The Import Process in 15 Steps

Buying cars in the USA through our platform takes place on a tightly regulated business-to-business market. Federal law and international anti-money-laundering (AML) procedures require us to thoroughly verify every client before granting purchase access.

• In the "My Account" tab, you must upload a clear, legible photo of the front and back of a valid ID document (such as a national ID card or driver's license).
• You must provide accurate and complete address and contact details.
• Profile verification is usually completed within a few business hours. Once approved, your account is granted authorized buyer status.

Before you can place a binding Buy Now order on a specific car, you need to define the budget you're working within. To weed out people who tie up listings with no intention of buying, we introduced a tier system called Buying Power.

• Standard Package: Secures transactions for vehicles whose price at a US auction does not exceed USD 20,000. It is the ideal option for importing popular city cars, compact SUVs, and older model years.
• Premium Package: Raises your operating limit to USD 50,000. An excellent choice for those targeting newer model years, luxury vehicles, and well-equipped pickups.
• Unlimited Package: No value limits. Intended for importing the most expensive sports cars, exotics, and authorized "Off-Lease" vehicles from the very top of the price range.

Every Buying Power package must be activated with a security deposit. This is a necessary requirement, driven by the financial penalty policies of American auction houses for failing to follow through on a won or held listing.

• Depending on the package you choose (Standard, Premium, or Unlimited), you transfer the set amount to the Polish bank account of our authorized broker.
• The deposit is 100% refundable at every stage – if you don't find a suitable car and decide to walk away, we return the funds to your account the same business day.
• If you decide to buy a vehicle and successfully pay the U.S. invoice for the car and logistics, the deposit is returned to your account in full (it is not a fee for our services).

With your account fully set up, you step into a database of thousands of vehicles available in the USA. Listings on the AUTOMAX platform come from an environment that until now was reserved exclusively for authorized dealers and wholesalers.

• Use multi-dimensional search filters to narrow your results. You can pick not only make and year, but also body style, drivetrain (e.g., AWD, RWD), and fuel type.
• Look for vehicles tagged "Run & Drive" (starts and drives) or cars coming straight off lease returns (Off-Lease), which tend to be in the best mechanical condition.
• Focus on the Buy Now figures. The price you see is fixed – there's no bidding to drive up the car's value at the end of the day.

Manheim stands apart from salvage-car marketplaces thanks to its detailed inspector reports, known as Condition Reports (CR). These documents are issued by independent technicians before a car is even added to the catalog.

• Pay attention to the indicator AutoGrade. It is a numerical rating on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0. Cars rated above 4.0 are clean, well-kept vehicles with minimal signs of use.
• At the bottom of every vehicle listing you'll find the experts' notes. Technicians list literally every flaw there: from tire tread wear to minor scratches in the paint on the bumper or chips in the windshield.
• Every vehicle comes with an extensive photo gallery, and often 360-degree views as well.

Even with a high visual rating, tracing the vehicle's history overseas is key to avoiding costly mistakes. Before confirming a purchase, we strongly recommend ordering a history report.

• Tools like Carfax or AutoCheck rely on the VIN. They pull data from insurers, service shops, and motor-vehicle departments in every U.S. state.
• The report lets you check so-called "Title Brands" – the document designations. Make sure you're buying a car with a "Clean Title," steering clear of flood-damaged (Flood) or rebuilt (Rebuilt) vehicles.
• You'll also see how regularly the car was serviced at authorized service centers (e.g., oil-change intervals) and the exact number of previous owners.

We want you to know exactly what the entire venture will cost before you ever press the buy button. We hide no fees from you.

Made up your mind? The car has a spotless history and the numbers fit your budget? Then we move to execution. Because we operate on pre-set prices, we act instantly.

• By clicking the "Order Now" button, you accept the terms and entrust our licensed broker to represent you before the auction house in the USA.
• Our systems and operators in the USA immediately log in to the Manheim dealer environment, lock the vehicle out for other buyers, and finalize the purchase, assigning it to your account.
• The reservation process is very fast, so good deals don't slip right out from under us.

Once the auction assigns the car, we move on to the billing formalities. Typically within several hours to 24 hours of confirming the purchase, we'll generate and send you the full set of documents for payment.

• The most important document is Bill of Sale (the American purchase invoice). It will set out your vehicle's details (VIN, model year, make, model).
• The invoice will show a clear price breakdown: the base amount for the car plus the auction's commission charge (Buyer Fee).
• A separate invoice will cover the logistics and port handling costs along with our fixed service fee.

You make the payment yourself. This requires an international wire transfer in U.S. dollars (USD) from your foreign-currency account to the designated official broker accounts.

• We recommend opening free foreign-currency accounts with apps like Walutomat, Alior Kantor, or Revolut, which can save you thousands of zlotys on the commissions and spreads charged by traditional banks.
• The transfer (via the SWIFT network) must be initiated within 48 hours of the documents being issued. This stems from the policies of U.S. auction platforms, which impose strict daily penalties (Late Fees) for every day of delay in paying for the vehicle.

As soon as the payment clears overseas, our authorized broker takes over coordinating the logistics. The car is released to a driver who holds a commercial transport license and, most importantly, full cargo insurance.

• The driver arrives at the Manheim yard with a carrier built for domestic transport and picks up the vehicle on your behalf.
• The car travels a secure route to one of our warehouses located at the export ports. Transit time depends on where it was bought – from Florida to the port of Miami it may take a day, while from a yard deep inland it can take a couple of weeks.

Once the vehicle reaches the dockside export facility in the USA, the warehouse staff performs a final inspection, making sure its condition matches the auction photos.

• An additional photo session is taken. The Warehouse Photos are uploaded to the system immediately, where you can examine the car closely from every angle.
• The vehicle is then loaded into a sealed ocean container, where the wheels are secured with wooden cradles and bound with heavy-duty transport straps to keep it immobilized through ocean storms.

The container is loaded onto a massive cargo ship operated by ocean shipping lines. As a rule, the voyage from the U.S. East Coast to Western Europe takes about 3 to 5 weeks.

Your vehicle has reached Europe, usually the Dutch port of Rotterdam or the German port of Bremerhaven. We're entering the final stage of the import.

• A dedicated customs agency on site unloads the container and carries out the tax procedures within the European Union on your behalf. At this stage, the mandatory duty (usually 10% of the value) and VAT (21% in the Netherlands or 19% in Germany) are paid.
• Once the car has cleared customs and been released from duty, our car carrier sets out to collect it, transporting it from the port straight to Poland.
• Our team coordinates a convenient time with you and delivers the car right to your driveway. You receive the full set of keys, the complete American documentation (Title), and proof of customs clearance (SAD). All that's left for you is to pay the local Polish excise tax, make any lighting modifications, pass the Polish technical inspection, and finally – register the car and enjoy the drive!