How to bid

Bidding with Heritage & Hearth is free, takes a few minutes to set up, and can be done from anywhere. This guide explains each step, from registering to collecting your lot.

1. Register

Create an account with your name, address and a telephone number, and log in. You must be registered before you can bid. Registration is free; we may ask for proof of identity or a bank reference before you bid on the larger lots.

2. Find your lots

Browse a sale by department, search the catalogue, or follow the lots you like with the heart on each picture. Every lot carries an estimate, a description, a condition report, its provenance and several photographs. If something is not clear, ask the department for more pictures or a call before you bid.

3. Place a bid

On a lot page, press the bid button to bid the next increment, or choose Place max bid and enter the highest price you are willing to pay. We then bid for you, one increment at a time, only as far as needed to keep you in front, and never beyond your maximum. Your maximum stays private.

4. How a lot closes

Each lot has its own closing time, shown by the countdown on the page. A bid placed in the last three minutes extends the lot by three minutes, so that everyone can answer. When the countdown ends, the highest bid wins, provided the reserve (the confidential minimum the seller has set) has been met.

5. If you win

We email you an invoice the day after the sale with the hammer price, the buyer's premium and any shipping. You can pay by card or bank transfer from your account, under Won auctions. See the buyer's guide for payment, collection and shipping.

Good to know

• A bid is a binding contract: it cannot be withdrawn once the lot has closed.
• The estimate is a guide, not a price: lots often sell below or above it.
• You can follow your bids at any time under My bids in your account.