Help & contact
The assistant answers instantly. If you need a person, send us a message — we read every one, usually within a working day.
Common questions, answered here
Registering and bidding
Create a free account, confirm your email, then bid. Some houses review a new bidder before they can bid; you will see their decision on the sale page. Bidding costs you nothing from us — you pay the house's own buyer's premium only if you win.
How to buy at auction →Fees and what you pay
The hammer price is not the final bill. The auction house adds its buyer's premium, and VAT where it applies, as set out in its terms. Every lot page shows the premium before you bid, so there is no surprise at the invoice.
What a buyer's premium is →Live sales and timed sales
A live sale runs to a real-time clock with an auctioneer and a webcast; a timed sale stays open for days and closes lot by lot. You can bid live, leave an absentee bid for the auctioneer to bid for you, or ask the house to telephone you.
See what is coming up →Paying, collecting and shipping
Once a sale closes you are invoiced by the house and pay it directly, then arrange collection or shipping with the house. Its terms cover postage, storage and any handling fee, and its page names where lots are held.
See what lots make →Frequently asked
How do I bid?
Register for a free account, confirm your email and open a sale. Live sales let you bid while the auctioneer takes bids; timed sales let you bid any time until each lot closes. You can also leave an absentee bid — your maximum — and the auctioneer bids on your behalf up to that figure.
Is bidding really free?
Yes. Bidders pay no membership, no per-auction fee and no commission. You pay only the house's buyer's premium if you win, exactly as you would in the room.
What is the buyer's premium?
It is the house's charge on a winning bid, added to the hammer price before any VAT. It is shown on every lot page before you bid, so you always know the total.
How do I sell something?
Send a valuation request with a photograph or two and a short description. The house values it free and tells you how it would sell it and what it expects it to make, with no obligation to proceed.
I have not received a confirmation email.
Check the spam folder first, then ask the assistant here or send us a message. We can resend the link and check whether the address was entered correctly.
Can I bid from outside the UK?
Yes. The site works anywhere and times are shown in UK time so a closing time cannot be misread. Check the house's own terms for shipping and collection before you bid.
Ask the assistant
Put a question to the assistant below: how to register and be approved to bid, how a live sale runs against a timed one, what the buyer's premium adds to the hammer price, how payment and collection work, or how to get a valuation if you are thinking of selling. If the answer depends on a particular house's terms, the assistant will say so and point you to that house's page.
Ask Modee
Ask about bidding, lots, fees, selling, or live rooms.