Sign up
Already have an account? Sign in here
FAQ
FAQ
In addition to the final purchase price paid to the seller, buyers pay a 4.5% buyer’s fee to Wheels4Bids. The buyer’s fee has a minimum of $225, and a maximum of $4,500.
In order to register, first sign up by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right corner of the screen – then click “Sign up here” in the box that subsequently pops up. Once you create a username and password, you’ll be prompted to verify your email address. After you’ve done that, you can return to Wheels4Bids and you’ll be prompted to register to bid.
If you don’t want to register just yet, no problem – you can do it later. Once you find a car you want to bid on, click “Place Bid” on the car’s listing page, and you’ll be prompted to register before you can bid. You will have to enter your credit information, as we place a hold on each bidder’s credit card until the conclusion of the auction.
In order to place a bid, you first have to register, which we’ve explained above. Once you’ve registered and you’ve found a car you’re interested in buying, bidding is easy – just click the “Place Bid” icon on a vehicle’s listing page. Then, you’re prompted to enter your bid amount.
Your bid must be higher than the previous bid, of course – and depending on the current bidding level, there may be a minimum increase over the previous bid. Once you’ve submitted your bid, we place a hold on your credit card for 4.5% of your bid amount until the duration of the auction, in case you end up as the winning bidder.
All bids on Wheels4Bids are in Canadian Dollars (CND).
Yes, however you will need to pay in full for the vehicle promptly following the close of the auction, just like all other buyers. Additionally, any logistics, import fees, transportation, legal dues, and/or other items needed to export/import the vehicle are entirely the buyer’s responsibility. Please ensure you’re aware of all these rules and you have everything fully in place prior to bidding. The close of the auction is not the time to begin researching transportation logistics and import regulations.
You can contact the seller privately through the auction description page for the seller’s vehicle. Just click the “Contact the seller” link next to the seller’s name, and you’ll be able to send the seller a private message that won’t appear on the auction itself.
No. If you are outbid, you will need to manually input your next bid. Note that the price of the vehicle will immediately progress to your bid amount. For example, if the current high-bid is $30,000 and you input a $35,000 bid, the current high bid will immediately go to $35,000.
We place a hold on your credit card when you bid in order to account for the possibility that you may have to pay the buyer’s fee, should you end up as the winning bidder. The hold is for 4.5% of your initial bid amount, with a minimum of $225 and a maximum of $4,500. If you aren’t the winning bidder, the hold is released from your credit card at the conclusion of the auction.
We cancel holds for non-winning bidders immediately upon the conclusion of the auction. Depending on your bank, it may take a few days - or up to 7 business days, in rare cases - for the hold to appear removed; please contact your card issuer directly with any questions about the timeline and process.
If you’re the high bidder on a car where the reserve isn’t met, we’ll work with you and the seller to find a sale price suitable for both parties. If we can reach an agreement, we’ll put the high bidder and seller in contact – and our fee drops to 2.5%.
Only the high bidder is eligible to make a post-auction deal. Bid as high as you are comfortable during the auction, as this is the best way to ensure you end up with the car you want.
At the conclusion of the auction, both the buyer and seller are given each other’s contact information to complete the transaction.
Keep in mind that the time to get approved for a loan is prior to bidding! The information provided in the listing is often sufficient for pre-approval for that specific vehicle, but if other information is required by your lender, please use the “Contact” button to reach out to the seller.
Transportation costs are always the buyer’s responsibility, so we recommend gathering personal travel and/or shipping cost estimates before bidding. There are many options for how to collect your new vehicle, such as booking a one-way flight and driving home, or going with a trailer to pick up the car. However, we always suggest shipping as an easy and often more affordable option.
Please be sure to verify that a general timeline would work for the seller before bidding. Some sellers may be happy to store the car briefly to allow you time to pick it up, and may also be willing to bring the car to a nearby location for it to be loaded onto a shipping truck. Note that title transfers, paying off loans, etc. may take a little bit of time. When in doubt, contact the seller and make sure the timing works for them!
We recommend wire transfers or cashier’s checks for payment, but there are many possible options. We do recommend discussing the potential timeline with the seller as early as possible to ensure that you’re both comfortable with the timing and steps.