DVLA auction experience

Since getting my new car I have been wanting a private plate of my own, after all my father and sister both have private plates, so why not me?

scouring the internet I'm struggling to find something i like that i can afford, so i decided to look at the upcoming DVLA auction. Low and behold, just the plate for me ALL81G (ALL BIG) with a reserve of just £400…

with the DVLA Auctions (which are run by SMA) you have 4 ways to bid, all of which require prior registration for the auction;

1. in person on the day
2. on the telephone
3. on the internet
4. as an absentee/postal bid (you state your upper limit and the auctioneer bids on your behalf)

as the last time i attended an auction i was knee high to a giraffe and have no recollection of it, i decided to bid in person. the registration process is simple, just fill in a form on the internet (clicky), and give them your credit card info – a 10% deposit is taken if your bid is successful.

it is important to remember that (in 2010) the auction price is subject to 17.5%VAT, 7.5% buyer’s premium, 17.5% VAT on buyer’s premium and an £80 assignment fee. i.e. what ever you bid remember to add 25% (approximately) to reach the final cost.

you should arrive at the venue at least 30 minutes before the lot you  want to bid on is due to go under the hammer, in case there is any further registration you need to complete and so they can issue you with your bidder number.

the venue varies for each auction and today it was the turn of the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, a lovely looking place with terrible acoustics. the auction room was circular with the auctioneers and telephone operators on one side, about 50 chairs in the middle and standing room at the back.
the chairs were about half full with bidders and there were about 15-20 people standing at the back who were all talking. the auctioneers take it in turns to auction lots and did a good job of talking loud and clear (except the Scottish guy who I'm sure used some obscure Glaswegian dialect), but it was still hard to concentrate with so many people talking. then about 15 minutes in 3 families with babies turned up and i started to get a headache!

in amongst all this noise an auction was taking place and with each Lot taking on average just over a minute to complete we were fast approaching Lot 48, the reason i was there.

for those of you unfamiliar with such things as i was, i will try to explain the bidding process.

the auction starts at the reserve price, then the absentee bids (if there are any) are bid against each other until there is only 1. then everyone else can bid – floor, telephone and internet, it’s kind of a free for all with a bell going off every time an internet bid is placed.
if there are no absentee bids then the lot is offered to the floor at the reserve price first to start the bidding before then accepting bids from the internet and telephones.

so to my bidding experience…

Lot 48 had a reserve of £400, but 2 absentee bids pushed it up to £500. i started the floor bidding at £550 (minimum bid increment is £50) and was quickly followed by someone directly behind me. at £750 (my limit) the bidding stopped and it looked like i was going to win it! the auctioneer started the “going once” spiel (they try to drum up more bidders throughout), then said “going twice”, my heart is pounding, I'm about to win my first live auction… But wait, the other bidder is directly behind me, i can’t see him, am i the highest bid? Did he point at me or the other guy?! Just to make sure, i flash my bidding card again. the auctioneer sees me, points at me and says “the bid is already with you, sir”… phew, I'm going to win!
But wait, the guy behind me must have been confused too, he’s bidding again!! I'm going to lose! i don’t want to lose! i bid again.
back and forth we bid up to £950, I'm over my limit, but i don’t care, I'm winning!! the other guy’s dropped out, it’s definitely  me winning this time! seconds tick by which feel like hours, the auctioneer says “going once at £950”, my heart is fluttering, then “going twice at £950” sweat is beading on my brow, then just as he opens his mouth to speak – BRRRRING… it’s the sound which signal’s an internet bid coming in, then almost immediately after BRRRRING, another internet bit and another. people on the internet are now bidding against each other! I'm out. having already bid over my limit, i sensibly stay out of it and am gutted when it finally goes for £1500 (£1974.69 including tax) which is double my limit.

if i hadn’t succumbed to the confusion and shown my card again, then i would have that plate for £750, also as the auctioneers vary the speed with which they close each lot, a different auctioneer may not have given me time to doubt or time for the late internet bids to come in… either way my search continues…

in the same auction was 39ASH, but as the reserve was £1900 i didn’t bid and it ended up going for £3600.

here are some more results from the auction;

Plate	Reserve (£)	Sale (£)	Bidder		Plate	Reserve (£)	Sale (£)	Bidder
999A	2900	5000	I		3AFA	1900	1900	B
98AA	2900	5500	T		4AFP	1900	UNSOLD
AAA44A	900	3600	T		AFT4D	400	1900	I
6AAS	1900	1900	B		97AG	2800	5700	T
AAT71F	450	900	B		AGG7Y	400	400	B
800AB	2700	4600	T		100AGS	1900	4300	B
ABB13E	400	2100	B		8AHD	1900	1900	B
ABB88S	400	400	B		5AHL	1900	1900	B
ABE641L	400	400	T		AHM11R	400	1300	B
ABF8	1900	2500	B		AHM14D	400	4400	B
ABR9M	400	850	B		95AJ	2800	5100	B
ABR44R	400	4400	B		AJA2S	400	2600	B
87AC	2800	6300	T		15AJC	1900	4800	T
11ACK	1900	2800	B		13AJL	1900	UNSOLD
13ACP	1900	UNSOLD			17AJP	1900	5100	B
ACT3D	400	550	B		56AJS	1900	3200	I
90AD	2800	5600	T		59AK	2800	6900	B
14ADC	1900	2500	B		AKR777M	400	700	B
ADE14S	400	650	B		97AL	2900	5500	B
16ADJ	1900	1900	I		ALF4E	400	1800	I
ADM11N	400	1300	A		ALL81G	400	1500	I
ADR333S	400	1600	T		18ALS	1900	2400	T
ADS19	1900	4800	T		APE12	1900	UNSOLD
80AE	2700	3200	I		666AS	2700	3400	B
5AEP	1900	2500	B		39ASH	1900	3600	I
AERIC	700	800	B		ASK54M	400	1600	B
93AF	2800	3500	A		ASK805S	400	2600	B

(I = internet bid, T = Telephone bid, A = absentee bid, B = Bid in person)