A firm rate can be given before the bidding, provided the enquiry arrives with six things: the exact yard address, the machine identified by serial number, mass and dimensions in transport configuration, the loading method available on site, the collection deadline from the auction terms, and the delivery address. Missing even one of them turns the rate into an estimate that has to be corrected later.
Six data points, without which a quote is an estimate
- The yard address, not the town. Auction houses run several sites, and the difference between a yard near London and one in Scotland is a different day and a different route. A full address with postcode and the release hours are needed.
- The machine by number, not by description. The model and serial number allow us to reach the manufacturer data sheet and check transport mass and dimensions. Auction descriptions are often abbreviated and quote working figures.
- Mass and dimensions in transport configuration. With the attachment that will actually travel and with everything foldable folded. This figure decides the type of combination and whether a permit will be needed.
- The loading method available in the yard. Whether the machine starts, whether the seller has a forklift or a crane, whether the yard is hard-standing and whether there is room to lay out ramps.
- The collection deadline from the auction terms. The whole plan counts back from it, including payment and paperwork.
- The delivery address and conditions on site. Unloading onto a hard yard is a different job from driving a machine through a workshop doorway.
What else is worth attaching
A link to the lot and its number make more difference than people expect: the listing carries photographs that show the condition of the machine, how the attachment sits and how it stands in the yard. A picture taken from the side with something familiar in frame says more about height than a figure copied from a catalogue. Where the auction house publishes release conditions, pass them on in full; they contain the hours, the required documents and whether the seller helps with loading at all. How sale formats affect the logistics is covered in our article on live, timed and online auctions.
What a transport quote does not cover
We quote the haulage, the yard work and arranging clearance with our regular customs agencies. We do not appraise the market value of the machine, do not finance the purchase, do not rule on technical condition and do not register vehicles in Poland. The distinction matters in practice: the bidding budget belongs to the buyer, and our job is to make the transport line in that budget calculable before the hand goes up. What a carrier rate contains and what is charged on top is broken down in our article on reading a carrier quote.
What can move the rate after you win
- The measurement in the yard differs from the declared one and the move turns out to be abnormal. Permits and waiting time then follow; we cover this in our article on excavators and loaders from UK auctions.
- The machine does not start, although the listing described it as running. A winch or a crane is different equipment and a longer slot in the yard.
- The yard has no hard standing, or no room to manoeuvre a combination.
- The collection date slips because payment is late or the release document is missing; the consequences are covered in our article on collection deadlines and storage charges.
- An attachment bought separately joins the machine and was not in the original enquiry.
When to ask: before the bidding or after
Before, where the machine is large, heavy or standing far from a port, because then transport is a real budget line and can decide how high it is worth bidding. After, where the item is small plant that will travel in groupage anyway and the differences between options are minor. Either way, it is better to ask once with a full set of data than three times with fragments: a carrier given the whole picture quotes a rate rather than a range. What builds the price of haulage from the UK is collected in our article on what really builds the price of transport to England.
Sources
- GOV.UK: exporting goods from the United Kingdom
- European Commission: customs union and customs value
- GDDKiA: abnormal transport, permit categories and deadlines
Found a lot and want the cost before you bid? Send the auction link and the yard address through the quote form and we will come back with a rate and a list of formalities. We also assist with the bidding itself: write through the contact form.
