Buyer Rules — Auctions, Reserve & Buy Now
Effective for new transactions: 22 October 2026. Read these rules together with the Terms & Conditions. Mandatory consumer rights prevail.
Auction selling mode and seller decision
The selling mode is displayed on the vehicle page before bidding. For newly enrolled listings, the seller chooses one of these modes:
Highest bid wins — no reserve: the highest valid bid buys automatically when the auction ends. At least one real accepted bid is required. The seller commits to the result and cannot freely decline it.
Seller approval required: auction close alone does not conclude a sale. The highest offer remains valid for 48 hours after the final auction closing time. The seller must accept it in the system before that deadline. An acceptance recorded in time concludes a binding sale at the original bid price plus the separately disclosed EUR 99 buyer service fee. Rejection or expiry releases the buyer from this offer. A late acceptance does not conclude a sale.
The seller and highest bidder receive emails about the auction result and decision. The private seller email link opens a review page: opening it does not accept, reject or remove anything. The link must not be shared. After rejection or expiry, the seller may start a new 1, 2, 4 or 14 day auction or remove the unsold listing. You may choose the last offered amount or the original starting price as the new starting price. Earlier bids do not carry over, and the earlier bidder is released. Sold vehicles cannot be relisted or removed through these controls.
Buy Now: a successful purchase confirmed with the final obligation-to-pay button concludes an immediate sale in either selling mode. Sold does not mean paid. Both parties receive confirmation and contact details to complete the transaction. ON-Auto receives a sale notification for administration.
Earlier listings: vehicles published before adoption of these selling modes retain their original conditions. An original automatic reserve auction sells to the highest bidder at closing if the reserve is met; without a reserve, the highest valid bid wins. A below-reserve or older seller-confirmation listing is not automatically marked sold.
All deadlines use Europe/Helsinki, including daylight-saving changes. A valid bid in the last 120 seconds extends closing to 120 seconds after that bid. Mandatory withdrawal and defect rights remain unaffected. Sellers must be authorized to sell and honestly disclose identity, business status, vehicle condition, known defects, ownership restrictions and other material information.
3. Binding commitment
Bid only when ready and able to pay. You cannot cancel a successful purchase simply because you changed your mind where no statutory or other valid legal ground applies. A completed auction or Buy Now purchase creates an obligation to pay the agreed amount. Statutory consumer withdrawal and defect rights are exceptions that cannot be removed by ticking these rules.
4. Buyer eligibility and fair bidding
Approval and an active buyer membership are required where indicated. B2B-only auctions require a business buyer; private buyers may participate only in auctions open to them. False accounts, self-bidding, collusion and price manipulation are prohibited. Account labels do not change the actual legal nature of a transaction.
5. Price and charges
Before confirmation, review the vehicle price, mandatory €99 ON-Auto purchase service fee and their total. Membership costs €49 for 12 months and is separate. Self-service vehicle listing is free. Optional €20 listing preparation assistance is separate and requires an order. Transport, registration or export work requires a separately disclosed price and agreement. A deposit, if specifically agreed, is allocated and refunded according to the disclosed terms and mandatory law.
6. Timing
The displayed timezone is Europe/Helsinki. The server must receive your bid before closing. A valid bid within the last 120 seconds extends closing to 120 seconds after that bid; further late bids may extend it again. Do not rely on your phone’s clock or wait until the last second.
7. Seller and condition
Review the seller’s identity and whether the seller is a business or private individual. Check photos, mileage, damage, known defects, location, documents, VAT treatment and ownership restrictions. Ask questions or arrange inspection where possible. The seller must disclose material information honestly. A general “as is” statement does not remove mandatory B2C defect liability; any relevant deviation must be specifically disclosed and accepted where required.
8. Consumer rights
A consumer buying a car from a trader through distance selling generally has 14 days from receiving the car to withdraw. An online-only auction is not automatically exempt. Private-to-private and B2B sales do not carry that same statutory consumer withdrawal right, but other legal remedies remain. The binding purchase obligation is subject to these mandatory rights.
Use Withdraw from contract or send an unambiguous notice to info@onauto1.com and the identified seller. No reason is required. The full terms explain returns, refunds, services and complaints.
9. Confirmation, payment and collection
A sold status confirms the recorded sale; it does not mean payment has been received. Keep the purchase confirmation and follow the verified invoice, payment instructions and agreed handover details. Review the vehicle’s total cost before buying. Optional services cannot be imposed after purchase without agreement.
10. External auctions — purchases in ON-Auto’s name
For external auction purchase orders, ON-Auto Trading Oy participates through its own auction account and purchases the vehicle in its own name under the customer’s separately agreed order. The customer does not bid directly through ON-Auto’s external auction account. Sending a vehicle link alone is a request for review, not an order or authority to bid or buy.
Before any bid or purchase, the customer and ON-Auto must confirm in writing the vehicle and source, maximum bid and total budget, auction charges, the separate EUR 99 purchase service fee, payment arrangements, any deposit, transport and the terms for subsequent supply of the vehicle to the customer. ON-Auto acts only within that confirmed order and where the external auction permits the transaction. The EUR 49 annual membership does not itself authorize a purchase or grant the customer direct access to ON-Auto’s external auction accounts.
This procedure concerns external auction orders. Vehicles listed by independent sellers on the ON-Auto platform remain subject to the identified seller and the applicable platform sale rules. The parties and ON-Auto’s role in supplying the vehicle to the customer must be identified in the order and sale documents. Mandatory consumer rights remain unaffected.
11. Problems and complaints
Contact the seller and info@onauto1.com promptly. Proven non-payment without lawful grounds may lead to proportionate account restrictions and legally recoverable losses. There is no unspecified automatic fine and no penalty for exercising a statutory right. Consumer advice and dispute resolution routes are linked in the full terms.
Payment of the purchase service fee
The EUR 49 annual membership and EUR 99 purchase service fee are separate. After each confirmed vehicle sale, the buyer receives a separate EUR 99 payment link identifying that vehicle. Ten purchased vehicles require ten separate EUR 99 payments. No purchase fee is requested for a rejected or unaccepted seller offer. The EUR 99 payment does not pay the vehicle price.
We request payment within 48 hours and send a free reminder if payment has not been confirmed. Consumers are given a formal due date at least 14 days after the payment request; business buyers have 48 hours. Seller contact and collection details are emailed after Stripe verifies the vehicle-specific payment. If a payment is disputed, contact info@onauto1.com. Statutory withdrawal and other mandatory rights remain unaffected. No reminder costs or debt collection are applied automatically.
