At a glance
| What's sold | Seized, confiscated and surplus public-sector goods, lost property and estates that fell to the state |
| Lots located in | Germany (100%) |
| Who can bid | Adults aged 18+ and companies; no ID upload or deposit |
| Buyer's premium | None |
| VAT on premium | None, as there is no premium; VAT only on the auctions marked as such |
| Payment deadline | Usually 10 days, unless the lot states otherwise |
| Pickup deadline | Within the same 10-day window, unless the lot states otherwise |
| Verdict | No buyer's premium and VAT only on the auctions marked as such, but no buyer protection and popular lots often reach retail prices |
What's sold
Customs, police, fire brigades, municipalities and other public bodies sell seized, attached or surplus items. You will find vehicles such as fire engines, Unimogs and ex-fleet cars, plus watches, jewellery, coins, office IT, tools, alcohol and tobacco. You buy from the listing authority (Anbieter), not the platform, and each lot shows whether it is a public-law or private-law sale (Auktionsart).
Who can bid
- Private buyers: You must be 18 or over. There is no ID upload and no deposit at signup; your ID is checked when you collect. The signup form offers about 45 European countries plus "other country".
- Businesses: Companies may bid, but there is no separate business account and no VAT number is needed. Most lots come without an invoice, so you usually cannot reclaim input VAT. Foreign buyers handle all export paperwork themselves.
Registration
- Make sure you are on www.zoll-auktion.de and not a copycat site.
- Give your name, date of birth, phone, email, postal address and country; companies add company name, legal representative and your role.
- Choose a password of 8+ characters with upper and lower case, a digit and a special character.
- Solve the two arithmetic captchas and click the email confirmation link.
- Whitelist @zoll-auktion.de and @zoll.bund.de, since award notices come by email.
- Keep to one non-transferable account; you re-enter your password for each bid.
Fees and real total cost
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer's premium (Aufgeld) | None | You pay the bid plus any shipping |
| Platform or admin fee | None | None appears in the terms or listings |
| VAT | Usually none | About 3% of lots include 19% VAT in the bid, with an invoice |
| Payment | Bank transfer; cash only if the lot allows it | Cash only for bids under EUR 10,000; bids of EUR 10,000 or more must be paid cashless. SEPA in EUR is normally free; who pays non-EUR or SWIFT charges is not confirmed |
| Shipping | Set by the seller | Only on "Versand: Ja" lots, e.g. EUR 7-10 for small items in Germany, EUR 50 for valuables |
| Vehicle papers | EUR 6.65 Germany, EUR 9.20 abroad | Sent by registered post from the customs vehicle office |
| Storage (Lager-/Verwahrkosten) | EUR 0.50-50 per day, most often EUR 10 | Only if you miss the deadline; check each lot |
| Loading | No help given | Bring your own equipment and helpers |
Worked example, pickup lot without VAT:
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hammer price | EUR 1,000.00 |
| Buyer's premium | EUR 0 |
| VAT | EUR 0 (on a VAT lot, EUR 159.66 is already inside the 1,000) |
| Other fees | EUR 0 for pickup; HZA Bielefeld charges EUR 15 to ship goods over EUR 500 |
| Total paid | EUR 1,000.00, or EUR 1,015.00 if shipped by HZA Bielefeld |
The total excludes travel, trailer and helpers; their cost is not confirmed.
How bidding works
- The start price (Startgebot) is the lowest bid allowed. There is no hidden reserve, and the top bid wins automatically.
- With proxy bidding (Bietagent), you set a secret maximum and the system raises your bid in minimum steps.
- Minimum increments are EUR 1 up to EUR 25, EUR 2 up to EUR 50, EUR 5 up to EUR 100, EUR 10 up to EUR 500, EUR 20 up to EUR 1,000, EUR 50 up to EUR 5,000 and EUR 100 above EUR 5,000.
- Soft close: a lot ends only after the last bid has stood for 5 minutes, so late bids just extend it.
- If two maximums are equal, the one set first wins, so enter your true limit early.
- Bids are binding. You cannot withdraw them, only lower your maximum down to the current high bid.
- The seller may end a lot early, and attached items (Pfandsache) are withdrawn if the debtor pays.
Watch out
- Miss an award email and fail to pay, and you owe the re-auction shortfall plus interest; one buyer was billed EUR 2,100.
- Fake sites and invoices are common; real payment details appear only in your bidder account (Bieterkonto), never by email.
- No warranty, no right of withdrawal, no mediation, and photos may be examples only ("Bilder beispielhaft").
- Pickup is by appointment on weekdays, may be far away, and nobody helps you load.
- Cars, watches, coins and gold often close at or above market value.
Verdict: A genuine state platform where the hammer price is usually your whole bill. Bid only once you have costed transport and accepted that you have no recourse.