THIS may seem glaringly obvious to most, but remember that with whatever you buy at auction it's your responsibility to get it home.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who buy, for example, a 20-something foot refectory table and then stand scratching their head wondering how they are going to get it into the back of their Mini Metro.

I will never forget the house sale I conducted some years ago when a dear lady and her son bought a large chest of drawers.

For about an hour they struggled to get it into the back of their hatchback; no matter which way they pushed or which window, door or boot lid was opened it was all to no avail.

By then quite a number of onlookers gathered to watch the pantomime. Suddenly it was apparent the dear lady had had a brainwave, as she announced aloud "I don't know why I didn't think of it before - we'll take the drawers out!" The laughter from the surrounding crowd only added to their further frustration on realising the futility of the situation.