Know the lot, the money flow, and the risk before you bid.

This plain-language policy describes the current RestorationEssentials auction workflow. It is an operational notice, not a legal opinion or a promise that these terms are sufficient in every jurisdiction. Professional legal review is still required before relying on this page for jurisdiction-specific terms, limitations, or remedies.

The current policy version is 2026-08-26. The lot page, checkout, and any operator communication control if a live transaction presents a more specific instruction or deadline.

A submitted bid is intended to be a binding purchase commitment if that bidder wins. A max bid (also called a proxy bid) authorizes the auction system to place incremental bids on the bidder’s behalf up to the ceiling they submitted. A proxy bid generated from an accepted max bid uses the same acknowledgement context; it is not a new browser purchase decision each time the system counters.

Before submitting a manual bid or max bid, check the displayed hammer amount, the RestorationEssentials buyer fee, the timer and any anti-snipe extension, the total due if you win, and that your payment method and funds are available. The server recalculates the accepted bid and settlement amount; a browser value or acknowledgement never bypasses identity, payment-method, lot-state, winner, or minimum-bid checks.

The buyer is responsible for investigating a listing before bidding. Arrange an inspection, video walkaround, shipping, pickup, storage, and insurance as needed. Verify the VIN or other identity marks, title and lien status, salvage or branded-title status, odometer or mileage information, provenance documents, authenticity, numbers-matching claims, and the mechanical and safety condition of the vehicle or parts lot.

A winning buyer must pay through the hosted checkout shown by the site and use the stated inspection and dispute workflow. RestorationEssentials does not make a seller’s condition report, provenance statement, authenticity statement, title statement, or mechanical representation into a platform warranty.

The seller represents that they are authorized to sell the vehicle or parts lot. The seller must describe it honestly and disclose known mechanical and safety defects, title, lien, salvage or branded-title status, odometer or mileage information, VIN or other identity information, provenance documents, authenticity, and any numbers-matching representation. Photos and condition reports are seller-provided information for buyer investigation, not an inspection by RestorationEssentials.

A seller should correct a material representation as soon as they discover it. Editing a listing does not remove the seller’s responsibility for information previously shown to a buyer or operator.

RestorationEssentials hosts listing pages, provides the bidding interface, routes payment through the installed hosted checkout, records the auction payment and dispute states, and operates the available operator review queue. The vehicle or parts transaction is between the seller and buyer. RestorationEssentials is not the vehicle seller, title agent, inspector, mechanic, shipper, appraiser, or authenticity laboratory.

After a successful buyer charge, the app may show a payment hold while inspection and dispute states are handled. “Payment hold” is the product description here; it is not being called legal escrow. Seller payout is currently queued for operator-mediated processing and there is no automatic seller payout rail in this app.

The lot page or hosted checkout shows the active amount and any payment timing presented for a winning lot. A failed, late, or expired payment session can leave the lot in its current workflow state, return it to an eligible next-bidder/operator path, or require operator handling. The current app does not promise an automatic penalty, relisting fee, cancellation right, refund window, or chargeback guarantee.

A no-bid close or a reserve-not-met close is recorded as a no-sale/cancelled outcome in the current state machine. The app does not promise an automatic relist. A buyer who disputes a card charge must also work with their card issuer; an issuer chargeback is not controlled or guaranteed by RestorationEssentials.

Refund requests and payment reversals are subject to the operator and payment-operations path available for the transaction. The customer-facing app has no automatic refund or chargeback rail. A displayed auction outcome records the workflow outcome; it should not be read as a promise about card-issuer timing or a completed seller payout unless the operator separately confirms that result.

The current paid flow gives the buyer a 24-hour shipping/handling grace period followed by a 14-day inspection window. The app separately derives a dispute cutoff from the auction close—nominally seven days plus a small implementation slack—and the lot page is authoritative for the timestamp. Inspection and dispute windows are not a promise that every issue is eligible or that a buyer may wait past the displayed cutoff.

The authenticated winning buyer can open a dispute through the lot page while the current payment state and dispute cutoff allow it. The operator queue records the report, pauses the available payout workflow while it is under review, and may record a buyer-favor outcome or a seller-favor/release outcome. The current route rejects a split outcome. There is no self-service mediator and no guaranteed resolution service level; the operator may need information from both parties and will communicate through the supported email path.

Mechanical failure, hidden safety defects, title or lien problems, incorrect mileage, provenance gaps, counterfeit or non-matching parts, shipping damage, payment failure, and changing market or restoration costs are transaction risks. Buyers and sellers should obtain independent professional advice, inspection, title review, shipping advice, and insurance when appropriate.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the platform-role and risk statements above describe the intended operating boundary, not a jurisdiction-specific limitation of liability. This page intentionally does not publish a liability cap, warranty waiver, arbitration clause, governing-law term, or other jurisdiction-specific legal term. Counsel must review and approve any such language before it is added.