Mercier Commissaires-Priseurs
- Open to private buyers
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Mercier is a French firm of commissaires-priseurs associés — the regulated auctioneer profession in France — running sales of public works machinery, heavy vehicles and site equipment. Its calendar crosses the border routinely: sales are held at Mouscron in Belgium, at Cavaillon in Provence and at Vendeville near Lille, which reflects a market where contractors and their machines move freely between the two countries.
What you can buy
- Public works machinery (engins de travaux publics): the core category — excavators, loaders and earthmoving equipment.
- Site equipment (matériels de chantier): the supporting plant of a construction site.
- Heavy vehicles (poids lourds): trucks and commercials, sold in dedicated PL-TP sales.
- General lots: mixed equipment appearing alongside the main categories.
How the bidding works
Sales are held on announced dates at a named venue, in the French tradition of the scheduled auction rather than a rolling online catalogue. Some sales are advertised as "en HT" — prices excluding tax — which is the normal arrangement for professional plant sales and changes what the headline figure means.
What to check before you bid
Check which country a sale is in before planning around it: a Mouscron sale is Belgian, a Cavaillon sale is 900 kilometres away in Provence, and the VAT treatment differs accordingly. Prices quoted excluding tax need the tax added to be comparable. French auctions conducted by commissaires-priseurs are regulated and the catalogue descriptions carry professional responsibility, but plant is still sold as it stands — inspect before the sale, not after.
Buyer's summary
| Who can bid | Open to the public — a French vente volontaire aux enchères publiques. Staff assist buyers at the viewing. |
|---|---|
| Buyer's premium | Statutory scale for voluntary vehicle auctions: 14.28 % of the hammer price including tax, with a minimum charge of €360 including tax. On a cheap lot that minimum dominates the arithmetic. |
| Condition & returns | Vehicles sell as they stand. Cars and light commercials come with a technical inspection over 132 points — voluntary for vehicles under four years old, statutory above. Trucks over 3.5 t may be sold with or without one, and the house states which. |
| Last checked |
Source: Conditions générales de vente
