The theme of protecting ourselves is one we are becoming all too familiar with – but fear not, this time around you don’t need a mask! Just some good old-fashioned common sense and these insider tips…
Ask, and you shall receive
We always endeavour to provide you with a detailed and factual description so you can make an informed decision around placing bids and your budget. There are times of course where you will want specific additional information to make sure the item is exactly what you are looking for. In these cases, ask, and you shall receive!
You can reach us on our live chat during office hours, and you can submit an enquiry about a specific lot, 24 hours a day. We aim to get your questions answered within 48 hours wherever possible, and sooner if the lot in question is ending before that. Getting your enquiry in earlier gives us the best chance of answering your questions with enough time for you to reflect on the answers and do any further research.
You want to be able to bid with confidence, and we love hearing from you. Don’t hesitate to arm yourself with the detail you need to ensure you give yourself the best chance of making a purchase that delights you (and us)!
Understanding the process…
If you’ve done your research, got the details you need, and you’ve set your budget then you’re well placed. Understanding the process will then help you stay safe, and happy, when you go to make your bids!
If you bid in the last 10 minutes, then the clock will reset to 10 minutes to allow others to bid again. If they bid, the clock resets again, so you can decide to continue, or to call it a day. You can’t get sniped like you can on eBay – the lot goes to the highest bidder, not the person with the best software!
Sellers are offered 0% seller commission – so they can offer their items at the best possible prices to you knowing they will receive 100% of your winning bid.
We charge a buyer’s premium on top of your winning bid as a % which is shown in the same box where you enter your bid. We don’t hide this from you – it’s how we make our money, and we offer very competitive rates.
Protect yourself by checking the % on each lot and factoring this into your budget. We ensure that we are offering goods that are better value than you can get elsewhere, even after these fees are included. We can do this because we’ve spent years building strong relationships with our sellers who offer their goods at discounted rates.
You can pay by card for invoices under £1000 – and by bank transfer for invoices of any amount. Protect yourself again by ensuring you know which payment options are open to you and that you are comfortable with them.
We hold your funds for 14 days before they are released to the vendor. You can protect yourself by ensuring you can thoroughly check any items you receive to ensure they meet the description they were given and that any areas of concern are raised.
As soon as any issues are brought to our attention, we freeze the payment until the issue is resolved in a fair and timely manner. William George will mediate in cases where a resolution is not obvious or forthcoming and we provide a level of aftercare for vendors and buyers not seen anywhere else in the industry.
Neither William George, nor any of our vendors will ever artificially inflate the prices of any items offered for auction. This is our promise to you. We offer a completely fair and transparent bidding process, always. We are setting new standards across the industry to make auctions accessible to all. You can protect yourself, simply by choosing William George as the place to bid.
So, stay at home, make yourself a brew & take your mask off knowing you can bid, win & love in complete safety at William George!