Bidding Information

Useful Information

• Please remember that UPA is an auction, not an Approvals Service.

• All bids are confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties.

• The auctioneer reserves the right to refuse bids from clients regularly treating UPA Auctions as an Approvals Service.

• The auctioneer’s decision is final.

• Placing a bid is acceptance of these terms. This does not affect your NO QUIBBLE full refund guarantee.

New Client Offer

Take your 1st £55 GBP ($67+ USD) FREE when you win stamps worth £75+ GBP ($90+ USD) *

* Offer valid for NEW clients only, restricted to ONE per household, subject to status. Applied automatically to invoice. We reserve the right to refuse this offer, if we believe it is being used inappropriately.

 

Valid for either UPA Auction or Top-Up Twenty purchases.

Loyalty Auction Rewards

UPA’s Loyalty Auction Reward System is a scaled system that will be reviewed each auction. The more Collectors that participate and WIN, the more generous the reward!

 

This reward system is available for all bidders (including those bidding for the first time).

 

Full details can be found here: www.upastampauctions.co.uk/loyalty-system

The UPA Reducing Estimate System

• Each auction is a compilation of both high and lower value material, with some of the high value material owned by vendors and some by UPA. Our belief is that if an item is not selling, it is too expensive. This formula permits us to offer the Unique UPA Reducing Estimate System so that if an item does not sell, it will be reoffered in the next catalogue with the estimate reduced by 11%, and the item will be flagged to show that it has been previously unsold.

• Each time that item does not sell, it will be reoffered and the estimate will reduce by 11%, then 12%, 13%, 14% etc. This allows items to find their own market value, e.g…

– A lot is offered for the first time with an estimate of £100, but it does not sell.

– The lot is reoffered in the next auction with an estimate of £89, but it does not sell.

– The lot is reoffered in the next auction with an estimate of £78, but it does not sell.

– The lot is reoffered in the next auction with an estimate of £67, etc… (Estimate reductions are ‘ramped’ as above as each time a lot is unsold).

• Bids below 80% of estimate have no chance of success.

• After the auction has closed, on the Friday evening we publish the UNSOLDS list of all lots that may be purchased at 80% of estimate.

• Lots that are previously unsold are denoted US at the end of the description, e.g… US – previously unsold US2 – previously unsold twice US3 – previous unsold three times etc.

• Once a lot has been unsold five times or more and if the estimate has fallen to £12 or less, that lot drops into the BABS category (see below).

BABS: Bag A Bargain System

• BABS lots are those items which have been unsold 5 times or more (marked US5, US6 etc.) and have estimates of £15 or less.

• BABS lots are denoted by (B) at the end of the description.

• These lots start at 99p and you can bid any amount you wish, at or above this level.

• Standard bid steps (tie-breaks) apply to BABS lots so if you do not wish bid steps to apply to BABS lots, please indicate this clearly on your bid form.

Estimates

• Estimates are based upon condition and current market value.

• All estimates and catalogue prices are in £ GBP and all catalogue prices are S.G. unless otherwise stated.

• We will state where another catalogue is used and if a foreign currency, we will show the value in Pounds Sterling equivalent.

• All lots (excluding BABs lots): bids below 80% estimate will be respectfully declined. Bidders wishing to purchase such lots for less may have the opportunity to do so in subsequent auction(s).

Viewing Lots / Scan Requests

• Lots cannot be viewed in person, but we are happy to provide scans, photocopies and verbal condition reports of lots as required.

• There is no charge for this service but please note that we cannot scan/photocopy hundreds of items.

• We cannot guarantee to provide scans/ photocopies for requests made within 2 working days of the closing date.

• We are unable to provide scans of Unsold Lots during the first auction despatch week. Requests may be made during the second week of despatch, but we cannot guarantee this service.

 

To send us your request, email scans@upastampauctions.co.uk, complete your request online here, or phone 01451 861111.

Realisations

A list of prices realised is published on our website immediately after invoices have been issued and a printed list of realisation is included with the next catalogue.

Catalogues

• Printed catalogues are FREE to regular successful bidders.

• New clients will receive up to four printed catalogues free of charge (subject to client location).

• If you have received four catalogues and never bid, or received four catalogues since your last bid, we would ask you to either view the catalogue online or subscribe to receive future catalogues – please enquire for details.

• Our catalogue policy is to reward our valued regular clients with an important real price reference guide.

Extensions for Certificates Policy

• Please note : items described as “as is” are not eligible for certificate/extension requests.

• Requests for extension time to obtain a certificate must be made in writing not less than 48 hours before the auction closing time.

• The name of the proposed expert or expert committee must be provided for our approval.

• The reason for requesting an extension must be stated.

• Requests for extensions are on the basis of authenticity, not condition unless specifically approved by UPA.

• Extensions are for single items/sets only value in excess of £100.

• Requests for extensions for items already bearing a certificate will not be accepted unless specifically approved by UPA.

• UPA will submit the item(s) for expertisation unless specifically agreed otherwise.

• Items will not be submitted until payment has been received, unless specifically approved by UPA.

• The purchaser pays for the certificate. If the item is not authenticated, UPA will pay for the certificate.

• Any item described as having faults may not be returned if other faults are mentioned on the certificate of authenticity.

NB – Your statutory rights and UPA 30 day total guarantee are not affected.

Buyer's Premium

There isn’t one! The only additional charges we apply are a nominal charge for shipping (please see below).

How To Complete Your Bid Form

Submitting Bids

Post: UPA (Admin), 4 The Old Coalyard, West End, Northleach, Glos, GL54 3HE, UK

Online: https://www.upastampauctions.co.uk/bid-form/

Email: bids@upastampauctions.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0) 1451 861111

Phone lines are open weekdays only: 9am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm (UK time)

Fax: +44 (0) 1451 861297

Please ensure you fax the correct side of your form!

Bid Amounts

• We do not accept BUY bids as this is unfair to other bidders.

• If you are prepared to pay a multiple of the estimate price for a particularly rare item please enter your maximum price, but beware that another bidder may also recognise special value in the same item and bid accordingly. We therefore recommend that you only enter the maximum you are prepared to pay.

• You can bid any amount you choose, subject to the minimum amounts:

– Non-BABS lots: minimum bid 80% of estimate

– BABS lots: minimum bid 99p

• Conditional (either/or) bids are accepted – please clearly denote this on your bid form.

• Bids steps (up to 3) can be used to increase your bid in the event that equal bids are received (the early bidder wins a tied bid). Bid step increments are subject to your bid value.

• Please do not state bid an extra X% – please bid in actual GBP amounts, or use bid steps if you prefer.

• Bids must be placed in GBP.

 

Purchase Limit

If you are bidding to a budget, you can specify an overall spending limit when you bid. E.g. You can bid on items which may cost £500 if you were to win them all, but if you specify a spending limit of £300, once your limit has been reached you will not win any more items.

Please list your bids in order of priority (we will work down your list until we reach your limit).

Conditional Bids

We are happy to accept conditional (either/or) bids. Simply list the items in your order of preference and mark them clearly as per the examples below…

 

lot 1234 @ £35 }

lot 1235 @ £32 } – one lot only

lot 1236 @ £37 }

 

 

 

EITHER

lot 1234 @ £35

OR

lot 1235 @ £32

OR

lot 1236 @ £37

 

Bid Steps / Tie-Breaks

A maximum of 3 bid steps can be applied to all or some of your bids in the event of a tie. Bid steps are applied as follows…

• Bids up to £39 – bid steps are in £1 increments

• Bids between £40 and £79 – bid steps are in £2 increments

• Bids between £80 and £299 – bid steps are in £5 increments

• Bids £300 and above – bid steps are in £10 increments

If bids are still tied after bid steps have been applied, the earlier bidder takes priority. Bid early to avoid disappointment!

Late Sales / Unsold Lots

• Unsold Lots which are available at 80% of estimate may be purchased online from the Friday evening following the auction closing date, go to www.upa-direct.co.uk

• A list of Unsold Lots will be published on our website here on the Friday evening following the closing date.

• Unsold Lot orders can be made by phone from the Monday morning following the auction closing date. Due to the incredible number of telephone calls we receive after the auction, we are forced to limit telephone calls during the two weeks immediately following the closing date:

Monday – Friday : 11am to 1pm, 2pm to 4.30pm

Payment, Shipping & Returns

Payment Options

• Lots are shipped after payment in full.

• Payment is due within 14 days of invoices being issued.

• We do not advise sending cash payments; all cash payments are sent entirely at client’s own risk.

Please remember to quote your invoice number when making payment – failure to do so will delay despatch of your goods.

 

We accept payment by the following methods:

Visa / Mastercard

– NB – we do not accept American Express or Diners Club.

– We do not accept card payments for goods that are not shipped under our own transit insurance.

– We reserve the right to delay shipping goods for card payments with a high fraud screening score. In such circumstances we reserve the right to request payment by alternative means.

 

Cheques (payable to UPA) drawn on a UK Sterling account (please allow 7 days to clear)

 

Cheques (payable to UPA) drawn on a $ USD account from mainland banks only (please allow 28 days for cheques to clear)

The minimum value foreign currency cheque we can now accept is $50 USD, we are happy to hold any surplus amount as a credit note for future purchases.

 

Bank transfer (net of bank charges) to account:

  Bank: Santander UK plc
  Account Name: N W P J Ltd T/A Omniphil Andrew S McGavin
  BIC: ABBYGB2LXXX
  IBAN: GB84 ABBY 0901 5004 8968 15
  Sort Code: 090150
  Account Number: 04896815

 

PayPal – to account bids@upastampauctions.co.uk quoting your invoice number as your reference. Payment should be made in GBP British Pounds.

 

 

INSTALMENTS:

– Request to pay in instalments must be made when placing your bids.

– Payment over two, three or four monthly instalments is available to clients with invoices in excess of £60.

– Four instalments are only available for invoices in excess of £250. If you win less than this, we reserve the right to reduce your instalments accordingly.

– There is no extra charge for this service but lots are only despatched upon completion of payment or subject to status (i.e. long established UPA client).

Shipping Costs & Insurance

Shipping costs (UK and overseas) are as follows:

 

  • Invoices up to £80 GBP: P+P = £4 GBP
  • Invoices over £80 GBP: P+P = £2 GBP

 

UK CLIENTS:

The majority of goods are shipped by Royal Mail 1st Class. More valuable items are shipped by Royal Mail Special Delivery; the threshold for shipping by Special Delivery is generally £500. Clients are welcome to request shipping by a specific method but please be aware that a surcharge may apply if the request falls outside our normal procedures.

 

OVERSEAS CLIENTS:

The majority of goods are shipped by Royal Mail Standard airmail. More valuable items are shipped by Royal Mail Special Registered airmail; the threshold for shipping by Registered airmail is country dependent. Clients are welcome to request shipping by a specific method when they submit their bids, but please be aware that a surcharge may apply. Insurance against loss in transit is provided FREE for the majority of countries. Exclusions include Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Crimea (including Sevastopol) Luhansk and Donetsk.

Lots described in the auction catalogue as HEAVY LOT (or similar) may be subject to additional shipping charges for overseas bidders

Customs Declarations for International Parcels

Post-Brexit, we are now required by law to attach a customs declaration (detailing the contents and associated value) to all parcels, for all destinations, including those countries in the EU and failure to do so can result in either postal services refusing to accept incorrectly declared packages or a fine and/or prosecution. A number of clients have advised that other dealers do not always adopt this approach; we are not able to comment on the practices of other companies other than to reiterate the opening sentence of this paragraph.

 

Additional information can be found on the Royal Mail website…
https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/106

Despatch / Shipping Schedule

• Bidders who provide payment details before the closing date are processed first, in bidder number order, and this can take up to a week.

• We then start shipping goods for bidders who send payment in response to a Request For Payment, so there can sometimes be a slight delay between payment and goods being shipped.

Late Sales orders are processed and shipping after completion of the above, so again, there can sometimes be a slight delay between payment and goods being shipped.

Large/heavy lots take longer to despatch; please allow extra time.

Guarantee & Returns Policy

• All lots are guaranteed such that any lot may be returned for a full refund. No Quibble. 1st class mail (or standard air mail) is ok for most things but we recommend that you get a proof of posting from the post office in case the item were to go missing. If you are returning goods in excess of £250 we request that you return them by Special Delivery (or Registered Airmail). Goods in excess of £250 returned by 1st class mail (or standard air mail) will be deemed to have been returned at your own risk.

• Lots must be returned in the condition they were received (in their entirety in their original stockcards or packaging) within 30 days of purchase. Returned lots may not be accepted by UPA if they have been tampered with, e.g. immersed in water, marked by an expert or expert committee, or treated by any other process, unless UPA’s express permission has first been obtained in writing.

• We request that you state the reason for returning any item. This does not affect our guarantee, but it does help us in processing the returned items.

• We are happy to either refund you for anything returned to us, or if you prefer we can hold the amount as a credit-note which you can use towards your next auction invoice. Please specify.

• Please allow up to 30 days for your return to be processed.