A new online car auction service, Auto Auction, goes live this week, and has plans for weekly sales events. Open to both trade and the general public, Auto Auction says that "some of Ireland's top motor dealers" have signed up to its service, and that it "could change the way second-hand cars are sold from forecourts nationwide."
Runs every Friday to Wednesday
According to Auto Auction, dealers such as Annesley Williams in Dublin, Frank Hogan in Limerick and Finbarr Galvin in Cork are already on board for the first auction, featuring around 50 top quality cars. It opens for bids today, Friday, July 30th, running until Wednesday, August 4th, and will run every Friday to Wednesday thereafter.
Shortage of top quality used cars
"There is a shortage of top-quality second-hand vehicles on the market at the moment, and we aim to be a one-stop shop for buyers and dealers," said Michael O'Connor, Managing Director of autoauction.ie. Our industry-leading auction technology makes it seamless for garages to sell vehicles to private and trade purchasers with transparency and security throughout the process. Buyers will find the most comprehensive and secure auction software on the market, easy to navigate, with smooth transactions from start to finish. And we feel that buyers will appreciate the chance to purchase premium cars at auction prices. We are skilled auctioneers and negotiators with over 30 years' experience, and our process has proved to be a massive success for both buyers and sellers."
Benefits for dealers and garages
"The benefits to garages are huge - we are exposed to a nationwide audience of motivated buyers who know the cars they want and trust the dealers that are selling them," said John Fitzgerald, General Manager, Frank Hogan Limerick. "Most importantly, the vehicles don't need to leave our forecourt, so we can use Auto Auction as a platform in conjunction with our other sales methods."
Auto Auction has been set up by the team behind online house auctions side youbid.ie. If you want to participate in an auction, you'll need to sign up to the site in advance and be prepared to pay a €500 refundable deposit. If you make a successful bid, you'll have 24 hours after to pay the balance of the purchase price, and collect the vehicle within three days. All cars will be sold with a reserve price, and if that's not met then the dealer selling the car will be invited to negotiate on the price.