Registering with Stanley Gibbons Auctions has a number of benefits for you:It saves you time when you are bidding on items because you won't have to enter your personal details again. You can review your up to date online bid form which gives you the current status of your bids. When auctions are closed your online bid form gives you your results.

Why do I have to register before I bid?

When you register you give us vital information - such as your address, telephone number, email address and credit card. We need this information to process your purchases after an auction closes. It also allows you to create a password which means you can securely access your details and change if needed.

What is a lot?

A lot is made up of either a single item or a collection of items (Stanley Gibbons Room Auctions have a minimum estimate of 50 GBP and on line auctions 7 GBP) to which you are placing your bids.

How do I know if I have beaten the other bidders to obtain the lot?

Stanley Gibbons Auction department will e-mail the results after the auction or item closes.

You can track to lots you are currently winning via the View My Bids screen when logged in.

Why is my bid not showing up?

There are two possible reasons:

- Credit card has not cleared security check
- If you have chosen to open a new account with us security checks will be done and when cleared your bid will be entered.

How do I increase my bid?

You can raise your bid by re-bidding at any time before the auction or item closes.

What is a correct bid on the bidding steps?

All bids are placed in whole pounds sterling and can be divided by the bid increment i.e. A bid of 115 pounds is not a correct bid.

Why...?

Because 115 falls in the range 100 - 300 and has steps of 10 pounds, 115 can not be divided by 10 to leave a whole number.

A correct bid would be 110 or 120. Any incorrect bids received will be rounded down to the nearest correct bid.

Speed Bidding

This is a way of listing multiple lots. Lot numbers must be entered with a comma between then. A list of all the lots chosen will be displayed and allowing you to do multi bidding at the same time. It also allows you to watch items

Watching Lots

This function allows you to follow a lot(s) with out bidding on them. You can click on the watch button which adds it to your watch list. This is available to view in your ‘Watch Lots’ and ‘View my bids’ link on the left. If you are following similar items but only want to bid on one of them then you can follow them by watching. You can bid on one of them and if you are out bid you can bid on another lot you are watching.

View My Bids

This web page that allows you to follow all your activity in an auction. You will see the listing divided up into Winning lots, Losing Lots and Watched Lots.

Winning lots

Lot(s) you have bid(s) which currently are winning. Your max (if one placed) is also shown and you can increase this without upping your own bid.

Losing Lots

Lots which you have placed a bid on and your bid (and maximum bid) were out bid by another bidder.

Watched Lots

List of lots you have flagged to watch with out bidding on.

While within this web page you can bid on any lots that show within your listings. You need to make sure you have time to finish the bidding process and click on confirm before the auction closes. Bids are not placed until you have clicked on confirm to show your bids are correct and you agree with all charges shown.

Email a Friend

This button allows you to forward on by email details of a lot to somebody else. You can put in your own comments in the email to let the person know why you have sent it to them.

What are bid increments?

These are bidding steps used when placing bids.

Bid Range - Bid Increment (both in GBP)
0 - 30 steps of 1
30 - 50 steps of 2
50 - 100 steps of 5
100 - 200 steps of 10
200 - 500 steps of 20
500 - 1000 steps of 50
1000 - 2000 steps of 100
2000 - 5000 steps of 200
5000 - 10000 steps of 500
10000 - 20000 steps of 1000
20000 - 50000 steps of 2000
50000 - 100000 steps of 5000
100000 - 200000 steps of 10000
greater than 200000 steps of 20000

How do I reduce my bid?

You should only bid on items you intend to purchase. You cannot reduce your bid.

What is a reserve?

A reserve is the vendor's/seller's minimum amount they want for the item.

What is Buyers Premium?

Buyers Premium is a percentage added to the hammer/final price of a winning Bid. Auctions that are subject to a buyer's premium are indicated in the auction header. The value is a percentage and is plus VAT (at the current UK rate) to ALL buyers.

Do I pay VAT on my Auction Purchase?

VAT will be charged on all lots indicated Taxable (at the current UK rate), if sold to purchasers resident in the E.E.C or collected from our premises by an overseas bidder.

Can I pay for auction purchases by credit card and if so is there a charge?

We are now able to accept payment by means of the following cards:

- Debit Cards: Switch/Maestro, Visa Debit card, Delta, Solo etc. (no service charge)
- Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, (service charge of 1.79%) -
- Charge Cards: Diners, Amex (service charge of 4.25%)

The service charge (current charge by Card Company) will be added to the invoice total after the buyers premium, postage and packaging and all other charges. If you wish to use a card not listed, please call our Auction Department on +44 (0)20 7836 8444 for details.

Can I pay cash for my auction purchases?

We welcome payment in cash (£ Sterling only), but remind clients that due to current legislation, we cannot accept cash payments for transactions in excess of the sterling equivalent of 15,000 Euros.

Can I view lots offered for sale in auction?

This facility is available on an appointment basis only. Appointments for viewing can be made on and up to the closing date of sale. Viewing held at 399 Strand, London, WC2R 0LX Tel; 020 7836 8444

Can I obtain photocopies of auction lots?

Black and white photocopies of most lots in an auction can be supplied on request.

Charges are 50p per photocopy (minimum charge of £3), or £3 per colour photocopy (20 copies maximum per request), plus postage (airmail where necessary).

Please supply a self addressed envelope and clearly state the sale date, lot numbers and details of copies required (i.e. number required, front/back, etc.)

Payment with the order can be accepted in sterling banknotes and cheques but please note that we must respectfully decline for this service by overseas credit cards.We regret that the following categories of lots are not available for photocopying:

Lots housed in albums and boxes
Lots of a fragile nature which would require special handling.

Do I pay Storage Charges?

Storage charges will be levied on auction lots that remain on our premises after the expiration of three months from the date of sale. Such charges will be applicable to lots that have been paid for but not collected, and to lots that are unsold but which have not been re-offered.

The storage charge will be 1% of the hammer price for purchased lots or 1% of the lower estimate for unsold lots with a minimum charge of £10 per month.

If the material is not claimed within twelve months of the date of sale, Stanley Gibbons Ltd shall be entitled to dispose of the material to defray accrued storage charges.

How can I get my lots after the auction?

Lots can be collected from 399 Strand after the auction closes by appointment. They can be posted or sent by courier and delivery costs will invoiced.

What will I be charged for Postage?

Delivery costs are calculated on an individual basis. Where possible lots are amalgamated and sent as a single packet/parcel. The minimum cost of delivery is £3.60.

My speed bidding keeps coming up with an error message

You need to check that you have got a comma between each lot and you do not have one on the end. It will not work with full stops or any other dividers.

Timeout Error message

This can appear if you have left the computer inactive for a while. The system will log you out for security reasons. To avoid this you can use the refresh button within internet explorer. This will refresh the data on screen and show any changes to the details on the screen. If you find you have to log back in, you can do so and use the back button to go back to the screen you were trying to enter.

Buying Guide

Glossary of Philatelic Terms