is a fully refundable if no purchases are made.
All bidders are given a bidding credit limit that can be lifted by request.
There are multiple ways to bid on one of our auctions.
- Onsite - in person at our auction site near Knutsford, Cheshire
- Online - using our secure live webcast bidding platform.
- Pre-bid - leave an absentee bid to be executed on your behalf during the auction.
To obtain a bidding number you must register for each auction you are interested in.
Buyer’s Commission of 10% on the first £3,000 or lower and 2.5% on the balance where applicable is added to all Hammer Prices per lot.
VAT* is charged on the TOTAL Hammer Price (Hammer Price + Buyers Commission).
*VAT is charged at 20% in the UK
Full payment for any items purchased is required within 7 days of the auction date. No items will be released until full and final payment has been received in cleared funds. All payments must be made via BACS payment. Once payment has been made, collection of the items can be arranged. Storage charges of £20 per lot per day, will be applied two weeks after the auction date for any uncollected items.
Registration & Pre-Bidding
You will be asked to fill in your details including company details. We will do a mobile phone validity check and ask for an upload of photographic ID.
You can request a credit limit and set an on site login PIN number.
Your account will then be passed to our team for approval. You may be contacted for a deposit payment prior to bidding on your first auction with us.
Once approved you will receive confirmation by email containing a link to login to your account and leave pre-bids on the auctions.
Pre-bids are accepted at their maximum value and will be executed by the auctioneer on your behalf during the auction.
Live Online Bidding
The live bidding screen will be made available one hour before the sale start time. If there are any lots that you wish to bid on in this period you will be able to leave pre-sale autobids which will be executed by the online platform on your behalf during the auction,
Once the auction begins you will see the live bidding screen and you will be able to watch and hear the auctioneer and place bids as if you were at the auction on site.
The auctioneer is on a mobile van that moves form lot to lot and you will be able to see the items being sold and the other bidding activity in real time.
If you’re a winning bidder you will receive an invoice for your winning item at the end of the sale which can be paid via bank transfer. Once paid, items can be collected from site.