This Agreement is made between Bishop & Miller Auctioneers Ltd (National Auction Service / NAS) and you, the Customer. You must accept the terms and conditions of this Agreement before using the Services, and your continued use of the Services and Website is conditional on your acceptance of and compliance with these terms.

1. These Terms

1.1 We may vary this Agreement from time to time (in accordance with clause 14.7). You agree to check the terms of this Agreement each time that you use the Services in order to ensure that you are familiar with the version then in force. We recommend that you retain a copy of this Agreement for your records.

1.2 This Agreement governs our relationship with Customers who are consumers acting as private individuals and not charity shops, businesses, or other similar commercial or non-commercial organisations.

1.3 By using our Services, you confirm that:

1.3.1 you are legally capable of entering into binding contracts;

1.3.2 you are the legal owner (or have the permission of the legal owner to freely dispose of) all Items that you send to us;

1.3.3 you are at least 18 years of age or, if you are under 18 years of age, have obtained a parent’s or guardian’s consent to send Items to us;

1.3.4 you are based in the United Kingdom; and

1.3.5 you are accessing the Website from the United Kingdom.

1.4 Your attention is drawn in particular to:

1.4.1 Clause 7 – Registered Stolen, Lost or Counterfeit Items and Prevention of Crime;

1.4.2 Clause 8 – Money Laundering Checks

1.4.3 Clause 3– Items that we do not accept;

1.4.4 Clause 12 – Liability; and

1.4.5 Clause 4.1.2.7 – our standard insurance level is £300 per Box whilst they are within our control (i.e. from when they arrive to when they are reposted), if you require additional insurance please contact us in accordance with clause 4.1.2.7.

1.5 You may only create one account per person. You agree that we shall be entitled to delete or terminate any account immediately and without notice if we consider that it is being operated by any user that is operating more than one account. In such circumstances we reserve the right to withdraw all outstanding offers to purchase Items received from that Customer (via any account which we consider was used by that Customer) and reject your goods in line with clause 6.3.

1.6 The terms of our Privacy Policy can be found at https://bishopandmillerauctions.co.uk/privacy/ and are incorporated into this Agreement by reference and apply to your use of the Website. You can review our Privacy Policy at any time when using our Website. You acknowledge that we will process your Personal Data on the basis set out in our Privacy Policy.

1.7 Please note that when you call us, or when we call you, your call may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes. We will record such calls and retain any recordings in line with our Privacy Policy.

2. Items that we accept.

2.1 We will Appraise Items which fall into the Acceptable Categories, as set out in in Schedule 2.

2.2 We may, at our sole discretion, Appraise any Items that we receive that do not fall into one of the Acceptable Categories listed in Schedule 2. Where we receive such Items we reserve the right to include them in the Box that we Appraise, or to consider them as separate to the Box and either (a) return them to you or (b) if applicable, treat them in accordance with clause 3.

3. Items that we do not accept.

3.1 We will not Appraise Items which fall into the Restricted Categories, as set out in Schedule 3.

3.2 Any Item sent that fits into the Restricted Category list as set out in in Schedule 3 is not insured and will invalidate the insurance of the entire Box even if the other Items are from an Acceptable Category. We cannot be held liable for any missing or damaged Item that falls under a Restricted Category or is sent to us in a Box which also contains any Item which falls under a Restricted Category.

4. Sending your Items to us.

4.1 There is one way to send your items to us:

4.1.1 Via an InPost locker

4.1.1.1 To use an InPost locker to send us your Items, you must prepare your parcel and generate a QR code using our In Post landing page

4.1.1.2 You find your nearest InPost locker using their app or website – no label needed

4.1.1.3 Take your parcel to the locker, scan and close the locker.  The courier will add the label when collecting

4.1.1.4 You will receive email notification to confirm your parcel’s status

4.1.2.5 You agree to the restrictions on the type, size, or weight of Items that you may send. The weight must not exceed 15kg. The size of the Box must not exceed the absolute maximum size of 41cm x 38cm x 64cm

4.1.2.6 Please ensure that you package all Items that you send to us carefully, as we will only Appraise Items on an ‘as is’ basis

4.1.2.7 Please note that each Box is automatically insured for up to £300 while it is within our control (i.e. from when they arrive with us). If you believe that your Items are worth more, then please contact our Customer Support team – enquiries@m-auctions.co.uk

4.1.2.8 If your Box is lost in transit, please contact InPost in the first instance https://inpost.co.uk/contact

5. Appraisals and Offers

5.1 After confirming receipt of your Box, we will:

5.1.1 note any obvious signs of damage to the external Box, as noted in clause 4.1.2.6 we will not be liable for any damage during or prior to postage;

5.1.2 when we open the Box, check for any sign of damage to the contents; and

5.1.3 appraise your Items within five working days and contact you with the outcome.

5.2 If, subsequent to our Appraisal, we choose to offer your item at online auction, your Offer will be valid for 28 days. If we have been unable to reach you by telephone, or if you have not responded to our Email within seven days, we may send you a letter to request that you call us regarding your Offer.

5.3 You will be deemed to have accepted the Offer if, at any time during a 60 day period, you notify us that you accept the Offer over a telephone call or by responding to our email.

5.4 If you do not respond within 60 days of us making an Offer, you will be deemed to have rejected the Offer and your Items will be returned to you in accordance with Clause 6.

5.5 If you accept an Offer by virtue of clause 5.3, you are creating a binding legal contract between you and us in respect of the Items set out in the Offer. Unless specified otherwise, the Offer is for all of the items we receive.

5.6 Title in the items shall not pass to us until a Contract for the purchase of those items has been concluded as set out in clause 5.3, or the Items deemed abandoned by virtue of clause 5.4.

5.7 The Items will be at our risk from the moment that we accept delivery from the postage provider but, for the avoidance of doubt, we will not be liable for or have any responsibility for any damage that occurs during postage or any contents that arrive broken or damaged. Any obvious signs of damage to the Box shall be deemed evidence that a Box has been damaged during postage.

5.8 If you are not happy with an auction estimate for your items, then you may decline by either telephone or email. If you do this, then your Items will be deemed to be rejected, as set out in clause 6.

5.9 Payment for your Items will be made by us to you once the items sell at online auction, 20 working days from sale date.  You will be notified of this via email

5.10 You have a right withdraw your item/s from auction but due to the nature of our business and how quickly we aim to begin the sale of goods process, you would need to contact us within 5 days once you have confirmed acceptance of your Offer. Therefore confirming acceptance of your Offer is final and will cause your cancellation rights to lapse.

6. Rejection of Goods

6.1 We reserve the right to reject any Item or all of the Items in a Box for any reason and shall not be obliged to provide any reason or justification for Rejection to you or any other user of the website.

6.2 If, after receiving your items, we do not wish to Appraise them or, on concluding an Appraisal decide for any reason we do not wish to purchase them, we will notify you by e-mail that your Items have been Rejected.

6.3 Where we reject items that you have sent, then you will be notified by e-mail, and the items will be posted back free of charge to the address you registered with us on your account.

6.4 If a Box is rejected by us, the items will be sent back to you within 5-10 Business Days.

6.5 In the event that your items are subsequently returned to us after a delivery is attempted, we will make one attempt to redeliver the items to you and, will also attempt to contact you. Following the second delivery attempt the items will be held at our facility for a period of 60 days, after which time the Items will be deemed abandoned, and we will seek to dispose of them at our discretion.

6.6 In the event that your Box arrives with us without any of your details and we do not receive contact from you to verify ownership, we will hold the Items for no less than 60 days. After 60 days, the items will be deemed abandoned, and we will seek to dispose of them at our discretion.

7. Registered Stolen, Lost or Counterfeit Items and Prevention of Crime

7.1 You acknowledge and understand that if we reasonably believe upon inspection of any Item that you have sent that it has been registered or reported lost or stolen, or we believe any Item you have sent to us could be counterfeit we will notify you by email and keep this Item separate and in quarantine whilst we contact the relevant authorities, if this Item does prove to be stolen and/or counterfeit it shall be treated as a Restricted Item and dealt with in accordance with clause 9.

7.2 If you have received payment from us for an Item in respect of which we subsequently become aware of an issue relating to ownership, you agree to immediately reimburse us in full, within three Business Days following a written request by us, for any such payment pending an investigation by us or any law enforcement body into ownership of the Item.

7.3 We shall be entitled to set-off any sums properly due and owing to us under any contract made between you and us incorporating these terms and conditions against any sums owed by us to you under the same or any other contract between us. We will inform you in writing of any set-off carried out by us pursuant to this provision.

7.4 If we at any time become aware of any issues relating to the ownership of the Item, you agree to co-operate with us fully with a view to resolving the issues. You may also be contacted by the Police and/or other law enforcement authorities.

7.5 We may disclose seller details to the Police or other authorised bodies (such as, but not limited to, network operators and insurance companies) for the purpose of investigating or preventing a crime. By entering into this contract you agree to us supplying data to the police or other authorised bodies for the purpose of the prevention and detection of crime, arrest and prosecution of offenders or for the recovery of stolen property.

8. Money Laundering Checks

8.1 We are subject to the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. This means that we may need to obtain and hold your identification and proof of address.

8.2 We have stringent internal controls and monitoring systems in place to satisfy ourselves that our clients are not involved with criminal or fraudulent activity. We may require you to complete our “Know Your Customer” procedure (KYC). KYC is based on anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations that require you to verify your identity and suitability for the use of our service. We will conduct initial checks automatically and may require you to complete additional KYC,

8.3 Additional KYC involves establishing the following:

8.3.1 your identity;

8.3.2 your proof of address; and

8.3.3 the source of the items if they are high value.

8.4 We may obtain this information by requesting that you provide certain documents. Once we are in receipt of all necessary documents they will be analysed in more detail using fraud detection software (if required).

8.5 Below is a list of acceptable identity documents. Subject to your individual circumstances, we may liaise with you for further/other documentation.

LIST A – IDENTITY DOCUMENT

8.5.1 Current signed passport;

8.5.2 Valid UK driving licence; or

8.5.3 EEA member state identity card.

LIST B – PROOF OF ADDRESS

8.5.4 UK/EU/EEA Drivers Licence (if UK Drivers Licence not used as ID) – Must be valid, not expired. Photo only. Full or provisional.

8.5.5 Bank, Building Society or Credit Union Statement – Dated with 3 months. Must include account number and show recent activity. No general correspondence.

8.5.6 Credit Card Statement – Dated within 3 months. Must include account number and show recent activity. No general correspondence.

8.5.7 UK, EU, EEA Mortgage statement – Dated within 12 months. Must show account number. No general correspondence.

8.5.8 Utility Bill – Dated within 6 months E.g. Gas, electricity, water. Must show address for service and/or account number. No general correspondence.

8.5.9 Telephone Bill – Dated within 6 months E.g. Landline or mobile pay monthly (excluding pay as you go). Must show address for service and/or account number. No general correspondence.

8.5.10 Tenancy Agreement – Dated with 12 months. Must state full name and full property address. Issued by local council, housing association, solicitor or reputable letting agent.

8.5.11 Home or Motor Insurance Certificate – Dated within 12 months. Must state insured address or registered address for vehicle and policy number. No general correspondence.

8.5.12 Council Tax – Dated within 12 months. Must show address for service and/or account number. No general correspondence.

8.5.13 Benefits Entitlement Letter – Dated within 12 months. Issued by DWP or Jobcentre plus. Must confirm benefit payable at time of issue. E.g. Pension, disability, single parent, housing etc.

8.5.14 HMRC Tax Notification – Dated with 6 months. Must state national insurance number and tax calculation. No general correspondence.

8.5.15 UK solicitors letter confirming house purchase/land registration – Dated with three months. Must state full name of new proprietor and full property address.

8.5.16 NHS Medical Card or letter from GP confirming registration – Dated within three months. Must state individual’s date of birth and NHS number. No general correspondence.

8.5.17 Official confirmation of Electoral Register entry or official poll card – Dated within 12 months. Must state full name and full address. No general correspondence.

8.5.18 Police Registration Certificate – Dated within 12 months. Must state the full residential address of the individual.

8.6 If we have any doubts at all about your identity, we will not continue to deal with you until we are completely satisfied of your identity and, if we have reason to, we will report you to the appropriate regulatory authorities.

8.7 We will apply further due diligence measures on you when:

8.7.1 A transaction takes places or is due to take place over £5,000;

8.7.2 There is a suspicion or high risk of money laundering;

8.7.3 There are doubts or suspicions about your identification;

8.7.4 If your circumstances change; or

8.7.5 If you are a politically exposed person.

9. Restrictions

9.1 You must not send us any item which would be illegal for you to post or sell, for our chosen carrier to handle, or which, in our reasonable opinion, would be unlawful for us to store or sell for you (including, without limitation, counterfeit or stolen items, firearms and other offensive weapons, or hazardous chemicals). A list of restricted Items can be found on our postage partner’s website at: https://inpost.co.uk/prohibited-items

9.2 By breaching clause 9.1, you may be committing an offence. We have a number of legal obligations to comply with in respect of the carriage of Items, including but not limited to an obligation not to carry or accept for carriage Items that are deemed to be “Dangerous Goods” or “Dangerous Substances” as defined in the Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances Regulations 1984, the Classification and Labelling of Explosives Regulations 1983, the Radioactive Material (Road Transport) (Great Britain) Regulations 1996 and the Carriage of Explosives by Road Regulations 1996. If we suspect you are in breach of clause 9.1, we will report you to the relevant authorities without notice.

9.3 You accept that, in the event that you breach clause 9.1 that we shall be entitled to deal with any such Items received as we see fit without offering the item/s at auction (including reporting and delivering the relevant Items to the police without providing any notice to you) and shall be entitled to report such activity in full to the relevant authorities. We have a zero-tolerance policy on stolen goods and will report all Items that we suspect are stolen to the police.

9.4 You agree to pay us for any loss or damage as a result of your breach of clause 9.1, including but not limited to any cost that we may incur as a result of being caused to breach any of its statutory obligations as a result of receiving or transporting an unlawful Item from you.

9.5 You agree that we, and our agents, shall have no liability to you for any loss or damage that you may suffer, nor for any criminal prosecution to which you may become subject, arising from your breach of clause 9.1.

9.6 You must not send items to us for any reason other than for the purpose of an Appraisal and subsequent sale at online auction. We do not provide storage or any other service in relation to items and reserve the right to charge for any cost incurred in relation to your breach of this clause.

10. Payments to Customers

10.1 Payments to Customers who enter into Contracts will be made by bank transfer.

10.2 When you enter into a Contract with us, we will make payment to you:

10.2.1 By making a bank transfer, using the details supplied by you via email or telephone, within 20 working days of your Item/s selling at auction

10.2.2 We do not make any third party payments .

10.3 Bank transfers may take up to two days to clear after authorisation, and you should be aware that many banks do not process transactions on weekends and bank holidays. If a bank transfer takes longer than this to reach your account, please contact us.

10.4 We shall have no liability for any inaccuracy in the payment details that you provide to us. Accordingly, we shall have no liability for any loss that you may suffer as a result of any payment being sent or transmitted to an incorrect address or account or delayed in any way as a result of any error made by you.

10.5 All quoted payment timescales are subject to variances, especially during busy periods and the holiday season, and we will not be liable for any losses that you may suffer if, for any reason, we fail to make a payment outside of the timescales referred to herein.

11. Use of our Website

11.1 We do not guarantee that our website, or any content on it, will always be available or be uninterrupted. We may suspend or withdraw or restrict the availability of all or any part of our website for business and operational reasons. We will try to give you reasonable notice of any suspension or withdrawal.

11.2 Our NAS service is directed to people residing in the UK. We do not represent that content available on or through our website is appropriate for use or available in other locations.

11.3 If you choose or are provided with a user identification code, password or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential. You must not disclose it to any third party. We have the right to disable any user identification code or password, whether chosen by you or allocated by us, at any time if, in our reasonable opinion, you have failed to comply with any of the provisions of these terms of use.

11.4 We do not guarantee that our website will be secure or free from bugs or viruses. You are responsible for configuring your information technology and platform to access our website. You should use your own virus protection software.

11.5 You must not misuse our website by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to our site, the server on which our website is stored, or any server, computer or database connected to our website. You must not attack our Website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack. By breaching this provision, you would commit a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. We will report any such breach to the relevant law enforcement authorities, and we will cooperate with those authorities by disclosing your identity to them. In the event of such a breach, your right to use our Website will cease immediately.

12. Liability

12.1 Any claims for missing or damaged Items must be submitted to us within 28 days of the Box being posted to us where you are sending items to us and within 10 days of receipt where we are sending a box back to you.

12.2 If you believe your Box has been lost, damaged or stolen, you will be required to contact InPost https://inpost.co.uk/contact our approved postage partner, as set out in clause 4.1. It is your responsibility to contact our postage partner in the first instance.

12.3 We don’t compensate you for all losses caused by us or our services.

12.4 We’re responsible for losses you suffer caused by us breaking obligations to you set out in these terms unless the loss is:

12.5 Unexpected. It was not obvious that it would happen and you did not provide us with any notification that might reasonably have led us to expect it (i.e., the loss was unforeseeable).

12.6 Caused by a delay outside of our control. As long as we have taken the steps set out in these terms and conditions, then we are not responsible for delays outside our control.

12.7 Avoidable. Something you could have avoided by taking reasonable action, including following our reasonable instructions for use of our services.

12.8 A business loss. It relates to your use of our services for the purposes of your trade, business, craft or profession.

12.9 Consequential Loss – We are not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any consequential losses.

12.10 Important: We are not responsible for Boxes while in transit. In the event that Boxes are lost in transit you will need to claim against the relevant courier.

12.11 We shall not be held liable for any claim of missing or damaged Items that contravene the restricted items list outlined in clause 3.1 or 7.1.

12.12 To the extent that we are liable to you for breach of Contract, negligence or any other liability arising under this Agreement, we shall only be responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is reasonable and expected as a result of our breach under the Contract up to the limit specified in clause 12.13.

12.13 Our total liability to you shall be limited to £300, unless we have pre-agreed a higher amount in accordance with clause 4.1.2.7.

12.14 Nothing in this Agreement shall exclude or limit our liability for:

12.14.1 death or personal injury caused by our negligence;

12.14.2 fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or

12.14.3 any other matter for which it would be illegal for us to exclude or attempt to exclude our liability.

12.15 As a consumer, you also have legal rights in relation to the provision of the Services. Nothing in this Agreement will affect these legal rights. Advice about your legal rights is available from your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau or Trading Standards office.

13. Complaints Procedure and ADR

13.1 If your Box has gone missing, or any of your items in a Box have been damaged, you may be entitled to make a claim under our insurance policy.

13.2 If you are not satisfied with the service provided, please contact us in writing, detailing the nature of your complaint and your unique customer reference number, at enquiries@bm-auctions.co.uk . We aim to respond to all correspondence within five Business Days. Any message sent to an alternate email address may not be handled within the specified timeframe.

13.3 You may wish to seek independent legal advice on your complaint from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133.

13.4 If, following our internal complaints procedure, you believe the issue has not been appropriately resolved, you may wish to submit a complaint to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider. ADR is a dispute resolution procedure where an independent body considers the facts of a dispute and seeks an out-of-court resolution.

14. General

14.1 All notices given by you to us must be addressed to enquiries@bm-auctions.co.uk . We may give notice to you at the postal address you provide to us, or at the contact e-mail address that you provide to us using the Website. Notice will be deemed received on the day on which it is left at the above address if you deliver it by hand, on the day on which it is received by us if posted, or on the day on which it is sent if by email.

14.2 You may not transfer this Agreement, nor any of your rights or obligations arising under it, without first obtaining our written consent.

14.3 We may transfer this Agreement, or any of our rights or obligations arising under it, at any time and without providing notice to you. We will tell you in writing if this happens and we’ll ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under the contract.

14.4 We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay performance of, any of our obligations under the terms of this Agreement, of the terms of a Contract, that is caused by a Force Majeure Event.

14.5 Our performance of this Agreement, or any relevant Contract, will be suspended while a Force Majeure Event occurs and/or renders the performance of our obligations impossible, and we will have an extension of time to perform our obligations under the Agreement or Contract for that period. If the Force Majeure Event continues for more than a month, we or you may terminate this Agreement or an affected Contract by giving five Business Days’ notice in writing.

14.6 Failure by either party to exercise a right granted to it by this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver and will not relieve the other party from compliance with its obligations. A waiver of a right under this Agreement will not be a waiver of any subsequent default. A waiver of a right under this Agreement shall not be effective unless it is stated to be a waiver and is communicated to the other party in writing. If any term of this Agreement or any provision of it is determined by a court or any other authority to be inapplicable, such term, condition or provision will be deleted, and the remaining terms, conditions and provisions will continue to apply.

14.7 We reserve the right to revise this Agreement from time to time to reflect changes to the way we do business, changes in market conditions affecting our business, changes in technology, changes in payment methods, changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements and changes in our system’s capabilities. You will be subject to the Agreement in force at the time that you place an order with us. Where we change or revise this Agreement, we will notify you by e-mail using the e-mail address supplied by you using the website’s functionality.

14.8 Nobody else has any rights under this contract . This contract is between you and us. Nobody else can enforce it and neither of us will need to ask anybody else to agree to end or change it.

14.9 These terms are governed by English law and wherever you live you can bring claims against us in the English courts.

Schedule 1- Definitions

In this agreement (the “Agreement”), the following words will have the following meanings:

Schedule 2

Acceptable Categories

We will Appraise Items which fall into the following categories (each an ‘Acceptable Category’ and together the ‘Acceptable Categories’):

1. Antiques;

2. Jewellery;

3. Costume jewellery;

4. Watches, clocks & timepieces;

5. Medals & militaria;

6. Coins and currency;

7. Silver and silver plate;

8. Gold and gold plate;

9. Masonic regalia;

10. Writing instruments;

11. Cameras;

12. Sunglasses;

13. Binoculars;

14. Vintage collectables;

15. Vintage electronics;

16. Vintage handbags and purses;

17. Amber;

18. Pewter; and

19. Brass.

Schedule 3

Unacceptable Categories

We will not Appraise Items which fall into the following categories (each a ‘Restricted Category’ and together the ‘Restricted Categories’):

1. Anything that can be classified as easily breakable including but not limited to crockery, China, crystal, glass, porcelain, ceramics, onyx, slate, marble and other delicate items.

2. Clothing (except for sunglasses, Masonic regalia and military memorabilia, including uniforms, caps, sashes, and gloves);

3. Furniture;

4. Printed media including books, comics and magazines;

5. Fur, faux fur, taxidermy or any other objects made from material made from endangered animals or the inhumane treatment of animals;

6. Firearms, guns, munitions or other dangerous items;

7. Biros and plastic pens;

8. Records, tapes, CDs ,DVDs, VHS

9. Stamps and First Day Covers; 

Last updated: January 2026