If you've seen the news recently, you might be feeling a little uneasy about selling goods through online auction houses.

Lloyds Auctions, Australia's self-described "greatest" auction house, has been accused of keeping sellers waiting weeks for their money - sometimes up to tens of thousands of dollars - after their item has sold.

One customer, who used the company to sell her caravan, told 7 News she was waiting for almost $100,000 more than 21 days after the sale - well past the period within which Lloyds promises to clear payments.

At CARBIDS (part of the ALLBIDS Group), we're not here to throw mud. But we do think it's worth taking a moment to address theses concerns head on, and explain exactly how your money and assets are handled when you work with us.

How seller payments are handled

Nobody should have to chase their own money after a sale. While some auction houses quote up to 21 business days to process payments, our system is set up to pay vendors twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday.

Here's how a typical sale plays out:

1. The sale: A buyer wins your car at auction.
2. The collection: The buyer pays for and picks up the vehicle (we ask buyers to collect within three business days).
3. The paperwork: We lodge the notice of disposal with Access Canberra or Service NSW (depending on where the car is registered).
4. The payout: Your payment is queued and cleared on the next processing day (Tuesday or Friday).

For instance, if your car sells on Wednesday and the buyer picks it up on Saturday, your payout is logged on Monday and cleared on Tuesday. In short, most sellers have their money within a week of the auction ending.

No hidden fees or nasty surprises

Chasing payments is bad enough; getting hit with unexpected deductions after the fact is even worse. We keep our fees transparent from day one so there are no surprises when you get paid.

• Fixed listing fee: $495 (including GST), for premium car auctions in Canberra and Sydney, including detailing if required. Or $275 for general car auctions, plus a $88 detailing fee if required.
• No seller commissions: We don't take any sneaky cuts out of your final hammer price. Buyers pay a standard buyer's premium (usually 12.5% for cars), meaning what you see on your listing agreement is what you get.

Staying accountable

At the end of the day, an auction house like ours is the middleman. Our job is simply to connect buyers and sellers, secure the funds, and make sure everyone gets what they were promised.

"We've never wanted to become too big to lose the customer service we give our vendors and buyers," ALLBIDS Group CEO Ben Hastings says.

"We've always held ourselves accountable. Other places might seem to think it's not their fault and blame the buyer or seller. Not us."

This simple focus seems to be resonating well. ALLBIDS, including CARBIDS, continue to hold top customer ratings - including a 4.3-star rating on ProductReview.com.au (ranking second among Australia's top auction shops), and 4.1 stars on Google across hundreds of reviews. By contrast, platforms currently hitting payout delays like Lloyds sit around 1.4 stars on ProductReview.

Have any more questions about how a listing or payout works? Our team is always here to chat (see contact options here).