Terms of Use
Draft — pending legal review. This text explains how Going Once Cars will work. It is not final and may change before launch.
These terms apply when you use the Going Once Cars website and apps to buy or sell a car. Please read them together with our Auction Rules and Privacy Policy.
1. Who we are
Going Once Cars (“GOC”, “we”, “us”) runs an online auction marketplace for used cars in the Balkans. Operator: Going Once Cars, 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA, United Kingdom (company registration number to be added). You can contact us at legal@goingoncecars.com.
2. Our role
We are not the seller of the cars. Verified private sellers and dealers list their own cars. We run the auction, collect the winning buyer's payment, hold it until the handover, prepare the sale contract and pay the seller. The sale contract for each car is between the buyer and the seller.
3. Your account
You must be at least 18 and legally able to enter into contracts. You may have one account, in your own name, with accurate details. You can sign up with your email address or with your Google account. To bid, buyers need an active yearly plan, a saved valid card and a verified ID. Sellers verify their ID and show that they own the car or are authorised to sell it. Keep your login details safe: you are responsible for what happens in your account.
4. Bidding
Every bid is binding. If you are the highest bidder when the auction ends and the minimum price is reached (or the seller accepts your bid), you must buy the car. Auctions run for 24, 48 or 72 hours, and a bid in the last 2 minutes adds 2 minutes. Our Auction Rules explain the details.
5. Buyer plans
To bid you need an active yearly plan, which you buy in your account on our website: Basic (€9.99 a year, buyer fee 5%) or Trader (€49.99 a year, for car traders: buyer fee 3.5%, priority support and priority alerts). Prices include VAT. Payments are processed by Stripe. The plan renews automatically every year until you turn off renewal, which you can do at any time under “Manage plan and card”; the plan then stays active until the end of the year you paid for. The card you pay for the plan with is saved on your account as your bidding card. A plan is personal and may not be shared. This does not affect your rights as a consumer.
6. Paying for a car
The winner pays Going Once Cars, never the seller: the final price plus the buyer fee, by card or bank transfer, within 3 business days of the end of the auction. If you don't pay on time, we may cancel the sale, offer the car to the next-highest bidder and block bidding on your account or suspend it.
7. Pickup and handover
After you pay, you choose one of the pickup times we offer and receive a 6-character release code. At the handover the seller checks your ID, you both sign the sale contract we prepare, and the seller enters your code. The car, its keys and the risk of loss or damage pass to you at the handover. The ownership transfer is completed as required by local law.
8. Selling a car
Describe the car honestly, including known damage, faults and the true mileage, and upload real photos of it. The car must be free of debts, liens and other claims unless the listing says otherwise. Keep it available and in the condition described until the handover, and don't sell it elsewhere while it is listed. We pay you the final price minus the €50 success fee by bank transfer, 1–2 business days after the handover.
9. Contact goes through GOC
Buyers and sellers do not contact each other. All messages go through Going Once Cars. Don't share phone numbers, email addresses or social media profiles, and don't arrange a sale or payment outside Going Once Cars.
10. Condition of the car
Cars are used and are sold as described in the listing. Inspection reports are prepared by independent partner garages and describe the car on the day of the inspection; they are not a warranty. Read the listing and the report carefully before you bid.
11. Fees
Listing a car is free. Sellers pay a €50 success fee only when the car sells; we deduct it from the payout. To bid, buyers need a yearly plan (Basic €9.99 or Trader €49.99 a year) and, if they win, pay a buyer fee of 5% (Basic) or 3.5% (Trader) of the final price, at least €99 and at most €599. The rate of the plan you have when you win applies. Sellers can order an inspection report (€39). We always show a fee before you agree to pay it.
12. What isn't allowed
Bidding on your own car or asking others to do so, placing bids you don't intend to honour, listing a car you are not entitled to sell, giving false information, sharing your account or plan with others, and any attempt to manipulate an auction or avoid our fees. We may remove listings, cancel bids and suspend or close accounts that break these terms.
13. Our responsibility
We work hard to keep Going Once Cars accurate and available, but we can't promise it will always be free of errors or interruptions. As far as the law allows, we are not responsible for a seller's description of their car or for losses we did not cause. Nothing in these terms limits the rights you have under consumer protection law.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. If a change is important, we will tell you in the app or by email before it applies. Auctions that have already started continue under the terms that applied when they started.
15. Law and disputes
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you are a consumer, you also keep the protection of the mandatory law of the country where you live. If something goes wrong, contact us first at legal@goingoncecars.com and we will try to solve it with you.
Questions about this document? Write to us at legal@goingoncecars.com.