If you are looking for police seized vehicles for sale in the UK, a starting point is searching for information on the regional police department’s website. For example, in the West Midlands, you can find information on https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/police-auctions.
Sometimes, there would be adverts in the local newspapers with the auction dates and their venues.
In the UK, most police seized goods, including luxury repossessed cars, as well as other governmental auctions, are done via carefully selected auction companies. Finding the names of these auction houses is easily done by checking the area’s police department’s website. The auctions may be held on sites where you will need to go in person or in online auctions that allow you to bid via an app or on the company’s website.
Police auctions scam
Searching online for police and government repossessed cars might give a result in pointing to websites that seem to genuinely belong to the police. Unfortunately, scammers rush to take advantage of people interested in buying police seized goods.
Before rushing into adding your details to these websites, remember to:
- Check with the official police/government department
- Check reviews from other users
- There should not be an upfront pay requirement
- Information about upcoming auctions/list of items for sale should be free
An example of a fraudulent site is https://www.police-auctions.org.uk. The site does look genuine and you might be tempted to rush to add your details there. However, in the next step, you will be asked to pay to download the list with auctioned items and also to have full access to the site. Research online for other users’ reviews showed on Trustpilot how many have been scammed in the UK (there is no mention though on how many have gone through the whole pay thing in the USA on its American website).
Real police auction sites
Did you know that there are a number of official eBay stores belonging to various police departments in the UK? Amongst them, there are :
On the official police eBay stores, you can find all kinds of police seized goods, including cars. Most of the items are placed on auction and you need to bid along with other bidders. However, you can also find products at a fixed price with Buy it Now.
Bumblebee Auctions is a site similar to eBay and has items on sale from different police departments across the UK.
Police auction sites usually do not list the vehicles they are selling, so until you physically go to the location and check each vehicle, it might be a bit of guesswork as to whether or not what you’re buying is actually properly maintained (but that’s true for any car).
When there are enough items to sell, the police department from a certain area will send the seized goods to a trusted auction house:
- Wilsons Auctions
- Central Auction Rooms
- Simon Charles Auctioneers
- In the USA – propertyroom.com, and bid4assets.com
Police repossessed cars advantages
These cars were seized by the police from people that committed fraud, theft, or burglary. Some of these goods never find their way back to their original owner and the police will sell them and send the money to local charities.
When looking at why is a good idea to invest in a repossessed vehicle, there are a few clear advantages:
- Cheaper prices
- You can buy a luxury car for half of its value
- Trusted seller
- Great for a small rental company
Police seized cars auction disadvantages
Repo cars sold by the police are on sale at face value. No work has been done on them whilst waiting for their owner/auction. This means that there might be some slight disadvantages regarding the car’s quality:
- Minor scratchings
- Minor damages
- Paint requiring some work
Then you need to consider the following:
- The desired vehicle brand might not be available on sale
- Being outbid , needing to settle on a different car
- It takes a bit of wait and active searching to know when the auction/police eBay shop will sell cars
- You will need to have the money ready when you bid
- Prepare to add some extra for the auction house fee
- The vehicle needs to be taken on the day (in case it’s not ready for a drive you might need a recovery vehicle to help with transport)
Before buying police repossessed cars
The condition of police repossessed cars can be rated as decent (one step down from excellent) or it can be described as barely drivable (which could mean anything).
Before placing any bids, try to check the goods you want to purchase. Ask questions about the vehicle, be informed, keep your eye on the other bidders.
Don’t let yourself be driven to spend too much in the rush to outbid the others. It might be worth waiting for another vehicle and even another auction event.
No vehicle is ever truly considered the best car on any given day, even though some vehicles might be better than others depending on the needs and wants of each buyer (which makes an informed decision all the more important). Trusting your instincts or trying to look at a positive side of something that is not particularly good, like a car with an airbag problem, leaves one vulnerable to mistakes.
