Used Cars for Sale in Ghana. Buy With Confidence & Trust!

Thanks to the internet, you do not have to be physically located in the US to purchase literally anything, including cars. Buying your dream cars from the US is an easy but lengthy process. What you may lose in time, you’ll more than make up for in cost! Majority of the cars bought from the US are used cars sold or auctioned off in private and dealer only auctions such as Copart and through Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana Auto Auction Mall (autoauctionmall.com). While the process may seem daunting, through Auto Auction Mall, as Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana, we will make this process as straightforward as possible.

The first step to buying and importing a car from the US through dealer-only auctions is to register with Auto Auction Mall. Once this is done, you’ll have access to one of the largest online inventories of automobiles in the world with over 150,000 vehicles to choose from. The vehicles are a combination of clear, salvage, rebuilt, hail damage, flood and repossessed cars that are being auctioned off by auction clearing houses.

When you have found the car of your choice, the next step is to make a deposit with Auto Auction Mall so that you can start bidding and/or using the Buy Now option. The deposit should be 10% of the amount you wish to spend on the car, with a minimum deposit of $600. Once you place your deposit you get Buying Power which you can then use to bid on and buy the car of your choice. For example, if you place a $500 deposit you get to bid on a car up to $5,000 (i.e. $5,000 Buying Power). If you do not win any cars or simply decide that you do not want to buy a car, simply ask for a refund of your deposit and we will process that immediately (so long as you do not have any outstanding bids, offers or amounts owing).

Once buying power is established, our Auction Specialists will contact you to assist you with the bidding process and or the buy now process. Basically, there are two ways to purchase a car from US wholesale car auctions: The first is attending a “live” auction where you’ll be bidding against other interested buyers from all over the world. This live auction can be done by phone or via screen sharing on Skype. The second way is to click the “Buy Now” button on that vehicle page (if available) so as to avoid the auction and know that you have won that car. The Buy Now price is the amount the auction house is willing to accept for the purchase of the car such that, you outrightly win the car without any bidding.

Please note that any cars won at auction or purchased via the buy now option must be paid within 2 business days from the date of purchase via bank wire transfer before they can be released. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about your deposit as that will be applied against the final purchase price. Rest assured that at Auto Auction Mall you are buying with Confidence and Trust.

The reason we require payment within 2 business days is to avoid any late payment fees charged by the Auction House and subsequent storage fees. To make payment for the car from Ghana once your Auto Auction Mall invoice is received, you will need to have a domiciliary account. Once this is sorted, you’ll need to deposit the amount due (you must have sourced your dollars from the source most convenient for you).

And that’s it. If you have questions or need clarification, please feel free to contact our representatives in Ghana who can walk you through the entire process. Remember, we have opened an office specifically to serve your needs. Auto Auction Mall, a Copart Authorized Representative in Ghana, is here for you at all times.

Well, you are in luck!! Auto Auction Mall is Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana and we are here to specifically help you buy cars from US dealer-only auctions such as Copart without the need to register and provide dealer licenses to Copart. In addition, we will help you with all of your shipping needs. Effectively, we will assist you throughout the entire process. Just give us a call, email us or stop by our office in Accra and we would be more than happy to help you with your next car from dealer-only (wholesale) auctions in the USA.

You can visit our Accra office at A&C Mall, 14 Jungle Road, 1st Christian Centre Link, Business Centre 1, First Floor, Unit B10, East Legon, Accra, Ghana. Our Accra office is managed by Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) and he is there to make you feel welcome and to ensure that you buy with Confidence and Trust. You can also call our main Ghana office line at +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

As Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana, Auto Auction Mall offers virtually all makes and models of cars from the US on its website. You purchase any of these cars at a fraction of the retail price because you are buying them from private, dealer-only (wholesale) car auctions in the US. Shop for popular car brands such as Toyota, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, Land Rover and so much more.

Our Regional Manager in Ghana, Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) would be happy to help you throughout your car buying journey. You can also call our main Ghana office line at +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

The digital age has made buying cars from US auctions much easier. With a computer, Skype and an internet connection, you can attend an online auction anywhere you are, even in the ever-busy Ghana traffic!

Once you’ve got buying power and an auction has been scheduled with our Auction Specialist, you’re on your way. On the day of the auction for the car you’ve selected, ensure you’re within reach of a phone or Skype. Our Auction Specialist will reach out to you to arrange everything and give you a crash course on what to expect. Once it’s auction time, they’ll call you and share their screen with you so that you can see the auction as it happens! It’s that simple and it’s all built on Confidence and Trust.

On the flip side, if you’ve got a tight schedule or you’re just stuck in traffic, all you need to do is send an email authorizing our Auction Specialist to bid on your behalf during the auction by stating the maximum amount you’re willing to bid.

Auto Auction Mall’s Auction Specialists will take this instruction and attend the live online auctions on your behalf and then let you know whether or not you won the auction. We try to make life easy and convenient for you!

In addition to helping you purchase your next car from US dealer-only auctions, Auto Auction Mall will also assist you with shipping your new car. You are not required to use Auto Auction Mall to ship your car, but if you wish to have us assist you with our low shipping prices, we would be more than happy to help get your car to Ghana!

If you do require Auto Auction Mall to assist with the shipping, we will help in organizing all aspects of the process from transport to the port, US customs clearance and shipment to Tema, Ghana. Once the car arrives in Ghana, you will need to sort out entry into Ghana. Throughout the shipping process, we will continuously give you updates on the status of the vehicle prior to loading onto the ship and throughout its journey! Our Auction Specialist will also strategize with you the best location to buy the car from so as to keep the shipping expense as low as possible. Remember we are here to help you save the most money when buying and shipping your car to Ghana!!

Most auctions provide a maximum of 3-5 days to move your car off the auction lot. Delays in doing this can lead to daily storage fee payments as high as $75 per day. If you chose to arrange shipping, be sure to have this organized in advance of your car purchase so that pickup of the vehicle happens as soon as possible after you’ve won the car.

Depending on the condition of your vehicle, shipping may be done via roll on roll off (RORO) or containerized system. These shipping methods have different charges and will depend on the condition of the car and the US port that it is leaving from. Auto Auction Mall is happy to discuss this with you and also give you shipping price estimates so that you can budget accordingly.

It takes an average of 6 - 8 weeks from purchase to arrival at Port of Tema, Ghana. Once shipping payment is made, the bill of lading will be couriered by the shipping company to the address you provided with a tracking number to enable you know when your car has arrived.

At this point, all you need to do is speak to your local clearing agent and go get your car.

Auto Auction Mall offers you a large online inventory of US dealer-only (wholesale) cars. Auto Auction Mall has helped thousands of individuals and dealers from all over the world (including Ghana) purchase their dream cars at a fraction of the retail cost. We provide our customers with Confidence and Trust in their US car buying experience!

Although there are other auction platforms out there you should trust Auto Auction Mall for your next purchase because:

1. Auto Auction Mall is Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana.

Through its spotless buying record with Copart and long-established relationship, Auto Auction Mall gives you the ability to buy from Copart auctions in the US without the need to register with Copart and provide all the dealer documentation required by them. You can rest assured that as Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana, you are able to purchase your next car from a Copart US dealer-only car auction with Confidence and Trust!

2. Personalized 1-on-1 assistance in Ghana

In order to make it easier to work with you and save you thousands of dollars on your dream car, we opened an office in Accra, Ghana and have a support team there to assist you. Led by our Regional Manager, Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975), we are here to cater to current and prospective customers. Dennis and our other sales executives are on hand and just a phone call away and are ready to meet with and assist customers with their purchases. Auctions can be a lengthy process and, at times, complex, especially if you’re new to this. But Dennis is there to assist you through the entire process.

3. Customer Support Office in Accra, Ghana:

We have also set up a local office in Accra located at A&C Mall, 14 Jungle Road, 1st Christian Centre Link, Business Centre 1, First Floor, Unit B10, East Legon, Accra, Ghana to handle customer enquiries and other forms of support. This office is managed by Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) and he is there to make you feel welcome and to ensure that you buy with Confidence and Trust. Please feel free to call and schedule an appointment to discuss your next car purchase with one of them. We’re eager to help and rest assured that we’ll demystify the myth around auctions so you can at the very least keep the local dealer’s profits in your pockets and save thousands of dollars.

You can also call our main Ghana office line at +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

4. Auction Specialists ready to help you through the bidding process.

When it comes to online vehicle auctions, it’s easy to get confused or carried away and end up spending more than you budgeted for. We also understand that not many customers will fully understand the intricacies of bidding at online dealer-only vehicle auctions.

Our team of Auction Specialists has over 30 years of car auction experience and are ready to assist you with purchasing your next wholesale car. Prior to and once an auction has been scheduled, they will be in touch with you and help you through the entire shopping and bidding process.

5. Access to Dealer-only, wholesale, private and Insurance car auctions.

Public auctions are great yes! It means that you don’t need a dealer’s license to bid and don’t need to pay any subscription fees or make thousands of dollars in deposits. While this may be true, you don’t need a scientist to tell you that the chances of finding the good stuff at exclusive dealer-only car auction is higher than at a public auction.

Auto Auction Mall is Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana and is here to connect you to these exclusive dealer-only car auctions so you’re not only getting your dream car but also saving a lot of money! It’s a win-win situation!

Our Regional Manager in Ghana, Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) would be happy to help you throughout your car buying journey. You can also call our main Ghana office line at +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

A car title is a document that is issued to a car owner. It contains the vehicle identification number, the description of the car, the mileage, and the condition of the car. The vehicle title is the document that states if they are clear/clean cars or salvage cars.

A vehicle is given the salvage title when it has sustained some severe damage and when the insurance company has deemed it a total loss and paid the insured for it. On the other hand, a clear/clean titled car is the term for describing a vehicle which is not a salvage car (although it may have had a history of damage and/or a previous salvage brand) and usually has a higher value than the salvage car.

Salvage title vehicles have usually incurred significant damage from a serious accident, hail damage, flood damage and other types of damage where the insurance company has paid the insured the total loss proceeds. Remember that each state in the US has its own classification what amount of damage would equal a total loss (i.e. some states say that damage totaling 70% of the value of the car is a total loss, while others can go as high as 100%). Salvage title cars are mostly purchased by car dealers outside of the US, repair shops or hobbyists who are looking for a very cheap car that they can repair and bring back to drivable condition.

• Some of the salvage title cars have damage that is much cheaper to repair that others, for example hail damage is usually just body damage and less expensive to fix than mechanical damage.
• The price is always cheaper than clear title cars and if the cost of labor to repair those cars is also low, you can save a lot of money.
• For international dealers, salvage title cars are one of the best ways to make a good profit.

Clear/clean titled cars usually have minimal or no damage at all. Some clear titled cars will have a history of damage or could even have a previous salvage brand (i.e. a salvage car that was repaired and made road worthy that received a clear title). These cars are better for people that want a car that needs little investment to repair and is drivable right away. Either way, clear titled cars from dealer-only auctions such as Copart where Auto Auction Mall is an Authorized Representative, are still cheaper than buying from a used car dealer in the US or a public auction.

Benefits of a Used Clean Title Car

• Some clear titled cars may still have a warranty, which means that the manufacturer could still be held responsible for certain repairs.
• The cars are in better condition than salvage cars and usually are drivable with minimal work.

Whatever your decision is, remember that at autoauctionmall.com has both options available for you to search.

Auction fees are the charges payable when you win a car auction. Remember, that these fees do not apply if you do not win a car (even if you attended at a live auction). They are only applicable if you win.

The final purchase price after a winning bid or Buy Now is usually exclusive of these fees. When buying cars from US dealer-only auctions, it is important to budget for these as without paying them you can’t pick up your car.

Auction fees on Auto Auction Mall can be broken down into the following (and remember that all these fees are only payable on the successful purchase of the vehicle):

1. Auto Auction Mall fee:

For cars with a purchase price below $3,500 a flat fee of $249 and for cars with a purchase price of $3,500 and above a flat fee of $299. This is the fee that Auto Auction Mall charges for: i) providing you with access to the dealer-only car auction, ii) strategy and advice on purchasing and shipping the car, and iii) for full concierge service, customer support and rendering its services to you.

2. Documentation Fee:

This is a flat fee of $75 and is charged to cover the costs of processing the relevant documents pertaining to your car purchase.

3. Auction Clearing House Fee:

This is a fee charged by the auction clearing house on your car purchase. This fee is charged by the Auction Clearing House for each and every car sale.

At the moment, a financing option is not available in Ghana. However, rest assured that we are working to create a solid financing package for Ghanan purchasers and hope to launch this financing plan in the very near future. Our goal is to make sure that you have Confidence and Trust in the car purchase, financing and shipping solutions provided by Auto Auction Mall. Once this financing facility is available, we will notify all of our Ghanan customers.

Depending on where you’re buying from, adequate care is required when purchasing a used car. It’s not a process that can be hastened and due attention has to be paid to every last detail so you don’t end up buying a lemon.

Generally, public car auctions in the US permit potential buyers to visit the car auction lots and inspect the cars they intend to purchase before buying. However, this is different for dealer-only car auctions. With dealer-only car auction you would need to hire a third-party inspector to inspect the car for you.

As Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana, we can provide you with contact details for these inspectors so that they can inspect the car for you. They do charge a fee for that and it will depend on the breadth of the inspection they conduct.

Please remember that different car auctions have rules and policies guiding how inspections are carried out on their lots. You can speak with an Auto Auction Mall representative to ensure that you’re well informed of these procedures so you can have a seamless buying experience.

The vast majority of the cars listed on Auto Auction Mall come from Copart auctions. As their Authorized Representative in Ghana we have access to all of their dealer-only car inventory in the US. This allows us to provide thousands of customers from across the world access to an extensive inventory of cars from various locations in the US all on one platform.

Our stock cuts across private, dealer only and insurance auctions providing access to cars that you ordinarily won’t have access to or would need a dealer’s license to be able to bid for.

Getting access to some of these inventories on your own would take a lot of time and also cost a lot of money. You can save yourself the stress and access all these car auctions/car lots on Auto Auction Mall’s platform from wherever you are.

“Pre-bids” and “Buy Now” are terms commonly used in the auto auction world.

A ‘Pre-bid” is the amount of money a potential buyer is willing to offer to buy a car at an auction before the start of the live bidding process. Pre-bids generally start from as low as $25 and go up in increments of $25.

As a rule, Auto Auction Mall generally discourages potential customers from making pre bids. This is because when the auction for the car goes live, bidding starts from the then highest pre-bid amount will only go up from there potentially making the final bid higher than it would be in most cases if there were no pre-bids.

“Buy Now” on the other hand is the minimum amount the auction is willing to accept from interested buyers who would like to purchase the car outrightly without having the car go through the live bidding process.

In some cases, “Buy Now” prices are slightly negotiable, but this only works when there’s ample time (2 days or more) for the car auction company to receive the counter offer and provide a response. If no buyer is willing to match the “Buy Now” price, the car eventually goes to live auctions.

In all cases, the Buy Now amount is the Seller’s reserve on the vehicle and if bidding does not go as high as the Buy Now price then the seller will need to approve the high bid and release the car. Usually, the Seller will negotiate with the highest bidder at auction and try to find some agreeable compromise.

In some cases, the final/winning bid for a car that has a “Buy Now” option is above the buy now amount and that means that you could have had the car for less had you clicked the Buy Now option.

Whatever option you choose be sure to make sure that it fits your budget.

Salvage title cars are slightly to extensively damaged cars often sold by insurance companies to recoup insurance payouts to the original owners. In some cases, these cars have totally fixable issues that range from minor body dents and damages to more expensive mechanical faults.

Auto Auction Mall (as Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana) has a large selection of salvage title cars that you can bid on and buy. The process of buying salvage title cars on Auto Auction Mall is the same as buying regular clear title cars. You search for the car you want, in this case, a car with the title status of Salvage, place a deposit, attend a live auction (or use the buy now), win the bid, make payments and ship your car to Ghana.

Depending on the extent of the damages, the car may be Roll-on, Roll-off (RORO)-able or it may need to be put in consolidated 40-foot container for onward shipping to Ghana. Salvage titled cars are sourced from insurance auctions like Copart and resold to buyers all over the world.

The insurance company has deemed the cost of the car beyond what they can afford to fix, especially considering that labor costs in the US to fix these cars is particularly high (as compared to Ghana, for example). Remember that a large part of the repair cost is labor and not just the parts. In other cases, the insurance company is not willing to fix certain damage, such as hail damage (which is usually body/cosmetic damage and not mechanical damage). In both of the above scenarios a Ghanian buyer has a huge advantage to his US counterpart. If you’re able to fix the car yourself or can get a local repair shop to fix for a fraction of the price you’re could be in line to either get an expensive car for a super cheap price or resell the for a huge profit.

If your budget is also low and you don't mind a few dents here and there, you might want to consider salvage cars or clear title cars with damage. This is because the damage on these cars causes their auction prices to drop and buyer offering to bid less amounts on them considering that they’ll have to spend some money to restore the car.

As mentioned above, in Ghana, car dealers buy salvage title cars to reduce purchase cost and maximize profit. Considering the low cost of labor in Ghana, it is often times cheaper to buy salvage cars cheaper than normal, fix it up at low labor costs and resell at market prices.

It is important to note that cars purchased through Auto Auction Mall are bought on an “As is, Where Is” basis. This means that every car purchased at car auctions through Auto Auction Mall is bought at its present condition and there are no guarantees as to the condition of the vehicle.

Auto Auctions have over the years evolved with different guides and regulations put in place to protect the interests of both the buyer and seller. These include penalties for default and late payments to name a few.

When buying your car from Auto Auction Mall (Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana), some of the penalties/fees that you should be aware of are listed below:

• Late Payment Fee:

When you win a bid for a car on Auto Auction Mall or use the buy now option, the invoice for the purchase will be generated within hours and sent to you via email. Payment for the balance owing on the car(s) won must be made by wire transfer within two (2) Business Days from the date of purchase otherwise you will incur a one-time $50-$75 late payment fee.

To avoid this penalty, ensure that you have an active U.S dollar denominated bank account with local Ghanian banks and dollars deposited in such account. This is because the payment for your car can only be done via US dollar bank wire transfer. You should make your wire payment as soon as possible after you receive the invoice (certainly by the next business day) as it usually takes between 24 - 48 working hours for the funds to reach our US bank account from Ghana.

• Non-Payment/Re-List Fee:

If you fail to pay for the vehicle that you won, you will be charged a re-list fee. The amount of the fee is as follows:

a. The greater of $600 and 10% of the final purchase price of the vehicle. For example, if the car purchase price is $2,000 then this fee will be $600. However, if the car purchase price is $7,000 then this fee will be $700;

1. If the Auto Auction Mall is required to pay the auction clearing house the price for the car and then re-sell it through the same auction house, any losses resulting from the subsequent all-in sale price (including auction clearing house fees) being lower than the purchase price you won the car for (including all fees charged on the original purchase);
2. The Auto Auction Mall flat fee of $299;
3. The Documentation Fee of $85; and
4. Any other cost, charges or losses that Auto Auction Mall incurs as a result of your non-payment.

Unfortunately, you will be forced to forfeit the deposit that you made in order to offset the above fees and you will then be served with an invoice for the balance owing for the above fees after your deposit has been applied.

As you see, it is very important that you only bid on and buy the car that you are absolutely sure you can pay for otherwise you will be responsible for a lot of fees and with no car to show for it.

• Auction Lot Storage Fees:

After your successful purchase of the car from Auto Auction Mall, the car must be removed from the auction lot within 3 - 4 days before it starts incurring storage fees. The fees range in price depending which lot the car was purchased from, with fees being anywhere from $20 - $50+ per day. Remember, that unlike the late payment fee, these are daily charges and not one-time charges.

If you decide to have Auto Auction Mall ship your car to Ghana, so long as we receive payment within the time required (see above late payment fee) we will have your car removed from the auction lot before any fees are incurred. However, since it is not compulsory to use Auto Auction Mall to help ship your vehicle, we strongly urge that you advise your shipping/trucking company of these storage fees and timing so that they remove the car before you have additional charges.

• Port of Tema, Ghana Demurrage penalty:

This is a local penalty incurred at the Port of Tema. There is a stipulated timeframe for clearing your vehicles when they have arrived at the port. Failure to do so within stipulated timelines would cause you to incur substantial daily costs and fees that will continue to rise the longer your car/consignment remains uncleared. Further, if you wait too long there is a risk that the Port will confiscate and sell your vehicle. Please check and confirm the fees and confiscation rights with your Port Authority.

Auto Auction Mall provides you a huge inventory of cars being sold by dealer-only auction companies in North America like Copart (Auto Auction Mall is an Authorized Representative of Copart in Ghana). Considering that the car you purchase will have to be exported from the US to Ghana, certain documents will be needed to effect that export. Rest assured that Auto Auction Mall will either provide or help you obtain those documents so that the car you bought can be exported out of the US and into Ghana. With Auto Auction Mall you will have confidence and trust in the process.

The documents required for the export of the car are obtained from the auction clearing house (i.e. the original title), Auto Auction Mall, and the shipping company.

In the case of Roll-on, Roll-off (RORO) shipment, these documents are express couriered to you upon payment of shipping costs and before arrival of the ship in Ghana. In the case of containerized, the necessary documents may be express couriered to you beforehand or simply given to you on arrival of the ship following payment of the shipping charges.

The documents you receive depend on the kind of shipping used to import your car, whether RORO or Containerized. But the documents below are what you’ll usually receive from the shipping company.

• Bill of Lading:

This is the document that is used to export your car from the US and used to clear your car on arrival in Tema. If your car was shipped by RORO, this document will be couriered to you by air before your car arrives so you’re able to clear it. In case where you buy a car that has to be consolidated in a container, one of two things could happen: i) if the container has mostly your cars, you’ll get a bill of lading express shipped to you or ii) if you only have one of the three or four cars in the container, you may not be sent the bill of lading and will have to connect with the primary consignee (the person who has more cars in the container).

• Car Titles and other Sale documents:

These documents are usually from the auction clearing house and will often times include the title of the car.

• Dock receipts:

These documents are issued by the shipping company as an evidence that the car was accepted and loaded at the origin port of US will also be couriered to you if shipping by RORO or you’re the primary consignee of a consolidated container.

The process of buying and importing a car to Ghana is a simple but lengthy one. From winning a bid for the car to your car arriving in Port of Tema, Ghana, the process can take between 6 - 8 weeks.

The actual ocean/port to port shipping takes between 2 - 4 weeks, purchase and local trucking takes between 1 - 2 weeks and clearing customs plus loading on the ship can take up to 2 weeks as well.

Please note that the above timeframe is an average and could be shorter or longer depending on a variety of conditions. Buying and importing a car from the US to Ghana requires patience but rest assured that Auto Auction Mall will keep you updated throughout the entire process so that you feel trust and confidence.

Buying used cars from US dealer-only (wholesale) auctions is a straightforward but lengthy process. Even though it could take an average of 6 - 8 weeks for your car to arrive in Ghana, the benefits of getting a car for below retail prices from US dealer-only auctions far outweighs the length of the process. Through Auto Auction Mall (Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana), you get to buy your dream cars at a fraction of the retail price and you don’t have leave the comfort of your home and computer/phone.

However, sometimes delays can occur and change the shipping schedule entirely. It might be discomforting to you but some of these things can be prevented and some can’t be helped. Below are a few reasons why your online dealer-only car auction purchase might experience some delays:

• Balance Payment not complete

When you purchase a used car through Auto Auction Mall either by being the highest bidder at auction or via a buy now, you will have two (2) Business Days to make payment to Auto Auction Mall’s US bank account via wire transfer. The sooner you initiate the wire, the faster we get the funds and pay off the car. This way you avoid late payment fees (see above) and also start the shipping process. The longer you delay payment, the more fees you will incur (late payment and storage fees) and the longer it takes to commence the shipping process. Therefore, we highly recommend that you are ready to make payment as soon as possible after winning the car or using the buy now.

• Car title not fully processed

Depending on the Auction house involved and the condition of the car, there are sometimes delays in obtaining the title to the car from the seller. Auto Auction Mall will know which cars have a title pending status and will always advise you if that is the case on the car you are looking to bid on or use the buy now. This way, you will know in advance if there is a possible delay in shipping due to the seller providing the title. Please note that the auction house usually has between 30 - 40 days to get the title after the car is won and purchased. Rest assured that your money is fully secured in the circumstances where the seller does not provide the title as the auction lot will not give the seller the purchase price until s/he has provided the title.

The reason title is important to the shipping process is because without title to the car it cannot clear US customs and be shipped to Ghana.

The long and short of this is that without the proper title, US customs will not clear your car to ship and this will become another possible point of delay.

• Booking and Vessel not yet assigned

Depending on the number of vessels available, the speed of US customs clearing process and the number of cars waiting to be loaded onto the ship, there might be unforeseen delays in the allocation of a vessel to bring your car to Tema, Ghana.

This is very uncommon but sometimes delays of this nature may last 1 - 5 days. Don’t worry as there is nothing to panic about. The shipping company is just trying to book your car on a vessel to bring it to you. This applies to both RORO and Containerized shipping types. As mentioned, Auto Auction Mall will keep you updated throughout the process so that you are aware of this.

• Longer Port calls or offloading delays

This is one of the possible points of delay that is beyond anyone’s control, including the shipping company. If, for instance, the shipping vessel with your car aboard bound for Ghana has a scheduled port call in Dakar but is given a “5 days or more” before it is permitted to berth in the Dakar ports, this automatically adds an extra 5 days to the estimated time of arrival of your vehicle in Tema, Ghana. If this happens in several ports than the ripple effect may continue to increase the delays. However, this is nothing to worry about as it does not mean that your shipment is in jeopardy.

On the average, 6 - 8 weeks is enough time for your vehicle to get to you, except in special cases where there are delays due to a variety of factors. The above listed are the most common ones. However, rest assured, that your shipment will get to you.

Our Regional Manager in Ghana, Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) would be happy to help you throughout your car buying journey. You can also call our main Ghana office line at +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

RORO- An acronym for "Roll on, Roll off" is a shipping term used to describe the process of shipping cars, new or used without putting them in 20 or 40 foot container simply by driving them on the ship when loading at the port of origin and driving them off the ship when offloading at the destination port. This is more common with "run and drive" cars than it is with cars that can start and move under their own power. Sometimes, a car that is jump started can be RoRo-able too.

Why RORO? It is usually cheaper than a containerized shipment and it is easier and faster to clear, usually 3 - 4 days depending on server and if your agent knows what he's doing.

Limitations of RORO: You can't load other products into the vehicle and your car might be exposed to the elements at sea (although in most cases the cars are usually parked below deck though).

Containerized- This is used to describe shipping cars in 20- or 40-foot container together with two or more other cars but at a maximum of 4 cars. It is usually the more expensive option.

Why Containerized? It is safer, you can consolidate (i.e. buy other stuff and load in the car (for the business savvy)), It is also safer because it is not exposed to the elements but has a protective cover, i.e. the container. Please note that this is a better option if you are buying two or more cars at the same time.

Limitations: It takes longer to clear and if you own just one car, you are at the mercy of the primary consignee as any amount you are asked to pay to clear, you must pay if you want your car.

We usually advise that if you are purchasing only one car from autoauctionmall.com, try to buy a run and drive vehicle so it is RORO-able. Also, be sure to confirm that your vehicle will be shipped from a RORO port. Many dubious agents of the primary consignee of a containerized car shipment sometimes give outrageous bills to a car owner with only one car in the container.

But before all of this, you need to buy the car first, right? So why not head on to autoauctionmall.com and let us assist you purchase your dream car for a fraction of the retail price from dealer only and private auctions in North America?

Our Regional Manager in Ghana, Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) would be happy to answer any of your questions. You can also call us on our main Ghana office line +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

RORO shipping of cars from the US is generally a better approach to importing cars from the US into Ghana. It’s usually faster and shipping schedules are mostly on time. North American ports that allow Roll On - Roll Off shipping to Ghana include: New York/New Jersey, Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Galvaston, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland.

Tip:
On the Auto Auction Mall website, you can narrow down your searches to these cities by name or zip code to reduce the cost of domestic shipping/trucking of your car from the auction lot to the port and save even more money on your dream car.

As Copart’s Authorized Representative in Ghana, our Regional Manager in Ghana, Dennis Amu ([email protected] | whatsapp +233 0240 779975) would be happy to help you throughout your car buying journey. You can also call us on our main Ghana office line +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].

Here are a few steps to take to avoid potential rising costs with shipping:

1. Get estimates and helpful strategies from Auto Auction Mall:

Before you purchase, we can liaise with our shipping partners to get you estimates of domestic shipping (trucking) from the auction lot to the port of origin within the US as well as the ocean freight costs (RORO or containerized) from the US to Tema, Ghana. There are times customers, after knowing the cost, have changed their minds and either changed the location of search or downgraded to a less expensive car altogether. The key thing to focus on here is your overall budget. Your goal here is to stay within your budgetary limits so that you can have cost certainty. You can also focus on the cities that are closest to ports that you can ship cars out of in the US. This will reduce the local shipping/trucking costs and prevent you from spending over $500 plus on local shipping alone.

2. Storage Fees and Demurrage Charges

Make sure that you pay for your vehicle on time so that the shipping company can remove it from the dealer-only auction lot before storage fees begin accruing. The last thing you want is to find out that you have incurred $50 - $200 or more in storage fees. That can wipe out some of the savings you thought you were getting. This is totally avoidable so long as you pay for the car you’ve won as soon immediately.

Also, if you do not pick up the car from the Port of Tema after it has cleared customs, you will be responsible for Demurrage charges. These could become very high very quickly, certainly more than the storage fees at the auction clearing house. Make sure you have provided all of the documentation and paid the relevant clearing charges in Ghana to have your car released as soon as possible.

3. Buy Cars from Auction lots that are as close to the ports as possible.

What this does, is it reduces the local shipping/trucking cost. If you were to buy a car from say the west coast of the US and your chosen port of departure from the US is on the east coast, you could easily spend $1000+ on domestic shipping/trucking alone. That figure is higher if it is not run and drive.

At the moment, only US dollar payment is acceptable for payment of vehicles bought from Auto Auction Mall and payment must be made via bank wire transfer. Please note, however, that your initial deposit with Auto Auction Mall to gain buying power is possible using local Naira credit cards. The conversion will be done by your credit card provider.

We understand that the lengthy process of buying your dream car can be confusing at times. As an Authorized Representative of Copart for Ghana, Auto Auction Mall has set up an office and customer support team right here in Accra, Ghana. Our Ghanian team is available to answer all of your inquiries, guide you and provide assistance with purchasing your dream car via the Auto Auction Mall platform.

If you have any questions about the above, you are always welcome to contact our Regional Manager in Accra, Dennis Amu by email at [email protected] or via whatsapp +233 0240 779975. You can visit our Accra office at A&C Mall, 14 Jungle Road, 1st Christian Centre Link, Business Centre 1, First Floor, Unit B10, East Legon, Accra, Ghana. Finally, you can also call us on our main Ghana office line +233 242 426 218 or email us at [email protected].