How to buy a car at auction safely

At an online auction you bid from your phone, you don't have to haggle and your money is held until you have the car. The risks are elsewhere: bidding more than you planned, missing something in the listing, or falling for someone who asks you to pay outside the platform. These eight steps cover all three.

1. Set your full budget

Your budget is more than the winning bid. On Going Once Cars you pay the winning price plus the buyer fee: 5% on the Basic plan or 3.5% on the Business plan, at least €99, with no maximum. After the purchase come the costs of transferring ownership, insurance and perhaps a first service.

Example with illustrative figures: you win a car at €7,000 on the Basic plan. The buyer fee is 5%, so €350, and you pay Going Once Cars €7,350.

The bid screen shows the fee and the total before you bid. If you buy cars often, compare the plans: on a single car of about €3,000 or more, Business's lower fee already makes up the difference in the yearly price.

2. Read the whole listing

Look at every photo: each listing has at least 8 required shots (the front, the rear, both sides, both three-quarter views, the dashboard with the mileage and the front seats), and many have 20 or more. Then read the damage list and its close-ups, the mileage, the number of owners, the service history and the answers about warning lights, accident history and the timing belt or chain. If something isn't shown or written, treat it as unknown, not as fine.

3. Check the VIN and the documents

The VIN is the car's 17-character code and it appears in the listing. Some listings carry the badge Registration document checked: the seller photographed the registration certificate and we compared it with the car's details and the seller's verified ID. Before you bid you can also use the VIN for a history check with a service you trust. At the pickup, check that the VIN on the car and on the documents matches the listing.

4. Compare the price

In the app, the price guide on the car's page shows an estimated value range for that car. You can also try our free valuation and look at similar cars. Remember that prices in adverts are asking prices: cars often sell for less.

5. Set a maximum bid, and don't rush

Decide the most you are willing to pay, with the fee included, and enter it as your maximum bid. The system bids for you one step at a time, only when someone else bids, and never above your maximum. You don't need to watch the last seconds: a bid in the last 2 minutes extends the auction, so nobody wins by surprise.

Every bid is binding. If you win, you must pay. So don't raise your maximum in the heat of the moment just because someone else bid.

6. Pay only Going Once Cars

When you win, you have 3 business days to pay: until 17:00 on the third business day, Tirana and Pristina time. Pay by card or by bank transfer to Going Once Cars' account shown in the app, with your payment reference. A Buy Now purchase is paid by card at once.

Never pay the seller, and never pay a "deposit" to reserve a car outside the app. Money paid outside Going Once Cars isn't held by us, and we can't protect it. More in safe payment for a used car.

7. At the pickup, check before you give the code

After you pay, book a pickup slot and you get a 6-character handover code. On the day:

1. Show your ID: the seller checks your name.
2. Check the car against the listing: the VIN, the mileage, the damage and the equipment.
3. Check every key, the registration certificate and any papers that were listed.
4. Sign the Going Once Cars sale contract with the seller.
5. Only then give the seller your code. Once they enter it, the car is yours and we go ahead with paying the seller.

If something doesn't match, don't give the code. Write to GOC Support from the pickup, with photos if you can, and don't renegotiate the price or pay anything in cash. Our used car checklist helps you check the car quickly.

8. After the purchase: transfer and insurance

The sale contract records the sale. Transferring ownership and registering the car follow the rules of the country where it is registered, and you need valid insurance before you drive. Ask a notary or the vehicle registration office what applies to your purchase, and keep your copy of every paper.

Warning signs of a scam

Stop and check in the app if:

• someone asks you to pay a deposit or "reserve" the car outside the app;
• a payment link or a bank account comes from anywhere other than the app;
• someone who says they are from GOC asks for your handover code, your password or your card details (we never do);
• a seller asks for the code before you have checked the car and signed;
• a message pushes you to act fast, or comes from an address that doesn't end in @goingoncecars.com.