Buying used car in an auction is like searching for treasure. One has to spare time and energy to get the car he/she wants. The spared time can be used to “hunt” during open house of the auction house. In the open house, potential buyer will be given time to look at the cars before the auction starts. Open house is not done every day. For example, in IBID-Balai Lelang Serasi, open house is usually done for three days before the auction starts. In that period, people can make use of the time to check the condition of the cars to be auctioned. Information containing the list of cars to be auctioned can be found on IBID’s official website www.ibid.astra.co.id. One auction can offer up to 400 or 500 cars. IBIDChief Operation Officer Daddy Doxa Manurung said that during the open house, the auction house will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the cars showcased. The report of each car is always put on the car’s body. Visitors are also allowed to enter the cabin, open the hood, and turn on the engine. However, auction house does not allow visitors to do test drive. According to Doxa, this is not without reason. If test drive is allowed, they will not be able to manage the hundreds of consumers who come to the open house. “We have to manage hundreds of people, hundreds of cars. One week will not be enough,” he said. Doxasuggested people who do not know much about cars to bring mechanics. Then, once they have chosen a specific car, they can buy an auction participant number (NPL) for Rp5 million for each car they want to bid. However, the money is a non-binding deposit. “If you win, the price of the car will be reduced by Rp5 million. If you lose the auction, the money will be refunded,” Doxa said. After buying NPL, participant can register in the auction house by bringing NPL transfer receipt and ID card. Afterwards, the participant can join the auction. This process can already be done on IBID’s official website. When bidding, participant only needs to lift the NPL under the condition that each bid is worth Rp500,000. Lastly, after the participant wins the auction and gets the car he/she wants, the auction house will give them three days to pay the full price. After paying off the car, the auction winner can get the car complete with the documents on the same day as the auction. Doxa admits that nowadays, car auction is still unfamiliar to most people, especially individual consumers. Currently, there is only around 10% of IBID’s vehicle auction participants who are individual consumers. The remaining 90% are used car dealers. Whereas, according to Doxa, auction is like people’s market because it offers various choices from various kinds, types, and conditions. This is beneficial for people who have limited budget. IBID-Balai Lelang Serasi is one of auction houses in Indonesia that is active in introducing auction and its processes to the public. To date, IBID routinely auctions various automotive products such as two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles, in addition to gadgets and heavy machinery. IBID routinely holds auctions every week, with total frequency of 50 times per month. IBID’s auction network has also reached more than 30 big cities in Indonesia. Established in 2007, IBID is a subsidiary of PT Serasi Autoraya (SERA) under Astra. Anyone can participate in auction, whether companies or individuals. For further information, you can check IBID’s website on www.ibid.astra.co.id or read about IBID’s service on this page.