Adesa auctions are the gold standard for many dealers. They focus heavily on the customer experience by providing unique products and features that dealers love. Adesa auctions are fun, easy to use, and always full of great inventory.
With 75 physical auction locations around North America, nearly everyone in the US, Canda, and Mexico is within driving distance of an Adesa auction. Or, if you want the auction to come to you, there are several other options that will pique your interest.
In this Dealer Guide, we’re going to show you how to get the most out of Adesa auctions, whether you’re participating in-lane or online. But first, what makes Adesa unique?
Why Adesa Auctions Stand Out
Adesa Auctions are always well-run with professional staff and ample information on inventory. But Adesa really shines in how convenient they make buying and selling vehicles.
First, Adesa runs dealer-only auctions, which means dealers are surrounded by like-minded individuals. No amateurs or looky-loos; Adesa customers are always professional dealers, just like you.
Next, Adesa offers a variety of channels to buy and sell vehicles:
- Physical auction locations. With 75 locations around North America, virtually everyone can reach the auction lanes.
- LiveBlock Simulcast. Adesa LiveBlock is an online portal where dealers can view live simulcasts of auctions around the world. LiveBlock offers all the features of the physical auction without actually being there.
- DealerBlock Marketplace. DealerBlock is Adesa’s vehicle marketplace for buying and selling vehicles. Unlike live auctions, dealers can buy and sell vehicles anytime on DealerBlock. You can bid on vehicles or buy them outright at a preset price.
- Adesa Mobile Auctions. Trying to sell a lot of vehicles, fast? Adesa auctions will come to you. With Mobile Auctions, an Adesa team will bring everything to a location of your choice. Dealers provide the inventory and choose the place and time. Adesa does the rest.
Adesa has also created a user-friendly website that makes research fast and easy. View run lists, find a physical location, and research cars by specific brand from Adesa.com.
Finally, Adesa has gone above-and-beyond to give dealers confidence with a variety of purchase guarantees. We’ll talk more about that below.
4 Tips for Finding Great Inventory at Adesa Auctions
Whether you’re going to a live auction or viewing a LiveBlock simulcast, the keys to having a great auction are largely the same. Our advice can be summed up in one word: Prepare.
Follow these four tips to make sure you’re prepared for your next Adesa Auction:
1. Register online ahead of time
Since Adesa Auctions are for dealers only, you need to register before participating. Dealers can register on-site the day of the auction, but we recommend registering online beforehand. Once you’re registered on Adesa, you can take advantage of all their online resources, like run lists and market reports.
To register online, simply head to Adesa.com and click the “Register” button at the top of the screen. You will need to provide your driver’s license or Auction Access number, as well as the franchises you’re legally affiliated with.
For more information, view Adesa’s step-by-step guide to registration.
Sign up for Adesa Rewards
One great perk of using Adesa is Adesa Rewards. Like credit cards, Adesa gives you rewards points for every purchase that you can then use to buy other things. You can use points to pay DealerBlock fees, or turn points into cash to purchase things like vacations, electronics, and gift cards.
Adesa Rewards are completely free to sign up, so there is no reason not to do it.
2. Do Your Research
Research is the core of the preparation process. If you want to find great deals at Adesa auctions, you’ll need to study up beforehand. You need to not only know what’s up for auction, but what your dealership needs:
Inventory Needs
Inventory needs are the first step of research. Using a tool like VINCUE, you can review your current inventory levels and see what is out of stock. You can also analyze which vehicles are your top performers, so you can stock up on more of those. Finally, identify the vehicles that aren’t profitable for your business and avoid them at auction.
View Run Lists
Once you know your inventory needs, review the auction run list. These are available on Adesa.com prior to auction. View all vehicles and announcements, then star your favorite vehicles and save them to your profile. At auction, you can use this list to focus your efforts.
Appraise Vehicles
With your inventory needs and run list set, you then need to appraise each vehicle. Use VINCUE or another appraisal tool to get the real-time market value of the vehicle. Some tools even let you factor in reconditioning costs and margin to calculate the ideal wholesale price.
Identify Price Ceilings
Never go into an auction without a clearly-defined price ceiling for each vehicle. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a bidding war, and if you’re not careful, you could lose your entire margin. You can use the ideal wholesale price provided by your appraisal tool as your price ceiling.
The better you prepare for an auction, the more success you will have. Don’t leave anything up to chance.
3. Get to the Auction Early
Even if you’ve done your research, it’s important to get to the auction early. This will give you time to do real-life inspections of the vehicles you saw online (but you obviously can’t do this if you’re using LiveBlock simulcast). Use the VINCUE mobile appraisal app to make any last-minute adjustments based on what you find.
You’ll also want to listen for conditional announcements made at the last minute. In some cases, these announcements can be extremely important. Maybe a vehicle has arrived without the deed or with unexpected flood damage. The only way to hear this information is to arrive early.
Announcements are also shared on the simulcast, so be online early as well!
Make sure you know which lanes your favorite vehicles are running through. If it’s your first time at an Adesa location, get a feel for the layout of the place. Arriving early is part of your preparation, so don’t leave any stone unturned.
4. Post-Auction Purchases
After viewing the auction and purchasing your vehicles, Adesa offers several post-auction services you might find helpful.
Transportation
Some auction houses require you set up your own transportation, but Adesa offers transportation services on-site. They will help you arrange carrier trucks to get your vehicles back to the lot.
Post-Sale Inspection
The best time to catch a problem with a vehicle is before you get it home. That’s why Adesa offers post-sale inspection services (PSI). With PSI, Adesa will doublecheck a vehicle inside and out, including engine function, flood damage, AC, brake function, and airbags.
Each PSI purchase comes with a guarantee. Dealers can purchase either a 7-day or 14-day return policy.
Adesa Assurance
If 7 or 14 days isn’t enough, dealers can purchase Adesa Assurance, a full 21-day guarantee that lets dealers return a vehicle for any reason. If a purchase isn’t working out, dealers can get a full refund, including fees. Adesa will pick up the vehicle and take it away.
Adesa Assurance starts at $180 per vehicle and can be purchased as a subscription.
Shop Adesa Auctions Online with VINCUE
Adesa Auctions are great sources of high-quality, used car inventory. Today, though, many dealers are skipping the lanes and buying from Adesa online.
As we just discussed, the key to success at the auction is preparation. VINCUE gives you the real-time market data you need to make smart choices.
And now, you can shop Adesa auctions right from the VINCUE platform.
However you choose to use Adesa, follow these tips to ensure you get the best deals.
