BCA fees, account and registration for UK dealers
BCA buyer fees sit on top of hammer price. If you ignore them, your CAP-based margin is fiction. This page covers BCA fees, then account, registration, membership and transport in one place — not three overlapping articles.
Figures change. Treat this as the workflow, then confirm the live tariff inside your BCA account or with BCA directly before you bid.
BCA fees
BCA charges a buyer’s fee (and related charges) that usually scales with hammer price and account type. There may be additional lots for things like administration, late payment, or specific sale types (including online / Assured).
Before you bid: add buyer’s fee + any announced extras + transport + recon to the hammer. That is the number you compare to retail and to CAP.
A short Manheim note, because people ask: Manheim also charges buyer fees on a published scale. Do not copy a BCA fee onto a Manheim lot. Check each house.
BCA account
A BCA account for trade buying is a dealer (or related trade) account, not a public consumer login. You will typically need a VAT number, dealership details, and to pass BCA’s onboarding. Until the account is live you cannot bid.
Keep the login for buying. Reco does not replace the BCA account — it ranks listings; you still sign in to BCA to bid.
BCA registration and membership
BCA registration is the application and approval process. Membership (or equivalent trading status) is what lets you buy at the centres and online. Requirements can include proof you are in the motor trade. Public buyers are not the audience here.
If you already trade at Manheim, you still register with BCA separately. They are different companies.
BCA transport
BCA transport is optional but commonly used: BCA (or their partners) can move the car from the sale centre to your site for a quoted fee. Factor that quote into the same margin sheet as buyer’s fees. Collection yourself is the alternative when volume or location makes it cheaper.
Reco Engine is not a BCA fee calculator
Reco does not replace BCA, and it does not publish BCA’s tariff. It sits on top: how Reco Engine works with BCA — rank BCA stock against what you actually buy, then bid on BCA as usual.
