After winning a car auction: payment, collection, documents
After winning a car auction: invoice and payment deadlines, collection and storage fees, documents and keys, condition claims and export steps.
· 8 min read
After winning a car auction you receive a purchase confirmation and an invoice, pay within the auction's deadline (usually a few working days), receive a release note, and collect the car before storage charges start. Registration documents and spare keys often follow separately once payment has cleared. Foreign buyers must also supply their VAT number and proof that the car left the country.
What happens after winning a car auction: the first 24 hours
The first day after the hammer falls decides whether the car reaches your forecourt on time. Most trade auctions send an automatic confirmation by e-mail or in the buyer account within minutes, followed by an invoice the same day or the next morning.
Check the invoice line by line before you pay:
- Hammer price and whether it is net (VAT-qualifying) or gross (margin scheme). The VAT status was shown in the catalogue; make sure the invoice matches it.
- Buyer's fee, often a sliding scale by price band, plus any handling, document or "platform" fee.
- Transport if you booked the auction's own logistics.
- Your company details and VAT number. For a VAT-free cross-border purchase, the number on the invoice must be the one you gave the seller and must be valid in VIES.
A wrong VAT status on the invoice is far easier to fix now than after you have paid and registered the car. Our guide to what VAT margin means at a car auction explains why the same hammer price can leave very different profits.
Invoice and payment deadlines
Payment is normally due within a short, fixed period stated in the auction's terms, typically two to five working days from the invoice. The exact deadline is contractual, not legal, so read the terms of each platform before the first bid rather than after the win.
What usually happens if you pay late:
- A reminder, then a late-payment charge or interest.
- Storage charges that start earlier because the car cannot be released.
- In serious cases, cancellation of the sale, a cancellation fee and a temporary block on your buyer account.
Pay by bank transfer to the account printed on the official invoice or shown in your buyer account. Never change payment details because of an e-mail asking you to; account-change fraud is one of the most common car sale payment scams. If you buy on a floor-plan or stocking line, request the drawdown on the day of the invoice, because lenders can take a day or two to release funds.
VAT deposits for foreign buyers
Many auctions selling VAT-qualifying cars to buyers in another EU country charge the local VAT as a deposit and refund it once you return the signed entry confirmation or other proof that the car arrived. Budget for that cash: on a €25,000 net car in Germany the deposit is €4,750 at 19%, and refunds can take several weeks after the paperwork is complete.
For car dealers
Know your margin before you buy
MyCarDealer compares any car from an auction or listing with the market in your country and shows the net margin after VAT, transport and costs – and the maximum bid.
Request accessRelease, collection and storage fees
Once payment is received, the auction issues a release note or collection code; without it the compound will not hand the car over. The release is usually sent automatically, but check that it names the transport company or driver who will collect.
Free storage after the sale is limited. Most compounds give a few days to a couple of weeks, then charge a daily fee per car. Some also charge for moving a car twice or for repeated "no-show" collection slots. A car that waits three weeks because the transport was booked late can lose a noticeable part of its margin to storage alone.
A simple collection checklist:
| Step | When | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Book transport | On the day of the win | Buyer |
| Pay invoice | Within the payment deadline | Buyer |
| Receive release note | After payment clears | Auction |
| Send release to carrier | Same day | Buyer |
| Collection and check at compound | Before free storage ends | Carrier |
| Signed CMR and photos | At collection | Carrier and compound |
For international collection, a signed CMR consignment note is both your transport contract and one of the documents that prove the car left the country for VAT purposes. Ask the driver to photograph the car at collection, including the odometer and any damage, and note visible defects on the CMR before signing.
Documents and keys
Registration documents and spare keys rarely travel with the car. Auctions typically dispatch them by courier to your business address once payment has cleared and, in some cases, only after the car has been collected.
Check that you receive everything the catalogue listed:
- the registration certificate (in Germany both Part I and Part II; in other countries the single certificate or the parts issued there);
- the certificate of conformity if it was listed;
- the service book or digital service record printout;
- second and further keys, key cards, or the app-key handover for cars that use a phone as a key;
- the deregistration confirmation if the car was already taken off the road.
Missing documents can stop registration in your country for weeks. Report any gap to the auction in writing at once; most terms set a short period for document complaints.
What if the car does not match the condition report?
If the car differs materially from the condition report, you normally have a short claims window, often a few days after collection, to report it with photos. Trade auctions sell between businesses, so consumer protection rules do not apply; your rights come from the auction terms and the report itself.
How to protect a claim:
- Inspect the car at collection or immediately on delivery.
- Photograph every defect that is not in the report, with the VIN plate in at least one picture.
- Compare with the damage grades and photos in the report; see our guide to auction condition reports.
- File the claim through the auction's official channel before the deadline, not by phone only.
Typical remedies are a price reduction, an arbitration decision or, in rare cases, cancellation. Undeclared mechanical faults on cars sold "as seen" are often excluded, so read which items the report actually covered.
Export steps for foreign buyers
Buyers from another EU country need three things in place: a valid VAT identification number, transport to their own country and proof of arrival. For VAT-qualifying cars, the seller can only invoice without VAT if your VAT number is valid and the car leaves the country, so the auction will ask for:
- your VAT number, checked in VIES;
- the CMR or carrier invoice;
- a signed entry confirmation (in Germany the Gelangensbestätigung) stating where and when the car arrived and its VIN.
Margin-scheme cars are invoiced gross and need no entry confirmation for VAT, but you still need the registration documents and, for some countries, a certificate of conformity. Cars under six months old or with up to 6,000 km are "new means of transport" and are always taxed in the destination country. If you drive the car home on export plates rather than on a truck, check which temporary plates apply in export plates in Europe.
How delays eat the margin
Every day between the hammer and the retail sale costs money: storage, interest and price erosion. Take a 2022–2023 Tesla Model 3. According to listings tracked by MyCarDealer in October 2026, the median asking price was €29,450 in Germany (164 listings), €30,945 in Belgium (72) and €31,900 in the Netherlands (145). A dealer who buys in Germany to sell in the Netherlands has roughly €2,450 of price difference to work with before transport, preparation, fees and VAT. A week of extra storage, a missing key and a slow VAT-deposit refund can absorb a large share of that.
That is why the number to fix before bidding is the maximum price at which the car still earns your target margin after all post-auction costs. MyCarDealer calculates it from current listings in your own country, including VAT treatment, transport and fees; you can test one car with the free valuation.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly must I pay after winning an auction?
Usually within two to five working days of the invoice, but the deadline is set by each auction's terms. Late payment can trigger interest, storage charges, cancellation fees and a block on your buyer account, so arrange funds or a stocking-line drawdown before you bid.
How long can a car stay at the auction site?
Most compounds allow a short free storage period after payment, from a few days to about two weeks, and then charge a daily fee. Book transport on the day you win and send the release note to the carrier as soon as it arrives.
When do I receive the registration documents?
Documents and spare keys are usually sent by courier after payment has cleared, sometimes only after collection. Check the list of documents in the catalogue and report anything missing in writing straight away, because complaint periods are short.
What if the car does not match the condition report?
Photograph the differences, including the VIN, and file a claim through the auction's official process within the claims window, which is often only a few days. Remedies range from a price reduction to arbitration or cancellation, depending on the terms and on what the report covered.
Do I need to send anything back to the auction after export?
For VAT-qualifying cars bought VAT-free from another EU country, yes: typically a signed entry confirmation with the VIN and the CMR or carrier invoice. Many auctions hold a VAT deposit until they receive these documents.