EBlock Auctions: Complete Dealer Guide

As of August 2026: EBlock is a dealer-to-dealer auction platform combining physical in-lane sales with a digital marketplace under a format they brand LiveLanes — simulcast technology built to merge physical and digital auction events into one consistent sale, rather than treating them as separate channels. Access is restricted to licensed dealers and salespersons.

California's physical footprint has consolidated to one location: EBlock Inland Empire in Corona is the current primary physical EBlock facility in the state. This location's history traces back to ABS Auto Auctions, whose California operations were integrated into EBlock's platform — worth knowing if you've heard the ABS name from an earlier point in your career, since it's the same underlying facility.

Registration & Access

EBlock is strictly dealer-to-dealer — licensed dealers and salespersons only, the same access standard as every other platform covered in this guide.

How the Auction Works

• Format: Both online (via EBlock's web platform/app) and in-lane at the Corona LiveLanes hub
• Light system: Follows NAAA (National Auto Auction Association) rules, using the standard Green/Red/Green+Yellow announcement system
• No test drives — as with most wholesale auctions, you're buying based on the condition report and announcement, not a hands-on test
• Post-Sale Inspection (PSI) is available for purchase if you want an independent check before you're fully committed

Payment and Title Timing — Know These Deadlines

This is one area where EBlock is specific and worth planning around:

• Payment is due within 2 business days of the vehicle's "Available Date"
• A $250-per-vehicle late payment fee can apply starting the 5th business day if payment hasn't cleared
• After 10 calendar days without payment, EBlock may relist or sell the vehicle — don't assume you have indefinite time to pay
• Once title is received and payment clears, title can be mailed, overnighted, or picked up in person at the Corona office (1955 Sampson Ave)

Best Practice: Wholesale Sales Aren't Done Until the Paperwork Is Done

Real lesson from personal experience, worth taking seriously: completing and retaining the correct wholesale reporting form isn't optional paperwork — it's what actually protects you after the sale. Two different forms apply depending on how the sale happened, confirmed directly via DMV's own procedures manual:

• REG 396 (Wholesale Report of Sale) — completed by the dealer when wholesaling directly to another dealer, an auction, a dismantler, or a scrap processor
• REG 398 (Vehicle Auction Wholesale Report of Sale) — completed by the auction itself when the sale goes "sold through" the auction; if the auction properly files the REG 398, a separate REG 396 isn't required from the selling dealer

Both are retained by the seller for a minimum of 4 years, and DMV requires the copy be mailed within 5 calendar days of the sale.

A vehicle wholesaled directly to another party can come back to bite you months later if the transaction wasn't properly reported and you don't have your own copy proving the sale happened. Real-world consequence this can create: toll violation and city citation letters showing up addressed to you, months after a vehicle left your hands, because DMV records still showed you connected to the vehicle — and without your own retained proof of the wholesale transfer, you're left proving a negative after the fact instead of simply producing the paperwork.

The takeaway: know which form applies to your specific transaction, complete it correctly, and keep your own copy for the full 4-year retention period — don't assume the buyer's or the auction's follow-through protects you. This is exactly the kind of documentation habit covered in more depth in our Dealer Compliance guide, and it applies just as much to a wholesale deal at EBlock as it does to any retail transaction.

California Dealer Academy provides educational content and does not offer legal or financial advice. Auction policies, locations, and processes are subject to change — always confirm current terms directly with EBlock before bidding.

California Dealer Academy provides educational content for California auto dealers and does not offer legal, tax, or financial advice. DMV requirements, retention rules, and deadlines are subject to change — always confirm current requirements directly with DMV Occupational Licensing, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for guidance specific to your dealership.

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