Frequently asked questions

1. General questions

The auctions are always held on the second Saturday of each month.  We open the gates at 8 am and each ring starts closing at 9:00 am.  We stay open auction day until 5:00 pm but the auctions are usually over by 2:00 or 3:00 pm.  We are open for preview Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm through out the month except holidays.  Since we take consignments until Wednesday before the auction on Saturday, the best days to preview are Thursday and Friday before the auction.

We are open for visual preview Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm and since we accept consignments through Wednesday before the auction the best days for preview are Thursday and Friday.  Demonstration will only be done on Friday the day before the auction.   A short video of the engine running, if applicable will be in the image section of the catalog if you are unable to preview on Friday.

The overwhelming majority do come with a clear title.  The only exception are vehicles marked as “Salvage” or “Junk “.  Salvage vehicles are sold with a “Certificate of Destruction” and are for parts only.  Junk vehicles are sold with a salvage title and must be “Rebuilt” before the buyer can get a “Rebuilt” title.  As a motor vehicle dealer we are required to transfer title to the buyer within 30 days of the sale date.  You can buy a new tag or transfer an existing tag at the time of purchase as long as you have proof of insurance and at least the tag number you want to transfer.  If you choose to buy or transfer a tag yourself, remember that you will have to wait until you get a registration from us in the mail which could take three or four weeks.

Just watching the auction is free.  You can register and participate without spending a dime.   However if you do buy something then applicable sales tax, buyer fees, title fees and tag fees will apply.  If you buy a non-titled item only sales tax and buyer fees apply.  We do have items from various government consignors which require a buyer fee by contract.  Each item that will have a buyer fee will reflect this in the description of the item.

Yes, use the catalog option at the top of our home page to see what we have in inventory.  It is updated daily so check back closer to the auction if you don’t see what you are looking for. Each auction is split up into four different rings.

Yes, we have a relationship with Proxibid which provides our online bidding platform.  You must register first with Proxibid to qualify for online bidding.  Special terms and conditions will apply so be sure and read our Proxibid terms carefully.  You can find a link to our Proxibid portal at the top of our catalog page.

When an item arrives and is checked in we assign what we call an item number. This is a six digit permanent number that does not change. Once the item is placed in the sale yard it will be assigned a lot number which consists of the numerical month of the next auction, followed by a dash, followed by the lot number which indicates where on the yard the item has been placed. For example a tractor with lot number 2-1525 will be in the February auction and will reside in row 1 and its number is 525. Each row is actually an isle which has side one and side two. Numbers 100-499 are in side one and 500-999 are in side two. Vehicle rows are similar but the range of actual lot numbers is different. Numbers 100-199 are in side one and 200-299 are in side two. An example of a vehicle in row 7 on the first side would be 2-7125. Once you have attended your first auction this will make perfect sense, but you almost need to see it in person.

2. Purchase questions

Cash, check, certified funds or wire transfer are acceptable forms of payment.  Checks require a one week waiting period before purchased items are released.  Wire transfers must be received before the close of business on Monday after the auction.  Due to escrow rules we are not able to accept credit or debit cards.

Due to escrow rules we are not able to accept any types of credit or debit cards as payment for items purchased in an auction.  To bid online a credit card will be required as identification.   The card will not be accepted for payment.

Yes we are required to collect sales tax unless you have documentation that exempts you.  Acceptable documentation according to the Florida Department of Revenue is a Florida dealer license and resale certificate for title items or just a resale certificate for non-titled items.  If you are a dealer from another state then you will have to provide us with your states equivalent documents and you will have to sign an affidavit for our records.  Purchasing something to export does not in of itself exempt a transaction from sales tax in Florida.  Since we will not be the shipper, sales tax will be collected on all items purchased for export.

As a motor vehicle dealer we are required to transfer the title into your name through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.  We do this within thirty days of the date of the auction as required by the State.  All titles are done as electronic title unless otherwise requested.  An electronic title means that once the transfer is complete you will be able to go to any county tax collector and have a title printed when you need one.  The tax collector will charge a minimal fee for this service.  You can also request a fast title for an additional cost of $15 that will cause the title to be printed at our local tag office and sent back to us where you can pick it up.  This will, in most cases,  cause the title to be available within two weeks of the auction.  If you are a motor vehicle dealer we will reassign the title to your dealership and it will be available sometime during the week following the auction.  There are circumstances when for one reason or another a title transfer can be delayed but we will always endeavor to get them done within the thirty day window.

Yes, you will need to have proof of insurance with you and we will give you a temporary tag to use right away.  We will mail the permanent plate to you within the next thirty days.  If you have a plate to transfer we will need the latest registration and proof of insurance.  Again we will give you a temporary tag or registration to use until we mail the permanent plate to you.  Remember that if you choose not to let us get your tag for you  or transfer a tag for you then you will have to wait for the title to be transferred into your name before you can do it yourself.  This could take three or four weeks from the date of the auction but in most cases is done within a week or two.

Payment is required to be made in full no later than the close of business on Monday after the Saturday auction.   If you pay with a check, it will have to clear before you can take your purchase.  If you don’t have cash but need to pick up your purchase before your check would clear (one week after auction) then you will need to pay by wire transfer, cashier’s check or other certified funds.   See our purchase terms for more details.

If you do not pay for an item that you are the high bidder on when the auction closes for that item,  then you will be permanently barred from our auctions and at the discretion of the seller you could be held liable for any loss in the sale price of the item if sold in the next auction.  Proxibid may also bar you from any of their other auctions as well.

The first step is to create an account. A link labeled ‘Create account’ can be found at the top of our catalog page to do this. Once you have an account created you will then need to login to that account while you are on our catalog page. The link is labeled ‘Buyer login’. You will then be asked to confirm that you want to participate in our event. You will then be able to bid online.

We can provide a courtesy jump start but sometimes the batteries that are in the items are so bad that they will need to be replaced for the item to function properly. You will need to handle that yourself.

The short answer is no. In most cases the bank requires that we transfer the title before they disburse the funds and since the vehicles we sell are consigned to us, we can not process the titles until after we have been paid. Another problem is that banks are in most cases not able to disburse funds fast enough to meet our payment deadline.

3. Consignment questions

We charge 10% of the selling price on each item with a $50 minimum commission on non-titled items and a $100 minimum on titled items.  See our consignment terms section for more detailed information.

We do allow price protection on certain items but not on others.  Titled passenger class vehicles must be newer than 10 years old and commercial class trucks must be newer than 20 years old.  Any equipment we deem to be of less than $500 in value we will not price protect.  We reserve the right to decide which items and at what price we are willing to price protect.  If you are not sure if we will price protect your item, just give us a call and we may be able to make a determination over the phone.

We issue checks for consignments on the second Monday after the auction.  They are available at 8:00 am when we open and will be taken to the post office and mailed around 3:00 pm unless you request that we hold it for you.

There are two circumstances in which your consignment would not sell.  First, you put a minimum bid on the item and it did not bring your minimum.  In this case, if the minimum was $1000 or less you can leave it for the next auction in which it will be sold absolute to the highest bidder or you can remove it from the auction and pay a no sale fee.  If the minimum was over $1000 and you decide to leave it for the next auction, the price must be reduced by at least 10% of the original minimum.  If the item does not sell in the second auction and you decide to leave it for a third auction, then it must be sold to absolute to the highest bidder.

The second circumstance would be if the high bidder does not pay.  This is not pervasive, but does happen.  In this case, you can leave the item for the next auction at the same terms or remove the item at no cost to you.  F.Y.I. any bidder who does this is permanently barred from our auction.

4. Auction terminology

Refers to an item being sold at auction that does not have a minimum price or reserve on it.  It will be sold to the highest bidder.

Refers to an item being sold at auction that has a minimum price or reserve on it.  It will be not be sold to the highest bidder unless the seller is present and removes the reserve.  The highest bidder may be given the choice of an if-bid which is handled after the auction concludes.

Used by an auctioneer to indicate that the highest bid has not met the seller’s reserve price and that if the high bidder wishes, the seller can be contacted after the auction to see if the high bid is acceptable.  If the seller chooses to accept the high bid, the bidder will be given the opportunity to purchase the item at that amount.  Of course since the auction for that item was closed, the high bidder can rescind the bid at that time.

Refers to an item or items placed with an auctioneer or auction company to sell at auction on behalf of a seller who is referred to as the consignor.

Refers to a person or entity who places an item or items with an auctioneer or auction company to sell at auction.

Refers to a person who has been professionally trained to sell items at auction by calling for bids.

Refers to a person who works with an auctioneer and assists with spotting bids in a crowd of bidders.  They also assist bidders who might have trouble understanding the amount the auctioneers is currently calling for.

Refers to the general area and time that an item is sold at an auction by an auctioneer.

Refers to the location that one auctioneer is selling at an auction that has multiple auctioneers selling at the same time.