Bidder registration

All lots can only be bought on the day of the sale either by bidding in person or by leaving a commission bid or by bidding on the telephone. To exercise any of these three options you must first register with us in order to receive your buyer's number. If you are at the auction in person you can do this either on the viewing day or the morning of the sale itself. Don't forget to bring some form of identification with you such as a passport or driver's licence. You can bring a completed form with you in person, by downloading our registration form here.

Absentee bidding

If you cannot attend the auction in person you can leave a commission bid with us (the maximum amount you are prepared to bid) and we will bid on your behalf, trying to secure the item as cheaply as possible. The bid form is available by clicking here. It must be fully completed, signed, posted or faxed to us on 01568 610519. Alternatively you can register to bid on the telephone and we will call you a few minutes before the lot comes up.
To exercise either of these options you must leave a deposit which will be refunded to you immediately if your bid is unsuccessful. For vehicles up to £10,000 the deposit is £500. Up to £20,000 it is £1,000 and over that amount is £1,500. To arrange this please call the office on 01568 611122 or email absentee.bidding@brightwells.com ideally at least 24 hours before the sale.

Viewing

The official viewing day is the day before the auction, usually from 9am to 7pm. You can also view on the morning of the sale from 8.30am onwards. Vehicles cannot be driven or moved, but you can ask to hear the vehicle running and you can examine all the paperwork that comes with the vehicle. If you cannot make it to the viewing in person you can always phone us for a verbal description of the lot you are interested in but this will necessarily only be a cursory visual appraisal and is not to be relied upon. We are auctioneers not engineers and we do not do written condition reports on vehicles. It is always your responsibility to ascertain the true condition of any lot before you make your bid.

Catalogues & website

Viewing is free but entry to the saleroom itself is by catalogue only which costs £20 and admits two. Catalogues are published about one week before the sale and can be ordered in advance either by clicking here or by phoning the office on 01568 611122. Alternatively, you can simply buy your catalogue on the day. To see what is in the sale before you leave home, just view our online catalogue which is always kept up to date and may include late entries which are not in the printed catalogue as well as indicating any lots that have been withdrawn. The website also contains more photographs of each vehicle than can be included in the printed catalogue.

Rostrum announcements

If any information comes to light about any lot that is not included in the catalogue or website description, the auctioneer will make an announcement to this effect from the rostrum immediately before the item comes up for sale. Any such announcements will supersede and override any previously published information so it is important to listen carefully when the lot you are interested in comes up for sale. To avoid any disputes, the entire auction is recorded on video and audio tape.

HPi data check

All vehicles offered for sale are first subjected to a vehicle data check to ensure that there is no finance outstanding and that they have had no significant insurance claims against them. If anything untoward is revealed by this check, the information will be relayed to the saleroom by the auctioneer immediately before the vehicle is offered for sale.

Warranties

All vehicles are sold strictly 'as seen' and no warranty is implied or given. Although we make every effort to ensure that all the information given to buyers is as accurate as it can be, it is always your responsibility to ascertain the true condition of any lot before you make your bid. There is no post-sale appraisal or 'cooling off' period. At the fall of the hammer a binding contract is made and you are obligated to honour that contract.

Speed of sale

We typically expect to sell about 30 vehicles per hour or 100 lots of automobilia per hour. A typical sale will contain about 140 vehicles and will commence at 12 noon and be all over before 5pm. Automobilia usually commences at 10.30am and is over by noon.

Buyer's premium

A buyer’s premium at the following rates will be added to the hammer price:
For cars, motorcycles and registration numbers, it is 10%+VAT. For example, on a hammer price of £10,000 you pay a further £1,000+VAT to give a total price of £11,150 (assuming a VAT rate of 15%).

For automobilia 15%+VAT

Methods of payment

Lots will only be released when full payment (inclusive of all charges) has been made in cleared funds to Brightwells Limited. We will accept payment in the following ways (or combinations thereof):

1. Cash to a total of £7,500 in cash or Travellers Cheques.
2. Sterling cheque drawn on a UK branch of any bank or building society. Unless previously agreed with us all cheques must be cleared before removal of purchased lots.
3. Banker's draft/building society cheque. Providing adequate proof of identity is provided and we are satisfied as to the authenticity of the draft or cheque the purchased lots may be removed immediately.
4. Bank transfer – our bank details are as follows:
   Barclays Bank plc
   1-3 Broad Street
   Hereford
   Tel: 01432 682250
   Sort Code: 20-39.64. Account number: 70255165
   Swift number: BARCGB22
   IBAN: GB30 BARC 2039 6470 2551 65
5. Debit cards drawn on a UK bank. Purchased lots may be removed immediately.
6. Credit cards drawn on a UK bank. These are subject to a 2.5% +VAT surcharge. Please note certain cards may not be acceptable – check at the cash office before the sale begins. Lots paid for by credit card may be removed immediately.

Removal of lots

All lots should be removed by the end of the first Saturday after the sale. Failure to do so may result in storage charges as follows:
Vehicles £10 per day
Motorcycles £5 per day
Automobilia £1 per lot per day

All the above charges are subject to VAT.

Transport and shipping

A representative of Brightwells' preferred carrier will be available at the sale and can arrange transport to anywhere in the UK. We do not get involved with shipping overseas but can recommend a shipper if you wish.

Insurance

Brightwells have their own insurance broking department who will be happy to assist you on the day. To get a quote in advance, please call 01568 619719.

Car parking

We occupy a large 10-acre site and there is ample free parking for hundreds of cars and plenty of room for trailers and transporters.

Refreshments

We have a very good on-site cafe that serves meals, snacks and refreshments all day at very reasonable prices. An additional mobile canteen is also present on sale day.