How much you really save at a bailiff auction
How much can you save at a bailiff auction (licytacja komornicza)? It depends on which date you buy at and how cautiously the expert valued the car. The mechanics are simple and follow straight from the law: the starting price is set below the valuation. This article breaks that down and shows worked examples across three car classes — with an honest allowance for extra costs.
The starting-price mechanics
The starting point is the suma oszacowania (appraisal sum) — the car's value set by an expert. The starting price is derived from it:
- first auction — starting price (cena wywoławcza) = 3/4 (75%) of the appraisal sum;
- second auction — starting price = 1/2 (50%) of the appraisal sum (for movables, including cars — KPC art. 867² §2).
That is already a "discount" built into the procedure. A second factor adds to it: valuations tend to be cautious. Experts often value conservatively, and a seized car does not always look appealing, which cools competition. As a result the real purchase price can be 20–40% below market, and in rare cases even more.
Why the second auction is often the best value
If the first auction fails (no one offers 75% of the appraisal), the vehicle returns at a second auction with a starting price of half (1/2) of the valuation. A lower start means a lower entry threshold — so the second auction is often the best moment for a bargain. Note: it also means popular models may attract more bidders.
Worked examples across three car classes
The figures below are illustrative — meant to show the mechanics, not to serve as a valuation. Always calculate against a specific notice.
Example 1. City car (segment B)
- Market value: ~30,000 zł
- Appraisal sum (cautious): 26,000 zł
- Starting price (1st auction, 3/4): 19,500 zł
- Starting price (2nd auction, 1/2): 13,000 zł
If you buy near the second-date starting price, the saving versus market is ~17,000 zł — over 56%, before extra costs.
Example 2. Family estate (segment C/D)
- Market value: ~60,000 zł
- Appraisal sum: 54,000 zł
- Starting price (1st, 3/4): 40,500 zł
- Starting price (2nd, 1/2): 27,000 zł
Realistically the bidding stops somewhere above the start — say 44,000 zł. Saving ~16,000 zł, about 27%.
Example 3. Premium car / SUV
- Market value: ~120,000 zł
- Appraisal sum: 108,000 zł
- Starting price (1st, 3/4): 81,000 zł
- Starting price (2nd, 1/2): 54,000 zł
Pricier cars attract more buyers, so the price climbs harder — say to 92,000 zł. Saving ~28,000 zł, about 23%. Lower in percentage than a cheap car, but the largest in cash.
Extra costs — count honestly
The "paper" saving must be reduced by real costs:
- transport of the vehicle (you often cannot drive it away immediately);
- repairs and inspection — you buy the car "as is", with no test drive;
- a missing key / making one, lock changes, possible towing;
- registration, tax, insurance;
- time spent on monitoring and paperwork.
We cover the technical problems to prepare for in the risks article — and if you want a second source of deals, see KAS tax-office auctions.
A full-cost worked example
Return to the family estate from Example 2. Say you win at 44,000 zł. Add:
- transport by trailer: ~800 zł,
- inspection and minor repairs: ~4,000 zł,
- registration and fees: ~500 zł,
- third-party insurance (OC): depending on the driver's profile.
The total cost (excluding insurance) is about 49,300 zł against a market value of ~60,000 zł. The real saving falls from a headline 16,000 zł to about 10,700 zł, roughly 18%. Still solid — but noticeably less than the raw price gap suggests. This is exactly the kind of calculation to do before the auction, not after.
How many deals you must review
Saving is a numbers game. Not every listing is a deal: some cars are in poor condition, and some reach near-market prices through competition. Realistically, out of dozens of notices reviewed, only a few are genuinely worthwhile. So the key is a broad, systematic sweep of the market: the more listings you analyse, the greater the chance of hitting an example with a clear margin. Manually searching dozens of pages is the bottleneck — and the easiest part to automate.
How to maximise your saving
- Buy deliberately at the second date when possible — a lower start.
- Set a hard limit and do not bid above real value minus costs.
- Verify the VIN and condition — a bad buy wipes out the saving.
- Track many listings — the bigger the flow, the more often you hit a genuinely cheap example.
The biggest enemy of savings is a missed deal and emotional overbidding. We describe safe-buying rules in the guide on how to buy a car at auction. And if you want a system to watch for deals and compute the margin automatically, see the Brykam pricing.