At a glance
| What's sold | Used food and beverage machinery from closures and insolvencies |
| Lots located in | Germany (40%), Netherlands (36%), Poland (18%), Italy (4%) |
| Who can bid | Businesses and private persons, after staff validate the account |
| Buyer's premium | 18% of the hammer price |
| VAT on premium | 19–25% on the premium, at the auction country's rate (Germany 19%, Netherlands 21%, Italy 22%, Poland 23%, Sweden 25%) |
| Payment deadline | 3 working days after the allocation email |
| Pickup deadline | Fixed pickup days, usually 1–2 days about a week after closing |
| Verdict | Clear fees, strict terms, few independent reviews |
What's sold
The site only auctions used food and beverage machinery: meat, bakery, dairy, fish and vegetable processing lines, bottling, packaging, refrigeration and catering kit. Industrial Auctions acts only as a broker. You contract with the seller, often a company in liquidation or a trustee (curator).
Who can bid
- Private buyers: You can open a private account, but staff review it by hand before you can bid. You always pay VAT. You may have to show ID under anti-money-laundering rules. Which countries are accepted is not confirmed.
- Businesses: Open a corporate account. With a valid VAT number, a cross-border EU purchase is invoiced at 0% VAT. Non-EU firms pay the VAT as a deposit (borg), refunded once you prove the goods left the EU. You may need to supply ID, owner (UBO) details and the purpose of purchase within 5 days. Some lots may require a bank guarantee or other security; the usual amount is not confirmed.
Registration
- Sign up for free and choose a corporate or private account.
- Fill in all fields; a business email address is preferred.
- Confirm via the verification email, which should arrive within 10 minutes.
- Wait for a second email confirming staff have validated your account.
- Keep your buyer number (kopersnummer); invoices and pickup use it.
- Enter your VAT number under "My details" before the auction closes.
Fees and real total cost
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer's premium (opgeld) | 18% of hammer | Seen on every sampled lot; no minimum fee found; VAT of 19–25% is added to it |
| VAT (BTW / MwSt.) | 19–25% on hammer and premium | Auction country's rate: Germany 19%, Netherlands 21%, Italy 22%, Poland 23%, Sweden 25% |
| Admin, handling, payment fees | Not confirmed | None shown on lot pages |
| Loading | Free with a 1.5 t forklift | Heavier lifting at your cost; price not confirmed |
| Dismantling, transport, export papers | Not confirmed | Available on request, at extra cost |
| Storage | Not confirmed | Charged only if your lot blocks other lots |
| Late payment | 15% of purchase price | Plus statutory commercial interest +3% a year |
| Default (no payment or pickup) | 25% of purchase price | Plus premium and damages |
Worked example, private buyer, auction in the Netherlands (21% VAT):
| Step | EUR |
|---|---|
| Hammer price | 1,000.00 |
| Premium 18% | 180.00 |
| VAT 21% on 1,180.00 | 247.80 |
| Other fees | Not confirmed |
| Total paid | 1,427.80 (excludes other fees, dismantling, transport and heavy lifting) |
How bidding works
- You can bid a fixed amount or set a maximum (proxy) bid. A proxy rises only by the minimum step, and it wins a tie against a fixed bid.
- Increments are not published. Steps seen run from EUR 5 at low prices to EUR 2,500 near EUR 90,000.
- A bid in the final 5 minutes extends that lot by 5 minutes, with no limit. Lots close by category in 10-minute blocks.
- Combination lots open after the single lots close. Bidding on a combination cancels all winning bids on its single lots.
- A bid is binding once you confirm "Place bid" and cannot be withdrawn.
- You have only bought after allocation (toewijzing), confirmed by email within 48 working hours. No email, no sale. The house may allocate to someone other than the top bidder, or to nobody.
- The house may bid for third parties.
Watch out
- Risk passes to you at allocation, about a week before pickup, so insure from that point.
- Missing the payment window or your pickup day can be treated as default, with a 25% charge.
- Pay only from your own account; third-party payments are kept, not refunded.
- Goods are sold as is, and any claim expires two months after delivery.
- There are almost no independent reviews, and a site outage at closing gives you no claim.
Verdict: The fees are simple, but the terms heavily favour the house. Ask questions in writing, inspect the lot and book transport before you bid.