At a glance
| What's sold | Seized and surplus government goods, insolvency stock, machines, jewellery, returns, home-delivery goods |
| Lots located in | Netherlands (100%) |
| Who can bid | Anyone 18+, private or business; ID check for bids of EUR 500 or more |
| Buyer's premium | 18% on VAT lots, 22% incl. VAT on margin lots; government (DRZ) sales 8–12.1% |
| VAT on premium | 21% on hammer and premium for VAT lots; margin lots have VAT inside the premium |
| Payment deadline | Usually 2–3 working days after closing, by 09:00 |
| Pickup deadline | Usually one fixed day, 09:00–15:00 |
| Verdict | Legitimate and often smooth, but one-sided terms and harsh penalties |
What's sold
OVM sells goods for the Dutch state agency for seized and surplus property (Domeinen Roerende Zaken, DRZ), such as cars, boats, watches, bags and tools. It also auctions insolvency and closure stock, rental machines, jewellery, diamonds and returns (retourgoederen). Home-delivery auctions (thuisbezorgveilingen) offer saunas, garden sheds, timber and kitchens.
Who can bid
- Private buyers: You must be 18 or over. Any bid of EUR 500 or more needs ID verification through Fourthline. Foreign bidders can bid on most lots, but some are open to the Netherlands only. No deposit is stated, but OVM may ask for proof that you can pay, or for security.
- Businesses: The same rules apply, and you enter company details before bidding. Whether a foreign VAT number gives you a 0% intra-EU invoice is not confirmed. Plan to pay Dutch VAT and claim it back through the EU refund procedure.
Registration
- Sign up free with your email, click the confirmation link and enter the SMS code.
- With a foreign email, an older rule asks for a passport or ID copy; whether this still applies is not confirmed.
- For a business invoice, choose "Soort gebruiker: zakelijk" and add company details; the name is fixed once the proforma invoice is issued.
- Finish ID verification (Identiteitsverificatie) before auction day, with any VPN switched off.
- Keep One-Click-Bidding turned off.
- On each lot, check if it is a VAT lot (B) or margin lot (M), and whether foreign bids are accepted.
Fees and real total cost
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Premium (opgeld), VAT lot | 18% + VAT | DRZ general 10%, DRZ vehicles 8%; 10% from EUR 25,000 |
| Premium, margin lot | 22% incl. VAT | DRZ general 12.1%, DRZ vehicles 9.68%; VAT cannot be reclaimed |
| VAT (BTW) | 21% | On hammer and premium for VAT lots; 9% seen on plants |
| Handling (handelingskosten) | EUR 95–220 per lot | Home-delivery auctions only, plus VAT |
| Foreign surcharge | EUR 0 seen | May apply if your account country is not NL |
| Payment fees | None stated | iDEAL or bank transfer only |
| Late pickup | EUR 50 + EUR 75 + EUR 30 per day | Admin, logistics and storage |
| Non-payment fine (boete) | 30% (max EUR 5,000) or 50% (no cap) | Consumers / businesses, plus costs and any resale shortfall |
Worked example, standard VAT lot that you collect yourself:
- Hammer price: EUR 1,000.00
- Premium 18%: EUR 180.00
- VAT 21% on EUR 1,180: EUR 247.80
- Other fees: none on pickup auctions; transport not confirmed
- Total paid: EUR 1,427.80, excluding transport
From EUR 25,000 the lower premium applies to the whole bid, so a bid just under that level can cost you more. Check before bidding in that range.
How bidding works
- An automatic bid (automatisch bod) raises your bid up to your set maximum. On a tie, the earlier bid wins.
- Minimum steps grow with price: EUR 2 from EUR 0, EUR 10 from EUR 80, EUR 40 from EUR 750, EUR 200 from EUR 6,000, EUR 1,000 from EUR 50,000.
- A bid in the final 3 minutes adds 3 minutes; combination lots add 5. Lots close one after another, often from 19:30.
- A combination bid wins if it matches or beats the total of the single-lot bids.
- Your bid is binding and cannot be withdrawn. The seller can still refuse the award (voorbehoud van gunning); reserves are not published.
- The terms allow the seller to bid on its own lots and OVM to bid for others. OVM says it does not do this.
- OVM may phone you during the auction to check bids, so keep your phone on.
Watch out
- Refused awards and relisted lots are the complaint buyers raise most.
- Descriptions rest on a visual check only; returns and demo goods often turn up faulty or incomplete.
- Jewellery "retail values" come from the seller and may be far above market value.
- Risk passes to you at award; report defects at handover, as you have no claim after collection.
- You arrange transport, loading and tools yourself; site outages at closing have happened.
Verdict: A real, long-running auction house with good-value government lots. Bid only with an all-in budget, a transport plan and acceptance that the seller may refuse your bid.