Frequently asked questions
1. General questions
The auctions are always held on the second Saturday of each month. Pre bidding is available as soon as items appear on the catalogs. We open the gates at 8 am and each ring starts closing at 9:00 am. There is no live bidding at the auction grounds. We stay open auction day until 4:30 pm for payment and pick up but the auctions are usually over by 2:00 or 3:00 pm at the latest. We are open for preview Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 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 is available in the image section of the catalog on most vehicles and heavy equipment.
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, internet fees, buyer fees, title fees and tag fees will apply. If you buy a non-titled item only sales tax, internet fees 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 the percentage in the description of the item. All items in the auction will have an internet fee that is listed at the top of the catalog page.
Yes, our catalogs have photos of all items and video of vehicles and heavy equipment. Items are added to the catalogs daily so be sure to check back often and as close to the auction as possible. The auction is split into five different rings whose contents are summarized in the ring title/description.
Since May of 2020 all bidding is done online. We have a relationship with Proxibid which provides our online bidding platform. You must first register for an account with Proxibid using the option at the top of our catalogs page to qualify for online bidding. Then you will need to log in as a bidder using the option at the top of our catalogs page. Special terms and conditions will apply, so be sure to read our terms carefully. You can also find links to your 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.
There are a couple of ways to create an account on our web site. First you can use the “Register” option on the menu at the top of our home page or you can use the “Create account” option at the top of our catalogs page. Both options lead to the same process. Once you have created your account with Proxibid, you will be able to login and bid using the “Bidder login” option at the top of our catalog page. There may be a delay the first time you log in as a bidder with us while Proxibid conducts a vetting process so be sure log in a day or two before the auction to give you time to resolve any issues that might arrise.
2. Purchase questions
We accept cash, checks, certified funds or wire transfers. If paying by check you will have to wait one week before you can pick up your purchase. All payments must be received before the close of business on Monday following the Saturday auction. Due to escrow rules we can not accept credit or debit cards for payment.
Due to escrow rules we are not able to accept credit or debit cards as payment for items purchases in the auction. A credit card is required to qualify for bidding online but is only used for identification purposes. The card will not be accepted by us for payment.
Yes, we are required to collect sales tax when we sell to a retail purchaser. If you are a motor vehicle dealer and provide us with the documents we require, we will not charge you sales tax. If you are an equipment dealer and provide us with the documents we require, we will not charge you sales tax unless you purchase a titled item.
As a motor vehicle dealer, we are required to transfer the title to any retail buyer residing in the state of Florida. If you are a retail buyer from another state or country we will reassign the title we have to you so that you can obtain a title in your state. The default title transfer will be retained as an electronic title unless you request a printed title be mailed to you or you request we get you a fast title and hold it for pick up. Additional fees will apply for printed or fast titles. We are able to transfer most titles within a week or two of the auction but we are allowed up to thirty days by law to get it done. Titles for motor vehicle dealers or out of state buyers will be reassigned and mailed the week following the auction unless pickup is requested.
Yes, we can buy a license plate or transfer a license plate for you provided you have proof of insurance. For a new plate, we will give you a temporary plate to use until we mail the new one to you. For plate transfers, we will give you a temporary registration unless you do not have the plate with you in which case we will give you a temporary plate. If you decide to register the vehicle yourself, keep in mind that you can not do that until the title has been transferred into you name. If you are taking the vehicle to another state, we are allowed to give you a temporary tag so that you can drive the vehicle to your home state. All temporary tags are good for thirty days.
Payment for all auction purchases is due in full no later than the close of business on Monday after the auction on Saturday. If you pay with a check, your purchase can not be picked up until your check has had time to clear which is five business days. No checks will be accepted for late payments.
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.
If it has a dead battery 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. We are not mechanics and the items being sold are used and can quit at any time for any reason. Since all items are being sold as-is there is not much we can do to help other than assist you with loading when possible.
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.
Our policy for sales to be exported by a buyer who is not a dealer buying for resale is this. We collect the sales tax up front then when the buyer provides us with a freight bill from a common carrier showing the items was delivered from our yard to a port and a bill of lading showing that the item was shipped from that port and the buyer did not take possession in the State of Florida, we will refund the sales tax. These documents must be received before we report and submit the sales tax to the Department of revenue at the end of the month. After that we will provide an affidavit to you that will allow you to petition the State of Florida for a refund yourself.
We use Adobe Acrobat to obtain signatures for title processing paper work. After you purchase and pay for a vehicle you will receive an email from Adobe sign that will walk you through signing with your electronic signature. Once we receive this back from you, we will process the paper work at our tag office and forward the receipt to you once we receive it.
3. Consignment questions
Our standard commission is 10% of the first $10,000 and 5% of the balance over $10,000 per item. There is a $75 minimum for non-titled items and a $100 minimum for titled items. Refer to our consignment terms section of this web site for more detailed information.
We do allow price protection on certain items but not on all items. 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 any give item. 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 but that is difficult with actually seeing the item.
We issue checks for consignments sold in the auction on the second Monday after each auction. The checks are available for pick up at our offices at 8:00am and will remain on site until late afternoon when we will take them to the post office. You can request that we not mail your check if you wish. We also offer eChecks which are transmitted on the second Monday after the auction by email. Feel free to call us for details on how eChecks work.
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 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
Absolute means that an item does not have a reserve or minimum bid price and will be absolutely sold to the highest bidder.
Refers to the price that a consignor puts on an item to prevent it from selling for less than what he wants to get for it. The consignor may remove the reserve prior to the item being sold or may even agree to accept the high bid after the item is passed in the auction.
Refers to the last bid on an item that will be used when the seller’s reserve price is not met. The seller can be contacted after the auction to see if they will accept the bid. If the seller chooses to accept the high bid, the bidder will be given the opportunity to purchase the item at the bid amount. Of course since the auction for that item was closed without meeting the reserve, the high bidder has the right to 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 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.