How-To Buy

The Primary Public & Dealers Auction Of Southern California

General Auction Company specializes in both live and timed online auctions that are open to the general public and dealers. You will find a large selection of vehicles, equipment, and a variety of miscellaneous items. Our bidding systems allows for you to leave proxy bids before the auction as well as in real-time the day of the sale. Our timed auctions have time extension when bids are placed within 60 seconds of close.

Due to the pandemic, we are currently running all auctions as timed online only.

Follow the steps below to get started:

Step 1: Create an Online Bidding Account

You may skip this step if you already have an account with General Auction Company online bidding or with NextLot. Before bidding, you must create an account with Nextlot, our online bidding provider, by entering your account information. All personal information will not be shared and will be used only for bidding purposes.

  • Click Login / New Bidder from the top navigation
  • Click New Bidder? Click Here button
  • Enter your email to check if you already have an account
  • Enter your personal or business information, username, and password
  • Select your account options
  • Complete by clicking the “Submit Registration” button

Already have an account? Login to your account.

Step 2: Register For an Event

After you’ve created an account, you’ll need to register for each event you wish to participate. Registrations are not automatically approved and will require a $500.00 deposit before bids are accepted. Verifying your deposit takes some time, so we recommend registering and leaving your deposit one day before the sale. Since we have to match your deposit with your online bidding account, we also recommend registering for the event before adding your deposit.

  • Click Current Auctions from the top navigation
  • Find the event you want to register for
  • Click the “Register To Bid” button under the event details
  • Login to your account
  • Write a message to the auctioneer (optional)
  • Checkmark you agree to the Terms & Conditions
  • Complete by clicking the “Submit Registration” button

After completing this step, the “Register To Bid” button will turn red and display “You Are Registered”.

Step 3: Add Your Deposit

After completing your registration, you’ll receive an email with a link to add your deposit, or you can click the add your deposit link in the event description. When entering your deposit information, make sure you use the same information as your bidder account (name, email, and/or company). We will not be able to match your deposit with your online registration if the information is different.

Day of Auction
30 minutes before the auction starts, a “Live Catalog” link will appear in the top main menu, a button in the event description, and an email with a direct link to the Live Catalog screen. This will be the page you’ll want to be in to place your bids the day of the sale.

All sales are final! No adjustments will be made on any item for any reason whatsoever. All descriptions of vehicles, equipment, miscellaneous, general, or specific merchandise are for reference only. Information provided by any auction employee will need to be verified by the bidder of each lot. The Buyer has the final obligation to determine the size, condition, shape, year, make, model, and value of each item at the state it is in as it sits.

Winning Bids

Bidders can view their winning lots on the “Current Bids” page. Here you’ll be able to access your Current Bids and their statuses, Watch List, Top Picks, My Auctions, Past Bids, and Past Watch List.

Invoicing

You will receive your invoice no later than the end of the 1st business day after the sale (Monday).

Payments: By Appointment Only!

Full payment must be made by the business’s close on the 3rd business day after the sale (Wednesday) unless agreed to in writing by General Auction Company management.

Acceptable Payment Methods: Cash, Cashier Check, Money Order, Credit Card or Wire Transfer!

A 3% payment processing fee

A 3% discount applies to all cash, cashier check, money order & wire transfer payments. A $25.00 transaction fee applies to all wire transfers.

Buyer’s Fee:
A 14% Buyer’s Premium will apply on all Vehicles & Construction Equipment along with a $20.00 lot fee for Construction Equipment in addition to all other taxes and DMV fees that apply.

A 16% Buyer’s Premium will apply on all Miscellaneous along with a $20.00 per lot fee on each lot purchased in addition to all other taxes and fees that apply. Online Absentee Auction Bids closes @ 7:00 AM (PST) the day of the sale.

Removal

All items must be removed within five (5) calendar days after the sale (Friday, by appointment only). A $20 per day storage fee will apply on each and all lots not removed by Friday after the auction (No exceptions). Any loading or moving of items is the sole responsibility of the Buyer. Removal shall occur Monday through Friday the week after the sale from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Not picking up items will give General Auction Co. full rights to dispose or sell any left behind items after one week after the sale date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before your bids are approved, you must leave a $500 refundable deposit. Desposits are manually verified and may take some time to process. It’s recomended to leave your deposit at least one day before the sale. Add my deposit

Before the Auction
Click the “BID” button. A pop-up window will appear with the next bid increment. Click the “CONFIRM” to complete the process or to leave a maximum bid and have the system bid for you click the “+” button or type the amount you are willing to bid up to.

Day of Auction
30 minutes before the auction starts, a “Live Catalog” link will appear in the top main menu, a button in the event description, and an email with a direct link to the Live Catalog screen. This will be the page you’ll want to be in to place your bids the day of the sale. Enter Live Catalog

Refund will be processed the next business day. (Monday) if nothing was purchased. For buyers that have invoice they will be refunded when they make there payment

Buyer registers for the event, they have to leave a $500 deposit. Once they make a deposit and I see it in the authorize.net (deposit history) I will approve the buyer.

It’s open to the public, buyer needs to verify vehicle are public not dealer before bidding.

Click on how to? and scroll down to step 3

Buyer will receive an invoice with winning lots when auction is over.

GAC will send out invoices of winning lots and buyer has to click on the link sent on invoice to book an appointment online.