Vakauppboð

Vaka is a Reykjavík towing and vehicle-handling company, and Vakauppboð is the auction site it runs alongside that business. Two distinct sale types live here: sýslumannsuppboð, the district commissioner's auctions of impounded and forfeited vehicles, and reiðhjólauppboð, the recovered-bicycle sales that Icelandic municipalities hold when unclaimed bikes pile up.

What you can buy

• Bicycles — recovered and unclaimed, sold in batches over a week-long auction.
• Vehicles impounded or forfeited and disposed of by the district commissioner.

How the bidding works

Auctions run on a fixed window — the bicycle sale opens on a stated afternoon and closes six days later at 20:00 — with viewing hours published for the first three days. Every bid is binding. Winners pay through the site's own payment gateway, and they have until midnight on the closing Sunday to do it; anything unpaid goes to the next highest bidder. The district commissioner auctions are advertised on the site as their dates approach.

What to check before you bid

Viewing is the only way to judge a recovered bicycle, and the windows are narrow — three afternoons for a week-long sale. The site is in Icelandic. Collection is from Vaka's premises on Héðinsgata during shop hours, which are 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Thursday and 08:00 to 16:00 on Fridays. Nothing is shipped.