"Think before you buy" is the message from Trading Standards Officers when it comes to bargain sales or auction events, which sometimes have offers that are too good to be true.
These sales can be described as liquidation sales, cancelled contracts or emergency auctions and are usually advertised in local newspapers or through leaflets. Shoppers are enticed by bargain prices or well known brands, but once the sale begins you could land up paying a lot more than you bargained for.
The advice from Trading Standards is:
-
Think carefully before even attending.
-
Always read the conditions of the sale. There will often be a buyer's premium plus VAT to be added to the final selling price.
-
Treat the sale with scepticism.
-
Explore how you may be able to return faulty goods for a refund. Some sales specifically exclude a consumer's right to obtain a refund on faulty goods.
-
Branded goods may be advertised at very low prices. Trading Standards believe that in most cases branded articles are not available and certainly not at the advertised price.