Postage
Smiths Auctions are pleased to provide an excellent packing and postage service for small and medium sized items purchased at their auctions. We endeavour to keep the costs for this as reasonable as possible. If you are unsure if an item you wish to bid on can be posted by us to your location please get in touch before bidding and we will be happy to advise.
All items are packed and posted at the buyer’s expense and risk. We cannot be held liable for any loss or damages incurred as a result of the packing and postage service provided.
Please read the following important notes carefully before bidding on postal items Services Used
Within the UK we use Royal Mail ‘Signed For’ (items under £50 hammer price), Special Delivery (items over £50 hammer price) and Parcelforce 48 (parcels over 2kg weight) to deliver our parcels.
For International buyers we can send smaller items using Royal Mail ‘International Tracked & Signed For’ but for items over 2kg packed weight (or 90cm total dimensions) we will have to use a courier and this can become expensive.
Please note we may be unable to post certain items due to postal regulations and your location. This includes knives, firearms, mercury barometers etc. Please get in touch before bidding for advice on this.
If you wish to use a different service to the ones we offer, we may be able to pack the item for you whilst you arrange the collection.
Insurance
Please note that while we will add postal insurance to your items, most of the services we use (barring Royal Mail Special Delivery within the UK), will not actually cover you in the event of a claim for loss or breakage. Items such as jewellery, coins, collectables, ceramics, glass etc. are considered as ‘Restricted’ under the terms and conditions of most postal agencies. We use a fully tracked or signed for service for all our items and pack everything to a very high standard, so this is very rarely an issue.
Please note that if a claim does need to be made, it is up to the buyer to pursue this with the relevant postal agency, not through Smiths auctions.
Types of Items we can pack and post for you
We provide an excellent and careful packing service for as many items that we can in our auctions. However, we do not post large, heavy, extremely fragile or very valuable items. Although we have a skilled packaging team who endeavour to make your items as safe as possible, we are not a professional packaging agency. Examples of things we do not post include large tea and dinner services. pictures (unless very small), medium to large size clocks, any furniture, very fragile or very valuable items of china and glass.
You may wish to use Mailboxes for these items and our local office can be contacted on 01242 530130 or info@mbecheltenham.co.uk
We are happy to pack groups of items, small groups of ceramics and glass, collectables of many shapes and sizes (within reason), silver, jewellery etc. We feel it is a matter of common sense as to what we might pack but we realise all salerooms are different - so if in doubt please telephone us or email for advice before the auction.
Quotes
In order to keep costs as low as possible for our customers we do not use standardised fees. Each consignment is packed and weighed and the postage is then calculated based on the size, weight and value of the parcel. We are happy to quote ahead of the sale for packing costs and we can also try to give you a rough estimate of what the postage cost might be. Our minimum packing charge is £5.
Once the sale is over and you begin the shipping process your item will be packed up in order to calculate the exact postage cost for you. We will therefore require payment for packing even if you change your mind on the postage or shipping method used. This means that once you ask for a packing quote you are in the system and your item will be packed as soon as possible and ready to post.
On the positive side it means we will charge you less than standardised fees and our service is streamlined, efficient and fast. We do not seek to make a profit on the cost of the postage, but we do endeavour to recover our staffing costs – both administrative and physical plus the cost of packing materials.
Packaging and the Environment
The team at Smiths are passionate about the environment and the effect of our industry within it. Therefore, we try our very best where possible and safe to use recyclable and reusable materials such as second-hand cardboard boxes, eco fill loose fill and other recyclable or reusable materials in order to pack your items. We encourage our customers
to please reuse the packaging that your item is sent to you in.
Larger Items and Furniture
For large consignments of bulky items and furniture you may wish to use a local or national transport service to collect the items as this can be more economical. We can recommend H & H transport on 01989 843664 . An alternative to these local couriers might be Shiply who can be found at www.shiply.com
