FAQ's
We were established as Sandafayre in 1976 and are one of the world's largest companies buying and selling stamps, postal history and other collectibles.
Our auction rooms are in Knutsford, Cheshire in the North West of England around 2 hours north of London and close to Manchester and Liverpool. We are owned and managed by Vincent Green, an internationally renowned philatelic professional.
Every 2 or 3 months we also hold a major auction event with an auctioneer wielding his gavel and a room of bidders competing with online bidders from around the world. We also print catalogues for those sales.
We can buy stamps directly and we can also auction them for you, charging a simple fee based on the final 'hammer' price we achieve (no sale - no fee!).
We are a friendly firm who enjoy what we do!
We hold regular public auctions at our rooms in Knutsford, Cheshire. We are a traditional public auction with a public viewing facilities and an auctioneer who wields his gavel!
Bidders can attend the auction and bid.
Bids can be left with our auctioneer by placing bids against the lots on this site up to the morning of auction day. The auctioneer will execute them on your behalf (these are traditionally referred to as "Commission Bids").
Bidders from around the world can also join the auction room and bid live online through our internet platform which is available on this site and also from other live platforms such as easyliveauctions.com and the-saleroom.com
Trevor Chinery is an Auction Agent and can also represent you at the auction. He charges for this service and you can contact him on 07527 444 825.
A buyers premium charge of 22% is inclusive of an amount in lieu of VAT and is added to the hammer price of each lot.
Commission bids, bid online, attend in person... or what?
Despite many technological changes, a public auction is still just that, a publicly held offering of items sold as lots. An auctioneer must be seen to sell lots to the highest bidder, whilst protecting his vendors against commercial risk by managing the describing, valuing, the viewing of lots, invoicing, shipping and the collection of monies owed... among other things!
A public auction is held for persons attending and bidding in the auction room but useful and popular platforms are now available to the many people not attending in person but also wishing to bid. In short all methods of applying bids at a public auction other than attending and bidding yourself are services offered either at no cost (by the auction house on www.cheshirestampauctions.com) or for a fee charged by online platforms, by agents or other third parties, and although these services are extremely reliable (90%+ of our bidders do not attend the auction in person) it must be emphasised that third party services cannot be as 100% reliable as in-person attendance on the day.
Services available for persons not attending the auction:
1. Commission bids (or 'book bids') are those bids given to the auctioneer prior to the auction, which he must apply during the auction on behalf of the bidder. Despite the fast-moving environment, the auctioneer will make his best efforts to secure the lot with particular attention to 'getting on the right step' to avoid his commission bidder not losing the lot despite it selling at their maximum bid. These bids are given to the auction house prior to the start of the auction, either through this website or by contacting the office. Please try not to send bids just before or during the auction.
2. Autobidding - online platforms such as www.cheshirestampauctions, www.easyliveauctions.com and www.the-saleroom.com allow you to set autobids before the auction begins and the system will then bid on your behalf, even if you are not monitoring the auction yourself. The auctioneer cannot see what your maximum bid is even if the bid has been placed on our own site (www.cheshirestampauctions.com) and the system will continue bidding in the same way an active online bidder might, until your maximum bid is reached.
3. Online bidding. The above platforms allow you to see and listen to the auctioneer whilst being able to bid (you don't have to type in bids, our bidding clerks keep the bidding button set to the next required bid amount so you just have to click to bid). Due to tiny time delays, it pays not to hesitate when bidding, the video and audio feeds are often a little slower than the changes in the bid button amounts.
4. Auction agents will bid on your behalf and can take instructions such as maximum spending or to apply savings made on one bid to another later bid!
You will quickly receive notification of which lots you won and at what price however the final invoice WILL INCLUDE a shipping charge which you can pay if you want the lots shipped to you, or deduct if you intend to pick them up from our auction room.
The postal service we use (i.e. a First Class post / Airmail service versus a Signed-for/Courier service) will depend on the value of your lot(s).
We use new modern packing materials and endevour to offer an efficient service at a competative price.
We believe that we have the best and fastest packing and shipping department around!
The days following an auction can see hundreds of lots being mailed to clients. We aim to ship your lots as soon as full payment has been received. Often this is the very same day, even if you have purchased large lots.
The service we use to ship your items determines how quickly you'll receive them - this can be anything from a next day service to up to 7 days for overseas shipments.
The buyer's premium forms part of the auctions commission and is a percentage of the final 'hammer' price.
The buyer's premium in our auctions is 22% of the hammer price. This is inclusive of an amount in lieu of VAT, so there is no additional tax on top of the buyer's premium. For example, a winning bid of £100 has a buyers premium of £22 added. Please consider the buyer's premium when making your bids.
PLEASE NOTE. You can bid live on this site for free but you can also use www.easyliveauction.com (low charges apply) and also www.the-saleroom.com - but be aware that for winning bids made from The-Saleroom site you will be charged an additional 5.94% by us. Note that this is The-Saleroom's online platform charge - WE MAKE NO PROFIT FROM THIS.
More than half of all bidders who participate in our public auctions are using an online bidding platform.
They are a popular substitute for attending an auction in person. Currently we use three different platforms, our own site www.cheshirestampauctions.com, www.easyliveauction.com and www.the-saleroom.com so the auctioneer sees bids arriving on multiple screens. It's a fast-moving environment, identical bids can arrive and for a few seconds both bidders can believe they have the highest bid.
If this occurs the auctioneers task is to decide which bid arrived first and instruct the auction clerks to change the button on the losing platform where the bidder then has the chance to bid again, he must also follow bids from the room, from telephone bidders and represent bidders who have given him their bids before the auction, such bids are referred to as 'book bids' or 'commission bids'. Bids from one live online platform are shown as 'Room' bids on the screens of the other online platforms.
It is a complex environment and due to the occasional audio / visual lag we recommend that online bidders react to the changing bid button information quickly and remember that although extremely robust sometimes (certainly not every auction) the Internet can occasionally be temperamental!
Our Cheshire Stamp Auctions public auctions offer 3 options for following the auctioneer and bidding online (all charges quoted must be confirmed at the time you bid)
www.easyliveauction.com our auction is available on their website. You can opt to pay a flat fee per auction of £3, or 3.6% commission on the hammer price on any lots you win.
www.cheshirestampauctions.com You'll need to be logged in for it to work. There is NO CHARGE for this service.
www.the-saleroom.com our auction is available on their website, they charge 5.94% on the hammer price.
We accept the following payment methods:
Credit / Debit Cards
Unlike many auction companies, we do not charge you for paying by credit card. Payment by credit/debit card ensures your items are sent out in the shortest possible time.
Most of our clients authorise us to charge their cards at the time of bidding, although this is not mandatory.
We do not keep your credit / debit card button as this information is encoded away from our computer servers. If you enter your card number onto our site we never have sight of that number (even though it is our site) and your card is charged using the exchanging of an electronic 'token' unique to us with the card- issuer, rather than your full number.
Credit/Debit cards - Visa, MasterCard, JCB and AmEx (sorry, but we cannot accept Diners Club, Maestro or Discover). Please note, the first time you pay us using a credit/debit card we will require your 3 digit security code (or 'CV2' number). This is located on the reverse of your card. The security code is required for your FIRST PURCHASE ONLY.
Other methods:
Sterling cheques drawn on a personal account (kindly allow 2-3 days for clearance)
Sterling bank drafts
Sterling / US$ cash
UK Postal orders (as long as the orders and the stamps stuck to the front add up to the invoice total)
US$ cheques drawn on a personal checking account (these cheques must be sent for clearance and this process can take over 5 weeks. Goods will not be released until the cheque has cleared).
US$ cashiers cheques (ensure that a UK clearing banks name appears on it and that the amount is printed by the computer and not just handwritten)
Foreign cheques must include an extra £10 for bank charges. Please note, cheque clearance can delay shipment by up to 6 weeks.
Foreign cash (must include an extra £10 for bank charges)
Direct transfers (pay through your bank to our account at National Westminster Bank Plc, Northwich High Street, CW9 5GB, UK.)
Our bank account details are:
National Westminster Bank Plc, Northwich High Street, CW9 5GB, UK
STERLING PAYMENTS ONLY
Account Number 31518222
Sort Code 60-12-30
IBAN GB73NWBK60123031518222
SWIFT NWBKGB2L
EURO PAYMENTS ONLY
Account Number 34624538
Sort Code 60-12-30
IBAN GB65NWBK60721034624538
SWIFT NWBKGB2L
US DOLLAR PAYMENTS ONLY
Account Number 34624546
Sort Code 60-12-30
IBAN GB70NWBK60730134624546
SWIFT NWBKGB2L
PLEASE NOTE:
Any charges incurred through the payment process by your bank which are passed to us will be charged to you. Charges to us made from our own bank due to receiving your money will not be charged to you.
You can send us bids straight from the lot description on our website and the auctioneer will execute your bids for you in the room, we do not charge for this service. These are called "Commission" or "Book" bids. Simply enter your bid amount in the bid field and click the bid now button.
Bids received on an incorrect bid step (bid increment) will be reduced to the next correct bid step. In the event of a tied bid, the first received takes precedence.
You are very welcome to bid in person at the auction, simply register when you arrive to obtain a paddle number.
You can use an auction agent to bid, following your instructions. Mr Trevor Chinery often attends the auction, he can be contacted on 07527 444825 or by email: trevortrilogy@aol.com
You can bid live during the auction from our website www.cheshirestampauctions.com, through www.easyliveauction.com or www.the-saleroom.com. Please see the 'Online bidding charges' section in the FAQs for more information.
Your bid is the highest price you are prepared to pay NOT including the Buyers Premium (22% of the hammer price), which will be added to your invoice, alongside shipping.
No problem! Your bids are only binding if they are actioned at the sale itself. There is no bid cancellation facility on this site but simply email the office on info@cheshirestampauctions.com FROM THE EMAIL ADDRESS WE HAVE ON YOUR ACCOUNT and we'll cancel your bid(s).
WARNING. Auction days are very busy and emails cannot be constantly monitored. If you email on the day of the sale you must ALSO call and confirm this instruction verbally. You are still liable if instructions are received too late to be actioned.
The auction estimate, is the guide price that we place on each lot that reflects, in light of current market conditions, what we believe the lot is worth.
It is NOT a catalogue value (such as Stanley Gibbons, Scott or Michel) which in the vast majority of lots will be substantially higher than our estimate!
Please not that estimates and reserves can be changed after the sale catalogue and listings are published although normally the website listings will reflect any changes.
Bidding increments (often referred to as bid or bidding "steps") are the increment guidelines our auctioneer will typically use. Although the auctioneer has full discretion the increments used in around 99% of cases are as follows:
£1 - £25 £1 steps
£25 - £100, £5 steps
£100 - £300, £10 steps
£300 - £1000, £25 steps
£1000 - £2000 £50 steps
£2000 - £3000 £100 steps
£3000 - £10,000 £250 steps
£10,000 auctioneers discretion.
Bids received to be executed by the auctioneer of unusual "off step" amounts will usually be rounded down to the step below and will not take precedence over an identical bid unless received first, however in the busy auction room environment the auctioneers decision on bid increments is final.
No. It is THE BUYERS responsibility to inspect the lots and make enquiries prior to the auction so we do not give refunds on collections, accumulations, stocks or any other type of multi- item lot.
However, individually described items or sets which are not part of a larger collection may be returned for a refund if not accurately described. Similarly items or sets with alteration or damage not mentioned in our description where such alteration or damage could not reasonably be identified from available photographs, scans or other images available before the auction can also be returned for a refund. The images of such items or sets DO form part of the description however for collections and other accumulations or selections images DO NOT form part of the description.
We may require an opinion to be rendered by an expert or expert body before making any refund.
It is THE BUYERS responsibility to inspect the lots and make enquiries prior to the auction and we do not give refunds on collections, accumulations, stocks or any other type of multi- item lot.
Individually described items or sets which are not part of a larger collection which are not accurately described can be returned for a refund WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction or Sandafayre must be informed WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction that the lot is being returned. Similarly items or sets with alteration or damage not mentioned in our description where such alteration or damage could not reasonably be identified from photographs, scans or other images we have made available before the auction can also be returned for a refund WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction or Sandafayre must be informed WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of auction that the lot is being returned UNLESS AN EXTENTION has been requested. The inspection of any lot before the auction by the buyer or a person acting on behalf of the buyer constitutes acceptance of that lot as described.
An extension is a request made by the prospective bidder before the lot is sold, that if purchased by that bidder the lot can be returned to us for a refund later than the time limits specified in our terms and conditions as the lot will be sent to an acknowledged expert or expert committee for examination. This expertisation process can take some time so it is understood that once we have agreed to "an extension" that should that expert conclude that the item was not sufficiently accurately described then we agree to refund the purchase price and buyers premium of that lot.
Lots 'on extension' must be paid for prior to the stamp being sent to any expert or committee of experts.
We often use abbreviations in our lot descriptions, here's a few of the most popular ones:
M or MINT = unused with original gum, previously or currently hinged
MINT NH = mint never hinged, the same as Unmounted Mint. see NHM.
NHM = never hinged mint = unused with original gum never previously hinged or otherwise mounted by affixing anything to the gummed side. Often referred to as "unmounted mint".
UNUSED = as mint but without gum
U or USED = used, postmarked or otherwise cancelled.
Alphabetical list:
AU$ = Australian Dollars
BLK = block (4)
C$ = Canadian Dollars
CANC = cancelled
CAT = catalogue value or catalogue name.
CDS = circular date stamp
COLLN = collection
CTO = cancelled to order, or cancelled by favour.
F = fine
FDC = first day cover
FDI = first day of issue
FU = fine used
GBP = Great Britian Pounds – the currency for all transactions on this site
INCL = including
M = mint
MARG = margin
MINT = unused with original gum, previously or currently hinged
MINT NH = never hinged
M/S = miniature sheet
NHM = never hinged mint
OG = original gum
OPT = overprint
OVPT / OPT = overprint
OPT’D = overprinted
P = perforation
Perf = perforation
PPC = picture postcard
P.STAT or P/STAT = postal stationary
SELN or VALS TO = selection to (not a full unbroken run
STC / S.T.C. = stated to catalogue (a catalogue value not calculated by us so whilst appearing to be somewhat accurate we can't guarantee accuracy)
SURCH = surcharge
U = used, a stamp with some form of cancellation denoting postal or revenue usage.
UNUSED = as mint but without gum
USD = United States Dollar
VALS = values
VARS = varieties
VF = very fine
VFM = very fine mint
VFU = very fine used
WMK = watermark
The auctioneer and staff will at all times to keep bidders and vendors names private.
Cookies & Privacy Policy
PRIVACY STATEMENT
Sandafayre are committed to ensuring that your privacy and data is protected. To comply with 2018 GDPR Sandafayre has decided that “Legitimate Interests” is the most appropriate basis for processing your data and protecting your interests. We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
This privacy policy sets out how we'll use and protect any information that you give us when you use this website.
We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
When we collect information:
We collect information when you perform certain actions – e.g. when you register, when you request a catalogue, when you sign up for any register of interests or to receive our Newsletter, or when you store lots using the Watch Lot feature. We will use the information you provide to process your requests and to provide a more personalised, professional service.
What we do with the information we gather:
Support the provision of better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
To enable you to bid or buy from us, or to receive the service you requested
We may use the information to improve our products and services.
We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided. You can always opt out of certain communications (for example, from receiving our Newsletters) by contacting us at the office or by using the unsubscribe option on the email.