SOME of Ireland’s top motor dealers have signed up to a Limerick company’s new national selling platform that could change the way that second-hand cars are sold from forecourts nationwide.
Autoauction.ie is being launched this week by Limerick auctioneer Michael O’Connor and his team, who are also behind successful national property auction site Youbid.ie, which has brought a new dimension to that market in its impressive first year.
The platform will hold monthly live auctions designed to make the purchasing of cars from dealers around Ireland quicker and easier, to the benefit of both the buyer and the garage.
Dealers such as Frank Hogan in Limerick, Annesley Williams in Dublin and Finbarr Galvin in Cork are already on board for the first auction, featuring around 50 top quality cars, which opens for bids Monday July 12 at 10am until 2pm Tuesday July 13 with staggered closing times for each vehicle.
“There is a shortage of top-quality second-hand vehicles on the market at the moment, and we aim to be a one-stop shop for buyers and dealers,” said Michael O’Connor, Managing Director of autoauction.ie
“Our industry-leading auction technology makes it makes it seamless for garages to sell vehicles to private and trade purchasers with transparency and security throughout the process.
“Buyers will find the most comprehensive and secure auction software on the market, easy to navigate, with smooth transactions from start to finish.
“We are skilled auctioneers and negotiators with over 30 years’ experience, and our process has proved to be a massive success for both buyers and sellers.”
In advance of monthly auctions, garages will list their available cars on the site, and buyers can browse listed vehicles with the option to perform a vehicle background check.
They can then contact the relevant garages through the platform to arrange viewings.
“The benefits to garages are huge – we are exposed to a nationwide audience of motivated buyers who know the cars they want and trust the dealers that are selling them,” said John Fitzgerald, General Manager, Frank Hogan Limerick.
“Most importantly, the vehicles don’t need to leave our forecourt, so we can use Auto Auction as a platform in conjunction with our other sales methods.”
Each vehicle is given a reserve, and if these are not met, dealers will be contacted about potential negotiations.
Potential purchasers register with the site in advance, lodging a refundable deposit of €500, and have 24 hours post-auction to pay the balance of the purchase price to auto auction.ie
The vehicle must then be collected by close of business three days after the auction.
