Help / FAQ surplex.com

You need to register on our website if you want to participate in one of our auctions, if you want to offer us or request an item, or if you want to use any extras, such as the watchlist.

1) Click on "Login" at the top right of the page and then on "Sign up now".

2) Fill in your personal data (title, first and last name, e-mail address).

3) Enter a password for your account. Also enter your company name, address and VAT number of your company, as well as your mobile number. Read the terms and conditions and tick the box to agree to them. Then click on "Complete registration".

4) To verify your email address, we will now send you a confirmation email. Please go to your mailbox and open our email.

5) Click on "Complete registration now". If you cannot find a confirmation email, please check your spam folder first. If you do not receive an email, please contact our customer service.

6) Finally, we will check the validity of your mobile number. To do this, click on "Verify mobile number". We will send you an SMS code to your mobile phone.

7) Please enter the code in the corresponding field and then click on "Confirm SMS code".

8) You are now fully registered and can make full use of our service.

Registering on our website is free of charge. You will only incur costs once you submit a binding offer and your bid is successful.

Your phone number can be verified manually later. Please contact our customer support: +49 211 4227370.

Generally, you can bid as soon as you have registered on Surplex. However, before you can place a concrete bid, you must accept the special auction conditions for each auction. To place a bid, you can simply bid the next possible bid step already entered in the bidding field or use the bidding agent. Some auctions require the deposit of a security deposit, such as a credit card.

To make bidding as transparent as possible, you can bid in specified bidding steps.

The first possible bid is set by the starting price; subsequent bids are based on the amount of the bids already placed. If the bid price is low, the bid increments are smaller; for higher bids, they are correspondingly larger. If you are not the highest bidder, you will always be shown the current next possible bidding step. If you have entered a maximum bid via the bidding agent, a higher maximum bid will be suggested. Using the bidding agent ensures that your bid is automatically increased with the next bid step as soon as another bid is received. This continues until your set maximum amount is reached.

Example:
The starting price for an item is 490 €.
Buyer A: Bids the starting price of 490 € and is therefore the highest bidder.
Buyer B: The previous highest bid of 490 € is below 500 € and thus the current bid step is still 20 €. Buyer B now bids 510 € and becomes the highest bidder.
Since with this bid of 510 € the next threshold (from 500 €) has been reached, the next bid step is now 50 €.
For all other bidders the next possible bid is now 560€ to become highest bidder.

Highest bid		Bidding steps
1 €		5 €
50 €		10 €
200 €		20 €
500 €		50 €
1,000 €		100 €
2,000 €		200 €
5,000 €		250 €
10,000 €		500 €
20,000 €		1,000 €
50,000 €		2,000 €
200,000 €		5,000 €
500,000 €		10,000 €
1,000,000 €		25,000 €

You activate the bidding agent by directly entering your maximum bid in the bidding field. The maximum bid must be higher than the current minimum bid. Alternatively, you can also use one of the suggested maximum bids. In both cases, the system will bid for you step by step until your maximum bid is reached. If another bidder places an identical bid to your bidding agent, you will remain the highest bidder because you placed your bid earlier. It is important that you are aware of your personal price range, because every bid is binding, including your set maximum bid.

After you have entered your maximum bid, the bidding agent will continue to bid in the current bid increments until your maximum bid is reached.

Example:
An item is set with a starting price of 15,000 €.
Buyer A: Bids the starting price of 15,000 € and is therefore the highest bidder.
Buyer B: Places a maximum bid of 18,000 €. The bidding agent sets the next possible bid step of €16,000 for him. Buyer B is now the highest bidder.
Buyer A: Bids €17,000 and becomes the highest bidder.
Buyer B: The bidding agent now places a bid of €18,000 for Buyer B, who thus becomes the highest bidder. Since the maximum bid of buyer B is now reached, the bidding agent will not place any further bids, even if buyer B is outbid. To continue bidding, buyer B would have to bid the next possible bid step or enter a new maximum bid in the bidding agent.

The advantage of the bidding agent is that you do not have to keep track of the auction live, but the bidding agent takes over the bidding for you regardless of your presence. The bidding agent reacts immediately if you are outbid until your maximum bid is reached.

The minimum price is the minimum amount that must be achieved in an auction for the seller to sell the item without reservation. If the minimum price has not been reached, the item will not be sold until the seller has been consulted. The seller can decide whether to sell the item anyway. There is no legal claim to the item. The amount of the minimum price of an item is not published. However, if the minimum price has not yet been reached, you can see this status in the bidding window.

A minimum price has been defined for this item and this has not been reached by your highest bid. Therefore, you will only receive a provisional award of the auction.

Example:
An item has a current highest bid of 600 € and a defined minimum price of 700 €.
Buyer A: Bids the next bid step 650 € and is the highest bidder, but the minimum price was not reached. If no one places another bid, bidder A is only awarded the contract provisionally.
Buyer B: Bids 700 € and thus the minimum price of 700 € has been reached. He is the highest bidder and would be awarded the auctionif no further bids are received.

It is possible that minimum prices have been set for certain items. If the minimum prices have not been reached, the seller will be informed about the maximum bids. He then decides whether the items will be sold at the achieved prices. If the seller agrees to sell at the current highest bid or suggests a different price, you as the highest bidder will be informed of this within two business days. Please note that as the highest bidder, you are bound to your bid for this item until 48 hours after the auction ends, regardless of whether or not you are contacted.

If you are outbid immediately after placing your bid, another bidder is probably using the bidding agent and has set a maximum amount that is equal to or higher than the amount you entered. To become the highest bidder, you must increase your maximum bid by at least one more bid increment.

When bidding on items, there are two things you should keep in mind. First, every bid is binding. Even if you outbid yourself, the last bid you placed is valid. This is the only way we can ensure a fair auction process and meet the interests of both buyers and sellers. Secondly, in the special auction conditions of each auction you will find relevant contents. Find out about the general conditions of the auction at an early stage. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team.

If the search you have carried out, including filter settings, does not currently show any items that meet your requirements, you can simply subscribe to your search, including all filters. You will receive an e-mail as soon as an article is available that matches your requirements. You can subscribe to any list of all filters. The criteria you have selected are saved and can be called up again at any time. If newly added items match your search, you will be notified by e-mail. You can manage these settings in "My account => Notifications".

To subscribe to a search, you can first simply search for your desired keyword or select a category and apply filters if necessary. You can then subscribe to the search using the "Subscribe to search" button.

You can delete a subscribed search that no longer meets your search requirements under "My account => Notifications".

A buyer's premium is to be calculated on top of the hammer price. It can differ for certain categories and within projects. The specific percentage is shown on the respective item pages. Depending on the item description, dismantling, and loading costs may be invoiced additionally. VAT does not apply to companies from EU member states that have a valid VAT identification number and do not buy in their own country. VAT is not charged for buyers from non-EU member states, provided the export is carried out correctly.

If you cannot log into our website, please use our forgotten password service. If you still have problems with logging in, please contact our customer service team:+49 211 – 4227370.

This is possible as long as the item has no bids at the moment. Please contact the responsible contact person.

To book an on-site inspection or machine inspection, go to the website and register either directly with the auction or for the particular item you are interested in. Click on "Book now". Select an available appointment in the specified time period, whereby each appointment is scheduled for 30 minutes. Enter additional information such as lot numbers to be viewed and the number of visitors. You will receive a booking confirmation by e-mail.

You will usually receive an invoice by email on the same day of the auction. If an auction lasts for 2 days or longer, you may receive your invoice on the last day of the auction. Once the invoice has been paid, you will receive from us a collection address and timeframe in which to collect the item. As a rule, you are responsible for organising the transport; however our staff will gladly send you a transport offer on request.

An item marked as reserved is reserved for 48 hours for a buyer who has not reached the set minimum price. Reserved items may therefore remain available.

You can pay amounts up to 2,000 € via PayPal or by credit card. Once signed-in, you will find your invoices under “My Account” > “My Invoices”. Here is the link in case you would like to pay via PayPal. You will find all bank account data necessary for a transfer on your invoice. You can add your credit cards (MasterCard and Visa) to make payments as well under “Payment methods” in your profile. Online payment is not currently possible for articles from France, Switzerland and Spain.

Invoices can be created in the following languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian and French. If you select a web language in your browser, you will automatically receive future invoices in the desired language.

To receive a tax-free invoice, in addition to a valid VAT ID number (EU territory), proof of delivery in the respective countries are required. In the following countries from which the goods are sold, we currently charge a deposit between 19% and 27%, as a security for a VAT risk: Poland, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden as well as Croatia. For buyers outside the EU, proof of correct closed export documents is required. For all other sales, a fully completed CMR document, the transport invoice from an independent transport company and proof of payment of the transport invoice is required for the refund of the deposit. If Surplex provides transportation of the goods, only the CMR document is required for deposit reimbursement. Depending on the requirement of the country from which the goods are sold, the CMR document must be submitted by mail with original signature and stamp. Upon receipt and successful verification of the submitted documents, the deposit will be refunded or credited to the customer's account for future purchases at the customer's request.

The collection timeframe is generally stipulated in the special auction conditions or in the item description.

The buyer’s premium to be paid corresponds to the remuneration owed to an industrial auction house for its representation activities and it is indicated on the respective item pages. It is to be calculated on top of the hammer price. It can differ for certain categories and within projects. The buyer must take the buyer's premium into account for the calculation of the total price.

Some of our machines cannot be tested by our project managers since they are not in a position to power the device. In cases such as these, we will be unable to guarantee the functionality of the item.

Please note that we are generally unable to issue proofs of origin and preference certificates such as EUR-1 or declarations of origin on the invoice for the items in the auction, as we do not have the legally required preliminary documents for this. The unauthorised issuance and application of preference certificates constitute tax evasion or aiding and abetting tax evasion.

Technical papers or documents and (further) accessories are not necessarily included in the scope of delivery. They are only included if specified in the item description. If you have any questions in this regard, we recommend that you contact the responsible project manager.

D+V includes: picking, dismantling, packing, removing, loading, securing the load, documentation. Please note: we only load onto the truck and the goods are prepared for this purpose alone. Sea freight packing and container stowage must be organised at the seaport. The dismantling teams on site support the collector in securing the load. The collector must provide suitable load securing equipment.

This means that the dismantling and loading costs are mandatory. This is because these costs are part of the general project costs. Therefore, they are incurred regardless of the hammer price and the type of collection. This means that they are also estimated for self-collectors. This is because if, for example, the loading and load securing is done by the customer, preceding work phases have been carried out, such as disassembly and packaging.

D+V costs are heavily influenced by local conditions, regional price structures and, last but not least, by actual expenditure. It may be the case that similar items have different D+V costs, e.g. if item 1 was processed with significantly more work than item 2.
The same applies to completely different items. Occasionally, a supposedly “light" item may have higher D+V costs than a supposedly "complex" item.

For certain items, Surplex offers you two options for dismantling the machine. If you chose not to use our option, it will be delivered "ex foundation". "Ex foundation" means that you are responsible for dismantling and loading the machine onto your vehicle. Industrial trucks and tools are not provided on site and you will need to organise this yourself.

The D+V costs can (generally) always be seen for each item at the start of the auction and are always added to the hammer price. So please take the D+V costs into account in your bids.

Generally, you are responsible for organising the transport. Upon request, we will be happy to check whether we can ship the auctioned goods for you.

It is not possible to combine goods from different locations. For liability reasons, the goods must be loaded directly at the location.

You will find the scheduled collection timeframe in the special auction conditions. After receipt of payment, the responsible employee will inform you about the exact collection slots and arrange a collection appointment with you.

"Loaded on truck / free-on-truck" means for you as a customer that our team at the loading point prepares the proper collection by a forwarding agent and loads the goods onto the vehicle provided by you. We would also be happy to carry out the transport for you, so please contact us before the auction or shortly after the purchase of the goods.

If the goods are suitable for parcel shipment, you will receive a corresponding shipping offer.

The obligation to provide evidence varies depending on the country in which the item is located. If there is no extended specific information in the special auction conditions, the obligation to provide evidence according to the currently applicable EU regulation applies.

In general, export in foreign trade refers to the cross-border sale of goods or services from the home country to a foreign country. If the places of loading and unloading are in the EU, no export is necessary. If the places of loading and unloading are located in two different economic areas, export is required. Surplex carries out an export control for all items which are sold to a third country. As a rule, the export documents are prepared by Surplex. Surplex also usually carries out the application for export licences if these are necessary. If for legal reasons the customs formalities have to be carried out on your behalf, Surplex will be happy to assist you. The export papers are either available directly when the goods are loaded or must be obtained from a customs agent after the goods have been inspected by customs (also called multi-stop). Further information will be provided prior to collection of the goods. Compliance with import regulations, application for import permits, and preparation of transit documents are the responsibility of the buyer.

You can offer your machines by sending an email with photographs and technical data to info@surplex.com. A member of our team will contact you shortly afterwards.

One-stop shopping. Whether seller or buyer, Surplex takes care of professional dismantling, invoicing process, customs inspection, document composition and timely processing. And in more than 20 languages!