For the trade

Consign with us

HCS Auctions is the outlet for house clearance stock in East Lancashire. You clear the property; we catalogue, sell and settle. Whole house contents and bulk consignments only.

Who we work with

We are a trade saleroom. Our consignors are the people who empty properties for a living.

House clearance companies

You clear the property, we turn the contents into money. A standing outlet for everything saleable that comes out of your vans, week in, week out.

Probate & estate firms

Whole estate contents catalogued and sold with a clear paper trail, and a written statement of every lot for the file.

Landlords & letting agents

End-of-tenancy and repossession contents moved on quickly so the property can go back on the market.

Traders & retailers

Surplus, returns, end-of-line and shop clearance stock, sold in box lots and pallets to a trade-heavy buying audience.

A room of house contents ready to be lotted for sale
Why consign here

We do not clear houses. We sell what you clear.

Most salerooms that take clearance stock also run clearance vans, which makes them your competitor as well as your outlet. We do not. HCS Auctions exists purely to move volume through an online sale, so the firms who supply us are never bidding against us for the next job.

  • Weekly online sales — stock does not sit for months
  • Every lot opens at £1, so nothing comes back unsold
  • A national online bidding audience, not just local trade
  • One point of contact, and a statement for every sale
  • Good pieces routed to a specialist sale, not buried
No negotiation, no surprises

One rate card, the same for everyone

Charge What it covers Rate
Seller’s commission Charged on the hammer price of each lot sold. 30% + VAT
Consignment charge Per lot created, covering lotting, photography and cataloguing. £1 per lot + VAT
Starting price Every lot opens at £1 with no reserve. £1, no reserve
Collection from you We do not collect — consignors deliver to the saleroom. Not offered

Worked example: a lot selling at £20 returns £20 less 30% commission (£6) and the £1 consignment charge, plus VAT on those charges — £13 before VAT. Nothing else is deducted.

How consignment works

Four steps from a phone call to a settlement statement.

01

Tell us what is coming

A rough idea of the volume is enough — how many properties, roughly how many boxes, and the sort of goods you tend to pull out.

02

We agree terms and a slot

Rates are the same for everyone and confirmed in writing before anything arrives, along with the sale your stock will go into.

03

You deliver to the saleroom

Bring the stock to us during opening hours. We are set up for van deliveries and we will give you a hand unloading.

04

We catalogue, sell and settle

Everything is lotted, photographed and put through the online sale. Once buyers have paid, you get a full statement and the money.

Ceramics of the kind that sell well in a general online sale
What sells

Smalls, collectables and box lots do the heavy lifting

An online audience buys what it can pay for and carry away. Collectables, jewellery, tools, tech and boxed smalls turn over fastest and return the most to consignors. Bring the whole contents by all means — but the money is in the boxes.

  • Whole house and estate contents
  • Antiques, collectables and curios
  • Jewellery, watches, silver, coins and medals
  • China, glass, ceramics and pictures
  • Electricals, audio, computing and cameras
  • Tools, workshop and garden equipment
  • Box lots, job lots and trade pallets
  • Shop, warehouse and end-of-line stock
Open an account

Tell us what you are clearing

A rough breakdown is plenty to start — how many properties a week, roughly what volume, and the sort of goods you tend to pull out. We will come back with a delivery slot.

We use your details only to answer your enquiry. See our privacy policy.

Consignor questions

Do you take single items from the public?

No. We are set up for volume — whole house contents and bulk trade consignments — not one-off items. A single piece needs a specialist or general antiques auction that can catalogue it properly, and you will do better taking it to one.

What is the minimum consignment?

As a rule of thumb, the contents of a property or a comparable van load. If you clear regularly and want a standing arrangement, ring us and we will get you set up.

Do you collect?

No — consignors deliver to the saleroom. We do not run clearance or collection services, and that is deliberate: it means we are never competing for the same jobs as the firms who supply us. You clear, we sell.

Why does everything start at £1?

Because it works. A £1 start with no reserve gets every lot bid on, and competition — not a reserve — is what finds the true price. It also means nothing comes back to you unsold and nothing sits in the saleroom taking up space.

Can I put a reserve on?

No. Every lot in every sale opens at £1 and sells to the highest bidder. If you have a piece that genuinely needs protecting with a reserve, it belongs in a specialist sale and we will say so.

How quickly does stock sell?

Stock delivered during the week is normally catalogued for the next available sale. Larger consignments may be spread across a few sales so your own lots are not competing against each other.

When am I paid?

Once buyers have paid and collected, typically within a couple of weeks of the sale closing. You receive a statement listing every lot, what it made and what has been deducted.

What if something good turns up?

We will tell you. If a piece is worth materially more in a specialist catalogue than it would make opening at £1 here, we say so and you decide what to do with it. We would rather earn the next consignment than quietly run a good item through the wrong sale.