Customs auctions: how to participate and where to find property with discounts and avoid paying taxes
23 July 2025 21:04
Every year in Ukraine, customs authorities seize hundreds of consignments of goods and vehicles as part of cases of customs rules violations. Some of the property becomes unnecessary after the expiration of the period of stay under customs control, while others are transferred to the state on the basis of the owner’s voluntary refusal. All such assets are subject to sale through the system of electronic auctions administered by state operators.
The State Customs Service of Ukraine explained how to purchase such items at a reduced price, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The mechanism of customs auctions in Ukraine allows the state to turn confiscated or unclaimed assets into a source of budget revenues by ensuring a transparent and competitive sale procedure. For businesses and individuals, these auctions can be a source of profitable acquisitions, provided they carefully study the terms and conditions and participate in open electronic bidding.
Depending on the status of the property, the auctions are organized by two operators: JSC Prozorro.Sale (responsible for the sale of property that is not confiscated) and SE SETAM (conducts auctions exclusively for confiscated property).
All auctions are held online, and the proceeds from the sale are transferred to the state budget of Ukraine.
The price at which lots are put up for auction already includes all customs duties. This means that the buyer does not pay any additional fees after winning the auction. Upon completion of the auction, the winner receives a deed of the prescribed form, which officially confirms the ownership of the acquired property.
Information about the lots is updated regularly. At this address, you can view lots for all categories of property, except for confiscated property. Follow this link to find out information about confiscated property.
Bidders can inspect the lots in person before the auction. The inspection schedule is published in the sale announcements.
What happens to “no man’s land” at customs?
Ukrainian customs regularly seize goods that are delayed for too long or whose owners do not appear. These can be goods found in warehouses or during customs control at border crossing points, whose owners are unknown. This category also includes goods that have been officially transferred to the state or that are perishable, have a short shelf life, or have very high storage costs.
All such goods and vehicles are transferred for sale through electronic bidding – the so-called customs auctions and reductions – conducted by the prozorro.sale platform. This is a state system that reports to the Ministry of Economy.
How does it work?
- Auctions are held in several stages. If a lot is not sold the first time, the price is reduced and it is put up for auction again. If it doesn’t work, a reduction may be held, where the price gradually drops to a minimum.
- The price already includes all customs duties. That is, the buyer does not need to pay additional taxes or duties – everything is taken into account in the final cost of the lot.
- Ownership is confirmed by an official act. Upon completion of the auction, the customs office issues a document confirming the purchase and allowing you to receive the goods.
- You can inspect the goods before buying. Bidders have the right to inspect the goods before participating in the auction. The schedule of inspections is published in each announcement.
If the property is not sold even after several rounds of lowering the starting price, one of several possible decisions is made:
- free transfer for use by government agencies or organizations;
- recycling or utilization;
- destruction, if other options are not possible or economically feasible.
It all depends on the specific product and situation.
Read also: 60 land plots for sale: Ukraine is preparing auctions for mining
The sale of such property is regulated:
- The Customs Code of Ukraine (Section VII);
- CMU Resolution No. 1340 of 1998 on storage and accounting of confiscated property;
- CMU Resolution No. 1050 of 2019 on the procedure for holding customs auctions and reductions.
In short, all seized property that the state has the right to sell goes through an official procedure. And anyone can buy it – just register on the platform and participate in the auction.
The Customs Service separately warns citizens against being misled. Shops that use words like “confiscated” or “customs confiscation” in their names have nothing to do with the official sale of property seized by customs. Such names are just an element of commercial branding and marketing.
How property confiscated by customs is disposed of in Ukraine
Goods and vehicles seized by customs due to violation of customs regulations are transferred to the state in case of a court decision on confiscation. But what happens to this property next and who is responsible for its sale or disposal?
Confiscated property is disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Code of Ukraine and the Law on Enforcement Proceedings. When the court makes a decision on confiscation, the State Enforcement Service (SES) deals with this property. It is the SES that organizes the sale of confiscated goods and vehicles.
Confiscated goods are sold mainly through electronic auctions or at a fixed price. The organizer of such auctions is the state-owned enterprise SETAM, an official platform subordinated to the Ministry of Justice. Information on all lots available for sale is posted on the website. There, you can view the available property, read the description and terms and conditions, and submit an application for participation in the auction.
If the property could not be sold even after the price was reduced, the commission at the SES may decide on the further disposal of the property. There are several options: transfer free of charge (for example, for the needs of government agencies), utilization, recycling or destruction.
Several documents regulate the disposal of confiscated property:
- CMU Resolution No. 1724 of December 26, 2001, which defines the procedure for transferring property from customs to the executive service;
- CMU Resolution No. 985 of July 11, 2002 – sets out the rules for handling confiscated property transferred for sale;
- Order of the Ministry of Justice No. 2831/5 of September 29, 2016 – regulates the sale of seized property through electronic auctions.
Thus, the system for disposing of property seized by customs is transparent and centralized. The auctions are open to everyone and provide an opportunity to purchase a car or other valuable goods legally and, often, at an attractive price.
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