Hi,

Has anyone been to an Auction in Thailand?

Do a lot of people attend them? I just had a friend who just sent me a list of cars going by the Thai customs website.

Some really cheap starting prices, I want to know if anyone has been and do the prices get bumped up much.... Or is there any tax or anything on these cars?

For example, I will give you some car prices that are listed.

BMW 330CI Coupe 2007 890,000 Baht

Honda Accord 2011 590,000 baht to 630,000 baht

Toyota Supra 1995 550,000 Baht.

The prices seem very very low, would these prices be without the import tax? I assume so.

I do believe these events are fairly "rigged"... the customs officials, police et al are always heavily into it. If you wre to go there and try to bid privately, you would likely be chewed up and spit out by the officials, Thai car dealers, and other assorted sharks that make a big living playing at the highest level of this game.

Had a good time at the weekend auction in Pattaya - private business run by an Englishman. Always lots of interesting stuff in the showroom collection, and some cars and motorcycles on the lot for auction. Named "Collingwood" or something like that. Worth checking out if youre in / close to Pattaya.

I have been to the auctions in BKK no problem bidding ,but most go for a far higher price than the guide ,unless they are the sort of car no one wants ,proton ect.

Based on the premise that all auctions are to varying degree....dodgy, I'd say you would be best attending with an experienced Thai agent doing the work for you.

the number quoted may well be the reserve

Anyways, I think I will be nice and show a page.

how about this? http://www.manheimthailand.com/cms/html/

In Thai it says that is the starting auction price (i.e. the opening bid) not even the reserve price.

With the numerous Tent owners and connected officials, I think the odds of picking up an exceptionally cheap car is very limited, unless you are wanting something that really is a good value to you, but not to anyone else (for example, a limited edition 2006 Mini Cooper S GP with no engine and wheels or interior, which happens to be very useful to you because you just crashed and wrote off your own Mini Cooper S GP, but the engine wheels and interior were all salvageable).

My understanding is the best of the lot are already picked through and privately sold prior to the auction, but the customs department shows this as a bit of PR to try to make people too scared to try to cheat them. The customs department believe that the biggest crooks are the people who try to cheat on their import duties, whereas the crooks believe the biggest crooks are the officials who won't let them cheat the way they want on their import duties, and the actual biggest crooks are probably the ones who fiddle the import duties so they get personally rich and the Thai tax payer gets no benefit. Which is why I feel crook today.