Delivery & Shipping

Getting your purchases home

The hammer has fallen, the lot is yours — now it needs to get home. This page is for buyers arranging delivery of their purchases. If you’re a seller who needs items collected for auction, that’s our transport service — you’ll find it in the selling guide. Whether you’re two streets away or on another continent, we offer flexible delivery options for local and international customers alike, ensuring your purchases arrive safely and on time. Prefer to collect in person? Collection times and appointments are covered in our buying guide.

Local delivery, in-house

We run our own local delivery service within roughly a 10-mile radius of North Shields. Pricing is simple:

• £20 for the first mile (this is also the minimum charge)
• £10 per mile after that
• Any tolls or congestion charges along the route are added at cost

It’s our own team handling your lots from saleroom to doorstep, so if something needs a careful pair of hands — a longcase clock, a cabinet of ceramics — just say so when you book.

Postage & shipping

We post within the UK ourselves by Royal Mail, and work with Mailbox Newcastle for fragile lots and anything heading overseas.

Royal Mail Special Delivery — gold, silver and other high-value items

Gold, silver and other high-value lots are sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery, UK only. A packing and labelling charge applies on top of the postage, per parcel:

• £8.00 — small items
• £12.00 — larger items

Royal Mail Tracked Post — other items

Other items can be sent by Royal Mail Tracked Post, UK only. Before we send anything this way, you must email us confirming that you take full responsibility for the item once it leaves our premises. That includes complete loss of the item, damage, or theft in transit.

Items we don’t post

Our exclusion list:

• Ceramics
• Glass
• Ornaments
• Anything else we deem too delicate to post

Fragile items — UK & international

For fragile lots, and for international delivery, you can deal direct with Mailbox Newcastle. They provide a collection, packing and postage service for both the UK and overseas, with various options for full insurance cover.

• Telephone: 0191 336 2201
• Email: newcastle@centres.mbe.uk

Your own courier

You’re welcome to send your own courier. This is on an ex works basis, and they must provide suitable packing materials.

Import duties & customs

Items shipped from the UK to EU countries, including Ireland, may be subject to import duty imposed by the country of receipt. Any such duties are the buyer’s responsibility. All shipped items travel with documentation stating the full invoice value. We cannot amend or understate these figures, so please don’t ask us to.

Need a hand?

Not sure which option suits your lots? Call us before you bid or after you buy — we’re happy to talk it through.