How buying works

Every step, before you take it.

We own the vehicles we sell and run the auctions ourselves. This is the whole process — what you can see before you bid, what a bid commits you to, and what happens between winning and driving.

The five stages

Review the vehicle

The vehicle’s documented record is available before bidding opens.

What is on record

The specifications, the service history as it was recorded, what is included with the vehicle, and the vehicle history report where one is published.

It is a factual record of what was observed, on a stated date, at a stated odometer reading — not a description written to sell.

Findings are public first

Every vehicle is inspected before its auction opens, and the findings that matter are published for everyone — not held back for people who bid.

There is no grade, score or overall condition rating anywhere on this platform. A single number cannot carry what an inspector actually found, so we publish the findings instead.

How every vehicle is inspected

Unlock the full report

Your first accepted bid opens the complete inspection report.

What opens it

One accepted bid on an auction opens that vehicle’s complete inspection report to you. That is the whole condition — there is nothing to buy, subscribe to or request.

What is inside

Every checkpoint in the catalogue with the status the inspector gave it, the inspector’s notes on anything marked attention or defect, measurements where they were taken, the evidence photographs, and the report as a PDF you can download and keep.

It stays open to you

Once a report has opened for you it stays open, whatever the auction does afterwards. Being outbid does not close it, and neither does the auction ending.

Place your bid

You enter the amount you want to bid, and that amount is your bid.

An example, not a live auction. Nothing here is submitted or saved.

Current bid$38,000Minimum $38,500

Enter an amount, acknowledge that it is binding, and place it. Whatever you type becomes the current bid.

Verified once

Bidding requires a verified identity. You submit a government-issued ID and a photo of yourself holding it, and a person on our verification team reviews them.

You do this once rather than for every auction. It is about knowing who is bidding — it is not a credit check, and there is no deposit to place before you can bid.

Verify your identity

The amount you enter is the bid

Your bid becomes the auction’s price the moment it is accepted. It must meet the auction’s stated minimum, which is shown beside the bid box.

Nothing bids on your behalf. There is no hidden maximum working in the background and no automatic raising. If you are outbid and still want the vehicle, you bid again.

What binding means

Every bid asks you to acknowledge that it is binding before it is placed. Placing a bid commits you to buying the vehicle at your bid amount if you win the auction, subject to the auction terms.

A bid is not a reservation or an expression of interest, and it cannot be withdrawn because you changed your mind.

Follow the auction

What changes while an auction is live, and why.

An example of a live auction. Figures are illustrative.

Current bid$38,0004 bids
00:42Reserve not met

The reserve amount remains confidential.

Bidder 3 · $38,000Close

An auction running. The price, the bid count and the time remaining are live.

The live figures

The current bid, the number of bids and the time remaining update on the vehicle’s page as they happen — you do not need to refresh.

The exact closing time is shown alongside the countdown, and the auction runs on our clock rather than your device’s.

The reserve

Some auctions carry a confidential reserve — a minimum the bidding must reach before the vehicle can sell. Each auction says which of three things is true, and nothing more.

The reserve amount remains confidential. We do not publish it, hint at it, or say how close the bidding is. If an auction ends with the reserve still unmet, the vehicle is not sold.

Extended bidding

An auction can be configured so that a bid placed near the end keeps it open a little longer: the auction then stays open until at least a set period after that bid, and each later bid inside that window is handled the same way.

It exists so a late bid cannot end an auction before anyone can respond to it. It is set per auction — where an auction uses it, the window and the extension are stated on that auction’s page beside the countdown.

If you are outbid

Being outbid ends nothing for you. You can bid again while the auction is running and you remain eligible, and the report you opened stays open.

If you win

The purchase opens, and a complex process becomes an orderly one.

Your purchase opens

When an auction ends with your bid highest and the reserve satisfied, your purchase opens. You get an invoice for the vehicle and instructions for paying, including a reference to quote so your payment can be matched to your purchase.

Paying for the vehicle

Your winning bid is the vehicle purchase price, with no additional buyer fees. Transport, applicable taxes, title and registration are separate.

Payment is by bank transfer. Your purchase is complete once your transfer is received and confirmed by our team — sending a transfer, or telling us you have sent one, does not mark it paid. What has been received and what remains due are shown on your purchase.

Collection or transport

You can collect the vehicle, or have it transported. Where a shipment has been arranged, its progress — where the vehicle is, who has custody and the current estimated arrival — appears on your purchase and updates as it moves.

Title, registration and ownership

Title paperwork and registration are handled separately from the sale and follow their own steps. You can see where that process stands from your purchase.

Paying, collecting and completing paperwork are each their own step, and none of them is the moment ownership changes hands. Ownership is recorded explicitly, as its own act — once it is, the vehicle appears in your garage.

What this page does not decide

Every auction states its own terms — when it closes, whether it carries a reserve, and whether it uses extended bidding. Where this page and a vehicle’s own page differ, the vehicle’s page governs that auction.