Home Sellers Guide Buyers Guide How to Find Us The auction represents a very efficient means of converting your used vehicle into cash. At each of our weekly sales, cars and light commercial vehicles are offered for sale to an audience of up to 400 people all potential buyers. If you are selling your car at auction for the first time, it is worth considering the following points: Useful hints - before the sale Being Prepared: Bring your car to the auction hall as early as possible on the day of the sale or, preferably, the day before. Advice: Our experienced staff and professional auctioneers will be pleased to assist in providing a valuation and advise a suitable reserve price to ensure the best chance of a sale. Include Documents: Bring all relevant documentation i.e. The Registration Documents / Vs (with appropriate sections completed and signed). M.O.T. Certificate and any Service History. Presentation: Make every effort to present your car in the best possible way. Ensure that it is cleaned and polished inside and out. Write clearly on the entry form giving all the vehicle details. Remember - a misleading description may make the owner liable to prosecution under the various Trading Standards LAWS and you will be charged commission in the event of a cancelled sale. Sold as Seen: These Vehicles must have no mechanical description on the windscreen sticker. Reserve Price: Vehicles over 12 years old must be entered without reserve and will be sold to the highest bidder. In exceptional circumstances, a vehicle may be accepted with a reserve price if a valuation has previously been agreed with the auctioneer. Once you have brought your vehicle to the auction along with your registration document and M.O.T certificate (if current), you will be asked to fill out an entry form. This document is used by the auctioneer to describe from the rostrum your vehicle details i.e. 'as seen' or 'with a warranty'. When you sell your vehicle 'as seen' it is up to the prospective buyer to determine the condition and value. With a warranty, will enable you to describe the condition of the vehicles major mechanical components and thus draw the buyers attention to such features as rust proofing and accessories etc. You must ensure that your description is accurate as the buyer has one hour after the sale to dispute the description. In the unlikely event that a misrepresentation has occurred, the sale may be cancelled and the seller will still have to pay the full commission. If you are unsure as to the condition of some components in your vehicle, an engineer's report can be obtained (fees from around £20). In which case the auction will road test your vehicle and complete the form for you. Once your vehicle has been sold, subject to all the documents being in order, you will receive a cheque in the post which normally takes four working days. Do I have to pay to watch at auction? No, it is a public auction and anybody can either watch a sale in progress or attend a non sale day at their own leisure. How do I bid? Simply catch the auctioneer's attention by waving something, then he will look back at you to bid again there after. Listen very carefully to what the auctioneer says about the car being auctioned. What will I need, to buy from auction? A cash deposit is required immediately on the fall of the hammer, and full payment is then made within 24 hours at which time you may collect your vehicle. Can you collect or deliver cars? Yes, for a nominal fee our transport department can arrange collection of your vehicle and bring it in the auction for sale. They can also deliver your new purchase, to save you from driving it without insurance and road tax. What is a provisional sale? A provisional sale is the last bid taken that is below the reserve price. The seller is then contacted to see if the bid is acceptable. A buyers fee is charged. What is, and why do I pay a buyers fee? A buyers fee is charged in order to cover the buyer from the vehicle having any outstanding H.P. Charges, or in the unlikely event that the vehicle has been an insurance total loss or has been stolen. Some vehicles are sold without documents, why? Many of the auction accounts are fleet operators with cars and commercials, so to wait for such companies to send the documents from head office, may take weeks, therefore to avoid disappointment the vehicle is sold without. You can apply for a duplicate logbook at any Post Office. Useful hints for sellers at auction - after the sale Payment: When your vehicle is sold, a remittance advice and cheque (a/c payee only) will be posted within a week of the sale. Please ensure that your full name, address and post code are printed clearly on the entry form. Charges: An entry fee is charged each time a vehicle is entered in the sale. When it is sold a % commission of the sale price (with a minimum charge as specified in the main office) is deducted from the sale proceeds, plus a service charge. Unsold vehicles: Will be subject to storage charges on a daily basis if not removed when requested. Outstanding Hire Purchase: We are able to settle finance agreements provided that the nett sale proceeds are sufficient to clear the outstanding balance. A normal charge is made for this service. Please note that it is a criminal offence to sell a vehicle without clearing outstanding finance and we check all vehicles sold with a hire purchase information register at the time of the sale. The register will disclose if any finance house has an interest, if it is recorded with the police as stolen, if it has been the subject of a total loss of insurance claim or had a change of registration number. We are members of the 'Society of Motor Auctions' and operate in accordance with their strict code of practice and customer charter.