Shipping a Car from an Auction

Vehicle auction purchases make up a considerable amount of the auto transport business. Some carriers actually ship auction vehicles exclusively. It can be easier than dealing with customers but generally auction cars pay less. Every auction will have a carrier willing to move your car.

Make sure the vehicle is paid for. The car will not be released by the auction and we will not arrange a carrier until it is. Of course contacting us ahead of time will not hurt, we can make some preliminary progress but we cannot sign any contracts. Be aware of storage fees also. Certain auctions may refuse to release the vehicle until they are paid. Pay everything ahead of time so that the pick up can be easy for the driver.

Certain auctions require the transporter to have certain forms and information, make sure you know what he needs and provide it prior to pick up. We are aware of what the larger auctions require but every place is a little different. The VIN is usually necessary and some establishments may need you to give the carrier name ahead of time. Call before so that there isn’t any problems and so the driver doesn’t wastes his time.

Insurance operates differently too. A traditional inspection is impossible to do, most auctions will not sign to verify a car’s condition on pick up. This means that drivers cannot be held liable for small scratches or bumps that weren’t on the sales pictures. The damage could have been done by a number of individuals besides the driver after the pictures were taken. Large damage that was obviously done by the driver will be covered but if you wanted to have the car traditionally insured a person would have to be present at pick up who is willing to sign for the condition of the vehicle. Otherwise, like the auction, the car is transported “as-is”.

Non-running vehicles may necessitate special arrangements to be made on drop off. Depending on how the carrier has loaded your (non-running) vehicle and how poor the condition of the vehicle is, he may not be able to simply roll it off. Auctions frequently have forklifts making loading the cars simple. If rolling the car off isn’t an option the only other way to get the car off is the same way it got on. A tow yard with a forklift will have to remove the car and haul it the rest of the way. Don’t expect a non-runner to get right to your door, drop off might not be possible without a forklift.

Transport from an auction is really a simple process. They are constructed with transporters in mind and are therefore very accessible. If you make the proper preparations the process will be a dream.