Buying at Auction

Please note that currently clients can view our specialist sales online or via appointment. Our Household Sales can be viewed in person without an appointment. Social distancing will be observed.

View the sale

Specialist sales are typically open to view online 12 days before they take place both on our website and at the saleroom.com. We also have in-house viewings as displayed on the sale information page.

Not all household sale items are photographed but the catalogue is available online 4 days before each sale and some of our favourite lots are photographed on our facebook page.

How to buy

Buying items should be as hassle free as possible and that's why at Lay’s you have several options:

Please note that currently in our specialist sales, clients can only bid online, by telephone or leave commission bids.
Household Sales: Clients can bid in person, or leave commission bids via our website, or phone/email our office. Please note that there will be no live online bidding for our Household Sales.

1. In person: you can register to bid and choose between either a permanent or one off bidders number. Once you have registered you can bid in person on sale day and all your purchases will be registered to your unique bidders number. There is no additional charge if you bid in person.
   
   
2. By telephone: you can register to bid by phone and then book a line in order to be able to bid live through one of our staff members who will be in the room. There is no additional charge for using a telephone line although, we may ask for a deposit if you are interested in items above £1,000.
   
   
3. Commission bid: you can leave a bid with us in advance of the auction, you can either do this via our website by going into the auction before it is live or via telephone by calling our office. There is no additional fee for commission bids.
   
   
4. Bid online: the best way to bid online is directly through our website. Simply set up an account with us and then each time you visit you will be remembered and can bid live online. There is a fee of 3% if you bid live online via our website. You can also bid live online via your saleroom.com account, although the fee for this service is slightly higher at 4.95%.
   
   

Collecting your items

Our offices are currently closed to the public. Specialist sales: In order to observe social distancing we are asking our customers to book a collection slot and collect in the car park. Household Sales: Collection will be a first come-first served socially distanced queueing system. Please pay first and if possible, have your paperwork ready to show our porters.

If your bid is successful and you intend to collect in person you will first need to pay via our website or by phone before coming to the saleroom. Then you will need to book a collection appointment. Please phone our offices on 01736 361414.

Our porters will be expecting you and will have your items ready. 

 If you are unable to collect your purchases in person, we offer a small in-house postage service, please see our DELIVERY page for further details. We also work closely with the carriers listed below and will ensure a smooth handover of your items, large or small.

Here is a list of our recommended local and long-distance carriers who will be able to quote and deliver your items following the sale.