As the popularity of the internet behemoth, eBay grows with each passing month, the process of selling all kinds of goods and services through auctions has become more accepted and commonplace in a wide variety of industries. While there have been auto auctions for decades for specialized reasons, such as seized car auctions, is it now even easier to buy a car through some type of car auto auction.

In general, people who are ready to make an auto purchase love to shop at auctions because they can very often pick up an exceptional deal that they might not have ever been able to get through any other avenue. At the same time, sellers also like selling their products through auctions. Once a prospective buyer makes a decision to bid on an item, even if it is a low bid, they have mentally made the decision that they want the item and they become attached to the idea of owning it. When another bidder comes along, it can be easy for this mindset to translate into a bidding war and often the ultimate price is better than the seller could have hoped for.

These same principles apply for all kinds of auctions, not just auto auctions. There are many instances of a buyer getting a real steal on an auction vehicle, especially if there weren't any other bidders interested in the same car. And, sellers of an auction car sometimes can benefit when two or three bidders have gotten attached to the vehicle they are selling.

For many years, buying a car through an auction meant that the buyer was purchasing a model from a selection of repossessed cars, or cars that had been seized and were made available through government auctions. There were also many types of specialized car auctions that were not open to the public.

But, today, things have changed considerably and now there are more options than ever in automobile auctions that the public can take advantage of, as well as dealers and other industry insiders. These days it is not unusual for banks, credit unions, and finance companies to hold public car auctions to deal with the growing inventory of repossessed cars that they have on their property. Salvage yards, body shops and auto repair shops are also known to engage the services of car auction houses to help them sell vehicles that have been abandoned or seized because the owner could not pay a repair bill.

There is one key point that bidders need to remember when buying automobiles through auto auctions. All sales are absolutely final and cars are sold "as is." Buying a car "as is" means that the buyer has no remedy available to them if the car they bought at a used car auction falls apart the minute they slam the door to drive home. If you are bidding on a newer car, then this might not be an issue at all, yet it might be better to let mechanics or dealers bid on the older cars that need work.