Insurance
Insurance against loss in transit is FREE for the majority of countries. Exclusions include: South Africa, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine and former Russian republics.
Shipping Carrier
Most items will be sent by Royal Mail (service used is dictated by the value). For very large or heavy items that cannot be sent via Royal Mail, a courier (such as UPS or Fedex) will be used – shipping surcharges may apply.
Shipping Costs
Auction and Unsold Lots – shipping is FREE for the majority of lots. Exclusions include:
- Auction invoices under £50:
- UK P&P = £2
- Overseas P&P = £3.50
- Shipping heavy lots to overseas customers. Heavy lots are identified at the end of the description. Surcharges are subject to client location, lot size and quantity of heavy lots won. Surcharges can be quoted for before bidding (please ask us) and will be confirmed when the auction results are processed.
Top-Up Twenty – shipping is FREE except for shipping heavy lots to overseas customers. Heavy lots are identified at the end of the description. Surcharges are subject to client location and lot size. Please select the appropriate shipping surcharge when ordering directly on our website. If you would like to order multiple heavy lots, please contact us so we can combine the shipping costs.
eBay – shipping prices are displayed within the listing.
Approvals and Mixtures – prices are inclusive of shipping.
Customs Declarations for International Parcels
When the United Kingdom left the EU, we received numerous enquiries regarding shipping to overseas clients and we have continued to receive enquiries since that date; we therefore feel it necessary to clarify our position regarding this matter…
Post-Brexit, UK companies 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. 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
Delivery Times
Purchases are shipped as soon as possible, typically within two working days (courier items can take longer). Delivery times vary depending on service used and client location.
Despatch of auction parcels – 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 shipped after completion of the above, so again, there can sometimes be a slight delay between payment and goods being shipped. Large/heavy lots can take longer to despatch; please allow extra time.
Goods Sent/Returned to UPA
If you are sending material for valuation, it will be fully insured if we have been notified ahead of shipping. Please note, material for valuation should not be sent unless UPA has agreed to receive it – we cannot accept material before a phone consultation. Material must be packed following our Packing Guidelines – we cannot insure parcels that have not been packed appropriately, and it is important to protect your collection whilst in transit. Please also include your full details inside the parcel, and any other details we need in relation to your valuation.
If you are returning a purchase, your parcel will be fully insured. Please ensure you use an appropriate service relating to the value (ie. Special Delivery for items over £250 value), and retain the Post Office receipt until we have confirmed receipt of your parcel. Goods returned to UPA must be packed to the same standard as received to ensure the contents are suitably protected. Please include a note inside the parcel with your full details, the reason for the return (eg. bought in error, mis-described) and the accepted refund method (eg. original payment method, auction credit).