Dealer auction terms

In these terms, the words below have the following meanings.

Carle

Carle Singapore Pte Ltd (UEN 201702940D), a company registered in Singapore at 33 Ubi Avenue 3, #01-04 Vertex, Singapore 408868.

You / the dealer

The licensed motor dealer or exporter whose dealership is registered to bid in the auction, and the people authorised to bid on its behalf.

The auction

Carle's online auction, where verified dealers bid for vehicles listed by sellers over a set window.

Lot

A single vehicle listed for auction, with its log-card details and condition record.

Seller's floor

The minimum price the seller has set for the lot. It is the lot's minimum bid; a lot does not sell below it.

Carle valuation

Carle's valuation, which reads the LTA data on the seller's log card and prices the vehicle against the market. It sets the seller's guide number, from which the floor is drawn.

Deposit

The refundable security amount you hold with Carle, against which a hold is placed for each live lot you bid on.

Winning bid

The highest valid bid above the floor when a lot closes — including the sealed final round.

Only licensed motor dealers and exporters may bid. To register, you give us your dealership name, business registration (UEN), contact details and dealer type. Carle verifies every applicant before activation — we check your registration against the public ACRA BizFile record by hand, so the auction stays a room of real, licensed trade buyers.

Verification is done by a person, not instantly, and usually takes up to one business day. Until your account is activated you cannot bid. Carle may decline an application, and may ask for further documents, at its discretion.

Registering your dealership to bid carries a one-time registration fee of S$250 plus GST. It is payable once, when you join, by card or PayNow. It is not a deposit and not a per-lot charge — it sets up your dealership on the auction.

The amount is confirmed before you pay, and your tax invoice shows the GST line. It may change for future registrations; the figure shown to you at sign-up is the one that applies to you.

To bid, you keep a refundable deposit balance with Carle. A hold of S$500 is placed against your balance for each live lot you bid on. The hold is what lets you bid; if your free balance can’t cover a new hold, you top up before bidding.

If you don’t win, the hold is released the moment that lot closes and the amount returns to your free balance. The deposit is your money: you can withdraw your free balance at any time, subject to no holds being active against it.

If you do win, the hold stays in place until the deal completes — and then it comes off your commission rather than being returned separately. You are not paying it twice. The full working is in §8.

Each lot runs for a set auction window. While it is open, you can see the current highest bid and raise it in fixed steps shown on each lot. The minimum bid is the seller’s floor; nothing sells below it. You bid against other dealers — never against the seller.

A bid is binding. Every bid you place is a commitment to buy at that price if it wins. If your bid is the highest above the floor when the lot closes, the deal is yours to complete (see §7). Bid only on stock you intend to buy.

• Auto-bid. You can set a maximum and let Carle raise for you in the lot’s own steps, up to your limit, while the lot is open. Auto-bid is a plain rule that runs for you — it places real, binding bids on your behalf.
• Visibility. While a lot is open, the current high is shown to signed-in bidders. Bid figures are never shown to the public, and the identities of other bidders are not disclosed.

The final five minutes of each lot are sealed. Bids placed in this phase are hidden from every bidder — you cannot see other bids, and they cannot see yours. It is a single blind round, designed so no one can snipe at the last second or read the room to set a ceiling. The Carle team can see through the seal, because someone has to settle the lot.

A tie goes to the earlier bid. To take a lot from the current highest bidder, your maximum must exceed theirs — matching it is not enough. A bid that only equals the standing maximum is recorded but does not win, and the bidder who got there first keeps the lot. There is no additional round: ties are decided by time, by these rules alone.

When you win a lot, Carle brokers the handover — no contact details change hands. You do not get a name, a phone number or an address for the seller. Everything runs through the portal, in this order:

1. 1Book the meet in the portal. You propose times, the seller picks one, and Carle relays every message. The meet is arranged within 72 working hours of the close.
2. 2Meet & inspect. You meet the seller at the appointment and inspect the vehicle. The car should match its listing and log-card details.
3. 3Pay the seller direct. You pay the seller for the vehicle yourself — bank transfer or PayNow — once you’re satisfied on inspection. Carle never holds the car money.
4. 4Transfer with the LTA. Ownership is transferred through the LTA. If the vehicle is under finance, the seller’s loan is settled first, before transfer.
5. 5Confirm completion. Both you and the seller confirm the deal is done. This is what closes the lot — and only then is commission invoiced (see §8).

Carle’s only charge on a deal is its commission: 1% of the winning price, plus GST. It is invoiced to you after both parties confirm completion — never at the moment you win, and never before the car and money have changed hands.

Your deposit comes off this invoice. The S$500 we held on the lot you won is applied against what you owe, so you settle the difference and never pay the deposit twice. If the invoice is smaller than the deposit, it clears the invoice outright and the remainder goes straight back to your free balance. GST is charged on the 1% fee only — the deposit credit carries no GST, because it is your money being returned, not a supply.

The invoice is a tax invoice with the GST line shown, payable by card or PayNow, and due within 72 hours of both parties confirming completion. The registration fee (§3) is separate; commission is the only fee tied to a win.

If a vehicle you won is not as it was listed — for example transit damage, or photos that misrepresent its condition — you can raise a dispute. Raise it within the dispute window of 14 days, with evidence: photos, the listing, and anything that shows what differs.

Carle’s team reviews the claim against the lot’s listing and condition record and rules on it. While a dispute is open, the deal is held. The outcome is one of:

• Upheld. Your claim stands. Your deposit hold is returned, and the deal is unwound — the lot may be offered to the next eligible bidder.
• Denied. The claim does not stand. The deal proceeds, and the deposit consequence in §10 may apply if you do not complete.

A written ruling is sent to both parties. Disputes are decided by Carle’s team on the evidence; raising one in good faith never counts against you.

The deposit is what makes a binding bid trustworthy. It is only ever drawn down when a rule is broken — chiefly, winning a lot and then not completing in good faith. In that case Carle may forfeit the S$500 hold for that lot.

Unpaid commission. If a commission invoice goes unpaid, Carle may offset it against your deposit balance, and bidding is suspended until your balance is restored. Settle the invoice or top up, and you’re back in the room.

Carle may also suspend or remove a dealership that provides false information, that cannot lawfully trade, or that repeatedly breaches these terms.

Carle runs the auction, the deposit and the settlement of commission with reasonable care and skill. Carle is the platform that brings verified dealers and sellers together; the sale of the vehicle is a contract between you and the seller. You are responsible for inspecting each vehicle and satisfying yourself before you pay.

To the extent permitted by law, Carle is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss arising from inaccurate information provided by a seller, beyond the dispute remedies in §9. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under Singapore law, including liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.