About Lefays

Our Service Pledge

OUR GUARANTEES are intended to give you as much or even greater confidence when you place an order than you would have were you to do so in person. If you place a purchase order with us, we will provide the following guarantees:

SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: Should you change your mind after the item has been shipped, you may return it for a full refund of the price you paid, excluding the cost of shipping. We must receive it in the same condition as it was in when we sent it to you and you must notify us and return it within 14 days. We regret that this guarantee does not apply to purchases made with our layaway schemes.

AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEE: In the highly unlikely event that an expert appraisal raises doubts as to the authenticity of an item we have sold, we will help arrange for its return and refund the purchase price including all shipping and insurance costs, there and back. Evidence of such an opinion from a recognised authority on the artist or item must be provided to us within 2 calendar years from the date of purchase and we must receive the item back in the same condition it was in when we sent it to you.

DESCRIPTION / CONDITION GUARANTEE: We take great care to ensure that what we sell is exactly what we say it is. In the highly unlikely event that we have substantively misdescribed the item or overlooked a problem with its condition about which we should have known and have disclosed prior to purchase, we will then help you arrange its return and will refund the purchase price including all outward and return shipping costs. You must notify of the problem and return the item within 14 days and we must receive the item back in the same condition it was in when we sent it to you.

SHIPPING GUARANTEE: We always pack extremely carefully, use only insured, reputable carriers and are experts at shipping very fragile items worldwide. We use a mix of clean recycled and new high quality packaging. In the highly unlikely event that an item does arrive damaged, please contact us within 3 days of receiving it. We will then help you arrange its return and will refund the purchase price including all outward and return shipping costs. You must notify us of the problem and return the item within 14 days.

About Us

Lefays Fine Arts is the culmination of long periods of drudgery, soul-searching and learning things the hard way to finally arrive at the goal of doing something one really enjoys.

Here’s how we do what we do.:

To interest us, a work of art or antique must be of sufficient quality, interest, and attractiveness that we would be pleased to display it in our own home.

We hunt "sleepers". If we are buying at auction, the work must have been listed with an estimate (and therefore reserve) that is considerably less than its value. We then put in a commission bid low enough such that if we are successful we can still make a profit while still selling it for far less than it would be priced in a "bricks and mortar" gallery. Often we place bids on 30 to 50 lots at a time. Sometimes, we are successful with none, sometimes with several. Those we buy we scrupulously research, examine for any defects and, where necessary, sub-contract to museum-standard conservators. We then list them at below market prices.

We hope that didn’t sound too easy - it’s not! It has taken many years of learning and experience to become able to do it well.

We love the art and antiques we sell, enjoy selling them at well below bricks and mortar dealer prices and developing longstanding relationships with the people who buy them from us.

Our comprehensive buyer protection guarantees, reputation for friendly and efficient service, accurate and complete descriptions, secure packing, prompt dispatch, and step by step communication are our greatest pride, which we zealously maintain.

A few representative examples of the feedback we have received:

"I couldn't be more pleased. You did an amazing packing job. Many thanks. I just love it." Leslie (United States, August 2024)

"We received the painting today! It arrived safely, extremely well packaged, and looks even more beautiful than imagined. Thank you!" Dennis (Canada)

"it is beautiful and in perfect condition. Thank you so much for the care you have
taken." Karen (United States)

"Delivered this morning; hung this afternoon. Simply magnificent." - Joseph (UK)

"Many thanks for the efficiency and courtesy with which you handled the sale. I genuinely appreciate it." Neville (UK)

"Received our painting yesterday, just divine. Thank you for the brilliant packaging, many other sellers could benefit from your style." Georgie (Australia)

"The painting arrived safe and sound. It is very lovely! Thank you so much for your excellent service." Melinda (United States)

"Painting arrived safely & sound! It looks terrific on wall" Jeffrey (United States)

Packaging was superb. Thank you for your effort in making them safe for transit." Mark (United States)

" It was packaged wonderfully...I’m beyond pleased with it and it’s already hanging up and looking completely at home. " Camilla (UK)