How A Live Auto Auction Works

Registration

    You must be registered for the auction in order to bid.  If you do not have your bidder's card with you when you are awarded the bid, we will resell the lot.

    Registration is open friday 9:00am - 5:00pm the day (or days) prior to the auction and all day on the day of the auction. There is no fee to register, however you do need a valid state Driver's License for the auction you are attending.  If you do not have a valid state Driver's License, you will need to leave a $500.00 deposit when you register.  If you do not purchase anything on the day of the auction, your deposit will be fully refunded.

    When you received your bidder's card, you have signed a contract stating that you promise to pay for all lots awarded to your bidder's number, even if you (I) change your mind, (II) bid on the wrong item, (III) let someone else use your bidder's card, (IV) lost your bidder's card.  If you fail to pay for all of your purchases, you will be banned permanently from all Universal auctions and you may also be subject to legal action.


Inspection

    Inspection hours are from 9:00am to 5:00pm the day (or days) before every auction and all day of auction.

    The vehicles sold at our auctions range from late-model luxury cars in mint condition to "fixer-uppers" for mechanics that like a challenge. If you don't know cars inside and out, bring someone with you who does.  All vehicles at our auctions are sold in "AS IS CONDITION" so please inspect the vehicles closely during preview!  Keys are available for checkout at the key booth  during inspection hours in exchange for your Driver's License.  You may start vehicles, but not drive them.  There is a minimum $50.00 charge for any keys that are damaged or lost.

    Anyone caught stealing from, tampering with, disabling or switching keys from the vehicles will be banned from all Universal auctions and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.


Bidding

    This is the fun part!  Each vehicle will be driven past the auction block. The auctioneer will announce the lot number and describe the vehicle, announcing everything we know about it. Then the bidding starts.

    This process goes very quickly and can be confusing the first time. Read the following description and watch as a few vehicles are sold to get a feel for how it works.

    The auctioneer will suggest a starting price: "Who'll give me one thousand dollars to start?" If nobody wants to start at that price, the auctioneer will lower the amount until someone bids. To bid, simply raise your hand and display your bidder number. A "bid catcher" will point to you and shout, "YES" The auctioneer will start asking for higher bids: "I have eight hundred dollars, do I hear nine hundred?" If someone wants to bid $900, they will raise their bidder number, the bid catcher will point to them and shout, "YES" If you raise the bid, the bid catcher will point to you and the other person will be out. The process continues until nobody wants to bid any higher: "I have nineteen hundred dollars, who'll give me nineteen-fifty? Going once, twice, third and final call SOLD!" For nineteen hundred dollars to bidder number 268." A clerk will write down the winning amount and the buyer number. If yours is the winning bid, the vehicle is now YOURS!


Fees

  • A 10% Buyer's Premium and $55.00 Processing Fee will be added to all vehicle, vessel and trailer lots.
  • $58.25 will be collected on all vehicles that have passed State Smog Inspection.
  • Registration fees will be collected on behalf of the Department of Motor Vehicles for all titled vehicles.
  • Sales & Use Tax will be collected on all lots.

Payment

    We accept cash, cashier's checks, debit/atm, Visa & MasterCard

    You must pay a minimum 25% deposit of the entire purchase price on all purchases on the day of auction.  The entire balance is due no later than 4:00pm on the first business day following the auction.  No lots will be released to you until your purchase is paid in full.  All deposits will be forfeited if the balance is not paid in full in accordance with these terms.


Item Removal

    You must remove all of your purchases by 5:00pm the second business day following the auction.  After that, all vehicles will be towed to an impound yard and you will be responsible for all storage and impound fees.  We will not make keys for lots that have no keys or when the keys for that vehicle do not work.


Registering your purchases

    For all titled vehicles for which you have paid Universal Auction Group the DMV registration fees, we will process all the necessary paperwork to register your vehicle.

    For all titled vehicles for which you choose not to pay Universal Auction Group the DMV registration fees, we will process all paperwork as a "Customer Demand Title".  You will be give all ownership documents and you will be responsible for registering the vehicle.  You will be responsible for all costs associated with registering the vehicle including, but not limited to, DMV fees, penalties and possibly smog charges.

    For all Certificate of Acquisition (Junk Slip) vehicles, you acknowledge that they are sold as parts only and are not legal to drive.  If you choose to resurrect the vehicle, you will be responsible for all costs associated with resurrecting the vehicle including, but not limited to, DMV fees, repairs, smog and safety inspection charges.

    State law requires that all vehicles must be insured in order to register or drive them.  Once you are awarded a bid, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Universal Auction Group, their consignors, directors, officers and employees from all claims, demands, suits and loss for damage, destruction and injury resulting from your purchase, regardless of fault.  It is against the law to operate an uninsured motor vehicle in this State.

 

Warranties

    All sales at Universal Auction Group auctions are final.  Everything sold at Universal Auction Group auctions is sold AS-IS/WHERE-IS unless a Service Contract is purchased. Neither Universal Auction Group, nor its consignors make any guarantee or warranty whatsoever regarding fitness, ability to resell or compliance with safety standards.  We will not void a sale based on a lot's failure to correspond to your standards or expectations.  Once you have been awarded the bid, you assume all risk of theft, tampering, damage and loss.

Remember

  • Guard your bidder's card.  Don't let anyone else use it!  All winning bids on your number are your responsibility.
  • During inspection - do not drive any vehicles - we prosecute thieves and vandals
  • 10% Buyers Premium, $55.00 Processing Fee and Sales & Use Tax will be collected on all lots
  • DMV fees on titled vehicles and $58.25 Smog Certificate for all vehicles that passed State Smog Inspection
  • 25% Deposit upon award of bid.  Balance paid by first business day following auction.  All lots removed by second business day following auction.
  • We accept cash, cashier's checks, debit/atm, Visa & MasterCard
  • All sales are AS-IS/WHERE-IS with no warranties or guarantees and are final.