Online bidding might be a whole new experience for you, so we’ve put this handy guide together to help you get the most from AJ Live. You’ll find it well worth reading even if you’re an internet bidding expert...

How to Register

New Customers - If you’re new to our website, simply click ‘Create Account’ at the top of our arthurjohnson.co.uk homepage and enter your details. Don’t forget to enter a phone and a mobile number in the boxes so we can get in touch if we need to.

Already have an online account? -  If you’ve not used our website to place absentee bids in a while, and you’re yet to sign up AJ Live, you’ll need to reset your password as your old one will no longer be valid for our new system. It only takes a minute - just click the ‘Log In’ on our homepage and then ‘Forgotten Password’ (this also works as a ‘reset password’ function). You’ll then be emailed a link which takes you through the process.

Tip - Make sure you’re using the same email address as you did the last time you logged into our website, or we won’t be able to find your account. If you’ve any problems at this stage, just call us on 0115 986 9128

Different ways to bid

Bid live via AJ Live - This is essentially like being in the saleroom - only you’re ‘virtually’ here  as the auction is actually streamed live via our website. To get connected, simply open the catalogue page on sale day, then click the ‘register to bid’ button, at which point your personal bidding screen will open in a new window.

The bidding screen shows the lots as they are offered, along with a ‘bid now’ button, the current asking price or bid amount, and a live feed showing the auctioneer. You’ll be bidding in real time as the auction happens, and it’s an exciting and enjoyable way to join us every Saturday.

Leave an absentee bid

If bidding live online isn’t convenient, you can still leave an absentee bid. You can do this through our website by clicking the ‘Leave Absentee Bid’ tab on the individual lot catalogue page. 

We will use our best endeavours to buy the lots for you as cheaply as possible allowing for other bidders and any reserve prices. 

Place an Autobid

This is very similar to placing an absentee bid, the difference being that our system will automatically bid on your behalf up to the amount you specify here during the live sale. Your bids will appear as live internet bids to the auctioneer, and the auctioneer will not be aware of your maximum bid at any time.

Auction Alerts 

‘Auction alerts’ is a terrific feature that helps ensure you find upcoming lots that match your interests.

Simply log in to your account on our website and you’ll see an ‘Auction Alerts’ tab on the drop-down menu beneath the ‘My Account’ tab on the website homepage.

Next, enter a keyword that usually appears in the descriptions of items that appeal. Pick these keywords just as you would if you were doing an internet search. For example: if you were looking for Rolex watches, enter the keyword ‘Rolex’. You can enter as many different terms as you wish. You’ll then receive an email on the Friday before the sale advising you of items featuring in our auction that match your terms.

Live Bidding Tips

Don’t be delayed! We like to give you a complete ‘virtual’ auction room experience, so you will see and hear the auctioneer on your screen. Broadcasting over the internet does create a very slight delay though, and even a second can make the difference between winning and losing a lot. The key is to concentrate on the amount showing in next to the ‘bid’ button and bid accordingly. This data is always instantaneous and does not experience any delay. So to sum up - what you see in the bidding window is where the auction is.

Options. Often, several identical lots may be offered as ‘options’ in our webcast auctions. When this happens, the buyer of the first lot will be given the option of purchasing the ensuing lots. This could mean that if you have placed an absentee bid on any of the lots apart from the first lot, you may miss out

To avoid this, please call us before the sale starts and place your absentee bid verbally, this will enable us to bid on the particular lot you’re interested in.

Take care of your Bid Button - We love live bidders in our streaming auctions, but we recommend that you close the live bidding window down if you’re going to be away from your pc, or before you put your phone back in your pocket. This makes sure that you won’t be buying anything as a result of children, pets and fumbling fingers!