Buying Desk
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Auction cost calculator

What does auctionreally cost you?

Move the sliders to match how you buy. See what the fees and transport add to every car, and what you keep when the seller brings it to you instead. Before you've made a penny on the car itself.

At auction

Ex VAT
£8,000
£2,000£40,000
What you'd typically win the car for
£806
£0£2,000

Standard published fee at a major UK auction for this price. Change it to match yours.

£250
£0£600
Hall to your forecourt
£0
£0£300
Condition reports, logbook, online bidding
I'm not VAT registeredAdds 20% VAT to the fee, charges and transport, as you can't reclaim it

With Buying Desk

Bought direct
Same as the hammer
£1,500 under£500 over
Nobody's bidding against you
£0
£0£200
Usually nothing: they drive it in
4
130

Every year£50,688£1,056 a car · £4,224 a month

How we work it out

Buyer's fee

Starts at a major UK auction's standard published fee for an £8,000 car. Regular buyers on lower tiers should enter their own.

Transport

A typical regional move from the hall to your forecourt. Closer auctions cost less, further ones more.

What you pay the seller

Set to the hammer price, so the saving is only the extras. Nobody's bidding against you, so you can move it.

VAT

Everything is ex VAT, as most dealers reclaim it. Not registered? Switch it on and we add it.

The saving is the easy part.Getting the sellers is what we do.

Buying Desk gives you your own buying site. Local sellers get a real price instantly and book a time to bring the car in. You get the appointment, not a form to chase.

Get your buying siteSee how it works
  1. 1A real price, instantlyPriced by your rules, with MOT history checked.
  2. 2They book themselves inA time within your opening hours, straight away.
  3. 3You get a text, then you buyNo buyer's fee, no transport, no bidding war.

Auction costs,answered

Straight answers. Anything else, ask us directly.

Fees

How much are auction buyer's fees?

They're set on a sliding scale by sale price, so they rise with the car's value. On a major UK auction's standard published rates, an £8,000 car carries a buyer's fee of around £806 before VAT. Regular buyers on lower tiers pay less.

Is buying from the public cheaper than auction?

Usually. Even paying the same price for the car, you skip the buyer's fee, the transport and the extra charges. And with nobody bidding against you, you set the price.

Do I pay VAT on auction fees?

Yes, VAT is charged on the fees. VAT-registered dealers can usually reclaim it, which is why the calculator works ex VAT by default. If you're not registered, switch it on.

How do I get sellers to come to me?

Give them a real price and an easy way to book. Your Buying Desk site does both, under your name. Share the link on your website, adverts and forecourt, and on higher plans we help bring more sellers to it.

Charlie Wood

Founder, Buying Desk

We build websites for independent dealers, and we kept seeing the cars they wanted go through auction instead of to them. Buying Desk is the buying site we built so those sellers come straight to you. Ask us anything. You'll get a straight answer.

Get your buying site

Ready to buy cheaper stock?

Tell us about your dealership. We'll check your area, walk you through it and set up your buying site with you.

Get your buying site