The rules, written down
Increments, reserves, proxies and the premium. All four are published in advance because a bidder who does not understand the arithmetic is not really bidding.
Terms
The consignor set a floor. If the bidding stops below it, the lot does not sell and is recorded as a no-sale with its high bid published.
Bidders can see that a lot is reserved. Some read that as a signal and bid harder; others skip reserved lots entirely, because a no-sale wastes their afternoon too.
It sells on the day to the highest bid, whatever that bid is. There is no floor beneath it and no protection for the consignor.
No-reserve lots draw more bidders, because everyone in the room knows the car is going to sell. That is the trade the consignor is making.
Proxy bidding
A proxy bid is an instruction, not an offer. We bid on your behalf in the published increments and stop the moment you are winning — so you usually pay less than your maximum, and your maximum is never shown to the room.
Step it through
| Step | Who | Bid |
|---|
Bid increments
| Price band | Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 – $5,000 | $100 |
| $5,000 – $20,000 | $250 |
| $20,000 – $50,000 | $500 |
| $50,000 – $100,000 | $1,000 |
| $100,000 and above | $2,500 |
The auctioneer may take a smaller increment to close a lot. Never a larger one than published, and never a bid that does not exist.
The premium
Why a cap changes the maths
Because the premium is capped at $3,500, the percentage you actually pay falls as the price rises. A $4,000 car carries the $500minimum — twelve and a half per cent. A $200,000 car carries the cap, which is one and three-quarter per cent.
What is not in that number
Before and after
Identity check and a bidding limit, closing at 6 p.m. the evening before the sale. On this demonstration the form confirms and stores nothing.
In the room, or as a proxy. Announcements are read aloud before bidding opens on every lot, including the ones with none.
Green: material misdescription. Amber: the announcements. Red: nothing. Forty-eight hours from collection or seven days from the sale, whichever comes first.
Questions
Yes. Registration closes at 6:00 p.m. CT the day before the sale so we can check identity and set a bidding limit.
On this demonstration site the registration form shows a confirmation and stores nothing.
You give us the most you are willing to pay. The system bids on your behalf in the published increments, and stops as soon as it is winning — so you often pay less than your maximum.
A proxy bid never reveals your maximum to the room. It only ever shows the amount needed to lead.
They step with the price: $100 below $5,000, $250 to $20,000, $500 to $50,000, $1,000 to $100,000 and $2,500 above that.
The auctioneer may take a smaller increment to close a lot, but never a larger one than published.
The consignor set a minimum price and the bidding did not reach it, so the lot did not sell. It is recorded as a no-sale and the high bid is published alongside it.
A no-sale is a normal outcome. The consignor can re-enter the vehicle in a later sale, usually at a lower reserve.
Eight per cent of the hammer price, with a $500 minimum and a $3,500 cap. It is added to the hammer price on your invoice, along with a $149 documentation fee.
Every figure on this site is illustrative sample data.
Within two business days of the hammer falling. A gate pass is issued once funds have cleared, and nothing leaves the yard without one.
Paint chips
Six schemes, each checked for text contrast in both the light and the dark theme. The green, amber, red and blue announcement lights never change — they mean something.
Cabin controls
Reduce motion starts from your operating system setting and stops the beam field, the lift animation and every scroll-driven reveal. These are real controls, not a badge — this site has not been audited for WCAG conformance and does not claim it.
Gate slip · what this site stores
Crossblock is a design demonstration. It sets no analytics, no advertising and no tracking cookies, because there are none to set. If you accept, four preferences are kept in this browser's localStorage: your theme, your paint chip, your cabin controls and the fact that you answered this. Decline and nothing is written — the site still works, it just forgets your choices when you leave.
Rebrand this demo
Flip paint stops
Link and button colours are derived from stop one and nudged until they clear 4.5:1 on the ground they actually sit on, so a pale choice cannot produce unreadable text.