Thousands of people overseas buy vehicles from US auctions every week and have them shipped home. It works, and it works well, but the parts that go wrong are almost always decided before the bid rather than after it. This is what to have in place first.
What we do, and what we do not do
What we do:
- Collect the vehicle from the auction yard anywhere in the United States
- Bring it to our own loading warehouse
- Load and secure it in a container to your loading plan
- File the US export declaration and present the title to US Customs
- Book the ocean freight directly with the carrier as a licensed NVOCC
- Issue the bill of lading and get the container on the water
What we do not do:
- We do not bid for you and we do not buy vehicles on your behalf. We are not a Copart or IAAI buying service and we do not hold a broker account you can bid through.
- We do not clear customs in your country. That is a licensed agent at your end.
- We do not take part loads or loose cargo. Full containers only.
- We do not advise on whether a particular vehicle is a good buy. That is your judgment.
If you need someone to bid for you, you need a licensed auction broker, which is a different business from ours. Once the car is yours, we are the people who move it.
What to have in place before you bid
This is the part people skip, and it is the part that costs them.
- Confirm your country will let the vehicle in. Age limits, salvage rules, left-hand drive restrictions and emissions standards vary enormously, and they are enforced at your end, not ours. A car that cannot be registered where you live is worth very little sitting on your dock.
- Know the title status before the hammer falls. Clean, salvage, rebuilt and certificate of destruction are completely different propositions at the far end. Our country-by-country guide to salvage titles sets out who accepts what.
- Get a shipping quote first. Freight from Los Angeles and freight from New Jersey to the same port are not the same number. A cheap car in the wrong state is not a cheap car.
- Know where you will load. Buying near one of our warehouses costs less in trucking than buying three states away, and that difference can exceed the saving that attracted you to the listing.
- Decide how many vehicles are going in the container. Freight is charged on the box, so one car alone is the most expensive way to ship. If you plan to fill a container, plan it before you start buying rather than after the first car is sitting in storage.
The storage clock, which is where the money goes
The sequence that costs people money is always the same. The car is won. Payment takes a few days to clear. The buyer then starts looking for a shipping company, gets quotes, compares them, asks questions, decides. Meanwhile the yard is charging storage every day, and in some cases a late-payment or late-collection penalty on top.
By the time the truck arrives, the storage bill can be a meaningful fraction of what the car cost. We have collected vehicles where the storage exceeded the winning bid.
The fix is simple and it is all timing. Have your shipping arranged before you bid, pay the auction immediately, and release the vehicle for collection the same day the title is available. Tell us the lot is coming before you win it and the truck can be moving as soon as the yard will release it.
Title, and why it stops everything
No original title, no export. US Customs requires the original title to be presented in advance of lading, and a legitimate carrier will not load the vehicle without it. This is not a formality that can be worked around.
Auctions often take weeks to release a title after the sale, and that delay runs at the same time as the storage clock. The title may also arrive with problems: a lien not released, a name that does not match the buyer, or a branding you did not expect from the listing.
Three practical rules:
- Buy in the name that will appear on the export paperwork. A mismatch between the title and the exporter of record creates a problem that has to be fixed before anything sails.
- Ask the auction for the title timeline at the point of sale, not a week later.
- Send us a photograph of the title as soon as you have it, so we can check it before the vehicle reaches the warehouse rather than after.
Getting the car from the yard to the port
Once the vehicle is yours and the title is in hand:
- Collection. We arrange trucking from the auction yard to our warehouse. Nationwide, from any state. You do not need to organize transport yourself or deal with a separate towing company.
- Inspection on arrival. The vehicle is photographed as it comes off the truck. That record is what establishes the condition it reached us in, which matters to you as much as to us.
- Loading. It goes into the container to your loading plan, chocked, strapped and braced. How many vehicles share the box is your decision, and our guide to container capacity explains what fits and who carries the risk.
- Export filing. We file the declaration in the Automated Export System and present the title to US Customs within the required window.
- Sailing and bill of lading. The container is sealed, loaded and the bill of lading issued. From that point the cargo is tracked to your port.
Non-runners, salvage and damaged vehicles
Most auction vehicles do not drive, and that is routine rather than a complication. A car that will not start is winched into the container instead of driven in. It costs a little more in equipment and handling and it is entirely normal work.
What matters more than whether it runs is whether it rolls and steers. A vehicle with seized wheels, a locked steering column or missing suspension components is a different job and needs to be priced as one. Tell us at quote stage rather than on loading day, because discovering it at the warehouse costs time and a missed sailing.
Salvage vehicles are normal cargo for us. Whether they are normal cargo for your country is the question you need answered before you bid, not after.
Buying more than one
If you are buying regularly, this is where the economics change completely. Ocean freight is charged on the container, so the cost per car falls steeply with each vehicle you add. One car alone is the most expensive way to ship, and it is how most people start.
Two things make multi-car buying work:
- Buy in a cluster. Vehicles bought within reach of the same loading warehouse cost far less in trucking than the same vehicles scattered across the country.
- Tell us before you bid, not after. If we know three or four cars are coming to the same port, we can hold them and load them together. If you tell us after the first one has been sitting in our warehouse for a month, you have paid storage for nothing.
We can hold vehicles at our warehouse while you build a container. Say so at the start so the booking is set up for it.
What goes wrong
- Buying a vehicle the destination will not accept. Age limit, salvage branding, emissions standard, left-hand drive. Check before you bid. This is the most expensive mistake on this list and it is completely avoidable.
- Arranging shipping after winning. Every day of that delay is storage, and it compounds.
- Title problems. A lien not released, or a name mismatch between the title and the exporter. Both stop the shipment until resolved.
- Undeclared items packed in the car. Personal goods stuffed into the trunk and left off the paperwork are the most common cause of a customs hold. The container stops moving and you pay for every day of it.
- Assuming the quote covers the far end. It does not. Destination port charges, duty, clearance and local delivery are on your account and are often larger than the ocean freight.
- Buying cheap in an expensive state. A bargain in Washington state going to a container in Savannah is rarely still a bargain once the truck is paid.
How to start
Before you bid on anything, send us:
- The destination port
- The state the vehicle is in, or the auction location
- Year, make and model, and whether it runs, rolls and steers
- How many vehicles you expect to ship together
We will come back with the freight, the trucking from that yard and what will fit in the container, so you know your total before you commit to a number at the auction rather than after.
info@cassandralogistics.com, WhatsApp +1 917-622-3698, or use the quote form.
Auction shipping FAQ
Do you buy cars at auction for me?
No. We are not a Copart or IAAI buying service, we do not bid on your behalf and we do not hold a broker account you can bid through. You buy the vehicle in your own name, and we collect it, load it and ship it. If you need someone to bid for you, that is a licensed auction broker, which is a different business from ours.
Can you collect from any US auction?
Yes. We arrange trucking from auction yards anywhere in the United States to our loading warehouse. You do not need to organize transport yourself or deal with a separate towing company.
What do you handle once the car is mine?
Collection from the yard, inspection and photographs on arrival, loading and securing in the container, the US export filing in the Automated Export System, presenting the title to US Customs, booking the ocean freight directly with the carrier, and issuing the bill of lading.
Do you clear customs at my end?
No. Customs clearance at destination is handled by a licensed agent in your own country. Duty, tax, port charges and inland delivery at the far end are on your account and are frequently larger than the ocean freight.
What should I check before bidding on a US auction car?
That your country will accept the vehicle given its age, title branding and emissions standard. The title status, because clean, salvage and rebuilt are very different at the far end. The freight cost from that specific state, because a cheap car in the wrong place is not cheap. And how many vehicles you intend to ship together, because freight is charged on the container.
Why does the state the car is in matter?
Trucking from the auction yard to the loading warehouse is a real cost and it varies enormously by distance. A vehicle bought three states from the port can lose you more in trucking than you saved on the bid. Get the freight and trucking quoted before you bid, not after.
Can my country import a salvage title car?
It depends entirely on the country, and the rules are strict in many of them. Some accept salvage freely, some refuse it outright, and some accept it only after inspection. Our country-by-country guide to salvage titles sets out who accepts what, and you should confirm with a customs agent in your own country before bidding.
How quickly do auction storage charges start?
Within days of the sale, and they run every day until the vehicle is collected. In some cases there are late-payment or late-collection penalties on top. We have collected vehicles where the accumulated storage exceeded the winning bid. Arrange your shipping before you bid and release the car for collection as soon as the yard will allow it.
Why is the title holding up my shipment?
US Customs requires the original title to be presented in advance of export, and no legitimate carrier will load without it. Auctions often take weeks to release a title after the sale, and that delay runs at the same time as the storage clock. Ask the auction for the title timeline at the point of sale.
Does the name on the title matter?
Yes. Buy in the name that will appear on the export paperwork. A mismatch between the title and the exporter of record has to be resolved before anything can sail, and resolving it takes time you are paying storage for.
Can you ship a car that does not run?
Yes, routinely. A non-runner is winched into the container rather than driven in. What matters more is whether it rolls and steers. Seized wheels, a locked steering column or missing suspension make it a different job, so tell us at quote stage rather than on loading day.
How many cars should I put in one container?
Freight is charged on the container rather than per vehicle, so the cost per car falls steeply with each one you add. We recommend a maximum of two per 40ft high cube and will load four if you ask. Contact damage at three or more is not compensated. Our container capacity guide explains the trade in full.
Can you hold my cars while I buy more?
Yes. We can hold vehicles at our warehouse while you build a container load. Tell us at the start so the booking is set up for it, because telling us after the first car has sat for a month means you have paid storage for nothing.
Can I pack personal items in the car?
Not loose and never undeclared. Goods packed inside a vehicle and left off the export paperwork are the most common cause of a customs hold, and the container stops moving at your cost until it is resolved. Parts and spares belonging to the vehicle can travel when boxed and declared.
Import rules change. The customs information on this page comes from official government sources and was accurate when published, but duties, age limits and eligibility requirements are set by the destination country and can change without notice. Cassandra Logistics is a licensed ocean carrier, not a customs authority or a legal adviser. We are not responsible for changes to foreign import law, or for decisions made by customs at destination. Always confirm current requirements with a licensed customs agent in the destination country before you buy or sell a vehicle.