Buying at auction with The Pedestal is an exciting way in which to acquire unique, lovely items – many of which cannot be bought anywhere else. Our auctions feature pieces which have been cherished and cared for over decades and centuries without contributing to landfill. Many items hail from the finest workshops, created in beautiful materials and with sumptuous finishes. No assembly is needed and these survivors from history will accompany you from house to house, unlike contemporary flatpack examples. 

Prior to the day of the auction itself the full contents of the auction are available for viewing and inspection at the auction venue. We encourage our clients to attend the viewing days and we are always delighted to answer questions relating to individual lots or the auction process itself.

Items offered for purchase in all our auctions are catalogued, photographed and researched by our specialists. Condition reports are available on request. If you are not able to view the lots which interest you in person we strongly recommend that you ask us to issue you with condition reports.

We offer Timed Auctions through our site and most of our auctions are held in this format. From time to time we will also host Live Auctions at one of our two locations in Henley-on-Thames.  

Before placing a bid in an auction on our site clients will need to create an account. We ask clients for a few details about themselves and to register a debit or credit card, and the cards we accept for registration are listed within the auction information for the respective sale.

Once registered, clients can bid in all our auctions. Clients who also have an account at the-saleroom.com can login to bid at The Pedestal using the same email and password. 

Timed Auctions are typically open for browsing and bidding for 14 days. Bidding on each lot closes sequentially on the final day of the auction.

Buying and bidding is convenient and user-friendly: clients can bid from the comfort of their own home at any time as soon as the sale is live, it is clear when the bidding will close on every lot and a bid placed in the final seconds of an open lot will extend that lot’s bidding time providing clients with the chance to bid again should they choose.  

As soon at the auction is published on our site clients may:

- Browse the lot listing comprising cataloguing and multiple images for each lot

- Leave bids on selected lots whenever they choose  

- Watch and bid again on selected lots before they close on the last day of bidding

Whilst the auction is live on the site The Pedestal will provide on request:

- Condition reports for the lots on which clients intend to bid

- Assistance with auction queries

Viewing dates, viewing times and auction venue information are listed along with the online catalogue when the sale is published online.   

Buyers in Timed Auctions are charged an online commission fee in addition to The Pedestal’s standard buyer’s premium. Invoices are sent out via email to buyers after the auction has closed and payment can be made online. 

Third party platforms: our auctions are also listed on third party auction platforms and through these clients can leave a bid or bid live during the sale.

Please note that an additional online commission fee is charged by these platforms, in addition to The Pedestal’s standard buyer’s premium.

Clients are advised to familiarise themselves in advance with the Terms and Conditions applicable to their chosen bidding platform before leaving a bid or bidding during the auction.

Payment information: payment for all lots purchased including all associated fees, charges and taxes, is due no later than 7 calendar days after the auction has taken place.

Payment can be made only by the bidder registered for the auction.

Invoices, which include payment instructions, are sent out to buyers via email as soon as the sale has closed. We accept payment by bank transfer and debit card. At the time of sending the invoice we also send buyers a payment link which facilitates payment by debit card.

Please note that we do not accept payment by credit card, cash or cheque.

A buyer’s premium charge of 25% of the hammer price levied on each lot, plus VAT, is charged, as well as an online commission charge, plus VAT.

Purchased lots cannot be collected and removed from our premises until the invoice for these lots has been paid.

All auction purchases must be collected within 7 days of the auction from the auction venue.

We are open for collection Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm during the week of the auction and in the following week by appointment only. Please telephone 01491 522733 to schedule an appointment for collection.

After the first 7 calendar days following the sale handling and storage charges will apply.

Storage charges include an administration charge of £10 and a charge of £3 per day for pictures and small items, and £6 per day for furniture, larger pictures and objects.

If items remain uncollected after the free 7-day collection period we reserve the right to transfer them to external storage where a transfer charge and additional storage charges will apply.

Loss and Damage: full value protection cover for the value of the hammer price will be charged at 0.6% but will not exceed the total value of all other transfer and storage charges. VAT will be applied at the current rate on any charges levied.

You can read our detailed Terms and Conditions for buying at auction here

To stay up to date with our auctions, news and events and our latest blogs, we invite you to subscribe to The Pedestal newsletters.

Visit the footer in our Home Page and simply access 'Sign Up For Our Newsletter'.  

The Pedestal stands apart from other auction houses with its online Shop, which features a selection of interesting, distinctive items available for purchase at any time. Buying online is easy and straightforward as buyers just pay the price shown for the item with no added or additional charges to be added.

Items offered for immediate purchase through the Shop on our website are catalogued, photographed and researched by our specialists and condition reports are available on request.  

To receive a condition report, contact us through the ‘enquire’ button which shows in each individual item, or if you would like to speak with one of our specialists, please telephone our main office on 01491 522733 or email: valuations@thepedestal.com

Viewing of items and collection of purchases from our premises is by appointment only.

You can read our detailed Terms and Conditions for buying at The Pedestal Shop here