As auctions become a more popular way to purchase a vehicle, more people are wondering about transport and storage options for auto auction buyers. The amount of options has significantly increased over the years. There were a variety of factors that caused this, but one of the biggest is the internet. Now that more auto auctions are held online, the chances that the buyer and seller are nearby shrink significantly. Fortunately, there are several potential solutions that all have their own benefits and drawbacks.
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to shipping and storage options for auto auction buyers is that it is all on you. While some auction houses and online auto auction sites will have a system in place to handle transportation and/or storage, this isn’t always the case so you should always be prepared to take the initiative and handle it yourself. Before we get into specifics, it is important to keep in mind that when you make a purchase from an auction house, they have a small window (normally between 1 and 3 days) to pick up your vehicle so you need to have the transportation and storage strategy set up in advance.
The first question that you have to answer is whether you want to address storage and transportation together or separately. This will help you determine what your best options are. Additionally, in some cases the number of vehicles that you need shipped can affect which options are the most cost-effective as well.
Dealing With Transport and Storage Options For Auto Auction Buyers Together
If you want a one-stop-shop type of experience, then you have two primary options. The first is to work through the auction house when possible. This is particularly true if you are using online auction websites. In most cases, the websites team up with a nationwide network of vehicle transportation companies. This provides you with two advantages. The first is that the entire process is nearly hands-free. All you need to do is tell them where to deliver your vehicle (sometimes it will be delivered to a nearby auction house or shipping company). The second benefit is that this can be less expensive because multiple people are using the same thing. With more buyers, the average cost per person decreases. If a vehicle hauling truck is full, then the cost per car is much lower than if it was half-full.
The other way to handle these two issues together is by using a pods-like shipping service. With these services, you can get a portable storage container to keep your new car in and have it shipped directly to your front door. In most situations this will be a little more expensive, however you can also have other items in the pod at the same time, which could reduce your overall shipping costs.
Dealing With Transport and Storage Options For Auto Auction Buyers Separately
If you don’t want a “package deal” then you will need to address the transportation and storage independently One option is to pay someone to drive your car to you. This is becoming less common, but is still a viable strategy. In most cases, you will pay for all of their expenses (including a plane ticket back to their home) as well as some type of service charge. Another shipping option is to use a standard tow truck or moving truck to haul your new vehicle to you. Keep in mind that this can be expensive as well.
In terms of storage, you can often rent a storage space through the auction house. They tend to have partnerships with nearby storage services or will store it on-site. This is normally the best option if you plan on driving the vehicle yourself, but need to store it for a few months until you can actually get to it.
If you are not planning on going to pick up the vehicle yourself, the best transport and storage options for auto auction buyers is usually the all-in-one approach. It is not only a much easier solution to get in place, but it will normally be more cost-efficient because the process leverages thousands of auction buyers across the country who are all needing their vehicles shipped to them – thus decreasing the overall price.
