Guides
Auction guides:
how auctions actually work.
Each guide here is a plain-language explanation of one part of buying or selling on auction in South Africa, from registering to bid to winding up an estate. Written for people who have never bid before, and for executors and business owners who need to know what they are signing.
Key takeaways
- Dynamic Auctioneers publishes 39 plain-language guides to buying and selling in South Africa, grouped by what you are trying to do: selling; buying; costs and tax; estates; vehicles and assets; and business sales.
- Each guide ends with a list of the sources its facts were checked against, mostly primary ones such as Acts, regulations, court judgments and SARS guides.
- The auction glossary defines the words you meet, from the hammer price to the rules of auction, each in a sentence or two.
- A reserve price is the minimum the seller has agreed to accept. It is not published.
- Bidder registration needs an identity document and recent proof of address, and it closes before the auction opens.
Guides
Selling.
Selling a farm in South Africa: consent, land claims, water and VAT
Selling a farm or smallholding in South Africa: SALA consent, land claims, occupiers, water use rights, VAT on a going concern, game and foreign buyers.
Read the guide Selling · 13 minAuction or estate agent: which route suits your property?
Auction or estate agent? An honest comparison for South African sellers: speed, certainty, bond conditions, price, costs, privacy and which route suits you.
Read the guide Selling · 15 minSelling your property on auction: how it works, step by step
Selling property on auction in South Africa: the steps, the timeline, what it costs the seller, the reserve, documents and certificates, and what can go wrong.
Read the guide Selling · 11 minThe reserve price: how it works, and how to set yours
What a reserve price is, how it is set, whether bidders are told, what happens when bidding falls short, and how to choose a reserve you can live with.
Read the guideGuides
Buying.
Buying a sectional title unit on auction
Buying a flat or townhouse on auction in South Africa: levies, special levies, the levy clearance, rules, exclusive use areas, insurance and what to check.
Read the guide Buying · 14 minHow to spot an auction scam before you pay
Fake auction sites, deposits to “secure” a lot, fee scams and changed bank details: the red flags, how to check an auctioneer is real, and where to report it.
Read the guide Buying · 14 minSheriff’s auctions: how a sale in execution works
How sheriff auctions work in South Africa: where sales in execution are listed, the reserve, Form 21 deposit and guarantee, sheriff commission and occupiers.
Read the guide Buying · 13 minCan you buy property on auction with a bond?
Yes, you can use a bond, but an auction sale is normally not subject to it. Pre-approval, the deposit on the day, guarantees by a deadline, if finance fails.
Read the guide Buying · 14 minBuying a repossessed or distressed property
Sheriff, bank-in-possession and estate sales compared: the deposit, sheriff commission, arrear rates and levies, occupiers under PIE, and what to check first.
Read the guide Buying · 12 minRegistering and bidding online, step by step
Create a bidding account, upload FICA documents, register for an auction, pay any refundable deposit and bid online, including Auto Bid and timed lot closes.
Read the guide Buying · 15 minYou won the auction. Here is what happens next.
After the hammer falls: signing, deposit and commission, guarantees, the conveyancer, transfer duty, clearances, occupation and registration, in order.
Read the guide Buying · 14 minVoetstoots: what buying as it stands really means
What voetstoots means: latent and patent defects, when a seller who hid a defect is still liable, how the CPA treats auction goods, and how to protect yourself.
Read the guideGuides
Costs and tax.
Buyer’s premium: what it costs, and how to bid with it
What a buyer's premium (buyer's commission) is at South African auctions, where the rate is disclosed, how VAT and transfer duty apply, and setting a top bid.
Read the guide Costs and tax · 16 minWhat buying property on auction really costs
Every cost on top of the hammer price: deposit, buyer's commission and VAT, transfer duty, conveyancing and Deeds Office fees, bonds, rates and levies.
Read the guide Costs and tax · 13 minTransfer duty in South Africa. Worked out to the rand.
SARS transfer duty rates in force since 1 April 2025, unchanged for 2026/27: worked examples, when VAT applies instead, when it is due, who is liable.
Read the guideGuides
Estates.
Selling the family home in a divorce: who decides, and how
Selling the house in a South African divorce: marital regimes, spousal consent, settlement orders, receivers and liquidators, the bond, CGT and practical steps.
Read the guide Estates · 14 minInsolvency and liquidation auctions: how the sale works, and who decides
How trustees, liquidators and business rescue practitioners sell at auction: creditors' directions, the Master, early sales, and what buyers should expect.
Read the guide Estates · 15 minSelling property from a deceased estate: a guide for executors
How an executor sells deceased estate property in South Africa: letters of executorship, heirs' consent or Master's approval, auction, timeline and proceeds.
Read the guideGuides
Vehicles and assets.
Buying a vehicle on auction: the checks, the costs and the paperwork
How to buy a vehicle on auction in South Africa: where the stock comes from, inspection and VIN checks, finance, costs, roadworthy and the 21-day eNatis rule.
Read the guide Vehicles and assets · 14 minBuying and selling plant and machinery on auction
How plant and machinery auctions work in South Africa: checking hours and serial plates, proof of ownership, VAT, collection and removal, preparing kit to sell.
Read the guideGuides
Business sales: selling.
For owners selling a South African business. How we run a sale is on business sales.
Selling a business as a going concern: VAT, staff, leases and price
Selling a business as a going concern in South Africa: VAT zero-rating under section 11(1)(e), staff and section 197, leases, franchises, valuation and auction.
Read the guide Business sales · 15 minSelling a business confidentially: the process, step by step
How to sell a business in South Africa confidentially, step by step: teaser, NDA, information memorandum, data room, offers or auction, due diligence, handover.
Read the guide Business sales · 18 minHow to value a business in South Africa: methods, risk and the real price
How a business is valued for sale in South Africa: earnings multiples, net assets, DCF and sector rules, what moves the price, and why the market sets it.
Read the guide Business sales · 13 minSelling a franchise business: consent, the buyer and the price
Selling a franchise in South Africa: the transfer clause, franchisor consent and buyer approval, transfer costs, staff, VAT, price, confidentiality and auction.
Read the guide Business sales · 16 minSelling a manufacturing business: plant, premises, permits and people
Selling a factory business in South Africa: going concern or plant auction, valuing equipment, the premises, emission and waste licences, staff, VAT and B-BBEE.
Read the guide Business sales · 15 minSelling a guest house or lodge: the books, the land, the licences and the staff
Selling a guest house, B&B or lodge in South Africa: going concern or property, the books, liquor licence, staff under section 197, land tenure and VAT.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minSelling your business to a foreign buyer: price, payment and paperwork
Selling a South African business to a buyer abroad: how payment must arrive, exchange control, your CGT, Competition Act thresholds and keeping it confidential.
Read the guideGuides
Business sales: buying, here or abroad.
For buyers in South Africa or abroad. What we have listed is on businesses for sale.
Buying a business in South Africa as a foreigner: what the law asks of you
Can a foreigner buy a South African business? Usually, yes. Share or asset deal, exchange control, B-BBEE, competition, tax, staff, visas and the steps.
Read the guide Business sales · 20 minBuying a business in South Africa: the due diligence checklist
A due diligence checklist for buying a business in South Africa: CIPC, SARS tax compliance, staff and section 197, leases, licences, B-BBEE and red flags.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minBuying from a company in business rescue: who can sell, and what to check
Buying assets or a business from a company in business rescue: the practitioner's approval, section 134 consents, the plan vote, your deposit, and liquidation.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minExchange control for foreign investors: money in, money out
South African exchange control for a foreign buyer of a business: your bank, the SARB, the non-resident endorsement, dividends, sale proceeds and loans.
Read the guide Business sales · 16 minThe South African business visa: for investors who will live here
South African business visa for investors: the R5 million rule, 60% local staff, the documents, who issues each one, and the published timings.
Read the guide Business sales · 20 minBuying a lodge or guest house in South Africa: land, licences, staff and the books
Buying a lodge, game lodge or guest house in South Africa, from home or abroad: land tenure, communal land, liquor licences, staff, VAT and the books.
Read the guideGuides
Business sales: buying from your country.
For buyers abroad, one guide per country: its tax treaty with South Africa, its own rules and tax at home, visas, and its currency into rand. What every buyer abroad shares is on international buyers.
Buying a South African business from China: treaty, filings, visas and time
For buyers in mainland China: the China-South Africa tax treaty, NDRC, MOFCOM and bank filings, visas, yuan to rand, and our hours in Beijing time.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minBuying a South African business from India: RBI rules, the tax treaty, visas and time zones
For buyers in India: LRS and ODI rules, RBI reporting, the South Africa-India tax treaty rates, the business visitor visa, rupees to rand and our hours in IST.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minBuying a South African business from Namibia, Lesotho or eSwatini: one currency area, three treaties
For buyers in Namibia, Lesotho and eSwatini: South African and home exchange control, the three tax treaties, the rand peg, payments, visas and next steps.
Read the guide Business sales · 15 minBuying a South African business from the UAE: treaty, tax, visas and money
Buying a South African business from the UAE: the 2016 tax treaty rates, UAE corporate tax on dividends, visas for UAE passports, and moving dirhams into rand.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minBuying a South African business from the UK: treaty, tax, visas and time zones
For UK buyers: the South Africa-UK tax treaty rates, how HMRC taxes South African dividends, visa-free visits, sterling to rand, and our hours in UK time.
Read the guide Business sales · 14 minBuying a South African business from the United States: treaty, IRS forms, visas and time zones
For US buyers: the South Africa-US tax treaty rates, FBAR and Form 5471, controlled foreign corporations, visa-free visits, dollars to rand, and US time zones.
Read the guideFor sellers
Selling on auction.
Sell on auction
The full process from first call to cleared funds, what it costs, and what you will need.
Read the guideProperty auctions
How property auctions run, and an honest comparison against selling by private treaty.
Read the guideMovable assets
Vehicles, plant, machinery and contents: single lots through to a full clearance.
Read the guideDeceased & insolvent estates
For executors, liquidators and trustees who need a defensible price and a paper trail.
Read the guideValuations
When you need a written valuation, and what the purpose changes about the report.
Read the guideMore from Dynamic Solutions
Articles we have published on our group site: selling property on auction, buying repossessed property, and what voetstoots actually means for you.
Open the libraryFor buyers
Buying on auction.
Buying on auction
Registration, FICA, deposits, the fall of the hammer and what happens afterwards.
Read the guideVehicle auctions
What to check before you bid, and how roadworthy and eNatis transfer work.
Read the guideRepossessed & distressed vehicles
The four routes distressed stock takes to auction, and what you can verify on each.
Read the guideReference
The words, defined.
Auction glossary
Hammer price, reserve, buyer’s premium, rules of auction, timed and webcast auctions, FICA, mandate and more, each in a sentence or two.
Open the glossary Before you bidRules of auction
What the rules of auction are, what the law requires them to contain, and how to get ours.
Read the page Who we answer toOur credentials
Our SAIA membership, our PPRA Fidelity Fund Certificate and the certificates behind them.
Check themQuick answers
The questions we get most.
What does voetstoots mean?
Sold as it stands, with all faults. The buyer takes the asset in its current condition, which is why inspecting before you bid matters so much and why auction prices sit below retail.
What is a reserve price?
The minimum the seller has agreed to accept. It is not published. If bidding does not reach it, the lot does not sell.
What is FICA and why do you need my documents?
The Financial Intelligence Centre Act requires us to verify the identity and address of anyone transacting. It is why bidder registration needs an identity document and recent proof of address, and it closes before the auction opens.
Who pays the auctioneer?
The seller pays commission on the sale price, alongside the appraisal and listing fees. None of the figures are published here because they vary by asset. They are set out in writing, with when each is due, before you sign. Where an auction charges one, the successful bidder also pays a buyer’s commission; the conditions of sale for that auction say whether, and how much.
What is a mandate?
The signed authority from the owner allowing us to sell. It confirms the asset is genuinely theirs to sell, which protects the seller, the buyer and us. We do not market anything without one.
Can I withdraw a bid?
Not once the hammer has fallen: at that moment a binding sale agreement comes into existence.
Still not sure?
Phone us. A short conversation usually beats reading three more pages.
Last updated