Everyone likes buying things.

Whether it’s clothes, furniture, sports equipment, jewellery or whatever it may be, everyone likes buying things.

At an auction there is something for everyone and if you go about it the right way, there are some real bargains on offer, which makes the whole process quite exciting.

I know the stereotypes around auctions are that they’re boring, stuffy and old-fashioned, but that is not the case here at Windsor auctions.

We pride ourselves on creating a relaxed but professional environment for those in attendance, there’s chatter in the room, a few jokes thrown in and it’s not just someone barking numbers at you.

And even if you can’t attend in person, we work with a number of online services including The Saleroom and Easy Live auction, who accommodate hundreds of our oversees buyers.

Now that you’ve been convinced that buying at auction is a great idea, I’ll give you a piece of free advice, which also happens to be the most important thing to remember.

Always do your research.

Ask as many questions and find out as much information about an item as you possibly can before bidding on it.

If you ask your auctioneer for a condition report, they have to provide it and then you’ll know whether there’s any chips, what kind of condition the item is in, is there a hairline crack, does it have any dents, is there a bit missing etc.

And if anything in the condition report is incorrect and you end up buying the item then you will get a full refund.

Even better than asking for a condition report is if you attend the auction in person, it’s worth handling the items.

Nothing will give you a better idea for the condition of an item than picking it up in the flesh, looking at it under an eyeglass, or if it’s a piece of furniture, testing it out, and just getting a really good feel for the item, otherwise you will never truly learn.

But, if you don’t do your research, don’t find out about the item and have no idea what condition it is in then to put it bluntly, that’s entirely your problem, and it will most likely end in tears.

If you’re not 100% happy with an item, don’t bid, it’s as simple as that.

The other side to that, however, is that when you do your research and go through the process properly, you can find some absolute gems at auction and you’ll be delighted you came down and you won’t be able to stop coming back.