Universal Philatelic Auctions

SHIPPING COSTS
Standard sized auction lots will be shipped Loyalty POST-FREE if you are a NEW / regular bidder (5 out of 6
auctions), otherwise...

UK CLIENTS: (shipping costs regardless of weight):

• Invoices up to £50 : Post+Packing = £2
• Free shipping if you spend £50 or more

OVERSEAS CLIENTS:

• Invoices up to £50 GBP : Post+Packing = £3.50 GBP*
• Free shipping if you spend £50 GBP or more*

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.

*Lots described as HEAVY LOT (or similar) may be subject to additional shipping charges.

Universal Philatelic Auctions

---

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

CONTACT US / SUBMIT BIDS
We are open weekdays from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
Bids can be submitted as in one of the following ways…
• Post/Mail - send to UPA (Admin), 4 The Old Coalyard, West End, Northleach, Glos, GL54 3HE, UK
• online at: www.upastampauctions.co.uk
• email: bids@upastampauctions.co.uk
• Telephone: +44(0)1451 861111
• Fax: +44(0)1451 861297

Please Note - for the two weeks immediately post-auction we are open as follows 11am to 1pm and  2pm to 4.30pm

THE UPA REDUCING ESTIMATE SYSTEM
• Each auction is a compilation of both high and lower value material, with some of the high value material owned by vendors and some by UPA. My belief is that if an item is not selling, it is too expensive. This formula permits us to offer the Unique UPA Reducing Estimate System so that if an item does not sell, it will be reoffered in the next catalogue with the estimate reduced by 11%, and the item will be flagged to show that it has been previously unsold.
• Each time that item does not sell, it will be reoffered and the estimate will reduce by 11%, then 12%, 13%, 14% etc. This allows items to find their own market value, e.g…
• A lot is offered for the first time with an estimate of £100, but it does not sell.
• The lot is reoffered in the next auction with an estimate of £89, but it does not sell.
• The lot is reoffered in the next auction with an estimate of £78, but it does not sell.
• Bids below 80% of estimate have no chance of success.
• On the Friday after the closing date, we publish the UNSOLDS list of all lots that may be purchased at 80% of estimate.
• Lots that are previously unsold are denoted US at the end of the description, e.g... US - previously unsold US2 - previously unsold twice US3 - previous unsold three times etc.
• Once a lot has been unsold five times or more and if the estimate has fallen to £15 or less, that lot drops into the BABS category (see below).

BABS: BAG A BARGAIN SYSTEM
• BABS lots are those items which have been unsold 5 times or more (marked US5, US6 etc.) and have estimates of £20 or less.
• BABS lots are denoted by (B) at the end of the description.
• These lots start at 99p and you can bid any amount you wish, at or above this level.
• Standard bid steps (tie-breaks) apply to BABS lots so if you do not wish bid steps to apply to BABS lots, please indicate this clearly on your bid form.

BID AMOUNTS
• We do not accept BUY bids as this is unfair to other bidders.
• If you are prepared to pay a multiple of the estimate price for a particularly rare item please enter your maximum price, but beware that another bidder may also recognise special value in the same item and bid accordingly. We therefore recommend that you only enter the maximum you are prepared to pay
• You can bid any amount you choose, subject to the minimum amounts:
      • Non-BABS lots: min bid 80% of estimate
      • BABS lots: min bid 99p
• Conditional (either/or) bids are accepted - please clearly denote this on your bid form.
• Bids steps (up to 3) can be used to increase your bid in the event that equal bids are received (the early bidder wins a tied bid). Bid step increments are subject to your bid amount
• Please do not state bid an extra X% - please bid in actual GBP amounts, or use bid steps.
• Bids must be placed in GBP.

ESTIMATES
• Estimates are based upon condition and current market value.
• All estimates and catalogue prices are in £ GBP and all catalogue prices are S.G. unless otherwise stated.
• We will state where another catalogue is used and if a foreign currency, we will show the value in Pounds Sterling equivalent.
• All non BABS lots: bids below 80% estimate will be respectfully declined.
BUYER’S PREMIUM - there isn’t one! The only additional charges we apply are shipping for invoices less than £50 GBP, and overseas shipping of HEAVY lots. If you are a new client, you may qualify for our Introductory Offer (£55 GBP discount if you spend/win £75 GBP or more)
NB - Offer valid for NEW Collector clients aged 18+. Offer subject to status and restricted to one per household.

VIEWING / SCAN REQUESTS
• Lots cannot be viewed in person, but we are happy to provide scans, photocopies and verbal condition reports of lots as required.
• There is no charge for this service but please note that we cannot scan/photocopy hundreds of items.
• We cannot guarantee to provide scans/ photocopies for requests made within 2 working days of the closing date.
• We are unable to provide scans of Unsold Lots immediately post-auction..
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
We 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; failure to do so can result in either postal services refusing to accept incorrectly declared packages, or a fine and/or prosecution.


LATE SALES
• Unsold Lots are available to purchase at 80% of estimate from the Friday evening following the closing date. Go to: www.upalatesales.co.uk
• A list of Unsold Lots will also be published on our auction website
• Unsold Lot orders can be made by phone from the Monday morning following the auction closing date

SHIPPING COSTS

SHIPPING
    • 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.
    • Late/heavy lots can take longer to ship; please allow extra time.

GUARANTEE & RETURNS POLICY
• All lots are guaranteed such that any lot may be returned for a full refund. No Quibble. 1st class mail (or standard air mail) is ok for most things but we recommend that you get a proof of posting from the post office in case the item were to go missing. If you are returning goods in excess of £250 we request that you return them by Special Delivery (or Registered Airmail). Goods in excess of £250 returned by 1st class mail (or standard air mail) will be deemed to have been returned at your own risk.
• Lots must be returned in the condition they were received (in their entirety in their original stockcards or packaging) within 30 days of purchase. Returned lots may not be accepted by UPA if they have been tampered with, e.g. immersed in water, marked by an expert or expert committee, or treated by any other process, unless UPA’s express permission has first been obtained in writing.
• We request that you state the reason for returning any item. This does not affect our guarantee, but it does help us in processing the returned items.
• We are happy to either refund you for anything returned to us, or if you prefer we can hold the amount as a credit-note which you can use towards your next auction invoice. Please specify.
• Please allow up to 30 days for your return to be processed

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Please remember that UPA is an auction, not an Approvals Service.
• All bids are confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties.
• The auctioneer reserves the right to refuse bids from clients regularly treating UPA as an Approvals Service.
• The auctioneer’s decision is final.
• Placing a bid is acceptance of these terms. This does not affect your NO QUIBBLE full refund guarantee

EXTENSIONS FOR CERTIFICATES POLICY
• Please note : items described as "as is" are not eligible for certificate/extension requests.
• Requests for extension time to obtain a certificate must be made in writing not less than 48 hours before the auction closing time.
• The name of the proposed expert or expert committee must be provided for our approval.
• The reason for requesting an extension must be stated.
• Requests for extensions are on the basis of authenticity, not condition unless specifically approved by UPA.
• Extensions are for single items/sets only value in excess of £100.
• Requests for extensions for items already bearing a certificate will not be accepted unless specifically approved by UPA.
• UPA will submit the item(s) for expertisation unless specifically agreed otherwise.
• Items will not be submitted until payment has been received, unless specifically approved by UPA.
• The purchaser pays for the certificate. If the item is not authenticated, UPA will pay for the certificate.
• Any item described as having faults may not be returned if other faults are mentioned on the certificate of authenticity.
NB - Your statutory rights and UPA 30 day total guarantee are not affected

DATA PROTECTION POLICY
In line with GDPR, we would like to reassure all our clients of how we use your personal data:
• UPA keeps essential information for auction purposes and for contact, which may include email addresses, postal addresses and telephone numbers.
• UPA keeps essential financial information for HMRC purposes.
• UPA keeps auction expenditure information for a period of time once a client has ceased bidding or has passed away. Often this information assists requests for probate.
• We NEVER share or sell your data to third parties for commercial gain.
• You are always in control of what data UPA holds. If you would like to view this information, you may request it from UPA head office.
• PRIVACY POLICY – Details can be found on our website – www.upastampauctions.co.uk

PAYMENT
• If your invoice says FOR INFORMATION ONLY, we have already received payment instructions from you, your goods will be shipped shortly
• Lots are shipped after payment in full.
• PAYMENT IS DUE WITHIN 14 DAYS OF INVOICES BEING ISSUED.

We accept payment by the following methods:
(no surcharges apply)
• Visa / Mastercard (we do not accept American Express or Diners Club)
• We do not accept card payments for goods that are not shipped under our own transit insurance
• We reserve the right to delay shipping goods for card payments with a high fraud screening score. In such circumstances we reserve the right to request payment by alternative means.
• Cheques (payable to UPA) drawn on a UK Sterling account (please allow 7 days to clear)
• Cheques (payable to UPA) drawn on a $ USD account from mainland banks only (please allow 28 days for cheques to clear)
NB - the minimum value foreign currency cheque we can now accept is $50 USD, we are happy to hold any surplus amount as a credit note for future purchases
Bank transfer (net of bank charges) to account:
Bank: Santander UK plc
         Account Name: N W P J Ltd T/A Omniphil
                                           Andrew S McGavin
         BIC: ABBYGB2LXXX
         IBAN: GB84 ABBY 0901 5004 8968 15
         Sort Code: 090150
         Account Number: 04896815
• PayPal - submit payment in GBP British Pounds to bids@upastampauctions.co.uk
PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR INVOICE NUMBER WHEN MAKING PAYMENT (TOP RIGHT OF YOUR INVOICE). (Failure to do so may delay despatch of your goods)

INSTALMENTS:
• Payment over two, three or four monthly instalments is available to clients with invoices in excess of £60.
 • There is no extra charge for this service but lots are only despatched upon completion of payment or subject to status (i.e. long established UPA client).
• Please make this request when placing your bids

Universal Philatelic Auctions

---