Apply for this licence
If you want to sell goods by auction, check with your local council if you need to register your stall or premises.
An auction means any sale made by competitive bidding.
Many councils don鈥檛 need you to register your premises or stall for an auction. However, you must register if you鈥檙e in a London borough and auctioning any of the following:
- plate or plated articles
- linen
- china
- glass
- books or prints
- furniture, personal or household articles
- ornaments
- jewellery
- musical instruments
- scientific apparatus
If you鈥檙e selling by auction outside London, check with your local council what (if any) items you鈥檒l need a licence to sell.
Conditions
Your registration might include conditions that relate to public safety, fire prevention, hours of trading, lighting and other issues.
Exemptions
You probably won鈥檛 need to register if you鈥檙e selling items:
- that haven鈥檛 been brought onto the premises (so long as you haven鈥檛 sold items by auction within the past 6 months)
- for charity
Check with your local council to make sure these exemptions apply to you.
How to apply
You can usually apply to your local council in person, by post or through their website. You鈥檒l need to pay a fee, which varies from council to council.
Penalties and fines
If you sell or allow the sale of items by auction without holding a valid registration, or don鈥檛 follow its conditions, you could be fined up to 拢5,000.