Australian Auction Glossary

The terms you meet buying ex-government and ex-fleet goods at Australian auctions, in plain English. Most government surplus here is sold through commercial auctioneers such as Pickles, Grays and Allbids, who add a buyer's premium or buyer fee, and GST applies to most lots, so the fee, tax and vehicle paperwork terms matter most.

Reviewed 23 September 2026

GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Australia's 10% national tax on most goods and services. At auction a lot is either GST inclusive (the price already contains GST), GST exclusive (10% is added to the hammer price) or GST not applicable. Pickles marks each listing and Grays marks each sale. GST-registered businesses can usually claim the GST back with a valid tax invoice; private buyers cannot.See: GST and buyer's premium explained

Buyer's premium

The auctioneer's fee, charged to the winning bidder on top of the hammer price. Grays calls it an administration fee that is always a percentage and set per sale; Allbids' varies with the bid amount and category. There is no premium on Grays Buy Now purchases.See: Australian auction sites compared, true-cost calculator

Buyer fee (processing fee)

A fee charged per item instead of, or as well as, a percentage premium. Pickles charges cars a GST-inclusive processing fee: $525 under $2,000, and $650 plus 1.65% of the hammer from $2,000. Its state government fleet sales use their own, lower schedules. A flat fee takes a much bigger share of a cheap car's price than a dear one's.See: Pickles vs Grays

Hammer price

The winning bid when the lot closes, before buyer's premium or fees, GST (on a GST-exclusive lot), transfer costs and transport. It is the starting point of your real cost, not the total.

Rego (registration)

Vehicle registration with your state or territory transport authority. An ex-government car may be sold registered, with rego that transfers to you, or unregistered, in which case you must register it (usually with an inspection) before driving it. Registration is a state matter, so the rules depend on where you register.See: buying an ex-government vehicle

RWC (roadworthy certificate), Victoria

In Victoria, a roadworthy certificate from a licensed vehicle tester is generally needed to transfer the registration of a registered used vehicle. It checks that key safety items are in order and is valid for a limited time (30 days). It is not a full mechanical inspection or a warranty.

Safety certificate, Queensland

Queensland's equivalent of a roadworthy. It is needed to transfer registration to a new owner, to register an interstate vehicle, or to re-register an unregistered one, and only Approved Inspection Stations can issue it. It covers tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, body, windscreen and lights. From non-dealer sellers it is valid for 2 months or 2,000km, and the fee from 1 July 2026 is $102.70 for a car.

Pink slip and blue slip, NSW

In New South Wales, a pink slip (eSafety check) is the yearly inspection most light vehicles over 5 years old need to renew registration, done at an Authorised Inspection Scheme station. A blue slip is the more thorough inspection needed to register a vehicle whose registration lapsed more than 3 months ago, among other cases.

PPSR search

A search of the national Personal Property Securities Register using a vehicle's VIN or chassis number. It shows whether a security interest (money owed to a financier) is registered against the vehicle, and may show if it is recorded as stolen or written off. It costs a couple of dollars at ppsr.gov.au. Run one before bidding on any vehicle, even from a government seller.

Stamp duty (vehicle transfer duty)

A state tax charged when you register or transfer a vehicle into your name, worked out on the vehicle's price or value. Rates differ by state and are paid when you register or transfer the vehicle, not to the auctioneer, so add it to your budget separately.

Ex-government

Goods or vehicles previously owned by a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body. They are still sold as is, with no warranty. Named government sellers we see include state departments on Pickles, WA Police forfeited goods on Grays, and Commonwealth and ACT agencies on Allbids.See: the Australian sources we index

Fleet disposal (ex-fleet)

The sale of vehicles at the end of a lease or fleet cycle. Many fleets are run through leasing companies, so an ex-fleet car may be listed under a fleet manager's name rather than the department's. State fleet sales such as VicFleet run on Pickles with their own fee schedules.See: ex-government and fleet vehicles

Uncollected and forfeited goods

Property held by police that is unclaimed or has been forfeited by a court, which the force then sells. Western Australia Police sells such goods (general goods, bicycles, jewellery, marine and motorbikes) through Grays.See: how Australian government auctions work

Autobid (proxy bid)

A maximum bid you set in advance; the system bids for you in increments up to that amount and no further. Grays calls it Autobid; Pickles and Allbids offer the same idea. It is the safest way to bid because your ceiling already includes your fee and GST sums.

Auction extension (anti-sniping)

A rule that pushes back a lot's closing time when a bid lands near the end. Grays extends by 10 minutes for every bid in the last 10 minutes; Allbids extends when a bid lands within 5 minutes of close; Pickles extends when late bidding is active. It means a last-second bid rarely wins by surprise.

Buy Now

A fixed price at which you can buy an item immediately instead of bidding. Grays Buy Now sales carry no buyer's premium and allow change-of-mind returns; Pickles offers Buy Now on some items, including some government vehicles before auction.

As is, where is

The standard condition of sale for surplus: no warranty, sold in its current condition, collected from where it sits. Read the condition report, inspect where you can, and budget for transport from the pickup location.

Storage fee

A daily charge for goods not collected within the pickup window. Pickles charges $75 per day; Grays and Allbids charge storage after their windows too, and Grays can treat goods left uncollected as abandoned.