Auction collection checklist after the hammer

Run through these checks on the catalogue, well before you arrive at the gate.

Print the one page tick list to take with you to the compound. To price a driven collection we only need the registration, the compound, both postcodes and your dates, so get an instant quote online or call 0141 459 1302. If the lot cannot legally be driven, a transporter is the right choice and we will tell you.

Our guide to auction collection after release covers the same work in more detail, and if you are choosing between plates and a truck, read trade plate delivery vs transporter.

A simple rule of thumb: if you would not drive it on a public road yourself, it is not a job for a trade plate driver.

A catalogue entry is not an MOT certificate, so check it yourself on check MOT status using the registration.

Trade plates are issued by DVLA, and the GOV.UK trade licence overview explains how they work. Duty and the application process are covered on apply for a trade licence, and the first licence form is VTL301.

OVM already holds its own plates, so you never need to send VTL301 to book a collection. To see what DVLA charges for a licence, read trade plate licence cost, which is separate from the cost of a movement.

Four things need to be in place before we dispatch a driver. Missing any one of them turns a collection into a wasted trip and another day of storage.

1. The release code, or the site's equivalent. The compound issues a release code, a buyer reference or both, so send us whatever you have and our office will check it with the site. If the code has not come through, we hold the booking until it does.

2. Payment. Settle the lot with the auction first, because a movement booking with us does not prove the vehicle is paid for. Until the site confirms the vehicle can leave, there is nothing for a driver to collect.

3. A named collector. Most compounds will not release a vehicle to a stranger at the barrier, so tell the site that OVM is collecting. Our driver arrives with OVM identification, trade plates and anything the gate has asked for. If the site needs the collector named on the release, name us before the driver sets off.

4. The pickup window. The compound sets the collection window. Hours can change, sale days differ from collection days and some sites stop releasing after a cut off. We check with the compound on the day, because arriving after the window means another night in the yard. If you need a same day collection, tell us when you ask for a quote. It is priced for the short notice and still depends on the release being confirmed first.

Also send the registration, compound name, collection and delivery postcodes, a date, a phone number and a named contact who can answer if the gate calls. The Instant Quote shows your price on screen, and you do not need an account to ask.

Every auction group and every site runs its own gate, so we always check the procedure with the compound. Any compound in Scotland, England or Wales is in scope as long as the vehicle is legal to drive, and if your site is not listed on our hub, just ask.

BCA. We collect from BCA compounds including BCA Glasgow, BCA Bellshill, BCA Edinburgh, BCA Livingston, BCA Crawley, BCA Measham, BCA Walsall and BCA Donington Park, along with the rest of the BCA sites on auction collection. Every BCA job follows the same basics: release confirmed with the site before dispatch, a named collector, a roadworthy car or van with a valid MOT and photographs taken before the engine starts. Only the gate procedure varies, and our office checks it with BCA so the driver never has to guess at the barrier.

Manheim. We collect from Manheim compounds including Manheim Manchester, Manheim Shotts, Manheim Leeds, Manheim Washington, Manheim Haydock and the other Manheim sites on our hub. The same approach applies: buyer reference and release confirmed with that Manheim site, then a driver. Procedures can change from one month to the next, so we check every time.

Wilsons. We collect from Wilsons Auctions compounds in Glasgow (Dalry), Newcastle (Birtley), Maidstone, Telford, Queensferry, Newport and Witney. Wilsons runs its own process, but the gate still needs a release and a named collector, which we confirm with the site before collecting. Roadworthy vehicles only.

Independent auctions listed on our hub work the same way, with release and a named collector confirmed before we send a driver.

Auction stock is bought on a description, so the condition record has to start at the compound rather than on your forecourt.

This is your proof of collection. At delivery the same record is taken again and the person receiving the vehicle signs, then you receive digital proof of collection and delivery by email when the job closes.

If the lot is not as described or is not safe to drive, the driver stops and calls the office before it goes anywhere near a public road.

A vehicle starts costing money the moment it sits in the compound. Storage keeps running while you wait for a release code, while a transporter fills its deck, after a driver is turned away for missing paperwork or while you hold out for a cheaper truck next week.

For a single released, roadworthy vehicle, a driven collection as soon as the site gives the go ahead is how you stop the clock, because waiting for a truck to fill can cost more than the move itself. The full comparison is in trade plate delivery vs transporter.

We never dispatch on the off chance. Holding the booking until release is confirmed costs you far less than a wasted day and another night of storage.

If any of the points below apply, do not book a trade plate driver.

Let us know and we will recommend a transporter, because driving the vehicle would invalidate the insurance the movement relies on. If a driver arrives and cannot collect for reasons outside our control, the full fee may still apply.

If the vehicle has a valid MOT, is drivable and released, with a named collector and a confirmed window, it is a job for OVM.