Want to buy cars at OPENLANE auctions? It’s as easy as can be! The process differs a little depending on where you’re located. See below for the simple process in your country.
Continental Europe
Step 1 – Place your bid
Click on ‘Find cars’ to search for the vehicles you need. Select your filters to find the right type of cars—you can even save your search parameters to use next time. When you find a car you’d like to buy, check all the details in the car description carefully. Then, you’re ready to bid. Remember: every bid is binding. If you win and are assigned the car, you are obligated to buy it. Manage all your bids easily in ‘My bids’.
Step 2 – Win the auction
Make sure your bid is the highest at the end of the auction. We offer a range of handy bidding tools to help you win.
Step 3 – Wait to hear from the seller
The seller has two working days in which to accept or decline your offer. In some cases, they may also make you a counteroffer and kickstart a negotiation.
Step 4 – Choose your transport option
Once the car has been assigned to you, you need to confirm it in ‘My account’ within 24 hours. There, you’ll see the total price and can select whether you’d like to collect the car or have it delivered.
Step 5 – Make your payment
You have 48 hours in which to make the payment. Once your payment is received, OPENLANE will prepare the vehicle for collection or delivery. Check the ‘Delivery options’ on the car details page to see the expected date of delivery.
Step 6 – Pick-up/delivery
There are a few ways your vehicle can be transported to you, and some necessary paperwork:
• Pick up the vehicle yourself – Bring the OPENLANE pick-up authorisation (PuA), the Seller PuA (if provided), the certificate of delivery (CoD) and the damage report to the pick-up location. Use the damage report to make sure the vehicle is in the described condition. Be sure to have the CoD stamped at the pick-up location!
• Have a transport company pick up the vehicle – Provide the transport company with the OPENLANE PuA, the Seller PuA (if provided) and the damage report. The transport company will bring these documents and, if applicable, the CMR (international transport document), which must be stamped at the pick-up location.
• Delivery arranged by OPENLANE – In this case, OPENLANE delivers the vehicle to you and provides all necessary documents.
Step 7 – Upload & receive documents
Once you, or a transport company you engage, have picked up the vehicle, you need to upload the stamped CMR or CoD (with a copy of the driver’s ID) via ‘My account’ for VAT and export regulation reasons.
If your delivery has been handled by OPENLANE, the vehicle documents will be sent to you via courier. You can track this delivery in ‘My account’ under ‘My logistics’.
Step 8 – Confirm receipt
Once you’ve received them, confirm receipt by going to ‘My purchases’ in ‘My account’ and clicking ‘Docs at buyer’. For local purchases within Germany, you don’t need to upload documents nor to confirm receipt of vehicle documents.
The invoices and information about your purchases can be referenced any time by going to ‘My purchase history’ in ‘My account’.
United Kingdom
Step 1 – Place your bid
Click on ‘Find cars’ to search for the vehicles you need. Select your filters to find the right type of cars—you can even save your search parameters to use next time. When you find a car you’d like to buy, check all the details in the car description carefully. Then, you’re ready to bid. Remember: every bid is binding. If you win and are assigned the car, you are obligated to buy it. Manage all your bids easily in ‘My bids’.
Step 2 – Win the auction
Make sure your bid is the highest at the end of the auction. We offer a range of handy bidding tools to help you win.
Step 3 – Wait to hear from the seller
The seller has one working day in which to accept or decline your offer. In some cases, they may also make you a counteroffer and kickstart a negotiation.
Step 4 – Choose your transport option
Once the car has been assigned to you, you need to confirm it in ‘My account’ within 24 hours. There, you can select whether you’d like to collect the car or have it delivered.
Step 5 – Make your payment
OPENLANE will email you the invoice and you have one working day in which to make the payment. Once your payment is received, OPENLANE will prepare the vehicle for collection or delivery.
Step 6 – Pick-up/delivery
Once your payment is received, OPENLANE will email you a copy of the release note. There are a few ways your vehicle can be transported to you, and some necessary paperwork:
• Pick up the vehicle yourself – Once you have received your release note, follow the instructions on the document to arrange a collection time at the local OPENLANE hub. Be sure to bring the release with you when you collect your vehicle.
• Have a transport company pick up the vehicle – The transport company must book a collection time at the local OPENLANE hub prior to collecting the vehicle. Make sure the transport provider also has a copy of the release note as they will need to present this at the hub to collect the vehicle.
• Delivery arranged by OPENLANE –OPENLANE will confirm all the details via email.
Step 7 – Receive the vehicle documents
If the vehicle documents were not stored in the vehicle, OPENLANE will post them to you via Royal Mail recorded delivery. You can see which documents will be available on the car details page prior to purchasing the vehicle. To keep things easy, you don’t need to confirm receipt of vehicle documents.
