Value Credit

How the credit works

Before the clearance the contents are inspected. Anything with a realistic resale value is appraised and taken out of the clearance. The achievable proceeds — not the original purchase price and not the sentimental value — are deducted from the clearance costs.

Reputable providers disclose which resale channel they are counting on and what margin they keep. A provider who says “we credit everything” without naming individual items usually promises more than they deliver.

What genuinely has value

Readily sellable: solid wood furniture and design classics, mechanical watches, jewellery and precious metals, coins and stamps, genuine rugs, musical instruments, machine tools and good-quality hand tools, art, antiques, militaria, high-end cameras and hi-fi equipment, model railways.

Practically worthless: upholstered suites, chipboard wall units, valve-era appliances, encyclopaedias and book-club editions, everyday crockery, used mattresses, household appliances over ten years old, mass-market clothing, collector's cups and mass-produced decorative porcelain.

The most common misconception

Many clients substantially overestimate the value of inherited furniture. The market for dark solid wood furniture from the 1960s to 1980s has essentially collapsed; even well-preserved wall units and dining suites are almost unsellable. Conversely, real value is often overlooked — tools, technical equipment, books from specialist libraries, or seemingly unremarkable jewellery. If you are handling an estate from abroad, this is the point where a photo-based remote assessment saves the most money.