Woodford Bid

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Auctions

We sell new or used vehicles, including passenger cars, commercial vehicles and trucks.

We run auctions in two different formats: online-only and online-and-onsite.

An online-only auction only allows bids to be placed via the website. It operates within a strict time window, and all bidders must have registered and approved accounts on the website. Only electronic bids are considered, and this also supports auto-bids (commission bids). Vehicles (lots) may all have the same closing time, or they may have staggered closing times, which can be extended by late bids.

This is an auction that takes place at a physical location and is run by an auction master. The auction is held on a single day and vehicles (lots) are usually sold one at a time, but sometimes grouped into batches. Online bids are accepted simultaneously, and the auction master will consider online bids while he takes bids from the floor. Due to the lag of waiting for online bids to come through, online bids can sometimes be closed off when a lot is close to "hammer time". The most effective form of online bidding is to use auto-bids (commission bids), which allow you to effectively bid up to a limit you specify.

All forms of auctions operate off the same registered accounts you hold with Woodford Bid. For an onsite auction, you can choose to register online or you can arrive at the venue and register at the reception desk. The requirements are the same for each approach, and you will always have an online account created for you, which you can access using your email or password. Once you have registered, you will receive a bidder number, and you can bid either on the floor or online, or both, depending on the format for the specific auction. If you are a reatil customer (not a dealership), you will also be required to pay a deposit before bidding - please read the auction rules to determine the deposit cost.

Each auction has its own rules and pricing structures. For instance, if the auction specifies a 5% buyer's commission and a 15% exclusive VAT rate, and you bid R100,000, then your final invoiced amount will be R100,000 * 5% * 15% = R120,750. In some cases auctions will be VAT inclusive and have no buyer's commission, meaning that the price you bid is the price you pay. Please read and understand the rules for each auction before you begin bidding.

Woodford Bid currently doesn't have support for a buy-now model where you purchase a vehicle at a set price away from auction hours. Please contact us again in the future to check on when this capability is launched.

Bidding

Each vehicle listed in an auction has a bid price that goes up as each bidder makes an offer. When the auction end-time is reached, the current highest bid price is the winner, and the bidder is obliged to purchase the vehicle at the winning price.

You need to register a free account on Woodford Bid and you need to be logged into that account. When you register a new account, it will go through an approval process and you may be required to submit supporting paperwork. You can only bid for vehicles once your account has been approved. If you are a reatil customer (not a dealership), you will also be required to pay a deposit before bidding - please read the auction rules to determine the deposit cost and the payment methods accepted.

You can bid for vehicles while an auction is live, which is the period between the start and end dates of the auction. Go to "Upcoming Auctions" and click on a "Live" auction, if there is any. You can then view the vehicles available, and click "Make Bid" to enter an offer price. If there are no offers yet, you can bid the starting price, otherwise you can bid the current winning price, plus the required minimum increment. In other words, if the current winning price is R10,000 and the minimum increment is R1,000, you must bid at least R11,000. You can bid any price upwards of that mark, in case you want to increase your chances of having the winning bid at the close of the auction.

If the auction format includes "onsite", then you can stand on the floor while the auction master runs the auction. He will check if there are any offers at a certain price, and you can wave your hand if you make a bid at that price. He will check if there are any higher bids. He will usually call out "going once, going twice, sold" and if you have the highest bid, then you will be asked to provide your unique bidder number (your account number). You will probably be given a cardboard copy of this to show the auction master. You only need to provide your bidder number if you win a lot. If you feel uncertain about the process, you can simply attend an auction and observe the process until you feel comfortable.

Each auction has a start and end date and time, and bidding is only enabled within that period. Bidding is not restricted to office hours. In the case of a late bid on a vehicle in an online-only auction, the end time will be extended for 5 minutes for that vehicle only.

Yes, you can bid again. It is possible that you want to set a higher bid to increase the chance of winning a bid. If you have a maximum price in mind, you may want to create an auto-bid instead, which will enable the system to bid on your behalf, up to the maximum price you specify.

No, you can't cancel a bid. Once you submit a bid, you enter into a legally binding agreement to purchase a vehicle if you have the highest bid price at the close of the auction. If the reserve price has not yet been met, Woodford Bid may review the auction and accept some offers. In the case of onsite auctions, a bid may be sold STC (Subject To Confirmation) - the price may be below the reserve, but some offers will still be accepted. Either way, you'll receive a proforma invoice via email which will incidate which lots you have won, and if you believe there are discrepancies in that list then you can contact us for further information.

A reserve price is an industry-standard feature which prevents auction items from being sold below a price the seller is willing to sell at. Reserve prices are non-disclosed and you will be informed immediately if your winning bid still falls short of the reserve price. If the reserve price has not been reached at the end of the auction, the vehicle will not be sold and may be relisted again in a future auction. If your bid falls short of the reserve price, you can continue bidding upward until the reserve price is reached and the reserve warning message goes away.

Each auction has specific rules that indicate whether there is a buyer's commission or if VAT is inclusive. Please read the rules to determine whether your bidding price is all-inclusive or includes additional charges. On top of paying the final invoice price, you will be expected to collect the vehicle at your own expense. Since most vehicles on auction are in used condition, you may encounter repair costs after-the-fact. Many vehicle listings will contain assessment information listing known defects, and in other cases you can physically view the vehicles at the times prescribed for the auction.

In all cases, Woodford Bid can decide which of two competing bids to accept. In the case of online bidding, two bids at the same time is very unlikely to happen, and the system will choose the earlier of two equal bids. In the case of onsite bidding, the auction master will usually indicate which bid he accepts. If an online bid is supplied which matches an on-floor bid, the on-floor bid will usually take preference. If you are participating online in an online-and-onsite auction, your most effective form of bidding is to set an auto-bid up to the maximum level you are willing to pay.

At the end of the auction, the highest bid for each vehicle will secure the vehicle, as long as the reserve price has been met. Should there be no winning bid, the vehicle will likely be relisted in a future auction. After the auction has been reviewed, you will receive a proforma invoice by email containing the list of winning bids and the final amount due to be paid.

The vehicle must be paid and collected within 48 hours. Payment must be done in full via bank cheque or EFT. Vehicles must be collected from their current location as indicated during the auction. Full payment instructions will be provided to you by email upon completion of the auction. For more information, please also see the Terms & Conditions.

A lot is an auction term for a single item being auctioned. In the case of Woodford Bid, each lot usually represents a single vehicle with a unique license plate registration. A single auction item can be uniquely identified by the combination of auction number and lot number. Sometimes vehicles will be listed on more than one auction in the case that they went unsold.

No. Auctions take place either online-only, or online-and-onsite. In both cases you can bid online, and in the case of onsite auctions you can also physically attend and bid for auctions by signalling to the auction master.

If you paid a deposit, you will only get it back if you didn't have a winning bid, otherwise the deposit will be used to reduce the total amount to be paid. Deposits will automatically be paid back within 7 working days from the day after the auction closes and require no further action on your part. Please note that bank payments can take time to clear in your account.

Auto-Bids

If you create an auto-bid, the system will continue bidding incrementally on your behalf, without exceeding the maximum amount you specify. In some industries this is called a "commission bid". There is a required bid increment amount on each auction item, and the auto-bidding facility will use that to decide the amount for each new bid. Because the next increment might exceed your limit, your auto-bid limit might not be hit exactly. Other bidders can also use auto-bids, so you might find the current bid price escalate quickly if two auto-bids have been set on the same vehicle, but your maximum limit will never be exceeded.

The auto-bid facility is provided free of charge. Single bids or auto-bids carry the same bidding power and legal weight, except that auto-bids provide additional convenience by representing you up to a certain amount.

If you have an auto-bid created and you are winning the lot, you will see the auto-bid icon A. If you click on "Make Bid", you can view the limit of your auto-bid, and you have the option to delete the auto-bid.

No, once you have a winning bid on an item, regardless of whether it was created by auto-bidding or not, you have entered a binding agreement for that bid and it cannot be deleted.

Yes, you can. The most recent auto-bid you created for a vehicle will always take preference, regardless of whether the new limit is higher or lower. You can simply create a new auto-bid, or if you prefer, you can delete the existing one first and then create a new one. If you already have the highest bid, creating an auto-bid will not create a fresh new bid.

Vehicles

The vehicles are sourced from Woodford Group, unless stated otherwise. The majority of vehicles are previous car rental or commercial vehicles, maintained to a high standard as per Woodford Car Hire's standards. In other cases the vehicles are sourced from trusted suppliers and are assessed before being listed on an auction. You can view assessment information when you view the vehicle on our website.

Woodford Car Hire prides itself in its high level of vehicle maintenance. Woodford customers leave thousands of online reviews testifying to the high standard of Woodford vehicles, and Woodford prides itself in maintaining a high review score. Repairs are carried out by accredited service providers. In the case that a vehicle is placed on auction with unrepaired issues, you will see these issues listed under the section "Assessment". Each issue includes a description and an estimated cost to repair, given in good faith, which serves purely as a guideline to assist you in making a decision. When estimating a vehicle's value, you should include general wear and tear into your consideration. Pictures of each vehicle are usually included.

While Woodford attempts to represent the state of each vehicle as accurately as possible, vehicles are sold as-is, and any further repairs will be done at the expense of the new owner.

Yes, you can. Each vehicle's current location is indicated, and you can contact Woodford Bid in order to arrange viewing of a vehicle.

During the auction period, you can query vehicle information by contacting Woodford Bid. Please remember to include relevant information like the registration or the lot number. Woodford Bid may choose to suspend bidding on that vehicle until the concern is cleared up, or the vehicle may be withdrawn and re-auctioned at a future date, at Woodford's discretion. After a winning bid is finalised, the vehicle is sold as-is.

In some cases, Woodford may come across a discrepancy in the displayed vehicle information, pictures or pricing. During the investigation and resolution of the issue, Woodford may choose to suspend bidding on the vehicle. After a period of suspension, bidding may be allowed to resume, or the vehicle will be withdrawn from the auction. Any bids placed on the vehicle prior to its suspension or withdrawing will become null and void and carry no obligation or right. The vehicle may be relisted on a future auction at Woodford's discretion. Alternatively, Woodford may choose to suspend or cancel an entire auction if technical issues are encountered, or if severe concerns are raised about bidding practices.

The Website

Yes, you can. The website will work the same whether you are on a desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device. You only need to open the website in your mobile browser and proceed as you would on other devices. We recommend you use a modern mobile browser like Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

No, the mobile website provides essentially the same features as an app, but it has the advantage that changes and bug fixes can be pushed out to users more quickly than an app which requires users to download an update.

You are recommended to use industry-leading browsers such as Chrome or Firefox. Other browsers like Edge and Safari should work fine, but if you have older browsers like Internet Explorer, Woodford Bid cannot guarantee that all the features will work. Should you encounter any unexpected issues, or if you would like to make suggestions for improvement, please Contact Us.

Woodford Bid is a progressive platform, and we are continually looking to add changes and features that improve the customer experience. If you encounter an issue or if you would like to see a new feature included, please Contact Us with a description. For bugs that are encountered, capturing a screenshot would be of great assistance.


For further information, please see the Terms & Conditions or Contact Us.