Shipping or local pickup
There are two ways to get the items you win: have them shipped to you, or collect them in person at the sale's location. Which options are available depends on the lot and the sale.
Check before you bid
Every lot page says how that lot gets home — under its title, in a box just above the bid box, and on the Shipping line in its details. It's always one of three:
- Combined shipping available — this lot can be shipped, and it can share a box with your other shippable lots from the same sale when they fit. Lots that share a box share one postage charge for that box. It's a possibility, not a promise: if no one box holds them all, they may go in more than one box, whichever is cheaper to post, and anything that fits none goes separately.
- Ships individually — this lot can be shipped, but always in its own box, with its own postage and its own tracking number. It's never combined with anything else you win. Big, awkward or fragile items are usually set up this way.
- Pickup only — this lot must be collected in person. Large or heavy items, like machinery or a pallet of goods, are often pickup only, and some sales don't ship anything at all. If you can't collect it yourself, the lot page may list freight carriers and riggers who can move it for you.
On a sale that ships, the catalogue cards carry a short version of the same thing: Combines, Ships alone or Pickup only.
Lots that can be shipped also let you get a price estimate before you bid (see Getting a shipping quote).
It's worth checking this before you bid, especially on bigger items — the winning bid on a "pickup only" forklift still needs you to arrange collection, and a "ships individually" lot adds its own postage whatever else you win.
How you choose
You don't have to decide when you bid. You choose after you win, on your invoice:
- To have things sent, use Would you like this shipped? on the invoice to give us an address (see Getting a shipping quote).
- To collect in person, just book a pickup slot and turn up (see Booking a pickup slot).
Some sales are shipping only — there's nowhere to collect from — in which case the invoice simply asks where to send your items.
Mind the removal deadline
If you're collecting, note the sale's removal window — the period during which you must pick up your items. It's shown clearly on your pickup page in the sale's timezone. This is the most important date in the whole process:
Items left after the removal window can be forfeited.
So whichever route you choose, don't leave it too long. If you want items shipped, request it on your invoice promptly; if you're collecting, book a slot inside the removal window.