Frequently Asked Questions

Giving you reassurance

Here you will find a comprehensive list of questions we have frequently come across from new and existing users of our service.  After browsing through this page if you still require an answer to a question you may have, please do get in touch by accessing the contact page for specific information on how to reach us.

Security and Privacy

Auction and Tender sales

Insolvency Information

General web site questions

How secure are my personal and credit card details if I subscribe online?

All personal details entered on the site are held in a secure area, where information is encrypted for maximum security. For card transactions, we use Protx. Protx are the largest independent Payment Service Provider in the UK and have received the highest level of accreditation for compliance under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI).

For more information about Protx please visit: http://www.protx.com/

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If I subscribe to ANS will my details be passed on to other companies?

No. Auction News Limited respects your privacy and will not pass on any personally identifiable information to third parties unless required by law. To help develop the site and ensure we are offering the best service to both you the customer and our advertisers, we do compile general data on site usage for analysis of trends and patterns. This has the sole purpose of helping us ensure we offer the best service possible. More information on this topic can be found in the Auction News Ltd privacy policy.

Please click here to view our privacy policy.

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What if I change my postal address, telephone, fax, or email?

 Updating your details can be done easily and in a matter of seconds. Simply log in to your account on the Auction News web site and select update details from the 'my account' homepage. Alternatively you can email, telephone, fax or write to us with your updated details.

Please click here to view our contact information.

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How do I obtain my Account information/retrieve lost Account information?

The account information needed to log in to the Auction News web site is your registered email address and password. This information was originally set when you first registered with the Auction News web site. If for any reason you no longer have this information, select 'forgotten password' from the log on screen.

If you are still experiencing difficulties and going through this process please call Auction News Ltd on 01332 551 300.

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What type of goods will I find for sale in the auctions?

Listing all the products Auction News advertises would be near impossible, here are just a selection of the more common items found within the web site and weekly publication:

  • Agricultural Implements and Machinery
  • Airport Lost and Found
  • Antique, Collectors and Miscellaneous Goods
  • Catering Equipment
  • Commercial and Private Motor Vehicles
  • Commercial, Residential, Investment Property and Land
  • Computers and Peripherals
  • Electrical Equipment and Spares
  • Fabric, Chemical, Woodworking and Plastics
  • Ferrous and Non Ferrous Metal Spares and Accessories
  • Garage Equipment
  • Heavy and Light Contractors Plant, Machinery, Equipment and Tools
  • Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Fixtures/Fittings
  • Household Furniture and Effects
  • Livestock
  • Machine Tools
  • Office, Factory and Warehouse Equipment
  • Plant and Machinery
  • Plumbing and D.I.Y. Equipment
  • Police Lost and Recovered Property
  • Printing Machinery
  • Retail Equipment and Stocks
  • Scrap Metal and Scrap Processing Machinery
  • Stock-in-Trade
  • Timber and Steel Stocks
  • Tools and Building Supplies
  • U.K. and U.S.A. Ministry of Defence Surplus Equipment, Machinery and Stocks
  • Wholesale
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How do I search for a sale?

You can search for a sale by selecting 'search sales' along the top navigation pane of the web site. Please note that the level of access to the sales area will be restricted by a number of factors including if you have registered with Auction News and the level of subscription purchased.

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How do I search for an Auctioneer?

You can search for an Auctioneer by selecting 'find auctioneers' along the top navigation pane of the web site. Please note that the level of access to the auctioneers area will be restricted by a number of factors including if you have registered with Auction News and the level of subscription purchased.

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How do I download the latest issue of Auction News?

The weekly edition of Auction News is available to subscribers of our Gold and Silver packages, whereas a monthly copy is available to all bronze subscribers. The copy is obtained by logging into the 'my account' area and selecting the download option from the list. Please note that the downloaded file will be in Adobe PDF format and you will need their free viewer to see the publication.

Please click here to visit the Adobe homepage and obtain Adobe Reader.

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Where do the items to be auctioned originate?

The sales included in Auction News are typically instructed by:

  • Insolvency Practitioners - assets from liquidations, receiverships and bankruptcies
  • HM Customs and Excise - confiscated and impounded goods
  • Police, Post Office and Transport Operators - lost, stolen and unclaimed property
  • Finance Companies and Bailiffs - repossessed commercial and domestic goods
  • Government Departments - excess and unwanted equipment, machinery and stocks
  • Trustees and Executors - from the winding up of estates etc
  • Auctioneers - specialist sales held at the auctioneer's saleroom or at a dedicated outdoor site
  • Solvent companies still trading - surplus assets due to relocation, restructuring, overstocking. Also ex-demonstration and damaged items, catalogue returns, etc.
  • Building Societies and Banks - repossessed residential and commercial properties
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How do I get details of the 'Featured Sales'?

Move your mouse pointer over one of the sale images on the right-hand side of the page. A text box will appear providing brief details of the sale. Click on the image to access the full sale details.

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How do I obtain a catalogue for a sale?

Refer to the catalogue information on the sale details page, as each auctioneer makes different arrangements. Some catalogues are downloadable from the auctioneer's web site, whilst for others there is a dedicated catalogue hotline number to ring where you are invited to leave a message. Others use a fax-back service, where you can instantly obtain a catalogue via your fax machine (beware - premium rate telephone charges may apply). Otherwise email, telephone or fax the auctioneer and request one.

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What are 'Featured Sales'?

These sales appear on the right-hand side of the Auction News web site. The sales' details are available to all and provide an insight of the type of information subscribers have complete access to. 'Featured Sales' are constantly updated, so even if you do not subscribe to ANS  it is worth coming back often to check if there is a sale that interests you.

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How do I search for an Insolvency?

You can search for an Insolvency by selecting 'insolvencies' along the top navigation pane of the web site. Please note that the level of access to the insolvency area will be restricted by a number of factors including if you have registered with Auction News and the level of subscription purchased.

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How do I search for a Practitioner?

You can search for an Practitioner by selecting 'find practitioners' along the top navigation pane of the web site. Please note that the level of access to the practitioners area will be restricted by a number of factors including if you have registered with Auction News and the level of subscription purchased.

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What is meant by an 'Insolvency Practitioner'?

An Insolvency Practitioner (or IP) is an individual who is authorised by the Secretary of State or one of seven recognised professional bodies to act in respect of a company as:

  • A liquidator
  • Provisional liquidator
  • Administrator
  • Administrative receiver
  • Aupervisor of a voluntary arrangement

In respect of an individual, he is authorised to act as:

  • Trustee of a bankrupt
  • Interim receiver of a bankrupt
  • Supervisor of a voluntary arrangement
  • Trustee under a deed of arrangement
  • As a trustee in a sequestration or under a trust deed (in Scotland)

Acting as such an office holder without being authorised is an offence under the Insolvency Act 1986.

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How can I use the insolvency information for liquidations?

By no means all-insolvent company assets end up being sold by auctioneers. For instance, in cases that involve the winding-up of smaller companies, the liquidator may feel it not practical to appoint an auctioneer or specialist agent. Instead, he or she may dispose of the assets by private negotiation.

Through years of working in the insolvency business, most practitioners have assembled lists of contacts which they use to find a likely buyer in these circumstances, and it is these lists which you need to make sure you have your name on.

Upon appointment to an insolvency, the practitioner has a mandatory legal obligation to notify certain details into public record within a stipulated period of time (14 days for a liquidation or administration, 28 days for an administrative receivership).

However, from our own experience, by the time the practitioner has fulfilled this legal obligation, the destination of any surplus assets has, in many cases, already been decided. So why is this information of any value, and what can you gain from it?

Look at it this way. If a practitioner has become active and experienced in a particular field of business, then chances are, he will be conducting similar business again in the not too distant future. If you have recently expressed an interest in the purchase of certain types of goods, and particularly if you have convinced him of your seriousness and sincerity, then you have a good chance of being contacted as and when a requirement for disposal arises.

The Insolvency Report service provides you with the data which gives you the opportunity to contact the practitioner, find out what, if any, assets are for sale and by which method they are being sold, and to register your interest as a serious asset buyer for any future insolvencies they may handle.

We provide you with the name of the company, the area of its' registered office, the date of appointment and the principal nature of the business they were involved in. Also the name, address, telephone and fax numbers for the acting practitioners and where applicable a link to their website.

When searching for insolvencies via the website, you can search for all those practitioners who have been active (i.e. have handled an insolvency) since a date which you specify - very useful if you are planning a bulk mail shot to practitioners to register your interest.

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How can I use the insolvency information for receiverships?

These are companies, which for whatever reason are unable to meet their financial commitments and have been placed in the hands of a receiver. There are different types of receivership for different situations - see Auction News Guide/Insolvency Terms for further information.

Instead of closing down the business and selling off the assets (which may indeed be the eventual outcome) the receiver may decide that the company would be worth more if sold as a going concern. The company will continue to trade under the control of the receiver until such time that a buyer is found, or it becomes clear that no one wants to buy it. For companies or individuals looking to expand by buying up competitors or branching out into new fields, this can present a golden opportunity to acquire a business with ready-made premises, trained employees and an established client base.

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How can I use the insolvency information for wind-ups?

Use this information for checking on the credit-worthiness of customers, suppliers, prospects and competitors. Be wary of supplying goods or services to any company with a winding up petition pending as many are eventually forced into liquidation or receivership. On the web you can search for companies by name, registered office location or hearing date. In the "Insolvency Report" publication, the companies are listed alphabetically by company name, making it easy to scan through for those you suspect may be in trouble.

We give you the name of the company, the area of the registered office (though this may not be where they were trading from), the date of the hearing and the court where the petition is to be heard (HCJ for High Court of Justice). From 2004 onwards, the wind-up notices also include the name and address of the petitioners' solicitor, to whom anyone wishing to attend the court hearing must give notice of their intention to do so.

A company with a winding-up petition pending is not necessarily insolvent, although it often implies that the company is in financial difficulty. Basically, the company has defaulted on a debt and a creditor (the petitioner) is asking the courts to wind them up in order to get paid.

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What is 'My Favourites'?

'My Favourites' is a feature which allows Gold and Silver subscribers to store their favourite listings as they explore the Auction News web site. Because we have over 10,000 listings annually, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the listings available to you and as such this handy feature enables you to store them in an easy to access place.

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How do I receive email notifications of Auction or Insolvency information?

Email notifications are available to Gold and Silver subscribers and can be activated by logging into the Auction News web site and selecting the email notifications option from their personal menu.

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