Private plate auction FAQs
For your convenience, useful responses to common auction queries.
You will need to sign up for a Regtransfers account first - you can sign up here. If you already have a Regtransfers account and registration numbers listed to sell with us, simply log in to your account and click on "Valuations" and click on the green List in auction button. This will take you to the selling page where you can select your options. You can also get to this page directly by going to 'Auction > Sell' in the main menu.
If your registration is on a certificate and cannot currently be assigned to a vehicle yet because the DVLA issue date for your registration (March/Sept 1st each year) has not been reached then you should NOT list your registration in the auction. See "Why can't I have the registration supplied on a certificate?" in the Bidding section.
To get a valuation of what we think your registration number would be valued at in the current market, please call us or request a number plate valuation.
This may be because the email address used to request your valuation is not the same as your Regtransfers account email address.
Call us or email us from the registration valuation email address to request that we change the email address on your valuation to your Regtransfers account email address.
A start price is the price at which the auction will start. For example, if you entered a start price of £500 the minimum bid would be £525. It is important to note that if a reserve price is not set then the registration may sell for the minimum bid.
A reserve price is the minimum price that the registration can sell at auction for. You can use this if you wish to set a lower starting price to encourage bids. For example, you could enter a starting price of £500 and a reserve of £1000. Bids can be placed on the registration but it will not sell until £1000 has been reached. If the reserve price is not reached then the registration will not sell.
If you wish, you can set a Buy It Now price. If you enter a Buy It Now price, someone could bypass the bidding system and buy the registration at the Buy It Now price. For example, you may enter a starting price of £1000 but a Buy It Now Price of £1995. In this event, a customer could buy the registration for £1995 even if there are bids up to £1994. If bids are equal or over the Buy It Now price, this option will disappear and the bidding will continue. The Buy It Now price is an optional extra that costs £5 plus VAT.
Listing fees are paid upfront when you list your registration in the auction. The price of the listing fee depends on the higher value of the starting or reserve price. For a full list of listing fees, please see Auction fees. Listing fees are non-refundable except for in exceptional circumstances.
Selling fees are applicable once a registration has sold in the auction. These fees are taken directly from what you are returned for the registration; i.e. selling fees of £150 would be taken from a sale achieving £1500 so the total returned to you would be £1350. The price of the selling fee depends on how much the registration sells for in the auction. Selling fees may vary from time to time. The selling fees payable on an auction sale will be those displayed when the registration was listed in the auction, not those on display when the auction begins or ends. For a list of selling fees, please see Auction fees.
If the auction ends and the reserve has been met then the highest bidder has 7 days to pay the balance. Once the highest bidder has paid the balance, we will confirm the sale in writing. When you receive the confirmation letter, please fill in any required forms and return along with the documents requested. Once we receive the documents from both the buyer and the seller, we will start the transfer process. When the transfer has completed, we will release payment to the seller.
If unsold, your registration will be advertised on the Regtransfers website to give you every opportunity to secure a sale. You can amend this at any time in the Valuations section of your account. You can also list it again in the auction.
Within the first 7 days after the end of the auction, if there are bids on your registration that do not meet your reserve price and you would like to accept the highest bid then you can also offer a second chance to the highest bidder to purchase your registration at that bid price. The bidder will be emailed and then has 7 days to complete the purchase online.
You can "watch" a specific registration by clicking on the Watch button. This will then appear in your Watching list in Auction activity. You will also be sent a reminder email that the auction on that registration is ending soon.
Using your Regtransfers account, you will be able to place bids on any of the lots listed in the auction using the Bid button. Please note: by placing a bid, you are agreeing to buy the registration for the price you bid plus a transfer fee of £80 should your bid be successful in winning the lot. Some numbers are subject to VAT. You must be in possession of valid vehicle documents on which the registration may be transferred to before placing a bid.
This is a measure to protect the buyer. Currently, there is no option of changing the Grantee/Purchaser named on a certificate until it is placed on a vehicle. Therefore the current Grantee/Purchaser will remain on the certificate until the registration is transferred to a vehicle. The DVLA only allows the person named as the Grantee/Purchaser (on a certificate) or Registered Keeper (when on a vehicle) to make changes to the registration.
Once the registration has been transferred to a vehicle, the registered keeper will become the new owner of the registration.
Provided that the registration is assigned to your vehicle first, you are able to apply directly to the DVLA to retain the registration on a certificate.
A deposit of 10% of the winning bid or £100 (whichever is the greater) will be taken and the registration will be removed from the market. You will have 7 days to log in to your account to make the remaining payment and confirm transfer details. If you do not complete payment within 7 days, the deposit will be lost and you will no longer be able to buy the registration for the price bid.
If you encounter problems making payment within this time, please contact [email protected] urgently. Once you have paid the balance and received confirmation of purchase, you will need to send us your vehicle documents. When we have received documents from the buyer and the seller, we can begin the transfer process.
No. You should only bid on a registration if you are committed to purchasing it for the maximum bid (plus transfer fees and VAT, if applicable) you entered. Only in exceptional circumstances may bids be retracted, such as when a seller has misrepresented a registration or does not have the rights to a registration.
If you receive a "Second Chance Offer" email this means the seller of the registration is willing to accept your highest bid in the auction in exchange for the registration. If you wish to purchase the registration for the amount you entered as your highest bid (plus £80 transfer fee plus VAT, if applicable) you have 7 days to log into your Regtransfers account to confirm that you wish to proceed and pay the balance.
If you do not wish to proceed you do not need to do anything as the Second Chance Offer will expire in 7 days although you can email us at [email protected] to advise us that you do not wish to proceed so we can advise the seller.
You can sign up here.
Please check that CAPS Lock is not on and you are entering the correct password. The password is case-sensitive and you must include any symbols (?, !, & etc) you may have included. If necessary, recover your password from the sign in page.
Once we have received correct documentation from both the seller and the buyer, the transfer process takes approximately 10-14 working days but can be longer during busy periods or times when there are postal delays. Some transfers may take longer but the maximum time transfers should take is 12 weeks, although most transfers will be completed long before this time.
Once the transfer is completed, you will be sent a new V5C. When you receive these documents, you should put new acrylic plates on the vehicle and inform your insurance company of the changes.
If you have any questions, or need any help, please remember that we have staff here every day, who will be happy to speak to you on 01582 473788 or email us at [email protected].
Need help?
If you have any questions, or need any help, please remember that we have staff here every day, who will be happy to speak to you on 01582 473788 or email us at [email protected].
Bid increments
The amount a bid increases by is known as a bid increment. Bid increments are smaller when the bid price is low, and larger in higher price brackets.
| Current price | Bid increment |
|---|---|
| £100 - £499.99 | £25 |
| £500 - £999.99 | £50 |
| £1,000 - £9,999.99 | £100 |
| £10,000 - £49,999.99 | £500 |
| £50,000 - £99,999.99 | £1000 |
| £100,000+ | £5000 |
Note that when the current price is less than £100, the minimum bid increment is £100 or the current price plus £25, whichever is the greater.
Fees
You pay a listing fee to sell your registration in our auction and you pay a selling fee when it is sold. Full details can be found on our Auction fees page.
Jargon
We make every attempt to explain things as plainly as possible though we may use terms widely used by government and business to ensure clarity. Our number plate glossary page will help with some of these terms.